31
Snitch?
I don’t say a word in front of Vigil-Aunty, but when we get home I copy out my list of important clues and feel pretty confident of my new theory.
(RECAP)
CLUE 13
Dad was exploring how the camera lens sees things differently from the human eye.
+
(RECAP)
CLUE 14
Dad and Ms Grimm were obsessed with security cameras in the Case of the Exploding Loo.
+
(RECAP)
CLUE 29
Dad says, “There’s more to invisibility than meets the eye.”
+
(RECAP)
CLUE 33
Dad leaves at least a metre of space in front of the desk each time he turns.
+
(RECAP)
CLUE 34
There should be a chair in the cell, but we can’t see one.
+
(RECAP)
CLUE 35
Dad stubbed his toe on . . . nothing.
=
THEORY B
DAD HAS SMUGGLED IN GENUINE STEALTH BLANKETS AND IS KEEPING THEM ON HIS CHAIR. THAT’S WHY YOU CAN’T SEE IT.
(MORE WORRYING) THEORY C
DAD IS PLANNING TO USE HIS STEALTH BLANKETS TO ESCAPE WITH TWO OF THE PRISON’S MOST DANGEROUS PRISONERS.
For a moment, I wonder whether to keep my theories to myself. I’ve often wished I could turn back time so I could step aside and let Dad escape jail, like Porter did for his mum. Why should Ms Grimm be allowed to walk around freely when Dad’s trapped in prison, being battered by his fellow inmates? (That’s ‘battered’ like a punch bag, not a piece of haddock.)
But it wouldn’t just be Dad escaping this time, would it? Three blankets = three escapees. I don’t want to be responsible for Dad spending more time in prison, but I can’t stand by and let him fill the streets with escapee Neanderthugs.
I slide my theory pages towards Holly. “I don’t know what to do.”
“Easy,” she says. “Report him.”
“No!” I protest. “That would get him in trouble with the guards and the prisoners. I can’t do that to him.”
“I’ll do it then.”
“If you do, I’ll never forgive you.” I shouldn’t feel this loyal to Dad, but I do. Evolutionary genetics, I suppose.
“You’d choose Dad over me?” She punches my arm.
“Ouch! He’s not asking me to watch you suffer, whereas you’re asking me to stand by while he gets beaten to a pulp. So, I choose to have no one suffering, if that’s okay with you?” I take a few deep breaths. “Besides, if we betray him like that he’ll never tell us what he knows about the stolen Space Rock.”
“He’s showing no signs of telling us anything anyway, so I’m fine with a bit of betrayal.”
Holly and I stand on opposite sides of the room, glaring at each other.
We both jump as Mum rises to her feet and picks up the phone. Oops. Forgot she was there again.
“Hello. Yes. This is Mrs Hawkins. Wife of Professor Brian ‘Big Brain’ Hawkins. My husband has asked me to report an escape attempt . . . Yes, he’s pretending to be part of it so he can help bring these dangerous men to justice.”
Holly and I stare at her, mouths like slack-jawed goldfish.
Mum puts the phone down and laughs at our expressions. “It was the obvious solution. This way we can prevent the break-out without implicating your father. In fact, if he manages things properly and doesn’t give himself away, he could come out of this the hero.”
We continue staring.
“Wow, Mum,” Holly murmurs eventually. “Just wow!”
“Save your ‘wows’ for later.” Mum drops back down on to the sofa with a yawn. “There’s plenty of time for your father to mess things up. And you’ve still got your exploding brains to worry about.”
32
Soggy Footprints
Days Left to Save the Earth: 2
The Prison Governors won’t let us watch the prison break live because it would be a ‘security risk’. But they finally agree to allow PC Eric to show us the footage after the event, which will feel live to us because no one’s telling us what’s happening.
I don’t know why they’re being so secretive. They wouldn’t even know about the break-out if it wasn’t for us. Plus it was my idea to cover the soles of the Neanderthugs’ shoes with paint so the cameras could track their escape route.
