Stolen Stash

by Sally Rippin

  Mika and Jack nod.

  ‘You are enough of a detective to know that a case isn’t always as simple as it looks,’ Jack says.

  Billie’s stomach drops. She has been an awful friend to Alex. She knows him well enough to believe that Mika and Jack are right.

  ‘You’re right,’ she says, ashamed. ‘Alex wouldn’t steal money.’

  Billie feels bad that she ever doubted Alex. She knows he is much too honest to steal.

  All of the horrible mixed-up feelings disappear and an excited little wriggle creeps back into Billie’s tummy. She looks at her friends. ‘So if he didn’t do it,’ she says, grinning, ‘who did?’

  ‘Well, there’s still three of us left in the Secret Mystery Club.’ Mika smiles. ‘I reckon that should be enough to solve this mystery.’

  Billie grins, and she and Jack slap their hands down on Mika’s. They all crow loudly. ‘Cock-a-doodledoooooo!’

  Billie is determined to get to the bottom of this. Of course she wants the SMC to solve the mystery, but most of all she wants to make it up to Alex. It’s up to her to put things right.

  That afternoon, when she gets home from school, Billie takes a clean sheet of paper and her sparkly pens out of her desk drawer. She folds the paper in half and draws a picture of a funny face on the front. Then she writes inside the card.

  Dear Alex,

  I’m sorry I was mean to you and I’m sorry you’re sick now. Get better soon because we miss you at school. Me especially.

  From,

  Billie

  Then Billie goes downstairs to find her mum, taking her card with her. Billie’s mum is in the garden with Noah. She is planting tiny lettuce plants into the vegetable patch. Noah is making mud pies. There is dirt and water everywhere!

  Noah looks up at Billie and smiles.

  ‘Chocolate cake?’ he says, holding up a handful of mud.

  ‘No thanks!’ Billie giggles. ‘Mum, would it be OK if I ride my bike over to see Alex?’ she asks. ‘He went home sick today and I want to take him a card.’

  ‘Sure,’ Billie’s mum says. ‘Is Jack going with you?’

  Billie looks over the fence towards Jack’s house.

  ‘Nah, I think I’ll go by myself,’ she says.

  ‘OK, but be back by dinner,’ Billie’s mum says, scraping a blob of mud out of Noah’s hair.

  ‘I will!’ says Billie, grabbing her bike and hopping on.

  Billie reaches Alex’s house in record time. His mum lets Billie in and shows her to the back room, where Alex and his brother are playing on their PlayStation.

  Billie hovers in the doorway for a moment, feeling nervous.

  Will Alex still be mad with me? she wonders. She takes a deep breath. I hope he’ll still want to be my friend.

  ‘Hey, Alex,’ she says. ‘I just came over to see how you’re feeling.’

  Alex turns around and looks surprised to see Billie standing there. But then, instead of getting angry, he looks happy to see her. Very happy, in fact.

  ‘Hey! Thanks, Billie,’ he says, smiling.

  ‘Hi, Billie!’ Alex’s little brother Simon says. He runs up to give Billie a hug.

  Simon is only a bit older than Noah, but he started school this year. Every time he sees Billie in the playground he runs up to hug her.

  ‘Hey, Slimey!’ Billie says, like she always does. She tickles him and he giggles.

  ‘Come and play!’ Simon says. ‘You can have my turn. I’m winning!’

  Alex gives Billie a look, which she recognises as saying: ‘Only because I’m letting him!’

  ‘OK, but I have to be home for dinner,’ Billie says.

  She sits down next to Alex and picks up Simon’s console.

  ‘So, you don’t look very sick,’ she jokes, handing Alex the card she made. She watches him read it.

  When he’s finished reading, Alex gives her a smile that lets her know that everything is OK between them again. ‘Thanks, Billie,’ he says. Billie breathes out a sigh of relief.

  ‘My teacher is sick, too!’ Simon says. ‘Everyone in the class made her a card, but I wanted to get her a present. But I didn’t have enough money. So, I…’

  ‘You made her a good card,’ Alex interrupts, putting his hand on his brother’s arm and glaring at him.

  Simon gets a funny look on his face. He hangs his head like a puppy that has just been scolded.

  Billie feels a little shiver pass through her. She thinks she has just got the clue she needed. Everything clicks into place.

