How Ali Ferguson Saved Houdini (7 page)

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Chapter 10

Caitlin hummed a tune as she walked to her front door. She shimmied and twirled right around before putting her key in the lock.

‘Ta-da!' she said. ‘I'm home!' She dropped her sleeping bag on the hall table. Falcon hurtled towards her, her tail wagging like windscreen wipers in a downpour. ‘Hello, Falcon, hello. Have you been looking after Dad?' Caitlin said, ruffling her hands through the dog's warm fur. ‘Good girl.'

‘Caitlin? Is that you?' Dad asked.

‘Who else would it be? Did you miss me?' Caitlin waltzed through into the living room. ‘No, don't tell me, you'll only embarrass yourself.'

‘Charming.' Dad laughed. He was sat on the sofa, still in his dressing gown. He put his coffee down on the table. ‘Did you have a good time?'

Caitlin dropped down next to him and snuggled into his hug. ‘Yup!' He hadn't shaved yet and the stubble on his chin felt rough against her forehead. She pulled away. ‘Ow, you're scratchy.'

‘Sorry.'

‘I think,' Caitlin said, ‘that Ali's mum is
lovely
.'

Dad turned a bit pink.

I knew it!
thought Caitlin

‘I think you should mind your own business.' Dad grinned.

‘What did I say? I didn't say anything. Anita is nice, that's all. I was just stating a fact.'

Dad stood up. ‘I'm going to get showered. It was peaceful here before you came home. Wasn't it, Falcon?'

Caitlin felt a little fizz of excitement. If Dad was avoiding her, then he must like Anita! ‘I'm going to take Falcon for a walk, OK?'

Dad frowned. ‘Perhaps I'd better come with you.'

‘Why? You're not even dressed yet.'

‘I know. But you shouldn't go out by yourself.'

The fizz inside Caitlin died down a little. Why was Dad worried about her going out with Falcon? They went out together all the time.

‘What's going on?' she asked.

‘Just after the other night . . .' Dad said.

‘What? What about it? Is there something I should know?' Caitlin said.

‘No, no. Nothing. It doesn't matter.' Dad shrugged, then said, ‘You're right. But be careful, OK?'

‘Sure.'

‘If you see anyone hanging around or anything, you come home.'

‘Sure.'

.

Outside, the fizz came back. The sky was blue as sapphire and cloudless. Caitlin ran down the steps and on to the grass, with Falcon bounding at her side. Caitlin laughed aloud; she felt like a kite at the end of its string, soaring into the air. It would be so lovely if Dad got together with Anita.

Suddenly, Falcon slowed, her nose to the ground. Her head swung from left to right. She had smelled something interesting. For a few seconds, she sniffed. Then she was away again, speeding over the grass towards the road. The lead was taut between them as Caitlin sprinted to keep up. Falcon was hunting something.

Caitlin looked up.

A white van was parked by the kerb.

Falcon was heading straight towards it.

The side door of the van slid open, revealing the dark space inside. Caitlin pulled Falcon's lead, desperate to stop her. But Falcon was too strong.

She was pulling them both towards the open door.

‘Falcon! Stop!' Caitlin yelled. The lead bit into her hands, but still Falcon pulled her forward.

The van was just twenty metres away.

Fifteen metres.

Ten.

Falcon was headed straight for it.

‘Falcon! No!'

There was a sudden movement in the doorway. A flash of bright orange fabric, waved like a flag. Falcon charged nearer.

Caitlin gripped the lead with both hands and jammed her feet down. She skidded over the grass, then fell. The lead twisted into her skin. Pain seared her wrist and jolted down her side, where she landed. She screamed with the shock of it.

Falcon stopped running.

Somewhere up ahead, she heard the van door slam and an engine start. The white van squealed away.

She lay still on the ground, winded. Falcon panted over her in concern.

‘Falcon!' Caitlin sat up. ‘What were you doing? Haven't you heard us talking about that van?'

Falcon whined gently.

Caitlin glanced at the road. The van turned the corner and was out of sight. What had just happened? Why was the van back? And at this time of day? She stood up slowly. Her hands were shaking. Dad was right; it wasn't safe out here alone. She realised that there were tears on her cheeks. She needed to find Gez and Ali fast. They had to find out what was going on.

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Chapter 11

‘I've made a CSI kit,' Gez said. He was sitting on the log in his den. He had a small suitcase open on one of the crates.

‘A what?' Ali asked, pushing aside a branch as he walked in.

‘A CSI kit. It's Mum's make-up case really. But she won't mind. I took her talc and one of her face brush-things, so that we can take fingerprints. And a notebook. And I've got food bags for collecting evidence.'

‘Evidence?'

‘Yup. There must be tons of evidence round here. If the gang keep coming back. Put your mobile in.'

‘Why?'

‘Because CSI always have radios in their kits. Go on.'

Ali grinned, then dropped his mobile in the case next to the talc. ‘OK, PC Brown, let's go over the facts. Tell me again what happened last night.'

‘I'm not a PC, I'm a detective inspector. And you're Detective Superintendent Ferguson.'

‘Sorry, DI Brown. Please continue with your statement.'

‘Well, I saw the van. And two suspects carrying an unknown item. But then they saw me!'

‘No!'

‘Yup. But I was too quick for them. I was like a cheetah, straight into the woods. And they fired guns after me.'

‘No way!'