The Governors have promised Dad’s sentence will be reduced as a reward for (cough) his part in stopping the escape attempt. They’ve also guaranteed he’ll be protected from the Neanderthugs.
“What if they don’t keep to the agreement?” I snap as we wait for PC Eric to arrive with the footage. “What if Dad doesn’t play along when the guards thank him for the ‘tip-off’? What if someone gets hurt? What will Dad say when he realises we’ve ruined his escape plan? And what on earth does this have to do with the Space Rock? Pythagoras! This is a disaster. I wish I hadn’t shared my theories.”
If I’d kept my mouth shut, Dad might have escaped by now. Admittedly, he’d have released a couple of dangerous Neanderthugs in the process, but his documentary suggested the Neanderthugs are so stupid that they’d probably get caught doing something criminal and be back in prison within the year.
“Don’t be stroppy,” Holly says stroppily. “None of this would be necessary if you’d just let Dad carry out his evil escape plans and face the consequences.”
“Dad’s not evil, he’s just a bit selfish and obsessed with his inventions. You can’t seriously expect me to leave him at the mercy of the Neanderthugs? He doesn’t deserve that.”
“I don’t see why not,” Holly says. “He’s happy to leave everyone else at their mercy by breaking them out of jail.”
“That’s different,” I protest, although I’m not quite sure how.
“Completely different,” Holly agrees. “The people on the street are innocent, Dad created his own problems and deserves whatever he gets.”
“Saved by the doorbell,” I mutter as PC Eric arrives with a USB stick.
I drag him straight to the computer. Time for chatting afterwards. The time code shows this was filmed four hours ago:
17:56:19
Dad, Hell Raizah and Neanderthug Number Two return to their cells wearing what must be fake Stealth Blankets (because we can see them). The other inmates snigger as they pass – but only when Hell Raizah and Neanderthug Number Two aren’t looking. Both Neanderthugs are in solitary too, but I don’t think they’re there for their own protection.
18:00:00
The bell rings for dinner. All three men bend down inside their cells. If you look closely you can see their hands clench as if they’re picking something up, and then their thumbs disappear. Hell Raizah takes a moment to grab his stuffed moon. He lifts one of its skinny arms to wave his cell goodbye.
18:01:59
As the cell doors open, Hell Raizah and Neanderthug Number Two blunder through the big puddles of paint the guards have ‘spilled’ outside their cells. As predicted, neither of them notice. There’s no puddle outside Dad’s cell. I convinced the guards it wasn’t necessary as he was on ‘our side’ – because I knew he’d spot it straight away and complicate things by making a fuss.
18:04:02
Dad must have taught the Neanderthugs where the cameras are, as the three of them shoot past the guards to a camera-free spot in the corridor. Neanderthug Number Two swishes his Stealth Blanket a bit too early and because we’re focusing on him so closely it’s possible to see his forearm vanish, but if you weren’t paying attention you’d have missed it. The men are not picked up by the next camera. It’s a good plan, and they’d have got away with it so far.
“Why are there no guards?” Porter asks PC Eric. “None of this would be possible if there were guards watching them.”
“Guards aren’t considered necessary in areas completely covered by cameras,” PC Eric explai
ns. “But there are guards at every important entrance and exit.”
“So how are they planning to get out?”
“Keep watching,” PC Eric says.
18:05:57
The paint footprints head in the opposite direction to the other inmates. A few prisoners turn in surprise but look away quickly – I’m guessing after a fierce glare from Hell Raizah.
Again, nothing’s being picked up by the cameras that would raise alarm, except the paint footprints trailing down the corridor.
PC Eric points to the screen as three men in Mobi-tech overalls enter the corridor. “These three were brought in to the prison to update the security system.” He pauses as the men wave in the direction of the footprints. “Turns out they know your father.”
I wonder if this is what Dad meant when he talked about teaching his fellow inmates ‘a bit of ICT’.
