by Des Hunt
At the first opportunity I said goodbye and disconnected. I knew the feeling would pass, but at that moment if I’d been asked whether I wanted Dean to come for the holidays or not I’m certain I would have said ‘No!’
The next day, Thursday, was my turn to be office duty boy, which meant I ran errands instead of going to class. It was mostly distributing photocopying to teachers and taking messages to students. However, late in the morning I was given another task that was a bit more interesting: I had to take clean lab coats to the teachers, and collect the dirty ones and take them to the laundry. That meant visiting all the science labs as well as the technicians’ room.
The first three labs were being used, and the teachers happily swapped their filthy coats for new ones. The fourth lab was the one where we had science. It was empty and unlocked. I walked around the room looking for the coat, expecting it to be on a hook. When I couldn’t find it, I paused to look along the rows of chemicals on the shelves, thinking about Dean’s ‘blow them away’ comment the previous night. I wondered which of these chemicals he would use. But these thoughts were rudely interrupted by a voice yelling at me. ‘What are you doing here?’
I looked up to see a snarling Brett Hotchkins.
‘I’m here to swap the lab coat,’ I said.
‘Well, you won’t find it on those shelves, will you?’ he replied.
‘Do you know where it’s kept?’ I asked patiently.
He swivelled around and marched into the back room as if he owned the place. A moment later he reappeared carrying the coat.
‘Size XL,’ he demanded.
I sorted through the three remaining clean coats, found the correct size and handed it over.
‘Now get out of here,’ he said. ‘You should never come into a lab when a teacher’s not there.’
‘Then why are you here?’ I asked, regretting it almost as soon as the words came out.
He sneered down at me. ‘I’m here, Kelly, because I’m Senior Lab Monitor. It is my duty to be here. It is also my duty to make sure that playboys like you don’t steal things.’
Then his eyes lit up as if he’d just had an idea. He took a step closer towards me. ‘Were you going to steal something, Kelly? Is that why you’re hanging around the science block all the time?’
‘No!’ I said, quickly.
‘Yes, you were,’ he said, with an evil grin. ‘You were going to steal something to help make one of those bombs of yours.’
‘No!’ I said, louder this time.
‘We’ll see,’ he said. ‘We’ll see. Now do as I say, and get out!’
I got out.
After visiting the technicians, I returned to the office area with the bundle of dirty coats — I needed to find out where the laundry was. There was no one in the office to tell me, but there was a map on the back wall. Although students weren’t meant to go in there, I figured that it would probably be OK just this once. No sooner had I entered than the deputy principal came out of his office.
‘What are you up to? Boys are not allowed in there.’
I jumped guiltily. ‘I was going to look at the map to find out where the laundry is.’
He frowned at me. ‘And why do you want the laundry?’
‘It’s where I’ve got to take these,’ I said pointing to the coats I’d dumped on the bench.
‘The laundry is behind Hollows,’ he said.
I thanked him and left. After dropping off the coats I returned to the office, and, as there were no more jobs for me to do, got on with some schoolwork.
Things were just as slow after lunch, so I was pleased when the office lady gave me a notice that had to be read out to all of the classes. By the time I got back it was ten minutes to bell-time. I gathered up my books on the duty desk and went to pack them away. That’s when I discovered that my bag was missing.
I turned to the office lady. ‘Have you seen my bag?’
‘The deputy principal has it,’ she said. ‘You’re to collect it from him.’
A hollow feeling began to develop in my gut.
‘Right now!’ she added.
I found the DP sitting behind his desk with my bag on a table nearby.
‘Can I have my bag, please, sir?’
‘Come in, Kelly,’ he said, grimly, ‘and stand there.’ He pointed to the carpet in front of his desk.
As I moved into position, he fished inside a filing cabinet and removed a piece of paper. He placed it on the desk so that I could read it.
‘You and your parents signed a paper like this when you enrolled. Do you remember it?’
I nodded.
