approaching with the torch.
They watched the footage twice more.
‘Biscuit anyone?’ Gabby passed around the container Mrs D had given her.
‘I say we go and check it out.’ E.D. stood up, brushing the biscuit crumbs to the floor.
‘I say I like your thinking,’ said Gabby, clapping her hands.
‘Guys, this isn’t some little kindergarten mystery,’ Hannah said seriously. ‘This is big time.’
‘Hey, come on, Han. Where’s your sense of adventure? We’re a team. We can do this. What do you say, Angus?’ Gabby turned to look at him.
‘The first sign of trouble we’re out of there, okay? And if there’s anyone about, we don’t go in. Deal?’
‘Deal!’ E.D. had already left the room.
‘Geez, what a dump,’ said Hannah, gazing around the desolate area outside the front of the cement works. The place was littered with rubbish, pieces of cement, sheets of rusted corrugated metal, broken glass and piles of dirt. There was an old yellow couch leaning against a fence and other items of broken office furniture scattered about.
‘Come on,’ Angus said, nervously. ‘This place still gives me the creeps.’
‘If that room inside the tunnel isn’t locked we can just take some photos then get out of here.’ Hannah marched towards the main entrance. Angus sighed and followed.
‘Don’t worry, Angus. We’ll be out of here in five minutes,’ said E.D., clapping him on the back.
Gabby pulled out her phone and viewed the footage Tony had filmed. ‘This way,’ she called, heading away to the far right corner of the enormous opening. They walked over three railway lines; two of them stopped close to theback wall, but the third continued, gently curving away and disappearing literally into the wall to the right.
‘Weird,’ E.D. muttered, getting down on his hands and knees and looking closely at the place where the tracks disappeared. ‘This wall must have been put in later.’ He felt with his hands. ‘Hannah, you got that torch?’
‘It was over here that the guy touched the wall,’ Gabby said, reaching up with her hands and slapping the dust-covered wall.
‘I’m going back to keep watch,’ Angus called. Was that the sound of a motorbike he’d heard, or was it just his imagination?
‘Good idea, Angus.’ Hannah joined Gabby at the wall, feeling along the rough bricks.
‘Hang on. What’s this?’
No one got a chance to answer Gabby. There was a clanking and grinding sound then suddenly the entire cement wall in front of them rose slowly.
‘I found a lever,’ Gabby said, almost dropping her phone in shock.
In a flash, E.D. was on his hands and knees, crawling through the widening gap. ‘It’s a tunnel,’ he shouted. Gabby put the phone back in her pocket, and followed him. In front of themwas a narrow passage, just wide enough for a single train track. Ahead, Hannah could see that the track dropped away into darkness. She shivered, turning back to the opening behind her.
‘Are you coming?’ Gabby asked, glancing back at Hannah. ‘C’mon.’ She grabbed Hannah’s hand and ran into the opening. ‘This is where Tony went in. That room must be in here somewhere.’
‘Somewhere is right here.’
E.D’s voice came from the left. Hannah and Gabby ran to where he was—a cold brick room built into the side of the tunnel. Shelves lined the walls and boxes were piled on the shelves. E.D. held up a box that he’d opened. ‘Guess what? Loads of those GPS gadgets. Not broken this time.’
‘Got it!’ Hannah slapped the side of her head. ‘How could I have been so stupid? It’s obvious.’
‘It is?’ said E.D.
Hannah nodded her head impatiently. ‘Those GPSs have been brought into the country illegally! I bet they’re being sold for heaps of money. That’s what Tony discovered, that’s why they threatened to bury him—he discovered a smuggling racket.’
From the front of the enormous opening Angus froze. It was a motorbike; no, two of them.
‘Oh no,’ he
They watched the footage twice more.
‘Biscuit anyone?’ Gabby passed around the container Mrs D had given her.
‘I say we go and check it out.’ E.D. stood up, brushing the biscuit crumbs to the floor.
‘I say I like your thinking,’ said Gabby, clapping her hands.
‘Guys, this isn’t some little kindergarten mystery,’ Hannah said seriously. ‘This is big time.’
‘Hey, come on, Han. Where’s your sense of adventure? We’re a team. We can do this. What do you say, Angus?’ Gabby turned to look at him.
‘The first sign of trouble we’re out of there, okay? And if there’s anyone about, we don’t go in. Deal?’
‘Deal!’ E.D. had already left the room.
‘Geez, what a dump,’ said Hannah, gazing around the desolate area outside the front of the cement works. The place was littered with rubbish, pieces of cement, sheets of rusted corrugated metal, broken glass and piles of dirt. There was an old yellow couch leaning against a fence and other items of broken office furniture scattered about.
‘Come on,’ Angus said, nervously. ‘This place still gives me the creeps.’
‘If that room inside the tunnel isn’t locked we can just take some photos then get out of here.’ Hannah marched towards the main entrance. Angus sighed and followed.
‘Don’t worry, Angus. We’ll be out of here in five minutes,’ said E.D., clapping him on the back.
Gabby pulled out her phone and viewed the footage Tony had filmed. ‘This way,’ she called, heading away to the far right corner of the enormous opening. They walked over three railway lines; two of them stopped close to theback wall, but the third continued, gently curving away and disappearing literally into the wall to the right.
‘Weird,’ E.D. muttered, getting down on his hands and knees and looking closely at the place where the tracks disappeared. ‘This wall must have been put in later.’ He felt with his hands. ‘Hannah, you got that torch?’
‘It was over here that the guy touched the wall,’ Gabby said, reaching up with her hands and slapping the dust-covered wall.
‘I’m going back to keep watch,’ Angus called. Was that the sound of a motorbike he’d heard, or was it just his imagination?
‘Good idea, Angus.’ Hannah joined Gabby at the wall, feeling along the rough bricks.
‘Hang on. What’s this?’
No one got a chance to answer Gabby. There was a clanking and grinding sound then suddenly the entire cement wall in front of them rose slowly.
‘I found a lever,’ Gabby said, almost dropping her phone in shock.
In a flash, E.D. was on his hands and knees, crawling through the widening gap. ‘It’s a tunnel,’ he shouted. Gabby put the phone back in her pocket, and followed him. In front of themwas a narrow passage, just wide enough for a single train track. Ahead, Hannah could see that the track dropped away into darkness. She shivered, turning back to the opening behind her.
‘Are you coming?’ Gabby asked, glancing back at Hannah. ‘C’mon.’ She grabbed Hannah’s hand and ran into the opening. ‘This is where Tony went in. That room must be in here somewhere.’
‘Somewhere is right here.’
E.D’s voice came from the left. Hannah and Gabby ran to where he was—a cold brick room built into the side of the tunnel. Shelves lined the walls and boxes were piled on the shelves. E.D. held up a box that he’d opened. ‘Guess what? Loads of those GPS gadgets. Not broken this time.’
‘Got it!’ Hannah slapped the side of her head. ‘How could I have been so stupid? It’s obvious.’
‘It is?’ said E.D.
Hannah nodded her head impatiently. ‘Those GPSs have been brought into the country illegally! I bet they’re being sold for heaps of money. That’s what Tony discovered, that’s why they threatened to bury him—he discovered a smuggling racket.’
From the front of the enormous opening Angus froze. It was a motorbike; no, two of them.
‘Oh no,’ he
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