Diary of a 6th Grade Spy - Book 1 - Zero to Hero

by Katrina Kahler

  Chapter 6 - Forensic Entomology at Work...

  Abs and I dash out of the library. We are in a hurry to get home and review the information we gathered during our visit to Gardinia. I rush straight up to my bedroom to enter the clues I remember onto the storyboard. Abs has the Princess’ diary and I am anxious to know if there is any vital information written on the pages of Gazania’s personal diary.

  I look at the storyboard. It is quite impressive. Everything has been written on note paper with sticky notes so the names and places can be moved around the board. Abs said this was important so we could connect clues together if they are related in any way. What is the connection between Miss Sorrel and the caterpillars? Why have the bees disappeared I wonder? I have had suspicions about Miss Sorrel from the beginning. Who is she really? And how did she come to be in our library - just when our librarian mysteriously disappeared? I put Miss Sorrel’s name next to the big, bright caterpillar picture and shudder at the thought that they are connected.

  The phone rings downstairs and Mom calls upstairs to say my friend Abigail is on the phone. I wonder what Abs wants. She must have found something interesting in the Princess’ diary. Abs is quite breathless on the phone.

  “We need to meet as soon as possible,” she says in a loud whisper.

  “What’s the matter, Abs?” I ask with a tremble in my voice. “We can’t meet till tomorrow and then it will have to be after school!”

  Abs coughs politely over the phone so I know her Mom must be close by. She can’t talk about what we are investigating. She just tells me in a chirpy voice that we need to get together to finish our project and could she come over tomorrow. I answer yes, but I wish I could know more of what she has discovered sooner.

  It’s time for dinner and Uncle Bert is joining us this evening. I wonder if there is a connection between the giant moths, brightly colored fierce caterpillars and disappearing bees. I group them together on the storyboard as they are all part of the insect world and I think if I get a chance I will slip a question to Uncle Bert. Maybe there is a link and it could have something to do with our case. Every bit of information is important...no matter how strange.

  I find Uncle Bert in the lounge. He is just finishing off his tea and Mom is busy in the kitchen. I sit next to Uncle Bert and wait for the right moment to speak to him.

  “Good evening Uncle Bert,” I say politely. “Can I ask you an entomology question? Please?”

  Uncle Bert is rather old-fashioned and loves to hear and see good manners. He nods and waits for the question.

  “Well Uncle Bert, I was wondering if there is any connection between a brightly colored caterpillar, a giant moth and bees?”

  Uncle Bert thinks for a moment and then answers softly.

  “Well actually, I don’t want your mother to hear, but there is a connection between the Death’s Head Hawk moth, brightly colored caterpillars and honey which would also mean bees!”

  I am fascinated and listen in awe as Uncle Bert explains that the Death’s Head Hawk moth has a very brightly colored caterpillar as part of its life cycle. A sort of ugly but strangely beautiful caterpillar he tells me. When he describes the caterpillar he adds that it has very strong mandibles and a sharp horn sticking out. This caterpillar pupates underground and hatches into the Death’s Head Hawk moth.

  “Wow Uncle Bert, that is fascinating but what about the bees?” I ask. “They are not the same insect so how can they be connected to the moths?”

  “Good question young Sam,” says Uncle Bert.

  He looks past my chair to see if my Mom is still in the kitchen. When he sees she is still busy, he tells me more about the Death’s Head Hawk moth. “This moth is a thief and lives a life of crime. It is very fond of honey. Death’s Heads are masters of disguise and have a very thick skin so they don’t get stung by the worker bees. They make a noise, a kind of squeaking that sounds like the Queen bee. This confuses the bees and allows the Death’s Head Hawk moth to get into the hive and feast on the bees’ precious honey. There have been pictures taken of hundreds of these moths feasting on the honey in the bees’ hive.”

  I am absolutely amazed and keen to ask Uncle Bert more about his experience with these moths, but Mom bursts into the lounge and the conversation ends there and then.

  “Supper’s ready,” she announces. Uncle Bert and I nod as we know this ends any other questions about Death’s Head Hawk moths. I can’t wait to eat supper and get upstairs to set this bit of information onto the storyboard. This could be a very important clue!

  After supper I rush upstairs into my room and close the door. Sitting at my desk I face the storyboard and add in my information from the latest visit to Gardinia. The first thing I do is to move all the insect related notes to the same spot. Miss Sorrel’s gets placed next to them. I think there is more to her character in this story than I know. Then I add in the gnomes that we met today. The little gnomes are surrounded by the herbs they grow and the picture looks quite sweet as they all wear their little red pointed hats and look very wise with their long beards. There is a picture of a greenhouse and the two important gnomes Herbert and Basil. Then I have added a castle picture and the King and Queen. I step back and wonder what else we will add to the story when Abs arrives.

  Abs will add in the clues about the Princess and her diary. A few other pictures are on the side, as I don’t know where to fit them in at this stage. There is the rest of the royal family, Uncle Ru and this wife. We don’t have a name for her. Finally a section for the dark side of Gardinia. Grey wolves, shadows and another castle hidden behind huge trees of some sort. I realize there is very little we know about the darker side of Gardinia. What part do the other wolves play in the garden world of Gardinia. I must be sure to ask Lupa why some wolves like himself are close to the royal family and why some live a different life lurking in the shadows.

  Finally I slip into bed and hope I can sleep. Tomorrow Abs and I will fill in more information on the storyboard and I will tell her how the insects have an impact on our investigation. Uncle Bert has helped me understand an interesting link between different groups of insects. Criminal moths and innocent bees – wow I never would have thought nature could be so fascinating and related to a life of crime.