by R. A. Spratt
‘What! I have not,’ protested Friday.
‘Yeah, yeah,’ said Ian as he stood up to make way for the professionals.
Chapter 21
In Conclusion
The following morning, Friday gingerly made her way to the dining hall for breakfast. Everyone stared at her as she passed. She would like to think it was because her brilliant deductive reasoning had saved the school from yet another criminal conspiracy, but realistically she knew they were staring at the plastic splint over the bridge of her nose, which was held in place by two long strips of tape: one across her forehead and another from one cheekbone to the other.
‘This is depressing,’ said Friday. ‘I feel bad because my face is a mess, and I feel bad for being so vain that I care how my face looks. It’s lowering to realise I’m more superficial than I thought.’
‘On the bright side,’ said Melanie, ‘it does distract everyone from your ugly cardigan.’
Friday looked down at the navy blue cardigan she was wearing. ‘I’m not wearing my ugly cardigan, I’m wearing your nice blue one.’
‘Oh yes. And yet, somehow you manage to wear it in such a way that it looks exactly the same on you,’ said Melanie.
‘I suppose you were right about one thing,’ said Friday.
‘I was?’ said Melanie, pleasantly surprised.
‘I did end up with three head injuries,’ said Friday, pointing to her nose.
‘So you did,’ said Melanie. ‘Hopefully they will stop now. Because four is an unlucky number in Asian countries.’
‘I’d hate to be unlucky,’ said Friday sarcastically.
The girls shifted forward in the breakfast line.
‘Friday,’ said Epstein. He had joined the queue behind them.
‘You’re still here?’ said Friday.
Epstein blushed. ‘Dad did teach for the full eight weeks, and my tuition was part of his payment,’ he said with a shrug.
‘What about next year’s tuition?’ asked Friday. ‘Can your mum afford the fees?’
Epstein smiled. Friday realised she hadn’t seen Epstein smile before. ‘The Headmaster has offered me an art scholarship if I replace Dad’s mural with something less … controversial.’
‘Good for you,’ said Friday.
‘But what about the huge painting of Mrs Cannon?’ asked Melanie.
‘One of the billionaires from the auction has offered to buy it,’ said Epstein. ‘He’s going to pay the full price of the swimming pool. Mrs Cannon is going to decorate the side of his barn in his back paddock.’
‘Mrs Cannon will be pleased to be preserved for posterity,’ said Melanie.
‘But how can he move a mural?’ asked Friday.
‘The billionaire is going to pay a team of art conservators to remove and transport the entire side of the building,’ explained Epstein.
‘And the Headmaster agreed to that?’ said Friday.
‘Apparently, he really doesn’t want to look at the mural,’ said Epstein. ‘I’m not sure what upsets him most – the sight of Mrs Cannon or the reminder that he hired my father.’
The girls collected their breakfasts and went over to their usual table. They were surprised to find Ian already sitting there.
‘Morning,’ he said, without looking up from the book he was reading.
‘Uh,’ grunted Friday as she sat down next to him and picked up her fork.
‘Oh, isn’t that nice,’ said Melanie. ‘You two have made up. I knew you couldn’t stay mad at each other for long. You need each other. No one else can understand half the things you say.’
Friday and Ian continued to ignore Melanie. But the three of them enjoyed the companionable silence. It was nice to have things back the way they should be.
Friday was concentrating so hard on eating the stewed pears in front of her while moving as little of her face as possible, that she didn’t notice the dining hall had fallen silent. Ian was still reading his book. So, amazingly enough, Melanie was the first to notice something was going on.
‘Friday,’ said Melanie, nudging her friend. ‘There is a messenger coming this way with a courier envelope.’
Friday turned round to see a year 8 boy walking towards their table. Friday was just about to reach out to take the envelope when the boy said, ‘Wainscott, a courier just delivered this to the front office for you.’
Ian was surprised. He hastily swallowed his mouthful and took the envelope. He looked at it for a moment, but the generic stationery did not reveal any secrets, so he tore it open. A passport, a large wad of cash in a foreign currency and an airline ticket fell onto the table.
‘What is that for?’ asked Melanie.
A yellow post-it note was stuck to the front of the passport. Ian peeled it off.
‘It’s a ticket to the Cayman Islands,’ said Ian. He read the note aloud, ‘“I’m on my feet. Fly out and join me. Love, Dad”.’
‘When is the ticket for?’ asked Friday.
Ian looked up. His eyes locked with Friday’s. ‘Tonight.’
Coming soon …
About the Author
R. A. Spratt is an award-winning author and television writer. She lives in Bowral with her husband and two daughters. Like Friday Barnes, she enjoys wearing a silly hat.
For more information, visit www.raspratt.com
Also by R. A. Spratt
The Adventures of Nanny Piggins
Nanny Piggins and the Wicked Plan
Nanny Piggins and the Runaway Lion
Nanny Piggins and the Accidental Blast-Off
Nanny Piggins and the Rival Ringmaster
Nanny Piggins and the Pursuit of Justice
Nanny Piggins and the Daring Rescue
Nanny Piggins and the Race to Power
The Nanny Piggins Guide to Conquering Christmas
Friday Barnes: Girl Detective
Friday Barnes: Under Suspicion
Friday Barnes: Big Trouble
Friday Barnes: No Rules
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted by any person or entity, including internet search engines or retailers, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including printing, photocopying (except under the statutory exceptions provisions of the Australian Copyright Act 1968), recording, scanning or by any information storage and retrieval system without the prior written permission of Penguin Random House Australia. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.
Version 1.0
Friday Barnes: The Plot Thickens
9780857989949
Published by Random House Australia 2016
Copyright © R. A. Spratt 2016
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
A Random House Australia book
Published by Penguin Random House Australia Pty Ltd
Level 3, 100 Pacific Highway, North Sydney NSW, 2060
www.penguin.com.au
Addresses for the Penguin Random House group of companies can be found at global.penguinrandomhouse.com/offices.
First published by Random House Australia in 2016
National Library of Australia
Cataloguing-in-Publication Entry
Author: Spratt, R. A.
Title: The Plot Thickens [electronic resource]
ISBN: 978 0 85798 994 9 (ebook)
Series: Friday Barnes; 5
Subject: Girls – Juvenile fiction
Friendship – Juvenile fiction
High-school environment – Juvenile fiction
Detective and mystery stories
Dewey Number: A823.4
Cover illustration by Lilly Piri, www.littlegalaxie.com
Cover design by Kirby Armstrong
Ebook by Firstsource
