was right. What had Dad said? Running his security program every Friday or Saturday was standard procedure? So the person who put that money in Dad’s account must have done it to make sure that Dad’s checking program didn’t run. Whoever it was must have known that with Dad accused of taking all that money, no way would his programs be allowed to run on the computer. The question was, why the need to stop Dad’s program from running in the first place? It must have been because the checking program would have revealed something. Something big. Something someone didn’t want revealed.
But what?
And that still didn’t tell me who was responsible for all this. But I was closer. I could feel it.
When Gib and I got home, we’d have to sit down and work through all those printouts we’d got from the bank’s live system. If they didn’t hold the answers then I’d just have to figure out what other files I should print out from the bank. The trouble was, each time I logged on to the bank’s computer, I knew I stood a greater chance of getting caught. This was getting more and more dangerous.
I left the bathroom and was about to go downstairs again when I noticed one of the bedroom doors was slightly open. Being naturally interested in everything around me (in other words – nosy!), I tiptoed into the room. It was full of bookcases crammed with books. Books covered the floor in neatly stacked piles. Against one wall was a PC, exactly the same as the one Universal Bank had given Dad – before they took it away again.
The room was lovely. Just the sort of room I wanted when I got my own house one day. I tiptoed out.
It’s all right for some, I thought enviously.
Soon Gib or I would be sharing our room with a new brother or sister. And here Aunt Beth and Sebastian could devote one whole room to nothing but books. I tiptoed past the bathroom to the back room. It had a small double bed in it and a dressing table and that was it. Closing the door, I crept to the main bedroom at the front of the house. Wincing as the door handle made a noise as I turned it, I stepped inside.
Wow! Talk about luxury! Aunt Beth and Sebastian had the biggest bed I’d ever seen. Fitted wardrobes with mirrored fronts stood against one whole wall and a dressing table like something out of a magazine stood to the right of the window. I walked over to it. It was brilliant! Dark red-brown wood, with lots of drawers and covered with lotions and potions and bottles and jars. In the middle of the table was an open jewellery box, the prettiest I’d ever seen. Not that there was much jewellery inside. In fact, there was just a delicate gold bracelet. It looked like if you sneezed on it, it would disintegrate. Aunt Beth seemed to like that kind of very simple jewellery.
‘Imagine having a box like this for just a pair of stud earrings, a necklace and a bracelet,’ I muttered to myself.
What a waste!
But then I caught sight of a slip of paper just sticking up from under the empty ring tray. I took a quick glance around before lifting up the tray and taking out the piece of paper. It was two pieces of paper actually. Two airline tickets to be precise. I opened the top one.
Destination: Rio de Janeiro via Air France. And the date on the ticket was for three days’ time – Wednesday.
Talk about being doubly all right for some! I flicked through both tickets then put them back and replaced the ring tray on top of them.
Then I caught sight of Aunt Beth’s perfume.
Chanel Number 19. Mum’s favourite. Only Mum wouldn’t even let me breathe near her bottle. I stretched out my hand towards it.
‘Vicky, what are you doing?’
My head whipped around at the sound of Sebastian’s voice.
‘I … er … I …’
‘Vicky? Victoria Gibson, what on earth are you doing in there? Couldn’t you find the bathroom?’ Mum appeared behind Sebastian and she looked seriously annoyed.
‘I wasn’t doing anything,’ I said quickly, my face on
But what?
And that still didn’t tell me who was responsible for all this. But I was closer. I could feel it.
When Gib and I got home, we’d have to sit down and work through all those printouts we’d got from the bank’s live system. If they didn’t hold the answers then I’d just have to figure out what other files I should print out from the bank. The trouble was, each time I logged on to the bank’s computer, I knew I stood a greater chance of getting caught. This was getting more and more dangerous.
I left the bathroom and was about to go downstairs again when I noticed one of the bedroom doors was slightly open. Being naturally interested in everything around me (in other words – nosy!), I tiptoed into the room. It was full of bookcases crammed with books. Books covered the floor in neatly stacked piles. Against one wall was a PC, exactly the same as the one Universal Bank had given Dad – before they took it away again.
The room was lovely. Just the sort of room I wanted when I got my own house one day. I tiptoed out.
It’s all right for some, I thought enviously.
Soon Gib or I would be sharing our room with a new brother or sister. And here Aunt Beth and Sebastian could devote one whole room to nothing but books. I tiptoed past the bathroom to the back room. It had a small double bed in it and a dressing table and that was it. Closing the door, I crept to the main bedroom at the front of the house. Wincing as the door handle made a noise as I turned it, I stepped inside.
Wow! Talk about luxury! Aunt Beth and Sebastian had the biggest bed I’d ever seen. Fitted wardrobes with mirrored fronts stood against one whole wall and a dressing table like something out of a magazine stood to the right of the window. I walked over to it. It was brilliant! Dark red-brown wood, with lots of drawers and covered with lotions and potions and bottles and jars. In the middle of the table was an open jewellery box, the prettiest I’d ever seen. Not that there was much jewellery inside. In fact, there was just a delicate gold bracelet. It looked like if you sneezed on it, it would disintegrate. Aunt Beth seemed to like that kind of very simple jewellery.
‘Imagine having a box like this for just a pair of stud earrings, a necklace and a bracelet,’ I muttered to myself.
What a waste!
But then I caught sight of a slip of paper just sticking up from under the empty ring tray. I took a quick glance around before lifting up the tray and taking out the piece of paper. It was two pieces of paper actually. Two airline tickets to be precise. I opened the top one.
Destination: Rio de Janeiro via Air France. And the date on the ticket was for three days’ time – Wednesday.
Talk about being doubly all right for some! I flicked through both tickets then put them back and replaced the ring tray on top of them.
Then I caught sight of Aunt Beth’s perfume.
Chanel Number 19. Mum’s favourite. Only Mum wouldn’t even let me breathe near her bottle. I stretched out my hand towards it.
‘Vicky, what are you doing?’
My head whipped around at the sound of Sebastian’s voice.
‘I … er … I …’
‘Vicky? Victoria Gibson, what on earth are you doing in there? Couldn’t you find the bathroom?’ Mum appeared behind Sebastian and she looked seriously annoyed.
‘I wasn’t doing anything,’ I said quickly, my face on
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