“Hah!” said Elsie. “No radio, huh?”
“One second!” said Jupe. “That music! It’s–”
” ‘Hail to the Chief’!” said Barron. “It’s the piece the Marine Band plays when the President appears!”
The music ended, and there was a moment of silence. Then came the sound of someone clearing his throat.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” said an announcer, “the President of the United States!”
Mrs Barron moved close to her husband. He put his arm around her.
“My friends,” said a familiar voice, “I was informed shortly after noon today that unidentified aircraft have been sighted in parts of Texas and New Mexico and along the California coast. At this hour we have word–unconfirmed word–of landings by these craft in Fort Worth, Dallas, Taos, and San Francisco. I repeat, these reports are not confirmed.
“Let me assure you that there is no cause for alarm. Although communications in parts of the West seem to be momentarily disrupted, we have been in touch with the Kremlin and with other capitals in Europe and South America. Our relations with governments to the east and to the south have never been closer, and there is no cause for alarm. . . .”
“You already said that, you dolt!” snapped Barron.
“Various military units have been called out,” the voice went on, “and we ask that all citizens co-operate with these units by remaining in their homes so that strategic surface routes will not be obstructed. Please keep tuned to your local civil defence–”
There was a mighty blast of static, and Elsie Spratt’s radio went dead.
“Idiot!” said Charles Barron. “Infernal idiot! How he ever got elected! On the radio for ten minutes and he told us nothing! Absolutely nothing!”
“Mr Barron, he as good as told us we’re being invaded,” said Hank Detweiler. The foreman looked stunned. “An invasion! By someone who has cut our communication lines! We’re . . . we’re alone here! We can’t reach anybody to find out what’s going on outside!”
5
“Get Off My Land!”
“COMMUNISTS!” shouted Charles Barron. “Anarchists! Riffraff! I don’t believe there were any aircraft! They’ve grabbed the radio stations; that’s what they’ve done! They’re trying to frighten us into surrender! Or they’ve taken the President prisoner, or . . . or . . .”
Barron paused. A look of steely determination came over his face. “I’m going to drive into town,” he announced. “Better yet, I’ll go to Camp Roberts. I’m going to talk to someone who knows what’s going on, and no one had better try to stop me!”
“I have orders, sir,” said the lieutenant. “N-n-no v-vehicles on the road.”
The lieutenant straightened himself, took a deep breath, and spoke slowly and carefully. “I’d appreciate it, Mr Barron, if you’d remain at the ranch for the time being. My orders, sir, are to keep the road open to the San Joaquin Valley, and to see to the safety of personnel, equipment, and installations at Rancho Valverde.”
“Safety?” It was Elsie Spratt who spoke now. She had come out of the kitchen. “Our safety? Why? Who’s threatening us? What’s going on out there, Lieutenant?”
Elsie gestured toward the cliffs–and the world beyond. “What does it have to do with us?” she wanted to know.
“I . . . I don’t know, ma’am,” said Ferrante.
“Exactly what did your superiors tell you, Lieutenant?” demanded Charles Barron.
The lieutenant did not answer.
“Come, come!” snapped Barron. “What did your commanding officer say to you today?”
Again the lieutenant did not reply.
“It isn’t the road they’re so worried about, is it?” said Barron. “There are dozens of other roads much more important. It’s Rancho Valverde that the people at Camp Roberts want to guard, isn’t it? Why? What are we? Some kind of natural resource?”
“Maybe that’s just what we are, Mr Barron,” said Elsie Spratt. “I mean, how many places are there in this country that are as . . . as self-sufficient as we are? We can live here for years without going outside!”
“Aha!” cried Barron. “So that’s it!”
“What, Charles?” asked Mrs Barron.
“It’s happening,” said Barron. “I said it would! All this falderal about unidentified aircraft is a bunch of nonsense to throw us off guard. They want to make everyone stay at home until the top dogs are safe–safe here in my valley!”