‘Amongst other things it gives me the right to search your bag whenever I have sufficient cause. I now have sufficient cause and that is what we are about to do.’ He grabbed the bag and dumped it on top of the paper. ‘Now take your things out, one at a time, and put them on the desk.’
By then the hole in my gut had become a monstrous cavity. I had no idea what to expect when I opened the bag, but I knew there had to be something that would get me into trouble.
There was nothing immediately obvious. It looked much the same mess as usual. I began stacking stuff on the desk with the DP studying every movement.
It wasn’t until I’d got the bigger items out that I discovered anything that was different to normal: a glass jar containing a white powder was sitting in a corner of my bag.
I hesitated, wondering if maybe I could just leave it there.
‘Keep going,’ he ordered.
Deciding to get it over and done with, I pulled the jar out and put it on the desk. It was then that I saw it was a jar from the science lab.
The DP leant forward and picked up the jar. ‘Have you an explanation, Kelly?’
‘I didn’t take it,’ I said.
‘Then how did it get into your bag?’
‘Someone else put it there.’
He gave a little snort. ‘Rubbish! If you won’t tell me, then I’ll tell you.’ He placed the jar on the desk and leant back in his chair. ‘This morning you were asked to visit all of the labs to replace the protective coats. You found one of the labs empty and unlocked. You went in and did what you were meant to do, but you also picked up that jar and hid it amongst the dirty coats. Later you came back here and put it in your bag.’
He gave a smug smile. ‘I almost caught you in the act, didn’t I? You had such a guilty look when you came up with that nonsense about not knowing where the laundry was that I sensed something was up. Then your science teacher came and told me that a chemical jar had gone missing, and you were the chief suspect. That’s when I commandeered the bag.’ He picked up the jar. ‘And now we have the evidence of your thieving.’
I breathed deeply, trying to control myself. ‘I didn’t take it, sir. I was set up.’
‘Set up!’ he shouted. ‘Who would set you up?’
‘Brett Hotchkins, sir. He must have done it while I was having lunch.’
Again he snorted. ‘And why would Hotchkins do that?’
The tone of his voice told me he wouldn’t believe me no matter what I said. Telling the truth would be a waste of time, but I had to say something.
‘He doesn’t like me.’ Even to my ears it sounded pathetic.
‘He doesn’t like you!’ he sneered. ‘I can understand that. Nobody likes a thief around a school, especially one who’s making dangerous explosives.’ He paused as if waiting for me to react. When I didn’t, he continued: ‘Yes, Kelly, I know all about the bombs you claim to have made in the past. Well you’re not going to be making them around here. You understand?’
I nodded. What was the point of arguing?
He leant back in his chair again. ‘You know what the worst of your crimes is, Kelly?’ he said. ‘It’s that you tried to blame someone else. That’s cowardly and not what we expect of our boys. We expect Franklin boys to front up to their mistakes and take whatever is coming. That’s the manly thing to do.’ He picked up a pen to begin writing. ‘And what’s com
ing for you is as follows. One, you’re on lunchtime detention for the rest of the term. Two, your parents will be notified. And three, I’m putting you on probation.’ He looked up. ‘That means one more incident like this during the rest of the year, and your parents will be asked to remove you from the school. And I can tell you that in the wider community that will not only bring disgrace on you, but also on the whole of your family.’
Chapter 17
Nana wanted my help when I got home from school at the end of that horrible day: the sheep needed shifting. By then she was fit enough to move them herself, but she enjoyed the company. That suited me fine, as it gave me the chance to talk to her about what had happened during the day.
As we worked, I gave her the lot — from the things we’d seen at the dangerous-chemicals store through to what Afi had told me in the bus coming home that afternoon. He’d confirmed that Hotchkins had put the jar in my bag. Not because he’d seen him do it, but because Hotchkins had pretty much admitted it. After lunch when I’d gone back to the office, Afi was just wandering around the school looking for something to do when Hotchkins came up to him.
