Friday Barnes 3 by R. A. Spratt

wailed Harriet. ‘I’ll be expelled. And I can’t get expelled. I’ll be the first person in my family to get anything less than a postgraduate degree.’
    â€˜I can dob you in,’ said Friday, ‘because that is what I’ve been hired to do, and I can’t see any moral justification for what you’ve done. You only did it for the money. And your family must be well-off if you’re studying here.’
    â€˜But I do need the money,’ said Harriet.
    â€˜Why?’ asked Friday.
    â€˜The Pimpernel stole my laptop!’ wailed Harriet.
    â€˜I didn’t see that coming,’ said Melanie.
    â€˜But laptops aren’t allowed on school property,’ said Friday.
    â€˜I know,’ said Harriet. ‘That’s why I couldn’t report the theft. It was 3G capable. I’d been using the laptop to do extra online study drills to keep my grades up. If my parents find out I’ve lost my laptop and my grades drop, they’ll kill me.’
    â€˜Surely they won’t literally kill you,’ said Melanie.
    â€˜I don’t want to find out,’ said Harriet.
    â€˜The first thing you need to worry about is not getting expelled,’ said Friday. ‘The Headmaster is seriously angry, but if you donate the proceeds from your crime to the school’s beautification program, I’m sure he will be forgiving.’
    â€˜But my laptop?’ said Harriet.
    â€˜Don’t worry,’ said Friday. ‘No thief is going to elude me for long. When I catch The Pimpernel you’ll get your laptop back, or at the very least get the ticket stub for the pawnshop he sold it to.’

Chapter 14

Trouble with Binky
    When Friday and Melanie returned to their dorm room, they found the door unlocked.
    â€˜Someone’s broken in,’ whispered Friday.
    â€˜Again?’ said Melanie. ‘Should we go in and find out who it is?’
    â€˜It might be a dangerous psychopath,’ said Friday.
    â€˜Who at this school is a dangerous psychopath?’ asked Melanie.
    â€˜Half the student body,’ said Friday. ‘And all the teachers in the maths department.’
    â€˜I suppose,’ agreed Melanie. ‘Well, we could stay out here but the dangerous psychopath is bound to find us eventually, so we might as well go in and get it over with.’
    â€˜All right,’ said Friday. ‘But stay behind me. If he’s violent, I’ll try reasoning with him while you run to fetch help.’
    â€˜I’d rather run to the dining room and have another jam tart,’ said Melanie. ‘They were very good tonight.’
    Friday pushed open the door to the room. ‘Who’s in there?’ she called.
    â€˜It’s only me.’
    Friday stuck her head around the door. ‘Binky?!’
    Melanie’s older brother Binky was sitting on her bed. He was perched on the corner, because he was self-conscious that he was a large boy and he didn’t want to rumple or break anything accidentally.
    â€˜Why did you break into our room?’ Friday asked.
    â€˜I didn’t,’ he said, shocked at the suggestion. ‘The door was wide open when I arrived.’
    â€˜That’s probably my fault,’ said Melanie. ‘Closing things isn’t my strong suit. That’s why I try to always leave the room with you. I know you’ll close the doorbehind you. But if I’m on my own, the responsibility is too much.’
    â€˜What are you doing here?’ asked Friday. ‘Have you just come to visit Melanie?’
    â€˜No,’ said Binky earnestly. ‘I need help.’
    â€˜You’re not in a fight again, are you?’ asked Friday.
    â€˜Gosh, no,’ said Binky, shaking his head. ‘Something much worse.’
    â€˜What?’ asked Melanie.
    Binky leaned forward and whispered, ‘I’ve fallen in love.’
    â€˜Oh dear,’ said Melanie.
    â€˜I know,’ said Binky,