Read Constable Evans 02: Evan Help Us for Free Online

Davies coughed. “I remember Ted Morgan when he was in my Sunday school class and I don’t think that altruism was ever one of his stronger points.”
    “Come again?” Betsy looked blank. “Alt what?”
    “Being nice to other people, Betsy,” Rev. Parry Davies said. “I remember that Ted had the largest collection of marbles in the village, obtained by fair means and foul.”
    “Maybe he’s seen the light, reverend,” Roberts-the-Pump said as he picked up the tray of beers and headed back to the noisy party next door. “Maybe he’s found religion, thanks to those-long-ago Sunday school classes.” He turned to wink at Evan. “Why don’t you come through and join us, Evans-the-Law? We’ve been telling Ted all about you.”
    “Only the good things, I hope,” Evan said, glancing awkwardly at Sam Hoskins who stood, arms folded, glaring down at his big boots. “In a minute, maybe. I’m still wondering whether I should go check on the colonel. I’ve never known him as late as this.”
    As if on cue the door burst open and Colonel Arbuthnot rushed in, sweat pouring from his scarlet face.
    “I’ve found it,” he managed to gasp. “I’ve finally found it!”

Chapter 4
    Evan let out a sigh of relief as the colonel staggered up to the bar. He couldn’t think why he’d been so worried. The colonel spent every day tramping over the hills and nothing had ever happened to him yet. As Betsy said, he was as fit as a fiddle.
    Harry-the-Pub hastily poured a generous tot of Scotch as the colonel leaned against the bar, his breath coming in deep gulps.
    “Found what, colonel?” Betsy asked as Evan went to his aid.
    The colonel tossed back the Scotch in one shot, shuddered, and took a deep, gasping breath. “King Arthur,” he said. “I’ve finally found King Arthur’s castle.”
    “I’ve noticed it myself a couple of times.” One of the younger men chuckled. “A lot of turrets and flags flying, wasn’t it?”
    “Or maybe you’re getting short-sighted, colonel, and you’re mixing up King Arthur’s castle with the Everest Inn,” Barry, the local bulldozer operator, quipped, giving his companion a hearty dig in the ribs. “Easy enough to do, with all those flags and geraniums, eh?”
    He looked pleased with himself as he grinned at the company.
    “You keep quiet now, Barry-the-Bucket,” Betsy said, frowning at the grinning man. “If the colonel says he’s found King Arthur, he has.”
    “And was the round table in it?” Barry continued, undaunted.
    “Tell us all about it, colonel,” Betsy said encouragingly.
    The colonel was still breathing hard and his face was still almost purple. “It’s completely covered in gorse and bracken,” he said. “So you could walk right past and not notice it. But it’s very old, all right. Solid stone walls and a big stone on the floor. And just in the right position to guard the pass. It has to be a medieval fort.”
    “Where was this, colonel?” Evan asked, “Up above Morgan’s farm where I saw you earlier?”
    “Precisely,” Colonel Arbuthnot said. “And not too far from the old slate mines. I must have walked past it a hundred times before and never noticed.” He gasped for breath again. “I think I need another Scotch, Harry my good man. The excitement’s all been too much.” He took out an ancient silk handkerchief with moth holes in it and mopped his forehead. “I hurried all the way down and I would have come straight here, but I slipped on that confounded steep section and got mud on my trousers, so of course I had to pop into Owens’ and change my clothes first.”
    Betsy gave Evan a knowing grin.
    “This is most interesting,” the Rev. Parry Davies said, coming to join them. “Most interesting indeed. We should notify the archaeology department at Bangor University in the morning.”
    “Why don’t we go up and take a look at it now?” Barry-the-Bucket said.
    “Tonight?” Betsy demanded.
    “You want to make sure the colonel’s