The Strange Ghostly Tale Of Slippery Jake The Regency Rake: Chapter Twenty: Attempted Evening Break-In And The Consequence. Plus Life Carries On.

Chapter Twenty:

Attempted Evening Break-In And Consequences. Plus Life Carries On.

There was an area that did really concern Beryl and Sid. That was the security of the Public House, especially overnight. They had both been in extensive conversations with the Chief Detective about fully securing the premises. Deadlocks were added to all the main doors and windows. Steel door frames were added to the main doors, with bolt action locks. CCTV was set up around the Public House, especially in the backyard.

All money in the various tills was locked away every night in a very secure safe. The primary concerns were Slippery Jake's rapier sword, cape, and chairs. Together these could easily bring in £100,000, around $130,000 US, at the current rates if not a lot more.

The Detective Chief Inspector knew of gangs with the skill to get through most security. He thought it would only be a matter of time before one of these gangs tried its luck. There had been a lot of publicity surrounding how 'protective' Slippery Jake was about the Bull and how he might react. The press, TV, and online were full of this. However, some gangs were willing to 'chance their arms'. They could well be 'chancing' a lot more if they tried to get anywhere near Slippery's property. Again, they thought all of that was some elaborate hoax.

We were getting used to the routines of having a baby, the sleepless nights, and the endless nappy changing. Our little daughter was changing so quickly as well. Summer lasted well into September. October came round. The nights were starting to draw in and there was a chill now in the air. Some drizzle here and there, but no torrential rain, thank God.

It was on a gray evening with light drizzle when the three experienced robbers did break into the Bull. They knew where all the CCTV cameras were and circumvented all of them. They cut a hole in the double glazed windows at the back. Later the Chief Detective Inspector and the forensic branch were impressed with their skill. This would have narrowed down the list of villains quite a lot, but there would be no need for that as you will see shortly.

They stealthily walked downstairs heading for the rapier sword and cape. However, 'The Right Hon Jake Horatio Higginbottom' was waiting for them. He was decked out in all his finery. His cape was spread elegantly across his arms. His actual rapier sword was in his hand ready. He was studiously sharpening the sword with his whetstone. Their torches reflected off the razor-sharp edges of the rapier.

The three thieves stared in disbelief. So all this was true after all. This time Slippery Jake showed real restraint. He could have easily killed all three with his rapier sword. Two were carrying small pistols. No good whatsoever against Old Slippery. A grip around their necks would have given a frozen 'charge' straight to their hearts and killed them, one by one, instantly. But no, Old Slippery simply stood there and starred. He looked at each one straight in their eyes. This put them into deep hypnosis. They were then lifted up into the air. All three seemed to float there. With a movement of his left hand, Slippery directed them downwards. Then all three slumped to the floor. They were all in a fixed catatonic state. The robbers were breathing just, and that was it.

The Old Ghost had now really taken this on board. Killing all three would have been easy. However, this would have left a real mess for Beryl, Sid, and the Detective Chief Inspector to clear up.

Little Jock started barking furiously. Beryl and Sid had quickly woken up and came downstairs to see what had happened. Old Slippery had vanished. Gone down to a 'realm down below?' Sid called up the Detective Chief Inspector rather than go straight to the police. We also got a telephone call. Isabella's mother was there so the needs of little Jennifer were catered for.

There were three prone bodies on the floor. Isabella checked their pulses. They were alive but still in a deep catatonic state.

The Chief then added:

"This is a new one for Old Slippery, hypnosis. At least he hasn't left us with three stiffs. Yes, I know who these three 'gentlemen' are. Three seasoned and experienced criminals. These three have been on our radar for quite a while. Old Slippery has done us quite a service here."

The Detective Chief Inspector then took a long hard look at the three figures,

"So how is this going to be dealt with? We are the only people that know about this at the moment. At least this did not happen in the restaurant full of people, so we won't be having the press swarming around straight away."

Isabella added:

"Having one person in this state could be explained away maybe, but three, noway!"

"It was clear what they were doing here. They were after the sword, cape, and possibly the chairs."

Everybody nodded.

"As for the press, this was a clear case of these robbers breaking in and the resident ghost preventing them from stealing anything, without loss of life. Some elements of the media may stir up a big stink, we know who they are. But these events are clearly different from other incidents."

"They will know how to bring these three out of this catatonic state at the local hospital. I am planning to go back to work there soon, so I can keep you all updated on what is going on. They know the situation here and have little time for certain members of the press as well."

"So call an ambulance and get the usual forensic team around to check over everything. I will stay around in case that upsets Old Slippery." The Chief added.

So with that, an ambulance was called. The forensic team got to work. They mainly concentrated on the 'entry' window, so Old Slippery and his belongings were left alone.

The window was secured and we all then went back to bed. Isabella rose fairly early. She took little Jennifer with her to the hospital. The hospital reported back that the men had been revived. The Detective Chief Inspector was around there like a shot. They had recovered enough to give a statement. They could not deny they had attempted a beak in at the Bull Public House. They remember breaking in but after that everything else was a blank. This suited the Detective Chief Inspector very nicely. The break-in would be reported as a matter of course and the press, mainly the 'gutter' press, could speculate all they wanted. He would stick strictly to the 'facts ' as he found them.

This strategy worked. It took a day or two for the press to catch on. They of course flooded the Bull, so the beer pumps were kept very active. One thing that did please Sid and Beryl very much. They pestered the local police station as well. The Chief Detective Inspector used his best Geoffrey Boycott defence and knocked down all the 'balls' bowled at him.

With nothing to go on the UK 'red top' British Press did what they were best at. They made things up.

"Deadly Ghost Hypnotizes Robbers!" Well, that much was true.

"This is an affront to English sensibilities!" I have no idea how that could be inferred?

However, some were stating a more sympathetic line.

"Old Slippery Bags Thieves!"

And: "The Bull Public House Ghost Knows How To Deal With Robbers.'

Plus:

"Our Law And Order Phantom!"

Yes, the press was starting to pick up on the contradictions that the ghost presented.

The 'hypnotism' also threw up a lot of dilemmas for the medical staff and associated experts.

The power of hypnotism was widely recognized. However, quite how all three robbers were put into such a deep catatonic state was something that would need some investigation.