Chapter 9 AN EXTRAORDINARY MESSAGE - AND A PLAN
　　Julian opened the front door. Jo silently gave him a plain envelope. Julian tore it open, not knowingwhat in the least to expect. Jo turned to go - but Julian put out his hand and caught hold of her firmly,whilst he read the note in complete amazement¹.
　　'Dick!' he called. 'Hold on to Jo. Don't let her go. Better take her indoors. This is serious.'
　　Jo wasn't going to be taken indoors. She squealed², and wriggled³ like an eel⁴. Then she began to kickDick viciously with her bare feet.
　　'Let me go! I'm not doing any harm. I only brought you that note!'
　　'Stop squealing⁵ and being silly,' said Dick. 'I don't want to hurt you, you know that. But you mustcome indoors.'
　　But Jo wouldn't stop wriggling⁶ and pulling and kicking. She looked scared out of her life. It was asmuch as Dick and Julian could do to get the little wriggler⁷ into the dining-room and shut the door.
　　Anne followed, looking very frightened. Whatever was happening?
　　'Listen to this,' said Julian, when the door was shut. 'It's unbelievable!' He held out the typewrittennote for the others to see as he read it out loud.
　　'We want the second notebook, the one with figures in, and we mean to have it. Find it and put itunder the last stone on the crazy paving path at the bottom of the garden. Put it there tonight.
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　　'We have got the girl and the dog. We will set them free when we have what we want from you.
　　If you tell the police, neither the girl nor the dog will come back. The house will be watched to seethat nobody leaves it to warn the police. The telephone wires are cut.
　　'When it is dark, put the lights on in the front room and all three of you sit there with the maid Joan,so that we can keep a watch on you. Let the big boy leave the house at eleven o'clock, shining a torchand put the note-book where we said. He must then go back to the lighted room.

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