  Billie stays for one more game, then rides home before it gets dark. She doesn’t stop smiling the whole way there. Now she is sure she knows who stole the money!

  The next morning Billie calls an emergency SMC meeting underneath the peppercorn tree before school. For once Mika is on time. She and Jack huddle close and listen to everything Billie has to say.

  ‘But why wouldn’t Alex just tell Mrs Singh it was his little brother who took the money?’ Jack asks.

  Billie shrugs. ‘Maybe he’s trying to protect him. That’s what big brothers and sisters do.’

  Mika and Jack look at each other. Neither of them have brothers or sisters, so they know they can only take Billie’s word on this.

  ‘If that’s the case, that’s a pretty nice thing to do,’ Mika says.

  Billie nods. ‘It is. That’s why we have to find a way to tell Mrs Singh it wasn’t Alex without her finding out it’s us. After all, we can’t let her know we were listening at her door. But it’s not fair that Alex should be punished for something he didn’t do.’

  Jack nods. ‘I just found out from Lola, who found out from Poppy’s sister, that as his punishment Alex is not allowed to go on school camp.’

  ‘Really?’ Mika gasps. ‘But that’s terrible! We have to help him. He can’t miss out on camp!’

  ‘No way!’ says Billie.

  ‘So what do we do?’ asks Jack.

  Billie grins. She has had an idea. A super-dooper idea. ‘We write Mrs Singh an anonymous letter. That way no-one will ever know it was us.’

  ‘Awesome idea!’ says Jack. ‘Let’s do it right away. Has anyone got a pen and paper on them?’

  Billie smiles. ‘Always!’ she says, pulling her secret notebook and sparkly pens out of her schoolbag.

  She rips a page out of the book and quickly writes the note. She tries to disguise her handwriting, just in case.

  The three of them walk to Mrs Singh’s office together. When they are sure no-one is looking, they slip the note under Mrs Singh’s door and run to class, sliding into their seats just before the bell rings.

  Alex is already at his desk and Billie gives him a little wave. He smiles and waves back. Billie feels good knowing that they are friends again.

  That morning, Billie’s class has a maths test, then spelling. Billie and her friends are too busy with work to chat about the note, but Billie hasn’t stopped thinking about it. She hopes so much that it will put things right.

  Billie looks at the clock. Finally! It is almost recess time.

  But just then, only a minute before the bell goes, there is an announcement over the loudspeaker. ‘Would these four students please go to Mrs Singh’s office at recess: Billie, Jack, Mika and Alex.’

  Billie looks at her friends with wide eyes. They look back at her, as horrified as she feels. Alex looks the most horrified of all.

  The bell rings and everyone watches as the four friends put away their things and walk out of the room. Billie hears their whispers as she walks past. Only people who are in big trouble get called to the principal’s office!

  They walk slowly down the corridor, too worried to even talk to each other. When they reach the principal’s office they pause at her door. Jack, Mika and Alex look at Billie.

  This is all my fault! Billie thinks. She takes a deep breath, then knocks on the door. What trouble have I got my friends into now?

  ‘Come in!’ Mrs Singh calls.

  Billie opens the office door. There are f
our chairs lined up in front of the desk, and they each sit down in one of them. Straight away, Billie sees her note on Mrs Singh’s desk, and her stomach crumples.

  Mrs Singh picks up the paper.

  ‘Would anyone like to tell me about this?’ she says, raising one eyebrow.

  Jack and Mika look at Billie. Alex just looks confused. Billie sighs. Then she takes another deep breath. There is no way out except to tell the truth.

  ‘We found out that you thought that Alex took the money from the float,’ she begins. ‘But then we also found out that it wasn’t him.’

  She turns and looks at Alex apologetically. He has a funny look on his face.

  ‘We think he was trying to cover for his little brother,’ Billie continues. ‘But we didn’t want him to be punished for something he didn’t do. We didn’t want him to miss out on school camp. That would be awful! But we also didn’t want him to know that we knew…’ Billie drifts off into a mumble. She knows how jumbled her explanation sounds.

  ‘Billie!’ says Alex, sounding annoyed.

  ‘It wasn’t just Billie’s idea!’ Jack jumps in. ‘It was Mika and me, too!’