18:11:49
The Mobi-tech men pull out a big set of keys and let themselves through several security doors, followed by two sets of wet-paint footprints (and presumably also by blanket-wearing, dry-footed Dad).
“Surely they’re going to run into guards soon,” Porter says. “Then what? They’re visible to the human eye. They can’t just walk out of jail wrapped in blankets.”
“Dad will have a plan,” I declare confidently. “He’ll have invented a tunnelling machine out of a fork, a battery and some breakfast cereal.”
“Dad’s not in charge here, Know-All,” Holly says. “The Neanderthugs are. The solution is going to be something more brutal.”
PC Eric gives her one of the aren’t-you-clever looks he usually saves for me.
I stare at the screen.
Three Mobi-tech men.
Three men in Stealth Blankets.
My stomach sinks. If Holly’s right, I can guess what’s coming next.
18:18:59
A voice says, “Hey! Look over there!”
The three Mobi-tech men look over there. Two huge fists appear in mid-air and thump two of the Mobi-tech men on the tops of their heads. The men tumble to the ground.
The remaining Mobi-tech man turns to run. One of the huge fists reappears and bashes him on the head and then bashes the air beside him. There’s a Dad-like grunt of pain.
The unconscious Mobi-tech men are dragged out of camera range by invisible hands. Bits of clothing flash across the screen as the Mobi-tech men are stripped of their uniforms.
“They’re not, like, dead or anything, are they?” Porter asks. “Couldn’t the guards have stepped in earlier?”
“They can’t be dead,” I say. “How could they confess to knowing Dad – like PC Eric said they did – if they were dead?”
“Good thinking,” PC Eric says. “Although, technically, that would only require one of them not to be dead. Don’t worry, though, they’re fine except for a couple of large bumps on the head.”
“Serves them right for helping Dad and his cavemen,” Holly mutters.
“Dad didn’t bop a Mobi-tech man, did he?” I ask anxiously.
“I think that was the plan.” PC Eric says. “But he froze at the last minute and a gentleman named Hell Raizah was forced to ‘bop’ two technicians. By all accounts he bopped your father too, for failing to follow instructions.”
“Good,” Holly mutters as the new ‘Mobi-tech men’ walk into camera shot.
18:26:05
Mobi-tech Dad stumbles, clutching his head and looking around nervously. He’s obviously realised their actions will have been picked up on camera by now.
Mobi-tech Hell Raizah and Mobi-tech Neanderthug Number Two, saunter along like Mobi-tech Incredible Hulks, unaware that their new uniforms are ripping at the seams.
18:29:45
A group of armed guards step out of the shadows at the next exit. One guard reaches out towards Mobi-tech Dad and grabs at what looks like the air, but must be a Stealth Blanket.
The guard flings his arms towards Dad, who disappears from view and then reappears, inch by inch, as the guard tugs at the air/blanket.
“Wow! You’ve got to hand it to Dad,” I say. “That is an incredible invention.”
“Yes,” Holly replies. “But look at the way he’s chosen to use it.”
I nod. “On the positive side, it’s helped me work out where we’ll find the Space Rock.”
33
Girlfriend. Or Not.
Days Left to Save the Earth: 1
The Bureau Against Dangerous Devices in Ireland, England and Scotland (what did happen to Wales?) confiscate the Stealth Blankets and add them to a long list of things Dad is not allowed to work on in the future.
The police discover some half invisible prototype Stealth Blankets in the Science Museum’s ‘Live Science Lab’ and convince the prison authorities to give Aggressive Policeman unrestricted access to Dad, to interrogate him about a possible connection to the Space Rock’s disappearance.
Unsurprisingly for someone on the verge of being offered a reduced prison sentence for his ‘help’ in preventing the break-out, Dad is denying any involvement with the Space Rock robbery. More surprisingly, Aggressive Policeman believes him.
