Artnapping
A Frequent Flyer Twins mystery
Written by Hazel Edwards.
Illustrated and designed by Jane Connory.
When their Tokyo plane is grounded in Sydney, due to cabin mist, the Frequent Flyer Twins become involved in an oriental antique mystery. What is being artnapped? Why are security guards watching the Rembrandt? And why is the dealer so interested in Amy’s phone card collection? There’s a mix up with photos. What has happened to photographs of the newly married Japanese wedding tourist group? What about Tess, the art student who is working her way around the world? She can draw very well.
Is she what she seems or is she a fake?
Why is there a silver container in her luggage? Where is the missing Ming dynasty vase from the ancestral shrine? What is the courier carrying in the briefcase chained to his arm and where do the R.P.G. group fit in?
En route for Tokyo, the Frequent Flyer Twins solve a mystery.
Airport security changes fast. If our Frequent Flyers travelled tomorrow, there would be new regulations and electronic devices.
Some of their past mysteries were solved without the technology we have now.
Also in the Frequent Flyers Series, by Hazel Edwards.
Copyright © Hazel Edwards and Jane Connory, 2011.
Written By Hazel Edwards.
www.hazeledwards.com
Illustration and design by Jane Connory.
www.ineedalogo.com
ISBN 978-0-9871078-3-1
All electronic rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. Although every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher and author assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.
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Contents
Chapter 1 Priceless
Chapter 2 Chained
Chapter 3 Wrong Shots
Chapter 4 Misty Emergency
Chapter 5 R.P.G’s
Chapter 6 Grounded
Chapter 7 Missing Ming Vase
Chapter 8 The Mysterious Mr Ng
Chapter 9 Undercover Gloria
Chapter 10 Return of the Samurai Sword
Chapter 11 On Board
Chapter 12 Fake
Chapter 13 Tokyo Airport
Chapter 14 Finale
Chapter 1
Priceless
‘Artnappers might steal it. So they’re guarding the Rembrandt,’ said the cabin attendant. He bent down to peer out through the plane window. ‘That painting from the Museum.’
Kneeling at the window seat, the twins stared down. On the tarmac, two security guards watched a very large, thin box being loaded into the hold of the plane. A fork- lift driver raised the box to the level of the plane’s hold. The guards moved closer. The fork-lift driver backed a little and just missed the first guard’s foot.
‘Watch it!’ called the driver.
‘I am!’ said the guard. ‘But you’re not! That’s worth millions. And don’t run over my foot!
‘Your foot’s not worth millions!’ said the driver.
From inside the plane, Amy looked across the silver-grey wing marked with the airline’s sign. Up close, she could see where bits joined, like a jigsaw. Looking down at the trailers piled with baggage parked alongside, Amy wondered where you’d hide the painting if you stole it. Men were busy loading the passengers’ bags and cases. The fork lift driver was reversing after placing the box in the hold.
‘Must be very valuable to have two guards looking after it,’ said Amy. ‘Rembrandt was a famous painter wasn’t he?’ Christopher was keen on drawing people, places and clues to mysteries.
‘VERY famous,’ agreed the attendant whose WILLIAM name tag was brightly polished .’And his paintings are very valuable now.’ William stowed their bags in the overhead lockers. ‘D’you need anything from these?’ As the twins shook their heads, he stretched up, his perfectly pressed shirt sleeves looking sharp as knife edges. Everything about William was perfectly polished, pressed or smelled of after-shave. His white teeth were like TV toothpaste commercials. Not a hair was out of place. Even his eyebrows looked combed. Apart from his smile, which was real, he could have been a robot, thought Christopher. William the robot cabin attendant, programmed to fly to Tokyo.
‘How valuable?’ asked Amy. Money interested her. Especially when she didn’t have much herself.
‘Priceless. That’s why the Museum employs those security guards. They go everywhere with that Rembrandt. Every transit stop, they’re last on and first off the plane,’ said William.
‘Does the painting need a ticket? ‘Amy and Christopher travelled half price because they were under twelve. They were also U.M.s which is why
William had escorted them on board first. Unaccompanied minors were looked after by the airlines.
William smiled. ‘Not exactly. Although there are documents that have to be checked. Museums loan art works to each other. There’s a special display in a Tokyo gallery soon. The guards have to make sure the artworks aren’t stolen in between.’
Christopher noticed that he said artworks, with an ‘s’. Perhaps there were others on board besides the Rembrandt.
‘A bit stupid to pinch a painting when you’re in the air. Nowhere to hide it.’
Amy giggled. ‘Unless you dropped it with its own parachute. Then it might hit a bird or snag on a tree.’
Christopher had been thinking about the money. The guard had said millions.
‘If there’s only one of something, like that Rembrandt and it’s priceless, how much do insurance companies pay if it gets stolen or damaged? ‘
‘A good question,’ said William.
Christopher worked out that William wasn’t programmed for that answer. A malfunction by the cabin attendant robot!
