WORRALS INVESTIGATES
First Published in 1950 - 173 pages
Worrals is asked by Air Commodore
Raymond to investigate mysterious happenings on Outside Island near the Paumotu
archipelago in the South Seas. A red-haired woman has shot at natives. Flying
out with Frecks in a prototype flying-boat amphibian, Worrals goes to
investigate. On the island, Worrals and Frecks find a wrecked boat named "Cleopatra"
but Frecks discovers that it is really the "Vanity", a yacht
that has been reported as missing. Locked up in the wrecked yacht is a native
girl called Mari who has been beaten. The weather begins to decline and Worrals
goes to look after their aircraft whilst Frecks explores further. A red-haired
woman with a rifle captures Frecks. When Frecks doesn't return, Worrals goes to
find her. Worrals meets a girl called Mabel Stubbs who tells Worrals that there
are 20 girls being held against their will. Mabel had got a job with Miss
Amelia Haddington, an eccentric millionaire, who has gone mad after the man she
loved married someone else. Amelia has brought everybody to the Island where
she can rule as Queen without any men. Amelia has eight other people running
the Island with her, having made a will in their favour to buy their loyalty.
One is a Doctor Borran, the red-head, and the others include Amelia's two
nurses, Lily and Rose. Worrals goes to confront them all, in the Coral Palace
where they live. Taking both Mabel and Mari with her, plus a gun, Worrals
confronts Amelia whilst she is dining with her "ministers".
Establishing that the captive girls all want to leave, Worrals takes charge and
has Amelia, who is plainly insane, confined to her room. Other troublemakers
are locked up, but the red-haired Dr. Borran, nicknamed 'The Geranium' escapes
with a rifle. By this time, the weather is getting worse and worse. Frecks has
to fly to get transport to take the girls off the island. On her journey to the
aircraft Dr. Borran shoots at her. The next morning, Worrals finds Dr. Borran
dead with an arrow in her back. She had previously shot at natives, killing
one, and they had returned for their revenge. Frecks is able to signal a
friendly ship and they call at the island to help evacuate the girls who want
to leave. Amelia and her loyal "ministers" elect to stay on the Island
and Worrals concludes that it is not for her to force them to leave. She thinks
it is only her job to rescue the people being held against their will. Later,
Worrals hears that the island has been swept clean by a tropical storm and
inundated with water. There were no survivors. Talking with Air Commodore
Raymond, Worrals' last line is "There'll be plenty of time for
doughnuts when we're too old to get around".
This was the last "Worrals" book ever written by
William Earl Johns
Worrals Investigates
Subtitle - A further adventure in the career of Joan Worralson
and her friend "Frecks" Lovell, one time of the W.A.A.F.
Publication Details - published by Lutterworth Press