Operation Gadgetman!

by Malorie Blackman

  Louisa raised her eyebrows. ‘Of course it is! I should have guessed that for myself!’

  ‘I don’t know what that means, but it sounds dead good,’ said Ann, impressed.

  Beans turned to Detective Warner. ‘My dad’s been kidnapped. What are we going to do?’

  ‘I think before we go any further you should tell me what happened on Wednesday night, just as your dad instructed in his note to you,’ Detective Warner said slowly. ‘There might be a clue in there somewhere as to who’s got your father.’

  Beans looked from Ann and Louisa to the detective, wondering what she should do.

  ‘I’m not sure I should tell you,’ Beans said uncertainly. ‘I mean, I promised Dad that I wouldn’t tell anyone.’

  Detective Warner held up her dad’s letter. ‘But in his note to you he says you should tell us everything. Don’t miss anything out, no matter how trivial you think it is. It might be a clue to his kidnappers.’

  Put that way, Beans felt she had no choice.

  ‘It’s just that . . . that Dad was working on one of his gadgets on Wednesday evening – the induction oscillator,’ Beans began reluctantly, still feeling uncomfortable. ‘When I got home from school, Dad needed a special kind of wire for his oscillator, so he said we should go to the DIY shop and afterwards we could have a pizza for dinner.’

  ‘I wish my mum would do that more often,’ Ann said.

  ‘I wish my mum would do that just once!’ sighed Louisa.

  ‘Anyway, Dad drove us to the DIY shop. But just before we went in, I told him to make sure he had his cheque book or his credit cards or some money on him,’ Beans continued. ‘Whenever we go shopping, Dad always waits until we’re supposed to pay before he remembers that he didn’t bring any money out with him. I didn’t want to go through all that again.’

  ‘And did he have any money?’ Detective Warner asked.

  Beans shook her head. ‘He only had one of those cards that lets you take money out of automatic cash-dispenser machines. You know, the ones outside banks and building societies. So we had to drive into the centre of town to use the machine outside his building society to get some money. That’s when it happened.’ Beans stopped talking.

  ‘Go on. I’m listening,’ Detective Warner said gently.

  ‘Dad didn’t do anything wrong, I promise he didn’t,’ Beans said earnestly. ‘It wasn’t his fault.’

  ‘What wasn’t his fault?’ the detective asked.

  ‘Dad . . . Dad put his induction oscillator on the cash dispenser and gave me his card. He always lets me take the money out. He types in his number but I do the rest. I was checking the expiry date on his card whilst D-Dad started fiddling about with the oscillator – typing in commands and numbers and things . . .’ Beans trailed off.

  ‘And?’ Louisa prompted before the detective could.

  ‘There was this funny click-clicking sound and then . . . and then a whole load of money came spewing out of the machine,’ Beans mumbled.

  ‘Money! You’re joking!’ Ann stared at Beans.

  ‘I wish I was,’ Beans said unhappily. ‘A whole load of ten- and twenty-pound notes poured out of the machine, even though Dad and I tried to put our hands over the money slot to keep them from coming out. There were so many notes they started falling on the ground. It was so embarrassing. Luckily, there was no-one around at the time or it would have been even worse.’ Beans looked at Detective Warner, her eyes wide with anxiety. ‘Dad didn’t mean any harm – honest he didn’t.’

  ‘What commands and numbers did your dad type into this oscillator?’ Detective Warner leaned forward.

  ‘I don’t know,’ said Beans unhappily. ‘I wasn’t really paying attention until all the money started falling out.’

  ‘So how much was there?’ Louisa asked.

  ‘Five thousand and seventy pounds,’ Detective Warner answered. ‘At least, that’s what your dad gave back to the building society . . .’

  Ann stared at Beans. ‘Five thousand and seventy . . .’

  ‘That’s all there was, I swear,’ Beans said miserably.

  ‘Wow!’ Louisa breathed.

  ‘Dad . . . Dad put all the money in an envelope with a letter explaining what had happened and posted it through the building society’s letterbox,’ said Beans. ‘The building society was shut, otherwise we could have gone in there and then. After that we went straight home. We didn’t go to the DIY shop or try Dad’s card in the machine or anything. Besides, there wouldn’t have been any point. The cash dispenser didn’t have any more money in it.’ Beans looked at Detective Warner, her eyes wide. Did he believe her? He had to believe her.