‘Now, move into your aisle seat Amy. You’re not in that window seat Christopher. We need to be able to get you out quickly, if anything happens.’
‘Aunty Viv is always afraid we’ll crash, but we’re not worried about that. She always says we should swim backstroke if we crash in the water. It’s easier to keep up for a long time. She taught us backstroke.’ Afraid-of-Flying Aunty Viv looked after them when their parents were working.
William smiled. “We’re flying over a lot of water. But we won’t crash. All the crew have to do safety courses regularly.’ Aunty Viv would say the need for safety courses proved flying was dangerous.
Amy moved to her proper seat, still thinking about artnapping. ‘How would the thief would know which painting to take? And where to sell it?’ ‘Put it this way.’ William looked at Amy. ‘Ever heard of the Mona Lisa? It’s the painting of that lady with a strange smile.’
The twins nodded. Once Amy had a Mona Lisa post card. ‘If you were a thief, what could you do with the stolen Mona Lisa? ‘ asked William as he checked their seat belts. Then he looked at his list. His brain seemed programmed to do three things at once. And his teeth kept smiling while his eyes darted, noticing everything.
The twins shrugged. ‘Everybody would know where the painting came from. So you couldn’t show it to the public. You’d be caught straight away.’
‘But if you were a millionaire collector who wasn’t too fussy about the law, you’d pay the thief a fortune, then put the Mona Lisa in your own
room and look at it, whenever you liked.’ William ran his finger down the list.
‘What’s the use of that?’ Amy liked to show her phone card collection to anyone who’d look. ‘Some collectors are obsessed with collecting particular artworks. But today,
I only collect U.M.s like you .’ William ticked their names on his list. ‘Your aunt filled in all the right forms for you, but her writing is ... er... .’
‘... hard to read?’ suggested Christopher.
‘Yes,’ agreed William.
Aunty Viv was different from other aunts. She ran ‘Animal Actors’ which provided animals for TV. commercials. The twins helped with the animals when they stayed with her. That was quite often, whenever their parents were working overseas. They were used to being U.M.s. They’d travelled all over the world to meet their parents who were eco-photographers. Mum and Dad ‘shot’ endangered wildlife,but only with their cameras. The last passengers were coming onto the aircraft now.
‘See you in a few minutes. Okay?’ Just as William left them to attend to the other passengers, Christopher asked, ’Any chance of going up to the cockpit, later, William?’
It was worth a try. They’d been up with the captain once before on a Singapore- Sydney flight.
‘I’ll ask,’ said William. ‘Depends a bit on the weather. We’re expecting some turbulence.’
Amy knew what that meant. Seatbelts and lots of going up, down and sideways. Like Luna Park. Ace. She dug into her pocket to check. Yes, she had her phone card collection safely held by a rubber band. Later, she’d look at them.
Just then, two passengers stopped alongside her seat. A silver chain was wound around the wrist of one man. It dangled down, catching the light. And there was a tiny padlock! Amy nudged Christopher and pointed. The light glinted on the chain.
Was the man handcuffed? Or was he just chained to the bag?
The twins would soon find out.
Chapter 2
Chained
That silver chain around his wrist! Was he a prisoner? Amy squirmed to get a better look. Apart from the chain, the man now sitting across the aircraft aisle looked ordinary. Who was the chunky man sitting on his other side? Was the chain a handcuff? Were they linked together or did the chain go only around the bag? Accidentally, on purpose, Amy dropped her in-flight magazine, then leaned across, to pick it up. From this angle she could see the small, silver padlock dangling from the chain. Was he a prisoner? No, he didn’t seem to be attached to the next passenger. The silver chain led down to the leather briefcase between his legs. It went around both handles.
He was locked to the briefcase! Or the briefcase was locked to him! It just depended upon how you looked at it. On his watch were silver charms dangling from the band.
Amy nudged Christopher, then pointed to the chain again.
His eyes widened. Then he whispered, ‘Diplomatic courier?’
When they were younger, she thought ‘courier’ meant a person carrying something bad, like a drug courier, carrying drugs. Now she knew that couriers could carry legal things too. Diplomatic couriers carried letters between government embassies. ’Courier’ just meant ‘carrying’ ‘D’you think Silver Chain is a legal carry-person?’ whispered Amy.
‘Carrier,’ corrected Christopher. ‘Or courier.’
‘Same difference.’ Amy didn’t like being corrected. Words were her thing.
Christopher was better with drawing and pictures.
They were sitting in Economy. Government officials might travel First Class.
A diplomatic courier carried a bag between the embassies of different countries. But this was a plain brief case. No official seals on the outside. But worth asking about. At the very worst, he could ignore her or say no.
‘Excuse me, I guess you’re carrying something very important?’ Amy’s voice went up like a question. The Holder of the Silver Chain turned his head.
‘Yes.’ His voice was deep and rich, like dark chocolate.
‘Are you called a courier?’ asked Christopher.
‘Today I am.’ said the man. You’d think he had to pay for each word he spoke, he used so few words.
