Doctor Who: Target - Novelisations [054] - The Sea-Devils by Malcolm Hulke

Author:Malcolm Hulke
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Science-Fiction - Doctor Who
ISBN: 9780426113089
Publisher: Target Books
Published: 1983-05-14T22:00:00+00:00

6

‘This Man Came to Kill me!’

Trenchard was trying to calm his nerves by practising putting shots on the floor of his office. He had just been told over the internal telephone that the Doctor and Jo had arrived at the gatehouse in a naval jeep and wanted to see him. To have refused might have been suspicious, so he gave orders for them to be allowed into the grounds, provided they were accompanied from the gatehouse to the château by a prison officer.

He was just making a very tricky shot when there was a knock on the door and the two visitors were brought in. To test his nerves Trenchard made the shot before speaking. It missed by a good six inches.

‘Hands a bit shaky?’ enquired the Doctor wickedly.

‘Out of practice,’ said Trenchard, putting away his putting stick. ‘Do you wish to visit the prisoner again?’

‘That depends if he’s still here,’ said the Doctor. ‘We have reason to believe that he’s escaped.’

Trenchard sat down heavily behind his desk, his heart thumping very badly now. ‘Escaped?’ he echoed almost in a whisper. It was the only word that he could get out.

The Doctor smiled. ‘You don’t seem very surprised at the news.’

Trenchard tried to get his shattered mind in order. He should treat this a joke. It was the only thing he could do.

‘I think you must be suffering from some mental aberration,’ he said, touching his forehead, ‘you know, a touch of the old berry-berry or something. Would you like to sit down and have a brandy?’

‘I saw the Master with my own eyes at the Naval Base,’ said Jo.

‘Come now, Miss Grant,’ said Trenchard, ‘that’s quite impossible.’

‘A Chief Petty Officer caught the Master masquerading as a senior naval officer,’ said the Doctor, ‘stealing electronic equipment. The Master knocked the man out.’

Now Trenchard was really worried. The Master had said nothing to him about his encounter with a Chief Petty Officer. ‘Well,’ he said, ‘I’d better look into this. Will you both wait here, please?’

Trenchard rose and went to the door.

Jo said, ‘Why not use that monitor of yours? – see if he’s still in his room?’

Trenchard hesitated, and tried to think of some reason for not doing the obvious. ‘Don’t really like gadgets,’ he said. ‘I want to see my prisoner with my own eyes.’ He went out.

The Doctor immediately went to the ’phone on Trenchard’s desk. As with all telephones in prisons, it had a little chain and padlock that immobilised the dial. He turned to Jo. ‘Take the Jeep and get back to the Naval Base straight away. ’Phone UNIT – tell them that Trenchard and his entire staff must be arrested immediately!’

Jo said, ‘What are you going to do?’

‘Be a good guest,’ said the Doctor, ‘and twiddle my thumbs until Mr. Trenchard comes back.’

Trenchard felt that he was making no impression on the Master at all. Here he was, telling the man that he’d been spotted when he was at the Naval Base, and the Master wasn’t making any reaction at all.

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