  Billie feels Mika’s hand on her shoulder and a warm rush of gratitude flows through her. My friends are the best! she thinks.

  When Billie looks up again, she is surprised to see a small smile on Mrs Singh’s face.

  ‘Well, you four are certainly a team, aren’t you?’ Mrs Singh says. ‘Alex, you stuck up for your brother. Billie, you stuck up for Alex. And then Jack and Mika, you stuck up for Billie. It makes me very happy to see my students stand up for what they believe in.’

  There is a short pause as Billie and her friends take in what Mrs Singh has said.

  ‘Really?’ Billie says finally. ‘You mean we’re not in trouble?’

  Mrs Singh shakes her head.

  ‘What about Simon?’ Alex asks nervously.

  ‘Well, Alex, I will still need to speak to your little brother about what he did,’ Mrs Singh says. ‘I know he’s only little, but he needs to understand that what he did was very wrong.’

  ‘He just wanted to buy a present for his teacher!’ Alex explains. ‘He asked if he could borrow some money from me. I should have said yes.

  Then he wouldn’t have taken it from the office.’ Alex sighs. ‘He didn’t understand that it was stealing, Mrs Singh. He said the money was just there and that there was plenty more in the box. He didn’t even think anyone would notice.’

  ‘But he understands now?’ Mrs Singh says.

  Alex nods. ‘I explained it to him. He’s very sorry.’

  ‘You’re a good brother,’ Mrs Singh says. ‘And the four of you make a good team. Not just great friends but also great detectives, I believe?’

  Billie looks up at Mrs Singh in surprise. ‘But…but…How do you know…?’ she stammers.

  Mrs Singh smiles. ‘I was a bit of a detective myself at your age,’ she says. ‘I haven’t lost my skills. I know, for instance, that you have a set of sparkly pens, Billie, as well as a very small notebook.

  This note here is written on very small paper. It’s written with sparkly pens. And on the back of this note, there are some notes about the latest mystery that the Secret Mystery Club is investigating.’

  Billie’s mouth drops open.

  She was in such a hurry to write the note that morning that she forgot to turn to a new page!

  Mrs Singh laughs. ‘It’s all right. No-one else knows,’ she says, smiling. ‘Your secret is safe with me.

  And actually, your club is partly the reason I called you into my office today. I was hoping you might be able to look into something for me?’

  Billie looks at the others, who are as surprised as she is.

  She grins. ‘Sure! What is it?’

  ‘Well,’ says Mrs Singh, leaning closer to them and lowering her voice, ‘I happen to know that there is a secret time capsule hidden in this school somewhere.’

  Billie gasps.

  Mrs Singh smiles and continues. ‘It must be a hundred years old now. Almost as old as the school itself. But the original plans for the building were lost a long time ago. I have always wanted to find that time capsule, but I’m much too busy to look for it myself. What do you say? Is this a mystery you’d be willing to look into?’

  Billie feels her tummy flip about with excitement.

  She doesn’t even have to look at her friends to know they are feeling the same way.

  ‘We’d love to!’ she says. ‘Wouldn’t we?’ She turns to face Jack, Mika and Alex, who nod happily.

  ‘Wonderful!’ says Mrs Singh. ‘But this is our secret for now, all right? I want to surprise the rest of the school when we find it.’

  ‘Of course!’ Billie says, seriously. ‘We’ll get to work straight away.’

  She looks back at the others. Alex, Mika and Jack all look as happy as she feels. The Secret Mystery Club is back in business. And this time with a real, proper, grown-up mystery to solve. Billie can’t wait to get started!

  To be continued…

  Stolen Stash

  published in 2014 by Hardie Grant Egmont

  Ground Floor, Building 1, 658 Church Street

  Richmond, Victoria 3121, Australia

  www.hardiegrantegmont.com.au

  This ebook is also available as a print edition in all good bookstores.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means without the prior permission of the publishers and copyright owner.

  A CiP record for this title is available from the National Library of Australia.

  Text copyright © 2014 Sally Rippin

  Cover illustration copyright © 2014 Aki Fukuoka

  Series design and internal illustrations copyright © 2014 Hardie Grant Egmont

  eISBN: 9781743582398

  Design by Stephanie Spartels

  Internal illustrations by Jon Davis, based on original characters by Aki Fukuoka

  Typeset by Penny Black Design

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