I suspect this is because if he didn’t believe Dad, he’d have to admit he should have paid more attention to my evidence about the woman under the blanket. However, Aggressive Policeman claims he’s based his decision that Dad is innocent on two factors:
i) Dad’s lack of motive (Aggressive Policeman clearly hasn’t interviewed Hell Raizah).
ii) Dad’s failure to show any of the effects of being close to the Space Rock.
Aggressive Policeman’s brains are clearly made of brown bananas if he can’t see that Dad could have organised the theft without actually touching the Rock, but he’s right to focus on the symptoms caused by the Space Rock.
Everything moved so fast in this case I missed a few clues. Or at least I missed the connections between them. Being smart is all about finding the connections between things.
CLUE 36
When Dad and the Neanderthugs went missing inside the prison, they were there and not there, both at the same time.
+
CLUE 37
The worst symptoms from the Space Rock have always been contained within the Science Museum.
=
THEORY D
THE SPACE ROCK HAS BEEN ‘STOLEN’ WITHOUT EVER LEAVING THE MUSEUM.
Time to hitch another lift with Uncle Max. I call PC Eric and tell him to meet us at the museum.
“This will be your last trip, girls . . . and lodger,” Uncle Max announces as we cruise down the A1. “My business in London is coming to an end. Plus, it’s not safe there any more.”
He’s talking about all the fights that have been breaking out around the city. The Emergency Services are on high alert and people have been warned not to travel into London if they can avoid it. The danger hotspots are all within a twenty kilometer radius of the Science Museum. So far no brains have exploded, and you get the impression the news crews are slightly disappointed.
The museum itself is now closed to the general public because so many staff members have been hospitalised, either with chronic head pains or as a result of injuries following attacks by fellow Science Museum workers. However, the lady who answered the phone told me there were still a few staff members watching over the exhibits and said we were welcome to pop in to investigate further as they’re so desperate for things to get back to normal they’ll accept help from anyone. Not massively flattering, but at least they’ll let us in.
“Why is your business coming to an end?” Holly interrogates Uncle Max from the passenger seat. “Is Aunty Vera getting suspicious?”
Uncle Max keeps his eyes on the road, but they go all narrow and slitty. “Why? Have you said something to her?”
“No, but I considered it.”
Uncle Max’s grip tightens on the steering wheel. “Why would you do that? You’ll spoil the surprise.”
Holly glares at him. “How can you be so heartless?�
��
“Heartless? What are you talking about?” Uncle Max turns to Holly and his car drifts across the road until a white-van driver beeps and makes gun hands at him.
“I heard you on the phone.” Holly fiddles with her seatbelt, obviously uncomfortable with the conversation. “I know you’re meeting another woman every time you go to London.”
“Well, of course I am. How else would I get the . . .” Uncle Max pauses mid-sentence and his expression changes from shock to disbelief and then he barks with laughter. “You think I’m seeing another lady behind Vera’s back?” He looks almost flattered. “Wow! That would be brave. If your aunt thought I was even considering something like that she’d cut off my . . . head.”
“But, if you haven’t got a girlfriend, what have you been doing in London?” Holly gazes out of the window as if the road signs might hold the answers.
“He’s been meeting Mobi-tech,” I announce, waiting for the explosion.
“Who?”
Okay, so that wasn’t quite the reaction I was expecting. Where are the screams of horror from Porter and Holly? Where are the guilty, desperate attempts to defend himself from my uncle? Uncle Max is either a very good actor or genuinely confused.
“Mobi-tech!” I repeat. “Hello? The IT firm who helped Dad with his failed escape attempt? The guys who got bopped on the head by Neanderthugs?” I point to the bag I spotted when I clambered into Uncle Max’s car. The bag with the large Mobi-tech logo on the side.
Holly and Porter gasp in shock. Finally, some normal reactions.
Not from Uncle Max though. His face takes ‘confused’ to whole new levels “Mobi-tech? They’re just the company providing the technology.”
The Case of the Exploding Brains Page 12
