False Bottom

by Hazel Edwards

  Christopher had an important question. ‘Excuse me. What colour for money? If someone was trying to smuggle money out of the country.’

  ‘That’s illegal. You’re only allowed to take out a certain amount of Australian money.’

  ‘And the colour on the screen? Would it show up as vegetable? Or would there be some metal?’

  ‘Depends on how dense it was. How much of it. Now move away, this is a restricted area. You shouldn’t be looking this side. You might distract our guard.’

  The warning came too late. The Mouth’s guitar case had already slipped through!

  A young mother with lots of luggage struggled to the scanner. She was carrying a baby capsule, holding a grumpy toddler and followed by another child.

  ‘Put the baby capsule through, madam,’ instructed the guard. He didn’t see the baby inside. He thought the capsule was empty.

  Looking worried, the mother put the baby capsule on the belt. She unloaded her airline bags ,too. Her other children ran ahead through the security doorway. The mother turned just as Christopher walked back. He looked sideways at the capsule...

  ‘Hey! Stop the belt! The baby’s inside the capsule!’ yelled Christopher.

  ‘What!’

  The guard moved very fast. So did Amy and Christopher. Together they pulled the capsule from the moving belt. The felt ribbons has just started to drag across the baby’s face.

  It started to scream.

  ‘I’m so sorry, madam. The baby should be all right. The rays will not have hurt her in that short time. It only reached her feet.’The guard looked shocked, but the mother just calmly accepted the capsule and baby. ‘Are you sure you’re all right?’

  ‘ Yes, thanks. I’ll have to go. The others are running wild, as usual.’

  She followed her other children through the metal detector doorway.

  Christopher and Amy gave each other the thumbs up sign.

  ‘Fast work.’

  ‘I wonder what the baby would have looked like on the monitor?’

  ‘A skeleton. The bones show. We’ve had skulls through here,’ the guard said.

  ‘Whose skull?’ The twins spoke together.

  The guard smiled. ‘Some medical doctor. He was giving a talk. It was one of his teaching aids.’

  ‘Would a dog’s bones show? After all the excitement, Amy was sorry she hadn’t seen the screen baby. It might have looked like the bump in

  The Mouth’s luggage. That might have been a clue.

  ‘Thanks, you two. Now off you go and get your plane.’ The security guard looked glad to get rid of them. ‘Amazing. You both wear glasses,

  I have perfect eyesight, and I miss the baby! Amazing!’

  ‘Nothing wrong with wearing glasses!’ muttered Christopher.

  The Mouth had hurried through the security doorway, followed by Rainbow Wig and the thin-faced woman with the glasses and the big hat. It didn’t beep for any of them.

  ‘This way please, madam. Go through the metal detector, please.’

  Amy liked being called madam. She stepped up the ramp and into the weapons detector doorway. It wasn’t really a door because there were no walls. She stepped through.

  Beep! Beep! Beep!

  Startled, Amy looked up.

  Chapter 7

  Wanded Down

  ‘Over here, please Madam.’

  In his hand the uniformed man held a wand. It looked like the hair dryer Aunty Viv used on poodles.

  ‘I’m just wanding you down. Are you carrying any keys? Or perhaps it’s the buckle on your belt,’ he said to Amy.

  ‘My jeans don’t have a belt,’ said Amy, lifting up her jumper to prove it. Behind her, the watching queue was growing longer and longer. They looked at her as if she were a criminal.

  ‘I’m not carrying a gun ... or a knife or, wait a minute!’

  Amy fumbled in her jeans pocket. She liked extra, tight jeans, but not now. Mum always said to travel in a track suit, but Amy loved her jeans.

  Beep! Beep! Beep!

  The wand started to get excited near her front jeans pocket..

  ‘Aunty Viv gave me a fruit knife. To use on apples.’

  ‘That’s it.’

  As Amy tugged out the knife, Christopher’s metal ruler set off the scanner.

  Beep! Beep! Beep!

  ‘Our job is to stop weapons going on board,’ explained the guard as he looked very carefully at the ruler in Christopher’s top pocket.

