Hour of the Doomed Dog (2 page)

CHAPTER THREE

“Where are you going?” Frankie was waiting for Joe at the bottom of the stairs. He had a sulky look on his face.

Joe glanced around to make sure no one was listening. The lobby was empty and Toby was already in the revolving doors with Dad close behind.

“I’m going out!” whispered Joe. “To the beach.”

“What about the robbery?”

“I won’t be long… Anyway, you said it’s not
happening until tomorrow.”

“What if they come early?” whined Frankie. “They could strike any time!”

But Joe was already going through the revolving doors. And he was pretty sure Frankie wouldn’t follow him in there…

“Wow!” Joe murmured, as he walked along the seafront with Toby and his dad.

Skipton Sands had a big sandy beach and a long pier with games and rides on it. There were shops selling sweets and souvenirs and a tall sea wall, where a group of boys were catching crabs.

“Can we do that? Please, Dad!” begged Toby.

“Yeah, can we?” Joe said. “They sell crabbing stuff there,” he added, pointing to a nearby kiosk.

“Go on, then!” Dad pulled out some coins and handed them to Joe.

A few minutes later he and Toby were back
with a large bucket, a net, some fishing line and a squidgy packet of crab bait.

“Urghh!” said Toby when Joe unwrapped it. “Gross!”

“Crabs like it!” Joe squished the bait into the little net bag and then he attached it to the line like he’d seen the other boys do.

He crouched down and dropped the line over the side into the sea.

“Have you got one yet?” asked Toby excitedly, peering over Joe’s shoulder.

Just then, Joe felt a slight tug on the line. He quickly pulled up but the crab let go of the bait and dropped back into the water.

“Try pulling it up more slowly,” Dad said.

Joe tried again, but minutes went by and there was nothing. Then Joe felt a slight tug. This time he pulled gently…

“It’s massive!” shrieked Toby.

“Hold it by its back,” said Dad, as Joe tried
to take the wriggling crab off the line. “Then it can’t nip you.”

“Can we keep it?” breathed Toby.

Dad laughed. “I don’t think Mum would like a pet crab! No, Toby, they all go back in the sea.”

When Joe had caught three more crabs, it was Toby’s turn. Joe was watching the crabs crawling over each other in the bucket, when suddenly something bashed into him…

“There you are!” yapped Frankie. “Come quickly! I’ve seen the robbers on the beach.”

Joe glanced over to make sure Dad and Toby weren’t watching. “No!” Joe whispered. “I’m crabbing!”

Frankie glared at him. “Come NOW!” he demanded.

Joe scowled back and shook his head.

Frankie’s eyes bulged, his tail drooped and he gave a long growl, showing green slimy gums and sharp yellow teeth. Then he jumped forward and head-butted Joe’s bucket, knocking it over.

“Hey!” squealed Joe, trying to grab the crabs before they escaped. But the biggest one nipped his hand and all four crabs scuttled back over the ledge into the water.

“No!” groaned Toby.

“Sorry, I knocked them over…” Joe muttered.

Frankie, meanwhile, was standing to attention, one ear twitching and staring off into the distance. And then…

“There they are!” he yelped. “The baddies are on the beach!” Frankie took off like a wonky rocket, his stitches stretching and bulging as he ran.

“Hello!”

Joe felt a sharp poke in his back and spun round to find Damian, his annoying cousin, smirking at him.

Damian was the same age as Joe, but he was bigger and louder and twice as good at everything. And he made sure Joe knew it!

“Are you crabbing?” Damian asked, looking
down at Joe’s empty bucket. “Me, too!” He held up a giant bucket full of wriggling crabs. “Where are your crabs?”

Joe frowned. “Well…”

Damian sniggered. “You should try crabbing round the other side of the beach. Look how many I’ve caught!”

“Hi, guys!” Uncle Len, Damian’s dad, loomed behind him. He was the size of a grizzly bear – and almost as hairy!

“Hello, Len,” said Dad, shaking his brother-in-law’s hand. “When did you get here?”

“Oh, hours ago!” beamed Len. “Me and Damian wanted to put our new car through its paces.”

“It’s ace!” Damian smirked. “A BMW Z4 twin-power turbo!”

“You’ll have to come for a spin,” grinned Uncle Len. “It’s got some amazing gadgets… Your dad’s not still driving that old banger, is he?” he added, winking at Joe.

“Where’s Kate?” asked Dad, changing the subject.

Auntie Kate, Damian’s mum, was Joe’s mum’s older sister.

“Back at the hotel, talking weddings.” Len pretended to yawn. “We thought we’d escape to the beach. It looks like you had the same idea!”

“Look!” shouted Toby. “I caught it!” He held
up the tiniest crab Joe had ever seen.

“Oh, well done!” Uncle Len smiled. “Shall I take a photo of you boys with your crabs?” Then he looked down at Joe’s empty bucket. “Where are yours, Joe?”

CHAPTER FOUR

“Wow!” shrieked Toby, as they walked through the archway on to the pier. “If you hook a duck, you win a fish.”

“No way!” muttered Joe. He’d recently had a run-in with a very grumpy undead goldfish and it had put him off fish for life!

“Over here!” called Damian, who was standing by another stall with Dad and Uncle Len. “Bet I can knock a coconut off before you, Joe!”

The boys paid their money and picked up
their weapons – three little yellow bean bags!

DONK!

“YES!” shouted Damian, as his first bean bag knocked down a coconut.

DONK!

Another one fell.

DONK!

Damian took down the third coconut and punched the air triumphantly.

“Your turn, Joe!” said Damian smugly.