  ‘Did you see the letter your dad wrote?’ Detective Warner asked at last.

  Beans nodded. ‘Yeah, it was addressed to the manager of the building society. Dad explained what had happened and said that anyone with enough know-how could make an induction oscillator just like his that would do exactly the same thing. He offered to visit them and show them exactly what he did to get the money out so they could stop it happening in future.’

  Beans swallowed hard. How could she make the police understand? It was an accident.

  ‘Do you know how your dad’s invention works?’ asked the detective.

  ‘Dad explained it to me, but I only got some of it.’ Beans frowned. ‘Apparently, when you put your card into those machines, a computer reads the magnetic strip on the back of your card and gets your card number and the maximum amount of money you can take out at any one-time, and all kinds of other details. It’s only when you key in your card number correctly that you can choose how much money you want to take out. Then the computer sends a signal to the electronic motor which feeds out the money. But when Dad started using his induction oscillator, electrical signals from his gadget bypassed the computer completely and just set the electronic motor going. Dad said that that’s how induction in physics works, but I didn’t really get the physics bit. Anyway, because the electronic motor hadn’t been told by the computer how much money to give out, it gave out the whole lot.’

  ‘Seriously brill!’ Ann said, impressed.

  ‘Hhmm!’ the detective stroked his light brown eyebrows. ‘And of course, the induction oscillator will make any cash dispenser in the country do the same thing.’

  ‘Wasn’t your dad even a little tempted to keep the money?’ Ann asked.

  ‘Of course not,’ Beans said furiously. ‘It didn’t belong to him.’

  ‘So why didn’t your dad just hold the money until the next day, then go in and explain?’ Louisa asked.

  ‘Dad said that if he held on to the money for even a day, someone might think that he intended to keep it,’ Beans explained. ‘Besides, he . . . we both just wanted to get rid of it as soon as possible. It was just sitting in our hands, staring at us . . .’

  Beans’s face began to burn. It sounded silly, but that’s just what had happened. Neither she nor her dad had wanted to keep the money for a second longer than necessary.

  ‘And now your dad’s been kidnapped,’ Detective Warner said quietly. ‘Are you sure there was no-one around when all this money came out of the cash dispenser?’

  ‘I didn’t see anyone.’ Beans shook her head. ‘And I was looking. I didn’t want anyone to think we were trying to damage the machine.’

  ‘So what does this induction oscillator whatsit look like?’ asked Louisa.

  Beans glanced at Detective Warner. His lips were a thin slash across his mouth, his expression stern. She took a deep breath. ‘It’s . . . it’s sort of like one of those small notebook computers you can get. It’s got a small keyboard and an LCD screen and all the bits Dad tacked on to it.’

  ‘Would your dad keep notes or blueprints on the induction oscillator about the house?’ asked the detective.

  Beans shook her head, then shrugged anxiously. ‘I don’t know. He might do.’

  Detective Warner looked straight at Beans. ‘We need to get hold of any information on the oscillator befo
re your dad’s kidnappers do.’

  Beans’s heart threatened to burst out of her chest. ‘Do you . . . do you think the kidnappers might come back?’

  ‘I don’t know. They have your dad so I wouldn’t have thought so,’ replied the detective. ‘But we need to stay one step ahead of them. You must be very careful who you talk to.’

  Beans and Detective Warner looked at each other.

  ‘So what are you going to do?’ Beans asked desperately. ‘You must do something.’

  ‘Don’t worry. We intend to,’ Detective Warner replied. ‘First, do you mind if we keep this letter of your dad’s? It will help us with our enquiries.’

  Beans shrugged. The sitting-room was still, with everyone deep in thought. From a tree in the back garden, Beans could hear a bird chirping. It sounded so strange, so unwelcome.

  ‘So you believe me?’ Beans asked to break the unbearable silence.

  Detective Warner nodded. ‘Oh yes! We shall certainly start investigating. Tell me, is your mum at home?’