  ‘Do I have to undo my jeans belt?’ asked Christopher anxiously. He didn’t want his jeans to fall down here! Especially when he was wearing his red superhero underpants!

  ‘No, that’s okay. Off you go.’

  The children took their bags off the end of the rubber roller.

  ‘Here’s your bag, Amy.’ Christopher grabbed her backpack.

  ‘Thanks.’Amy checked the name tag,as Mum had warned her to do.

  ‘Wrong bag! ‘

  Someone else had a purple and aqua backpack too!

  Just then, Rainbow Wig grabbed the bag. ‘That’s mine, I think.’

  The Mouth turned around. As soon as he saw Rainbow Wig behind him, he hurried away.

  What was up with those two? They did seem to know each other. But they weren’t talking!

  This time, Amy found the right bag. She checked the name tag. It would be easy to mix up things. Several camera bags moved through as a thought struck her. Everyone thinks camera bags have photo things in them. What if a bank robber was smuggling notes in a camera bag?

  ‘If someone stole half a million, like that Westpac bank robbery, it would be in Australian dollars, wouldn’t it?

  ‘Suppose so.’ Christopher was tightening his strap.

  ‘Australian dollars wouldn’t be much use overseas. They’d have to exchange it.’

  ‘Right.’

  ‘What if the thief wanted to smuggle the money overseas? Amy loved looking for mysteries even when they weren’t there. ‘They could be hidden in a camera bag.’

  Christopher looked up. ‘Why would the Westpac bank robbers be at the airport? They could have gone anywhere. And why would they be on our flight?’

  ‘Airports are one way to leave the country. And lots of planes leave from Sydney for overseas. Perhaps the Singapore plane was the first one after they’d finished their robbery.’ Amy was beginning to like this cluey idea.

  ‘They’d have to book tickets ages ahead. Perhaps they planned their robbery ages ago. To fit in with their tickets.’

  ‘Like a holiday booking?’ Christopher gave a big laugh. ‘That’d be fun. Sorry I can’t rob your bank today. My getaway plane is delayed.’

  ‘There are last- minute seats. Remember the mystery tours sign. People can join a flight if there are any spare seats.’ Amy didn’t want to let go of her idea. But she knew that what Christopher said this time was right. But he wasn’t always.

  ‘Have you any duty free goods? asked the woman docket-plucker who checked receipts attached to sealed duty free bags.

  ‘No,’ said the twins.

  The Mouth was carrying a big duty free bag as well as struggling with his guitar case. When the docket-pluckers stopped him, he looked very nervous. But perhaps he was just a nervous person

  ‘Singapore, here we come.’ said Amy. But she was wrong.

  The plane didn’t fly direct to Singapore.

  Chapter 8

  On Board

  Usually they went through a mobile corridor leading to the plane. This time, they had to walk across the runway to the plane. That made the twins wonder if there was something else wrong. Or maybe they’d replaced the plane?

  On the windy runway, the plane waited like a noisy, silver bird. Men were loading bags. The wind blew so hard that Amy’s black hair covered her face. So did Christopher’s. Ahe
ad of them The Mouth climbed the stairs leading to the plane. He had walked fast to get ahead of them. The thin-faced woman with dark glasses walked past too.

  Rose was waiting for the twins at the bottom of the stairs.

  ‘Up the stairs,’ said Rose. ‘We’ll find your seats 13 C and D.’

  A sudden gust of wind tore at the dress of the big woman on the steps ahead of them. Her dress blew up over Amy’s face. Quickly the woman pulled it down and re-arranged the big heavy coat she was carrying on her arm.

  Amy pulled herself out from underneath and grinned at the woman.

  ‘Flying is full of surprises,’ she said.

  The big woman just looked cross. Perhaps she didn’t like Amy looking up her dress, even if it was a windy accident.

  At the top of the stairway, a male attendant was waiting, and Rose handed over the twins to him.

  ‘Welcome aboard. I’m Brett, I hope you have a pleasant flight, Amy and Christopher.’

  At least he got the name right, thought Christopher. They walked down the aisle between the seats. Amy found the numbers listed above their seats.