SPLAT!

Damian sniggered as Joe’s bag hit the back of the tent. “Come on, Joe! It’s easy!”

Joe tried again.

THUNK!

His bean bag fell short, landing on the floor.

“Bad luck, Joe,” called Dad.

“Don’t try so hard,” boomed Uncle Len. “Do it like Damian!”

Joe resisted the urge to throw his last bean bag at his cousin’s head. Instead, he hurled it at a coconut.

“YES!” yelled Toby, as the bag hit the coconut. It wobbled … but stayed in its cup.

Joe let out a groan.

“You need more practice,” laughed Uncle Len, high-fiving Damian.

“That’s one–nil to me!” Damian said to Joe.

“What?”

“I beat you! So that’s one game to me.”

Joe scowled. It was always the same with Damian. Everything was a competition.

“Joe’s great at the claw crane,” said Toby.

“The what?” Damian’s eyes narrowed.

“You know … the grabber thing that picks up a prize,” explained Toby.

“Show me,” said Damian.

They raced into the amusement arcade, straight towards a big glass box stuffed with toys and sweets.

“Easy,” said Damian, putting his money in the slot. “I’m going for the skull!” He wiggled
the joystick and the claw began moving until it was almost directly above a small plastic skull filled with sweets.

“Just a bit more…” said Damian.

But then the machine began to flash.

“It’s about to grab!” squealed Toby.

“I’m not ready,” wailed Damian as the claw dived down to grab the skull.

“Missed.” Toby beamed triumphantly.

The empty claw returned to its position.

“That’s not fair,” Damian glared. “No one told me I was up against a timer!”

“It gives you thirty seconds to get in position,” explained Joe. “Then it grabs.”

Joe put his coin into the slot.

“Go, Joe!” cried Toby.

Carefully he edged the claw until it was right above the skull…

But then Frankie thundered into the arcade and charged at him.

Joe jerked the lever wildly. “NO!” he shouted.

“Ha!” sniggered Damian. “You missed, too!”

“JOE! JOE!” barked Frankie, pawing at Joe’s ankle with his claws. “I lost the men on the beach. You’ve got to help me find them!”

“I nearly had it,” groaned Joe.

“Yeah, yeah,” smirked Damian. “Look – air hockey! Come on, Toby, I’ll take you on. Maybe you’re better than your brother!”

When they’d gone, Joe turned on Frankie. “I almost had that prize.”

“You’re supposed to be helping ME,” growled Frankie, his green zombie eyes flashing.

Joe crouched down and pretended to fiddle with his shoelaces in case anyone was watching. “Listen, what are you going to do if you find the robbers anyway?”

Frankie cocked his head to one side as though he was thinking about it. “Spy on them.”

“How will that help?”

“They might say what time they’re coming on Saturday.”

Joe rolled his eyes. “That’s bonkers! Baddies never lounge about on the beach shouting about their next crime.”

Frankie glared at Joe. “What are we going to do then?”

Joe paused. He hadn’t really thought about it. “We’ll have to go back to the hotel and keep
watch,” he said finally. “And try and find out what they’re going to steal.”

Frankie jumped to his feet. “Great plan. Let’s go!”

“Soon,” whispered Joe. He could see Damian waving to him from the air-hockey table. “First I’ve got to beat my cousin!”

Half an hour later, Joe had lost every game Damian had challenged him to. They finally left the arcade and walked back on to the pier.

“Can we have an ice cream?” Toby asked, peering in a café window.

Dad shook his head. “Mum’s just texted. She’s wondering where we are.”

“Please, Dad,” Toby whined.

“I bet I can eat more ice cream than you!” hissed Damian in Joe’s ear.

“I’d love a knickerbocker glory,” beamed
Uncle Len. “Come on. My treat!”

“I think we’d better be getting back,” began Dad.

But Uncle Len was already pushing open the café door. “Grab that table in the window, Damian. I’ll get more chairs.”

The five of them squashed round the only empty table in the café and Uncle Len waved to a waitress to take their order.

“What’s everyone having?” he asked.

“Death by Chocolate!” said Damian. “With extra whipped cream and three flakes.”

“Me, too!” Toby’s eyes were wide like saucers.

“No, Toby,” said Dad. “You’d never finish a big sundae. Choose something smaller…”

“What are you having, Joe?” Damian smirked.

“A large banana split, please,” said Joe. “With extra toffee sauce.”

“Do you want nuts on top?” asked the waitress.

“Yes, please, and three flakes, too!”

Dad frowned. “Are you sure you can eat all that, Joe?”

“Course he can!” grinned Uncle Len. “And I’m paying – so everyone can have what they like.”

“I bet I finish first!” hissed Damian.

“What about me?” Frankie whined from under Joe’s chair. “Sylvia always lets me lick her ice cream.”

Joe glanced down at Frankie. The undead dog’s mouth was watering and a little pool of green zombie drool was collecting on the floor.

Joe shuddered. He definitely didn’t want to share his sundae with Frankie!

The dog began to moan pitifully.

The waitress appeared with their sundaes. Joe gulped when he saw the size of them – his banana split was as big as a beach ball!

Frankie headbutted Joe’s ankles. “Where’s mine?”

Joe ignored Frankie and began tucking in. But with every spoonful, Frankie’s moans became louder and louder…

“What’s the matter, Joe?” Damian was waggling his spoon at him. “Is the ice cream too much for you?”

Frankie began to howl, and then he grabbed the edge of the plastic tablecloth with his teeth and tugged!

Joe looked in horror as his banana split splattered across the floor.