"Move up, Dinah, you're squashing me," complained Philip, as Dinah leaned over him to look out of the train window. He gave her a shove towards the aisle.

"Philip!" yelled Dinah, as she nearly fell out of her seat. "There was no need for that, I only wanted to see the station approaching." She pushed him back.

Kiki the parrot, sitting on the back of the seat opposite, gave a squawk. "Naughty boy! Naughty boy!"

"Don't start, you two!" said Jack, who was sitting on the seat by Kiki. "We're almost there, and you don't want to start the holidays with a fight. Help me get the trunks down from the rack, Philip."

Dinah and Philip stopped fighting. Their quarrels never lasted long. Philip and Jack stood up and wrestled the large school trunks down onto the seats. The fourth person in their party, Lucy-Ann, suddenly gave a squeal as she looked out of the window. "I can see the station! We're home!"

"I hope we going to do something fun these holidays," said Dinah.

"We always do, even if it starts out dull," said Jack. "Things just seem to happen to us, so I wouldn't worry about things being boring. Anyway, as long as Bill's with us, we'll have fun."

The train drew to a halt at the station, and the children dragged their trunks down onto the platform, Kiki sitting on Jack's shoulder as usual.

"Mother said she would be meeting us, didn't she?" asked Philip. But as they looked around they saw not Aunt Allie but their great friend Bill, striding along the platform towards them.

"Bill!" they all cried joyfully, and ran to meet him.

"Hello!" he beamed. "Come along, the car's just outside. Have you had good terms, all of you?"

The children chattered away to Bill as he loaded up the car with the help of Jack and Philip, telling him all what had been happening at school in the last few weeks.

Soon the car was driving out of the station in the direction of their house. "I thought Aunt Allie was picking us up," said Jack.

"Ah, yes," said Bill. He looked solemn all of a sudden. "Well, I thought I would pick you up instead. You see, unfortunately I have been called away on a job and actually have to leave immediately. But I didn't want to go without saying hello to you all."

"Oh Bill!" said Lucy-Ann, disappointed. "I thought we were going to have great fun with you. Are you going to be away for the whole holidays?"

"I have no idea, I'm afraid," said Bill. "I'm so sorry, I wish I could be only called away when you are at school but unfortunately it doesn't work like that!"

"Silly Billy, silly Billy," Kiki said mournfully.

Everyone was disappointed. "Will you be leaving right away?" asked Philip.

"Yes, as soon as your trunks are taken out of the car I will have to drive off in it," said Bill.

"What are you doing?" Jack asked hopefully, but he knew the answer before he'd even asked the question.

"You know I can't reveal anything like that, Jack," Bill grinned. "You will just have to hope we wrap this job up quickly and I will be able to join you for the second part of the holiday. Meanwhile I'm sure Allie will keep you busy!"

They drove in silence for a while. "Are you going abroad or staying in England," Jack asked. "Surely you can tell us that much!"

He looked at Bill, but Bill was frowning and didn't answer. "Bill?" said Jack. He repeated his question.

"Hush a minute, please Jack." Bill was looking in his rear-view mirror closely, and frowning even harder now. He looked worried.

"What's the matt-" began Lucy-Ann, but the others hushed her. They all looked at Bill in concern.

They turned onto a quiet country road edged with trees and fields. Bill looked in his mirror again. Jack looked behind. A black Landrover turned into the road after them. "Is that car following us?" he asked quietly. The others turned round.

"Don't look!" said Bill urgently. "Face the front. Yes, I've been watching the rear since the station and that car has been following us. Not much traffic comes along this road. Don't worry, just sit still and act normally."

The children looked at each other worriedly, and did as Bill told them. "I don't want to lead him to our house," Bill muttered, almost to himself. "I'll slow down and see what happens."

So Bill slowed their car and indicated left, that he was pulling over, to say that the other car should pass him. "Ah yes, he's speeding up, he's going to overtake," Bill said, looking relieved. "Maybe I was wrong. Get a bit paranoid doing my job you know!"

But as he was speaking, the car, which had gained quite a bit of speed now, slammed straight into the back of them. They were all jolted forwards like rag-dolls. The car skidded forwards towards the trees. Bill grabbed the wheel tightly, and slammed his foot down on the accelerator, turning the car back onto the road. The black Landrover was right behind them, then it came right up alongside them, seemed to pull away from them slightly, then the driver pulled it over to the left, straight into the side of the children's car.

There was a horrible screech of metal on metal, and a terrific jolt as the car was pushed to the left. It was pushed right off the road. The left wheels fell into a ditch, and the Landrover was still pushing them, and so to the children's horror the car suddenly turned onto its side, and then onto its roof! Kiki squawked loudly and flapped her wings. The world was jolted around, and nobody could tell which way was up as the car tumbled down a slope, hit a large rock, then came to a halt, still upside down, by crashing into a tree. Everyone was suspended upside down, their seatbelts still holding them to their seats. The blood was going to their heads, and combined with the rolling of the car they all felt pretty dazed and dizzy.

"Is everyone all right?" Philip gasped eventually. He could hear voices outside. "Lucy-Ann? Dinah?"

"I'm all right," came Dinah's voice.

"And me," said Jack. "Kiki, Kiki, are you hurt?" He was reassured by a quiet "Pifflebunk" that came from somewhere near his feet.

"I'm ok," said Lucy-Ann. "Bill?" She twisted her head round. Then she screamed. "Bill!"

Bill was hanging from his seatbelt, blood on his face, his arms limp above his head due to the gravity. He was not moving.

"Oh Bill! Wake up!" Lucy-Ann yelled, struggling to reach him. Suddenly the car doors were pulled open. Jack counted three men in dark clothes, each holding a revolver. They dragged Bill from the car. He groaned and opened his eyes. He started as he took in their situation, but was obviously injured and dazed, and surrounded by three men with revolvers, so he didn't try anything. One of them kicked him, then hit him around the face with the butt of the revolver. Bill slumped onto the ground again. Lucy-Ann and Dinah screamed. The men whirled round. "Shut up!" one of them said fiercely, waving his gun.

"We didn't want this lot," one of the men said. Jack noticed that he had an English accent. So did the others.

"They've seen us now. We've got to get rid of them. They'll raise the alarm and won't leave us enough time to get where we've gotta go if we leave them," said another.

Philip had been wrestling with his seatbelt, trying to get it undone. It was difficult because the belt was pulled taut with his weight. Suddenly, it unclicked and he fell to the bottom of the car with a thump. He scrambled to the open door but one of the men was waiting for him, and dragged him up by the arm as he tried to get out. "Don't try anything, kid," he snarled.