‘Your Aussie friend is going to be in serious trouble,’ the prefect told Afi. ‘When you see him next, ask him about it and tell him it’s just a warning. And it’s a warning to you as well, Moore.’
‘Why do I need warning?’ Afi asked.
‘You know why,’ Hotchkins snarled. ‘Sniffing around the place, seeing things you shouldn’t. Next time you see something, just turn around, walk away, and keep your mouth shut. Believe me, it will be much better for your health and that of your friend.’
Then he had left.
After I’d told Nana all of this, she was quiet for a time. Long enough for me to wonder if she hadn’t believed me.
Eventually, she said, ‘It seems to me that this Brett Hotchkins isn’t going to stop there. He’ll keep at it until you’re forced out of school. That’s because he’s scared of you.’
‘No, he’s not!’
‘Oh, yes he is,’ insisted Nana. ‘You can get him into very serious trouble.’
‘Nobody at school will believe us,’ I said.
‘Maybe not at the moment. But if the police catch those Redferns, then they’ll also get Brett Hotchkins and the school will have to believe it.’
I stared at her, not quite believing what she was suggesting.
She chuckled. ‘Yes, Pete, I’m saying that you and Afi need to get more evidence when you’re at Port Waikato during the holidays.’
‘That could be dangerous,’ I said.
‘Not if you’re careful. All you need to do is keep a record of when the Redferns go out with their boat. Take lots of photos. I’m sure that if you watch them closely enough you’ll get something that will make the police take action.’ She gave another chuckle. ‘If you and Afi can’t do something like that, then you’re not the boys I think you are.’
I liked what she was saying. It was much the same as Afi had suggested in the bus that afternoon: if the Redferns got caught, then Hotchkins would be, too.
‘There’s a problem with that,’ I said. ‘I might not be allowed to go to Port Waikato after what happened today. Also Dean might be coming over here to stay.’ And I told her about David Steele’s proposal.
‘Mmmm, that is a problem,’ she said when I’d finished. ‘But one that’s not insurmountable.’ Then she got a wicked twinkle in her eyes. ‘Leave it with me, Pete. Let me make a phone call and see what I can arrange.’ She rubbed her hands together. ‘Oh, I am looking forward to tonight’s discussion. I think it’ll be real interesting, don’t you think?’
As I wasn’t sure what to think, I said nothing.
The discussion didn’t happen at the usual part of the meal. In fact, there was no conversation at all for most of the time. To me, that could only be because the deputy principal had carried out his plan and contacted my parents.
When the meal was over, Dad turned to Nana and said, ‘Mum, I think it best if you went now. We’re about to have a serious conversation with Pete, which you needn’t be involved with.’
‘I’ll stay,’ said Nana.
Dad and Mum looked at one another. Clearly they were not happy with that response. Dad was about to argue when Nana said, ‘I’m staying because I know what the conversation will be about, and I feel I have something to contribute.’
‘Well, I’m not so sure about that,’ said Dad. ‘You don’t yet know the facts.’
‘Oh yes I do,’ replied Nana. ‘Pete told me them as soon as he came home from school.’
Dad’s eyes went wide. ‘You know that he was caught stealing at school?’
‘Yes.’
‘Do you know what he stole?’
‘I know what he was accused of taking. something that can be used to make explosives, I believe.’
Dad nodded. ‘And do you know that before we left Australia he made a promise to Jenny and me that he would have nothing more to do with such things?’
‘Oh, yes!’ replied Nana cheerily. ‘He told me all about that months back.’
‘So you don’t think it wrong that he broke that promise, and did it in a way that brought shame to this family?’ said Dad, beginning to show signs of anger.
Nana stayed calm. ‘Oh, of course it would have been wrong if he’d done that. But he didn’t.’
‘How can you be so sure of that?’
Nana’s voice softened. ‘Because I know him.’ She looked directly at Dad. ‘You see, I’ve been involved with something like this before.’
Dad opened his mouth to speak, but Nana wasn’t giving way.
She turned to Mum. ‘I’m going to tell you a story about a missing Lego motor.’