  Beans shook her head. ‘My mum died over five years ago.’

  ‘Do you have an older brother or sister to look after you?’ the detective asked. ‘Do they know anything about the induction oscillator?’

  ‘No, I’m an only child. Don’t worry, I’ll phone my gran. She’ll look after me until Dad can come home.’

  Detective Warner stood up. ‘The next thing to do is to take you down to the station and get a formal statement.’

  ‘We’re coming too, aren’t we, Louisa.’ Ann stood up also.

  ‘Too right.’ Louisa got to her feet, followed by a weary Beans.

  Detective Warner studied each of the three girls. He frowned. ‘On second thoughts, I’d better get the search for your father underway. I’ll take all your statements another time. Look, Beans, let me give you my telephone number. It’s for my mobile phone, so you can reach me at any time. We’re not really supposed to do this, but I want you to feel you can count on me. If you find any blueprints or notes about your dad’s invention, please phone me, any time of the day or night. Don’t forget!’

  ‘I won’t,’ Beans replied.

  Detective Warner stood up. ‘Right then. Got a pen? I’m Detective Julian Warner and my phone number is four-four-two-nine-five . . .’

  Beans wrote quickly on the back of her hand with a felt-tipped pen she got out of her skirt pocket.

  ‘I’ll leave now and get back to the police station. We’ll start our enquiries straightaway,’ said Detective Warner.

  They all went to the front door.

  ‘Don’t worry, Beatrice. We’ll find your father. I’m sure he’s safe and sound.’ Detective Warner smiled. ‘Oh yes, something else . . . I think it would be best if all three of you didn’t say a word about this to anyone else. We don’t want to put your dad’s life in danger, do we?’

  ‘No!’ Beans replied emphatically.

  ‘We won’t say a word,’ Louisa said.

  ‘Not one word,’ Ann agreed.

  Beans said goodbye to the detective before closing the front door slowly behind him. She scowled at the door, her eyebrows practically knitting together.

  ‘What’s the matter, Beans?’ Ann asked. ‘I know that look.’

  ‘I don’t think much of him,’ Beans said with disgust.

  ‘Who? Detective Warner?’ Louisa asked, surprised.

  Beans nodded. ‘He didn’t talk about taking fingerprints or trying to find any clues left by the kidnappers or anything.’

  ‘Maybe he’s coming back to do that with some of his colleagues?’ Louisa suggested.

  ‘Then why didn’t he say so?’ Beans argued. ‘He didn’t seem to be very with it. In fact, you two asked me more questions than he did. I could do better than that!’

  ‘Well, you’ve got to let the police do their jobs,’ Ann pointed out. ‘I’m sure that detective knows what he’s doing.’

  But Beans wasn’t listening. Her eyes held a strange gleam as she stared into space.

  ‘Yeah . . . I could do better than that.’ Beans’s whisper was more to herself than to anyone else. ‘Ann, Louisa, I’m going to find Dad! Nothing’s going to stop me from finding out who the kidnappers are – and where they’re holding him.’

  Chapter Five

  Looking for Clues

  Louisa and Ann stared at Beans.

  ‘You’re not serious, are you?’ Louisa asked. The look on Beans’s face answered her question. ‘Beans, you can’t do that. It might be dangerous.’

  ‘I can’t just sit around here doing nothing,’ Beans replied. ‘And if that detective’s in charge of the case, then it seems to me the police need all the help they can get.’

  ‘But what can you do?’ Louisa asked.

  ‘Dad wrote in his note that there were two men in the house today who made him write that letter to me,’ Beans said. ‘So they must have left some clues behind. Footprints, fingerprints – something. And I’m going to look for those clues until I find them.’

  Louisa frowned at Ann, then back at Beans. ‘Then we’re going to help you, aren’t we, Ann?’ said Louisa firmly.

  ‘You can’t. You’re both expected at home,’ Beans pointed out.

  ‘We can easily phone our parents,’ Ann said. ‘Come on, Beans, you must let us help you. That’s what friends are for, after all.’

  ‘But I don’t want to get you two into trouble,’ Beans said.

  ‘Don’t worry. We’ll handle our parents,’ Louisa said confidently. ‘We’re not going to leave you to do everything by yourself.’