  The thin-faced woman with glasses was already seated on the aisle. Most people took off their jackets inside the plane, but she was still wearing hers. And her floppy hat.

  ‘Ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen. This is ours.’

  Kneeling on the armrest, Amy pushed her bag into the open overhead locker. But first she pulled Edwina out, and dropped her on the seat. Then Christopher lifted his bag up to her. They took off their jackets and folded them. She clicked the locker shut.

  Five minutes later, they had tried everything. Amy found the airsick bags. She clicked the seat belt around her middle. She unclicked it and tried the empty seat alongside. On the armrest were some buttons. Christopher pressed one. A beam of light hit Amy. ‘Pow!’

  ‘That’s the reading light,’ said The Mouth’s voice from the seat behind. His bags were stuffed into the overhead locker next to theirs.

  ‘Should have left by now,’ he said. He sounded worried.

  Amy wanted to read about the reptile smugglers, but she didn’t have a newspaper in her seat pocket. Only first class passengers were always given newspapers. She turned to see if any other economy passengers had asked for newspapers too. That’s when she saw something interesting.

  Amy dug Christopher in the ribs and pointed backwards.

  The Mouth was carefully putting the seat belt around his guitar bag in the empty seat alongside. The guitar was too big to fit in the overhead locker, but Amy wondered what would happen when the passenger who was booked into that seat arrived.

  She looked around. The plane was not full.

  ‘What’s the time by your watch?’ asked The Mouth loudly, as if he expected everybody to answer any request of his.

  Amy told him.

  ‘We’re going to be very late. That could be a problem.’

  ‘Why?’ asked Amy.

  ‘I always like to fly as quickly as possible.’

  ‘Why?’ asked Amy.

  ‘I’ve got my reasons. Now let me listen to my music. ‘

  For a pop star, The Mouth seemed grumpy, but then Amy didn’t know any other stars.

  Amy took the hint. She turned around and sat down. Then she pushed the big button on her arm rest. Her seat fell backwards. She looked around. The Mouth’s knees were squashed behind her. He was wearing earphones, listening to the music channel.

  ‘Sorry.’ The Mouth took no notice.

  ‘Attention please. This is an announcement. Passenger Gee is missing. Is passenger Gee anywhere on board? Unfortunately,since passenger Gee’s baggage has been loaded onto the plane, we do not wish to leave without passenger Gee.’

  ‘What was that?’ The Mouth took off his earphones.

  ‘About a missing passenger.’

  ‘Oh.’

  At that moment, a panting man hurried aboard. He held out his boarding pass while balancing a box on his hands. Another attendant checked it.

  All the passengers stared and muttered, except The Mouth who was listening to music again.

  ‘Is this Mr Gee?’ asked a passenger.

  ‘Why is he late?’ asked another.

  “What’s in his luggage?’

  Hearing the murmurs, Brett took the microphone from a side pocket in the plane’s curved wall. ‘Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. This is not Passenger Gee. This is Doc er, Mr Smith.’

  Christopher wondered why the other passengers were so worried.

  ‘If a passenger is missing and his luggage is on board, we suspect what might be in the bags,’ explained Brett.’That’s why the plane is waiting.’

  The plane was not full. The man who liked planes was sitting near them. His ear was squashed against the seat and didn’t look like a G anymore. There were odd empty seats. That was lucky.

  Nobody had claimed The Mouth’s guitar seat.

  Amy knew that child seats cost half price. So she asked Brett. ‘Children under twelve are half fare. But a child still takes up a whole seat. What if someone wants to have a second seat for some special luggage like a robot or something? Does it cost half, full or nothing?’

  ‘Cellos cost half price for a second seat.’

  That was helpful to know.

  ‘Some famous musicians have very valuable instruments. They want to keep them alongside while they are travelling.’

  ‘If Gee was the name of the missing passenger?’ Amy was working something out.’

  ‘Mr Gee.’ Brett corrected her ,and then walked away to look after other passengers.

  ‘D’you think that would be short for something?’

  Christopher overheard. Sometimes his mind worked in the same way as Amy. But his spelling wasn’t as good.

