Doctor Who_ War Games - Malcolm Hulke [10]
Zoe had gone to the door. ‘Shhh! I think someone’s coming.’
‘Right,’ said the Doctor. ‘You step aside, Zoe. Leave this to us.’
The Doctor and Jamie took up positions either side of the door. Listening intently they heard the foot-steps of one person approaching. Jamie grinned; knocking out one man would be easy. A key turned in the lock and the door slowly opened. Jamie was about to deliver the first blow, but the Doctor had seen who it was.
‘No, Jamie. I think this may be a friend.’
Lieutenant Carstairs came in quietly and closed the door behind him. He looked at each of the three prisoners yet said nothing.
‘You wanted to see us?’ the Doctor asked. ‘I’m afraid we can’t invite you to sit down.’
‘Who are you people?’ Carstairs asked.
The Doctor smiled. ‘Are you sure that’s what you really came to talk to us about, Lieutenant?’
‘Perhaps not.’ Carstairs hesitated. ‘I don’t understand what’s going on any more.’
‘It’s pretty simple,’ said Jamie. ‘You’ve got this war on and you’re all mad! ‘
‘Just a moment, Jamie.’ The Doctor turned back to the lieutenant. ‘What do you know about General Smythe?’
Carstairs passed a hand over his forehead. ‘That’s the point. Lady Jennifer and I have been having a talk. She thinks that court martial wasn’t at all fair.’ Then he added with some pride, ‘We’re English, you know. We believe in playing cricket, doing the right thing.’
‘Of course,’ said the Doctor. ‘But I want to take your mind back to something. You remember when Captain Ransom looked in that little room off the main office and couldn’t find the general? Then a moment later the general emerged from that same room?’
‘Yes,’ said Carstairs. ‘I think so...’
The Doctor went on, ‘The captain said, “I looked in your room, sir. You weren’t there.” General Smythe stared at the captain and said, “You looked into my room and I was sleeping.” Do you recall that?’
‘I do,’ said Carstairs. ‘It struck me as rather odd.’
‘It was even more odd when Captain Ransom replied, “I looked into your room, sir, and you were sleeping.”’ The Doctor paused to let that sink in. ‘The general was telling the captain what he had to remember.’
Carstairs looked even more worried. ‘Yes, memory...’
‘What about memory?’ asked the Doctor.
‘It all hinges on memory, don’t you see? I can’t remember things. Lady Jennifer says her memory is coming back, but not completely.’ Carstairs tried to give a boyish grin. ‘It’s all so confusing.’
‘Lieutenant,’ said the Doctor. ‘Would you allow us to see into that other room? The one that the general came from?’
‘It’s his bedroom, I believe.’
‘Whatever it’s supposed to be,’ the Doctor insisted, ‘may we see inside it?’
They all looked at the young man, waiting for his answer.
‘We won’t run away,’ Zoe promised. ‘We want to help you.’
‘You do promise not to escape again?’ said Carstairs. ‘It would be my duty to shoot you, including the young lady.
Is that understood?’
‘We give our solemn promise,’ the Doctor assured him.
‘Then wait here until I return.’ Lieutenant Carstairs left the basement room as quietly as he had arrived. Jamie went forward to pull open the door just as they heard the key turn in the lock.
‘I can’t say my job here is particularly easy,’ Captain Ransom was saying. He was sitting back, drinking a cup of tea that Lady Jennifer had made for them both. ‘There’s a dashed lot of paper work. Can you imagine, one of the forward posts lost a hundred and fifty shovels last week, couldn’t account for them.’
‘That must have been very annoying,’ said Lady Jennifer. She had been listening to Ransom for the past half hour and was very bored. But she had promised Carstairs to keep him talking while the lieutenant made his secret visit to the prisoners.
‘Jolly inefficient,’ said Ransom. He checked his watch.
‘Well, it’s been nice talking, Lady Jennifer. I’d better rouse up another execution party. If that spy hasn’t been shot