‘Well, maybe not
guns
. It might have just been shouting. Anyway, I had to dive for cover.'

‘They chased you?'

‘For hours. But I went to ground. In a secret hiding place that only I know. And then I heard them talking. They were talking about Caitlin's dad. They sounded really
scared
of him. Like their mutiny had gone bad and they knew he was going to get back at them.'

‘They said he was the boss?'

‘Well, maybe not in those words exactly. But that was what they meant.'

Ali shivered. And not because of the cold. If Dave was their prime suspect, it was bad news.

‘Did you tell Caitlin what I heard? What did she say?' Gez asked.

‘She didn't believe me. No, it was like she didn't even hear me. Gez, what were they bringing onshore? Did you get a look at it?'

Gez nodded. ‘It was something funny-shaped.'

‘Funny-shaped? Like what exactly?'

Gez shrugged. ‘If I knew that, I'd have said, wouldn't I? It was a funny shape. Lumpy. And there were weird noises.'

‘Funny
and
weird. DI Brown, that's the worst description I've ever heard.'

‘Ha ha, very funny. Hey, I've got a notepad in the CSI kit. I'll draw it for you.' Gez rummaged for a minute, then pulled out a spiral-bound notebook, with a pencil pushed into the coil of wire. He sketched quickly, then held the picture up for Ali to see.

‘Yes, funny and weird. You're right,' Ali said. Gez had drawn a blob, round at the top and square at the bottom. ‘It looks a bit like a ghost.'

Gez laughed. ‘Ghost smuggling! That's cool! Do you suppose they bring in headless knights and set them free in ruined castles? You know, for tourists? That's a brilliant idea!'

‘OK, maybe not. What else did you see?'

‘The name on the van. Painted out for secrecy – Tones and Sons.'

‘Great! We can find out about that dead easy. We just need a phone book. Do you want to do that now?' Ali said.

‘Sure. Let's go to mine, it's closer. And I'm starving.'

They got up. Gez carried the CSI kit. Ali followed him out through the brambles.

‘Ali!' a voice shouted. Ali looked up. Caitlin was running towards them, Falcon at her side. ‘Gez!' she yelled.

‘Looks like she's cross again,' Gez said.

‘Looks like something's happened,' said Ali. He ran to meet her. As he got closer, he could see the dried tear-tracks that stained her face. ‘Caitlin, what is it? Is it your dad?'

Caitlin shook her head. ‘No. The van. I saw it.'

‘What, just now? In the daytime?'

Caitlin nodded. ‘I've been looking for you. You weren't at home.' Tears glistened in her eyes.

‘It's OK,' Ali said. ‘It's OK now.'

‘How is it? Someone just tried to kidnap Falcon. Or me. Or both of us!'

‘What?' Ali said, horrified.

‘Falcon ran straight to the van. They must have laid a trail. They had Miss Osborne's orange top. Falcon followed it. And the door opened . . . and we were nearly inside, but I stopped Falcon just in time. They were after us, Ali!' Caitlin's face was white, and her voice shook.

This was bad. This was really bad. This didn't feel like a game any more.

‘We'll find out who they are,' Ali told Caitlin in a voice much surer than he felt. ‘We've got a name. We've got a lead. Come on.'

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Chapter 12

Ali watched Gez run his finger down the page.

‘There's nothing here,' Gez moaned. He was holding a huge phone book open on the kitchen table. The room was crowded. Gez's mum was unpacking shopping, her hair coming loose from its ponytail as she worked. Gez's older brothers, Owen and Michael, were busy tasting everything before she put it away. They were working as a team, one distracting their mum while the other swiped something.

‘Give it here,' Caitlin said. She yanked the heavy book from Gez and flipped through a few pages. All the businesses in the area were listed alphabetically. But there was nothing under Tones.

‘Who took the biscuits?' Gez's mum yelled.

‘Perhaps they're not local?' Gez suggested.

Ali leaned in to look over Caitlin's shoulder. The business names went straight from ‘Tomas the Jewellers' to ‘Toppers Gentlemen's Outfitters'.

‘Tones sounds like a music shop. Or perhaps a paint shop?' Gez said.

‘Or perhaps you read it wrong,' Caitlin said.

Ali closed the book in disgust. ‘Dead end,' he said.

‘Put those crisps away now! And leave that pop alone. Must you all be in here?' Gez's mum sounded harassed.

Ali smiled at her apologetically. Gez didn't seem to hear anything she yelled.

‘We should just go and look for the white van,' Gez said. ‘Search the town until we find it. Get all the kids we know to start looking.'

Caitlin shook her head. ‘Like we'd ever find it. Would you even recognise the men again?'

‘Enough!' Gez's mum said as Michael swiped a whole box of microwave chips. ‘All of you. Out! Now!'

Ali thought for a minute. They couldn't just wander around hoping to stumble across a criminal gang. That only happened in stories.
But
, he thought,
we could retrace their steps
.

‘Am I talking to myself?' Gez's mum yelled.

‘We should go along the river,' Ali said. ‘To the docks. To see where they came from. And we should get out of your mum's way.'

‘Is this my make-up case?' Gez's mum shouted as she picked up the CSI kit.

Gez chuckled. ‘She loves this really. Don't pay any attention.'

‘OUT!'

Gez jumped. ‘Yes,' he said quickly, ‘OK. Let's check out the river.'