‘Mum!’ said Dad.
Nana put up her hand to shush him. ‘This Lego motor was a gift to a boy for his birthday. I think it might have been his eighth. Whatever his age, there was a party which Brendon went to.’ She turned to Dad. ‘Do you remember that?’
Dad gave a slight nod.
‘Yes, I thought you would. Anyway, after the party we got a telephone call saying that a Lego motor was missing, and that the last person who had been playing with it was Brendon. Moreover, another child claimed to have seen Brendon put it in his pocket.
‘Well, we asked Brendon about it and he swore black and blue that he had not taken it. He cried and kept on shouting that it wasn’t him. In the end we said we would accept his word for it, and the matter was never mentioned again. Was it, Brendon?’
‘Not until now,’ said Dad, quietly. ‘But if you think that that proves Pete is innocent, then you’ve got it all wrong. Because I did take that motor.’
‘Oh, I know that,’ said Nana with a smile. ‘We knew that right from the start. All that shouting and crying was just covering up that you were guilty.’
Dad looked shocked; Mum gave a little smirk.
‘We dropped the matter,’ continued Nana, ‘because we figured you’d punish yourself eventually. And you did. You never did play with that motor. It must have been so frustrating to have it and not be able to use it. The thing sat in the top of your wardrobe, untouched until I found it after you’d gone to university. I gave it to the Salvation Army. I’m sure some kid had a wonderful Christmas because of what you did all those years before.’
Dad gave a resigned smile. ‘OK, Mum, you’ve made your point. We’ll go easy on Pete.’
‘Oh, I want more than that. I expect you to believe him. He would never have come and told me about it if he were guilty. He would have hung on to the hope that I, and you, would never hear about it.’
‘Yes, Mum!’ said Dad, with a sigh. ‘Thank you for your words of wisdom. We’ll think about it. Now if —’
‘One more thing,’ interrupted Nana. ‘Your Dad and I could have made a big scene over that motor. We could have said and done things that would have affected our relationship for years to come. We didn’t. In our way, we supported you. Now, I believe you’re going to be talking abo
ut Pete’s friend Dean. That boy thinks his parents have given up on him. That must hurt. He needs Pete’s friendship now, more than ever before. If he can’t get the support from his parents, he must get it from others. I hope you’re prepared to give it to him.’
With that, she stood and left without saying another word.
The discussion that followed was vastly different to what I’d anticipated just a few hours before. I’m not sure my parents were convinced of my innocence, but they were prepared to accept it as a possibility.
When it came to talking about Dean, my side got some unexpected support. Part-way through, the phone rang. It was Matt Moore to tell Dad that they’d be happy to have another boy at Port Waikato. After that I scarcely had to say a thing before Dad agreed to ring David Steele and invite Dean over for the holidays. If the flights could be sorted out, he would come over with Aimee and Cleo, who were already booked to spend some time with us.
Before going to bed, I went over to Nana’s flat to let her know what had happened and to thank her. Not only for the story, but also for the phone call she must have made to the Moores.
She gave a tiny smile before saying, ‘No problem! It was a pleasure.’ Then her face turned serious. ‘But it’s not all over yet, Pete. The people at school still think you’re guilty. You’ve got to get some evidence that will clear your name. And you’ve got to look after Dean as well.’ She looked me straight in the eyes. ‘You do know that if Dean messes up you’ll be the one who gets blamed, don’t you?’
I nodded. Yes, I did know that. Mum and Dad had made that perfectly clear. And that’s why I wasn’t celebrating. What with sorting out the Redferns, and keeping Dean in check, the holidays were certainly going to be interesting. In fact, I found the thought of them rather scary.
Part Three
Port Waikato
Chapter 18
Dean, Aimee and Cleo arrived on the first Sunday in July.
From Nana’s farm you can see the planes landing and taking off from Auckland International Airport, just on eight kilometres away, and yet it took us forty minutes to drive there. We had to take two cars, as seven people couldn’t fit into one.