  ‘Spell guitar for me, Amy.’

  ‘G-U-I-T-A-R.’ It starts with G.’

  ‘D’you think that The Mouth might have paid extra for a seat for his guitar?’

  Amy turned around. No-one else had tried to sit there.

  ‘Right on, Christopher.’ Amy was so excited that two spots of red appeared on her cheeks.

  ‘Remember how The Mouth had all that hand luggage going through the scanner?’

  ‘Sort of. “ Christopher admitted.’I was more interested in the X- ray skeletons then.’

  ‘What if, The Mouth put extra bags on the plane when he checked in? Under the name of Mr Gee? A guitar can’t talk. So everybody is looking for a man not a guitar.’

  Christopher wasn’t sure. ‘But wouldn’t there be a mark on the ticket or the boarding pass,to say Mr Gee was a musical instrument?

  ‘I don’t know. Let’s find out.’

  Chapter 9

  Mr Gee

  ‘Excuse me.’

  The Mouth had his earphones on. He didn’t look up until Amy shook his arm.

  ‘Do you travel under your own name?’ asked Amy. ‘I mean, does it say The Mouth on your passport?’

  He gave her a quick look. ‘Real little sleuth, aren’t you. No. The Mouth is just my stage name.’

  ‘Do you mind telling us your real name?’ asked Christopher. For a moment, it looked like The Mouth wasn’t going to answer.

  ‘It’s a secret.’

  ‘Will you tell us please?’ Christopher added the please because he knew that polite sleuths were more likely to get an answer.

  ‘Then it wouldn’t be a secret anymore.’

  ‘What does your mum call you?’

  ‘Cyril.’

  Amy laughed. ‘That’s almost as bad as Claud, the name my Dad uses for his camera. Do you have a name for your guitar?

  The Mouth looked uncomfortable. ‘Er, yes.’

  ‘What is it?’

  ‘That’s not really any of your business.’ But sleuth Amy was on the track of the mis
sing passenger mystery.

  ‘Is it Mr Gee?’

  The Mouth nodded.

  ‘No doubt about kids like you. The girl at the counter didn’t say anything when I checked Mr Gee in. She even accepted my extra bags to put under his baggage allowance.’

  ‘Didn’t you have to show a passport?’

  ‘For me, or the guitar?’ The Mouth laughed. ‘Of course. But not at the seat allocation counter. That’s where the mix- up happened I guess.’

  ‘Hullo passenger Gee,’ said Amy turning around to look at the guitar on the seat behind them.

  Brett overheard.’The guitar is Mr Gee! I should have known. Now we know that passenger Gee is on board, we can leave. Someone must have slipped up at the booking counter and not marked it on the ticket. That’s what they do when Mr D. Bass travels. That’s a double bass. Travels in a soft case when

  it has a seat. Travels in a hard case when it is in with the baggage .’

  ‘Where’s this Mr Gee?’ complained Mr Smith. ‘I’ve never been mistaken for a guitar before.’

  The Mouth was grumpy.’ Yes, it’s my guitar. I paid for his seat. So my guitar is entitled to have his luggage, too.

  ‘Is it your extra luggage?’ asked Amy.

  ‘Of course. If you’re famous, you need extra luggage.’

  Christopher winked at Amy.’Perhaps Edwina needs a ticket, too?’

  Amy pretended not to hear that.

  ‘Sorry sir. Mr Gee’s luggage has been off-loaded. It will be put on the next flight,’ said Brett in a soothing voice.

  ‘Typical!’ muttered The Mouth.

  ‘Smith’s the name.’ Mr Smith clambered across Amy’s legs and sat heavily in the next seat. Then he jumped up again.

  ‘What’s this?’

  ‘My er bear pillow.’ Amy grabbed poor, flat Edwina.

  Mr Smith was a messy traveller. He leant across her seat. His ticket was between his teeth. ‘Row thirteen. Just my luck!’ Then he remembered the box he was carrying. So he had to clamber out again, open the overhead locker, then dropped the box and it fell into Amy’s lap.