‘What happens when you go to the toilet?’ asked Christopher. ‘Does the briefcase go with you? How would you turn around in that little washroom on the plane?’
Christopher had often worried about super fat people on board. He always watched to see if they could get around the sideways doors on the plane’s washroom. Once a woman did get stuck, on the Darwin-Bali flight, but Christopher was asleep. Amy told him about it later. He was disappointed he’d missed seeing her wedged in the doorway. He liked sketching people from unusual angles.
The courier looked a little surprised, but he answered,’ I’ll try not to drink much on the flight. Then I won’t need to go.’
It was a long flight to Tokyo. William would be serving orange juice soon. Adults often had other drinks too, from the bar trolley. It must be hard not to drink.
Amy asked. ‘Do you fly a lot?’
He nodded. ‘You do too, don’t you?’
Amy was pleased he knew that. Of course he couldn’t miss the I.D. tags the ground staff had pinned on their tops. Name, age, destination and a contact person. Mum’s was the contact name this time.
‘Yes. We’re U.M.s Our parents are eco-photographers. They work all over Asia. We’re flying to meet our Mum in Tokyo. What do you carry in your bag?’
Amy was a question- firing machine. Surprised at the children’s interest, the man answered gruffly,
‘Contracts usually. Legal promises to do things. Bits of special paper’
‘What are they for?’ asked Amy.
‘Something that’s very important to a big international company. Something they can’t trust to the mail. And I..er...they can’t fax or scan it in case someone else sees it, by mistake.’ That was a big speech for him. Amy wondered why he said ‘I’ at first and then ‘they’. Using his free hand, the man took out his inflight magazine. He also reached for his head phones.
The twins knew he was giving them a hint to shut up, but Christopher was rapt in the idea of a silver chain and padlock. What if the key were lost? What if it fell down the airline toilet? What if there were only one key in the whole world? Would they have to use a hacksaw to chop the chain off? What would you do if for the rest of your life, until you were a hundred, you were chained to a briefcase? ‘Who has the key?’ asked Christopher peering across at the chunky man sitting alongside the courier. He looked scruffy but the courier was well-dressed. They didn’t speak to each other, so perhaps they weren’t together.
‘That’s a secret,’ said the courier. After talking such a lot, he was returning to his short answers. Perhaps he’d run out of words, like a car runs out of petrol? But no, he revved up again when Christopher asked,’ Do you know what’s in there?’ ‘Not exactly. I just know that it’s important for the gallery and for me. And it must stay with me all the time, until I hand the briefcase to the right person at the Tokyo airport.’
Christopher wondered how the courier could hand over the briefcase if it was still locked to him. So either the courier had the key or the person he was meeting had the key. Or maybe it was with the other chunky man, sitting alongside? Although they hadn’t spoken yet.
‘How will you know who the right person is?’ Amy was curious. Tokyo was a very big airport. They’d been there before. There were Japanese signs everywhere.
‘You ask a lot of questions,’ said The Holder of the Silver Chain.
Amy nodded. It was one of her hobbies. But she didn’t need to ask his name. KEI was printed on his boarding pass which was on his knee.
‘They have to show me the right papers to identify themselves. And I have to show them my identity.’
‘You have to prove to them you are Mr Kei.’
‘Mmm.’ He glanced down at his boar
ding pass. ‘You noticed Kei on that. Pretty quick for a kid. You can read upside down can you?’
Amy nodded. So his name was said like a ‘key’. That was funny. The courier called Kei who needed a key. Her next thought was that being a courier might be a good job for someone who liked flying for free. But it wouldn’t suit Aunty Viv. She wouldn’t fly if you paid her! The twins looked up at the seat belts ON sign .
The plane was ready for take-off. They could feel the engines. Amy smiled at Christopher. She loved the going-up when her tummy was left behind. It was like riding a roller coaster. A tour director was giving out packets of photos to his ‘Sunny Tours’ people.
He was also trying to explain to one couple holding a giant bunch of dried wedding flowers. ‘You need a permit for dried banksia flowers, cacti or orchids.’ Quickly the newly weds pulled out their piece of paper. ‘Permit. The shop gave us one. They said we could take them out of the country and into Japan.’
The director shrugged. ‘Fine.’
‘Sit down please sir,’ William said. ‘We’re ready for take off.’
Obediently the director sat, just as a man in an old-fashioned red cloak swept past and joined people a few seats behind the twins. He was carrying a packet in one hand and a saggy bag in the other. His beard stuck out like a mini shelf. He looked as if he’d stepped out of an old movie.
‘Look, the guards!’ Christopher pointed. ‘They’re heading for the front seats.’
The two security guards were the last people to come on board. The plane door was shut and the crew went through the usual safety checks. The video screen lowered from the roof and a William-look- alike told them what to do in an emergency. The twins had heard it all before.
‘Are you okay?’ William checked on them before he strapped himself into his own seat. He seemed to check on everything as if he wasn’t used to doing some things. Perhaps he was new?
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