Except in my nightmares he didn’t trip over and drop his torch. He came straight at me.
The next thing I knew it was bright daylight and Mum was shouting at me through the tent flap.
‘What did you say to Squid? He’s almost scratched off the top of his skull.’
‘Nothing much, Mum. I told you he’d get scared if he camped out with us when we were telling ghost stories.’
‘He’s only five.’
‘Almost six.’
Mum sighed and walked off.
It was boiling hot in the tent. And it smelt of Wrigs’ farts. I crawled across to Tearley’s tent and woke her up.
‘Let’s show last night’s video to Tranh,’ I said.
‘He’ll just say it’s none of our business again,’ she said.
Wrigs crawled into Tearley’s tent, too. The smell followed him.
‘We’re going to show this to Tranh,’ I told him.
‘Do we have to?’ he said.
‘Yes,’ I said. I must have sounded really determined because both Wrigs and Tearley agreed.
After breakfast we trudged off to the police station again.
Sergeant Tranh was on the phone when we got there.
‘So I can pay monthly or annually?’
When he saw us he said, ‘Sorry, can you hold for a moment?’ and put the phone down.
‘Ah,’ he said to me. ‘Here they are again— Supersleuth and his able assistants. What have you got for us today? A mild-mannered old lady who is a cat burglar at night perhaps?’
‘You know about Ms Burke?’ said Wrigs.
‘Who?’ said Tranh.
Tearley was right. We shouldn’t have come. I wanted to turn around and leave again. But we had to go through with it.
‘Have a look at this,’ I said and showed Tranh the video of the animals.
‘What’s this, a holiday video? You went to a zoo, did you?’
‘No, it’s the cellar under the old house we told you about,’ I said. ‘That dude we told you about keeps native animals in there.’
‘We think he’s a trafficker,’ Tearley said.
‘Trafficker? An animal trafficker? In Pensdale? You’ve been watching too much TV.’
‘He told us he wasn’t Mr Bayoumi either,’ said Wriggler.
‘Who?’
‘The owner of the house,’ said Tearley. ‘Constable Stevens looked it up for you, remember?’
Tranh turned to Stevens. ‘When do the school holidays finish?’ he asked.
‘In a week or so,’ she replied.
‘Thank goodness for that. See ya, kids.’ He waved towards the police station door like he wanted us to leave.
As we starting leaving, he picked up his phone again and said, ‘So, what’s your best price on this car insurance, then? Oh hang on a sec …’
He called out as we were going through the door, ‘By the way, we’d like those rocks back from our cactus garden. They’re police property.’
When we got outside Tearley said, ‘I told you he wouldn’t listen to us.’
We went back to the deserted house to get the pictures out of the sensor camera. They showed me hiding from Mr Black. He was so close, if he’d reached out he would have caught me. I’ve got no idea how he didn’t see me.
CHAPTER 29
DAY 27: Thursday
My skims: 0
Wriggler’s skims: 0
Tearley’s skims: 0
At least I’m going to be a YouTube superstar.
Money made for tinnie: $0
Have 7 more days to find $735.50, and that doesn’t include the cash we owe Tearley.
I was having breakfast when Uncle Scott rang. He asked how I was going with the cash for the boat.
I lied to him.
‘I reckon we can get it, Uncle Scott, but I’ve just got to convince a new investor.’
‘Great,’ he said. ‘Mate, my plan is to put it on eBay next Thursday. Let me know how you’re going before then.’
Seven days. How were we going to get seven hundred and thirty-five dollars and fifty cents in a week? This holiday had sucked. My plan had been to go back to school as a world champion skimmer and a boat owner. Instead, I was going to go back exactly the same way as I left. A nobody.
Then an idea hit me like a tin can full of rocks. Even if I wasn’t going to get the world record or the tinnie I knew
The next thing I knew it was bright daylight and Mum was shouting at me through the tent flap.
‘What did you say to Squid? He’s almost scratched off the top of his skull.’
‘Nothing much, Mum. I told you he’d get scared if he camped out with us when we were telling ghost stories.’
‘He’s only five.’
‘Almost six.’
Mum sighed and walked off.
It was boiling hot in the tent. And it smelt of Wrigs’ farts. I crawled across to Tearley’s tent and woke her up.
‘Let’s show last night’s video to Tranh,’ I said.
‘He’ll just say it’s none of our business again,’ she said.
Wrigs crawled into Tearley’s tent, too. The smell followed him.
‘We’re going to show this to Tranh,’ I told him.
‘Do we have to?’ he said.
‘Yes,’ I said. I must have sounded really determined because both Wrigs and Tearley agreed.
After breakfast we trudged off to the police station again.
Sergeant Tranh was on the phone when we got there.
‘So I can pay monthly or annually?’
When he saw us he said, ‘Sorry, can you hold for a moment?’ and put the phone down.
‘Ah,’ he said to me. ‘Here they are again— Supersleuth and his able assistants. What have you got for us today? A mild-mannered old lady who is a cat burglar at night perhaps?’
‘You know about Ms Burke?’ said Wrigs.
‘Who?’ said Tranh.
Tearley was right. We shouldn’t have come. I wanted to turn around and leave again. But we had to go through with it.
‘Have a look at this,’ I said and showed Tranh the video of the animals.
‘What’s this, a holiday video? You went to a zoo, did you?’
‘No, it’s the cellar under the old house we told you about,’ I said. ‘That dude we told you about keeps native animals in there.’
‘We think he’s a trafficker,’ Tearley said.
‘Trafficker? An animal trafficker? In Pensdale? You’ve been watching too much TV.’
‘He told us he wasn’t Mr Bayoumi either,’ said Wriggler.
‘Who?’
‘The owner of the house,’ said Tearley. ‘Constable Stevens looked it up for you, remember?’
Tranh turned to Stevens. ‘When do the school holidays finish?’ he asked.
‘In a week or so,’ she replied.
‘Thank goodness for that. See ya, kids.’ He waved towards the police station door like he wanted us to leave.
As we starting leaving, he picked up his phone again and said, ‘So, what’s your best price on this car insurance, then? Oh hang on a sec …’
He called out as we were going through the door, ‘By the way, we’d like those rocks back from our cactus garden. They’re police property.’
When we got outside Tearley said, ‘I told you he wouldn’t listen to us.’
We went back to the deserted house to get the pictures out of the sensor camera. They showed me hiding from Mr Black. He was so close, if he’d reached out he would have caught me. I’ve got no idea how he didn’t see me.
CHAPTER 29
DAY 27: Thursday
My skims: 0
Wriggler’s skims: 0
Tearley’s skims: 0
At least I’m going to be a YouTube superstar.
Money made for tinnie: $0
Have 7 more days to find $735.50, and that doesn’t include the cash we owe Tearley.
I was having breakfast when Uncle Scott rang. He asked how I was going with the cash for the boat.
I lied to him.
‘I reckon we can get it, Uncle Scott, but I’ve just got to convince a new investor.’
‘Great,’ he said. ‘Mate, my plan is to put it on eBay next Thursday. Let me know how you’re going before then.’
Seven days. How were we going to get seven hundred and thirty-five dollars and fifty cents in a week? This holiday had sucked. My plan had been to go back to school as a world champion skimmer and a boat owner. Instead, I was going to go back exactly the same way as I left. A nobody.
Then an idea hit me like a tin can full of rocks. Even if I wasn’t going to get the world record or the tinnie I knew
Similar Books