“Mr Barron, I don’t understand what–” began Hank Detweiler.
“Understand?” said Barron. “Of course you understand. Either we’re being attacked by some foreign power–and you can take your pick which one it might be–or there’s been an uprising in the country and it’s spreading. Probably started right there in Washington. I read that there was going to be a rally there by some group of people calling themselves Workers United. What are they united for, I’d like to know! Sounded like they were up to no good. All they need is a few members in major cities–just a small number of militants–and they can pull down the government in a day!”
“They would have had to do it in less time than that,” said Jupiter mildly. “Everything was normal when we left Rocky Beach this afternoon.”
“Things are not normal now,” said Barron. “Something disastrous is going on and that mediocrity who calls himself a President hasn’t the faintest idea how to deal with it, so he’ll run away! He’ll run to a place where he can be safe and he’ll dig in and–”
“Mr Barron,” cried Elsie, “I can’t manage if he’s coming here. I was hired to cook for you and Mrs Barron and Hank and the others, but the kitchen isn’t big enough for too many more and–”
“Elsie, you will not be asked to cook for any of that gang from the East,” declared Charles Barron. “I prepared this retreat so that I would have a place to live while our civilization is . . . is adjusting itself. I have a right to enjoy this property without the presence of government officials of any stripe!”
Barron glared at Lieutenant Ferrante. “You get off my land,” he said. “I have guns and I’m going to post guards along the perimeter of the ranch. Trespassers will be shot, do you understand?”
“Yes, sir,” said the lieutenant. He climbed into the jeep. “Move it!” he said to the driver. “Come on! Let’s go!”
A moment later the jeep was speeding off down the lane.
“Hank,” said Mr Barron, “pick ten of the most trustworthy men–men who can shoot–and send them in to see me. We’ll have the fence patrolled all along the road.”
“But Charles, will that help?” said Mrs Barron. “If the President does come here, won’t he come by helicopter? If the guards are on the road–”
“Be still, Ernestine!” snapped Barron. “You don’t understand about these things.”
Barron started up the steps to his house, then paused and looked back at the Three Investigators. “You boys,” he said. “You can stay here. You’re innocent victims, and I won’t put you out on the road where idiots like that lieutenant might–well, God knows what he might do. Elsie, would you mind feeding four more?”
“No, Mr Barron,” said the cook.
“Good enough,” said Barron, and he went into the house.
Jupiter, Pete, and Bob stood near the truck with Konrad. They watched Hank Detweiler call the names of ten of the ranch workers. The men went one by one up the steps into the Barron house.
By the time the men came out again, it was getting dark, but the boys could see that each man carried a rifle and wore an ammunition belt. They went off down the lane towards the fence and the gate.
Other residents of the ranch drifted away, and when Hank Detweiler emerged from the Barron house, only Konrad and the boys remained in the driveway.
“I don’t know what this is all about,” said Detweiler, “but I’m sure it will blow over before long. You’ll probably be on your way again tomorrow.”
He went into the ranch house, which was now lighted by the soft glow of kerosene lamps. After a moment Konrad announced that he would go in, too.
“Well?” said Bob to Jupiter, after Konrad had gone.
“I don’t know what to think,” said Jupe. “When we left Rocky Beach at noon, everything was fine. Now, only a few hours later, we have no electricity, the radios don’t work, and the telephone is dead. The President has made a speech about strange aircraft landing in several parts of the country, and there are soldiers patrolling the road so that we can’t drive away.”
“Maybe we can’t drive away, but we can walk away,” said Pete. “If we can get to someplace that’s outside–”
He stopped short. “Hey,” he said. “I’m beginning to sound like I really believe this place is a fortress–like the rest of the world is outside. We’re inside, where it’s safe.”
“We aren’t even sure it’s safe,” said Jupe. “But you’re right. We should walk out to the nearest town. We won’t learn anything by staying here. Maybe there really is some sort of invasion going on and we can get more news about it outside.”