The twins were seated on one side of the table with Uncle Bernard on the other side in the keeper’s cottage.
“Well, Jack and Claire, I think you have some explaining to do.”
“There were smugglers, we saw their signals and the boat!” they both cried out and Blanca woofed her agreement.
“Ok, let’s go a bit slower. I’ll ask the questions and you answer them.”
“Claire, what time did you leave your house tonight?”
“I don’t know exactly, Uncle Bernard, probably about 8.30 pm. It had just gone dark.”
“Jack, why did you come down to the beach when you should have been in bed looking after Blanca?”
“We came to find the smugglers,” answered Jack.
After about ten minutes of questioning the twins, Uncle Bernard had heard their whole story. They were sitting in the keeper’s cottage drinking mugs of hot cocoa and Blanca was snoozing by the fire Uncle Bernard had lit to keep the cottage warm. After such a hot day it always felt very cold when the sun went down.
“And you say, Jack, the only two words you understood were OK and moulin, is that correct?
“Yes Sir,” said Jack rather worried that Uncle Bernard seemed to be conducting a police interview rather than just talking to them.
“Well it’s not much to go on if we are to catch the smugglers red handed, are you sure there weren’t any other clues?”
“I remember something!” exclaimed Claire. “The boat was red and blue and had a name on the side R.o.i de R.o.y.a.n.” Claire had spelled out the name because she couldn’t say it.
“Good girl,” said Uncle Bernard, “that will be very helpful. Royan is a town near here that has a big marina. We should be able to trace the boat easily enough from your description.”
Jack was annoyed that Claire was being praised. After all he had overheard what could turn out to be the most important clue of all - the moulin.
“Do you think the smugglers were taking the whisky to the moulin to hide it?” he said trying to get the centre of attention back to himself.
“What makes you think they were smuggling whisky?”
“Well that’s what started it all off,” replied Jack. We found a bottle of whisky on the beach and some tracks leading to a clearing so we decided to come back and follow the smugglers.”
“I think the whisky was a red fish,” said Uncle Bernard.
“Red herring,” giggled Claire.
“Well isn’t a herring a fish?”
“Yes.”
“Well then, a red fish.”
The twins giggled. They didn’t think they could explain to Uncle Bernard the difference between a red fish and a red herring!
“Don’t you think they were smuggling whisky?” asked Claire.
“No, I think they had much bigger fish to fry.” laughed Uncle Bernard. “One of the reasons I have been posted here is to look out for smugglers. The police in Paris have long suspected a drug smuggling ring is operating off the coast here and I have been sent to keep an eye on all things fishy.”
“Drug smuggling!” the twins gasped missing Uncle Bernard’s little joke.
“Real drug smugglers?” asked Jack and Claire together.
“Yes, these are very dangerous men who would think nothing of getting rid of anyone who stood in their way, even two innocent children.”
“Have you finished your cocoa? Good, then we know where we must go next. Don’t we?”
“The moulin?” asked the twins their voices quivering.
“The moulin. Let’s go!” he said picking up his mobile phone and taking a small pistol from a locked cupboard and putting it in his pocket.