Operation Eiffel Tower by Elen Caldecott Page B

green. He hit the first button carelessly, then thumped the other.
    The grabbing arm moved forward over the pile of teddies. It shuddered to the right. It dropped down with its claws open. Then the metal claws closed. They closed . . . right round the head of a pink teddy!
    Jack froze.
    The arm rose up again, carrying the teddy with it. All the way back to the start. And the teddy didn’t fall, didn’t wobble, didn’t drop.
    The claws opened slowly, letting the teddy fall into the wire tray by Jack’s knees.
    He had won.
    No one ever won.
    But he had.
    He reached in and lifted the teddy free.
    Its pink fur was soft and fluffy. It was smiling and its eyes were open wide. Ruby was going to love it. Well, she was going to love it so long as she didn’t mind that it was Jack, and not her, who had won it.
    As Jack walked home, he cradled the bear in the crook of his elbow. Was winning the teddy a sign? Had he been right not to put the money in the Paris fund? He didn’t want to believe it, but maybe Lauren was right.

Chapter 26
    Mum had finished cleaning the bathroom when he got in. She was sitting at the kitchen table with her hands wrapped round a cup of tea. There was no sign of Billy. He must still be asleep.
    ‘Hello, love,’ she said softly. ‘Did you have a nice time?’ She reached out and pulled him into a hug.
    Jack nodded and held up the teddy bear. ‘I won this for Ruby,’ he said.
    ‘Oh, that’s nice. She’ll like that. Listen, I’m sorry about before. I didn’t mean to snap at you.’
    Jack shrugged. It didn’t matter now.
    ‘Where’s Lauren? We need to go to the hospital in a bit.’
    ‘I don’t know. We had a fight.’
    ‘Oh, Jack. What about?’
    Jack pulled away from Mum’s arm and sat down opposite. He stood the bear up on its back legs and made it do a little dance.
    Mum frowned. ‘This is all hard for you, isn’t it?’
    Jack pirouetted the bear.
    ‘It’s for the best though,’ Mum continued. ‘I know it doesn’t feel like it now, but you’ll see. When you’re a bit older, you’ll understand.’
    What? Jack opened his mouth to argue, but just at that moment, the phone rang.
    Mum pushed aside her cup and stood up.
    Jack heard her speaking from the hallway.
    ‘Yes, speaking. She did what? Where is she? Yes. Of course. No, I’ll be there. No, don’t do that. I’ll be there.’
    Mum stormed back into the kitchen, her lips pressed together in fury.
    ‘Mum?’ Jack asked. ‘Mum, what is it?’
    ‘Lauren! She’s been arrested!’
    Jack gasped. ‘Arrested?’
    ‘Well,’ Mum was pulling on her cardigan and pushing her feet into her trainers, ‘not arrested. Held. At the chemist. They say she was stealing lipsticks. I have to go.’ Mum looked at Jack straight in the eye. ‘Lauren wouldn’t do something like that, would she?’
    Jack couldn’t answer. He felt his face flush red.
    Mum groaned. ‘Oh, Jack, what’s happening?’
    Jack concentrated hard on the pink bear.
    Mum put her hand on his shoulder and squeezed. ‘I won’t be long. Wake Billy, will you? And take him to the launderette. Wait there with Joyce till I get back.’
    Jack nodded.
    Then Mum was running out of the front door.
    Jack was left alone.
    He thought about going upstairs to wake Billy. He knew that was what he should do. He went up the first step, then the second. Then he stopped. That wasn’t what he wanted to do at all. What he wanted was Dad.
    He jumped down back into the hallway. He opened the address book and found Dad’s mobile number. The phone rang a few times, then clicked into Voicemail. Jack reached for the Yellow Pages from the cupboard under the phone. He looked up Bed & Breakfast. There! There was Dad’s one. He dialled the number.
    ‘Hello, The Larches,’ a raspy woman’s voice said.
    ‘Hello, I need to speak to my dad. Gavin. Gavin Dempsey. Please,’ Jack added.
    ‘OK, I think he’s in. Hold on.’
    Jack heard the clatter of the receiver being dropped on to a desk. Then he