  ‘Anyway, what about your gran?’ asked Ann. ‘You told Detective Warner that you were going to phone her.’

  ‘I will do,’ Beans said. ‘But not now. I’ll phone her a bit later. I don’t want Gran disturbing any likely clues. I’ll be out in Dad’s workroom when you two have finished your phone calls. I want to examine the workroom first, before it gets any darker outside.’

  Beans lowered her head. A moment’s unwelcome doubt settled over her. Would anything she could do help? Would it really?

  ‘Beans, don’t worry. Your dad’s all right. I just know he is,’ Louisa said gently.

  ‘Yeah! I know it too.’ Ann nodded unhappily as she struggled to find something meaningful to say.

  Beans smiled at her friends before turning quickly away. Her eyes were in danger of leaking. Louisa and Ann looked at each other. Ann put an arm around Beans’s shoulder. Louisa held Beans’s hand.

  ‘I . . . I’m glad you two are here with me,’ Beans said softly. ‘I don’t know what I’d do if I had to go through all this alone.’

  ‘Don’t even think about that,’ Louisa said firmly. ‘We’re here and we’re not going anywhere. Not yet, at any rate!’

  Beans smiled gratefully.

  She ran upstairs to get the Gadgetman spy kit her dad had given her over a month before. It was behind her dressing-table, just below her bedroom window. Beans bent down to get it and slowly straightened up again, her fingers clenched tightly around the briefcase handle.

  Her dad had given her this spy kit.

  One of the first to be produced it was. Beans remembered the grin on Dad’s face as he handed it to her. Beans had been happy for her dad because he was so pleased about it, but she remembered thinking, Now where on earth am I going to put this thing?

  At the time she’d seen it as another of her dad’s gadgets, cluttering up her bedroom. Beans lifted the case and placed it against her cheek . . .

  Where was Dad now? Was he still in Cleevesdon or had he been taken out of town? He might be in Scotland or down in London. He might even be out of the country by now. Beans closed her eyes. If she carried on worrying like this she would go crazy.

  Her dad had been kidnapped.

  Beans had never felt so useless or helpless. Her eyes began to water again. She stared hard out of her bedroom window, eyelids wide apart to stop herself from blinking the tears down her cheeks.

  Come on, Beans. Go downstairs and do som
ething, she told herself sternly.

  Anything would be better than standing in her room, thinking too much. Beans took a deep breath, then another, waiting for the huge, choking lump in her throat to shrink. She ran downstairs, past her friends in the hall, through the kitchen and out into the garden, eager to get started.

  She stood outside the workroom, staring at it. It was hard to know where to begin. How would she be able to tell what was a clue and what wasn’t? Beans examined the grass leading up to the workroom. It was short and very dry. No footprints, no tracks of any kind.

  ‘No help there then,’ she muttered.

  She walked gingerly up to the workroom door, stepping lightly, still scanning the grass for possible clues. Only when she stood directly in front of the workroom did she look up. At once she noticed something. Something that should have struck her before.

  She remembered that the last time Dad had blown the door half off its hinges, he had hammered a nail into the outer doorframe. Until he’d fixed the door properly, Dad had used a strong piece of string to tie the door handle to the nail, to stop the door from swinging open and the rain getting at his gadgets. He hadn’t done that now. The door was half off its hinges, but he hadn’t secured it.

  More proof that he had been kidnapped – as if Beans needed any. If Dad had just gone away to buy components, he would have made sure the door was firmly closed. Beans wished she had noticed it earlier so that she could have pointed it out to Detective Warner. This was more proof that it was no joke.

  But thinking about it, Beans was sure that the detective had believed her. He just didn’t seem very dynamic. Not her idea of a proper detective at all.

  Something caught Beans’s eye. There was something on the nail.

  She put her spy kit down on the grass and got out the magnifying glass. She moved in for a closer examination of the nail. A long, thin piece of blue plaid material was attached to it. Beans’s heartbeat deafened her.

  A clue!

  It had to be! Using her spy-kit tweezers, Beans plucked the tiny piece of material off the nail and dropped it into an evidence bag. The small, clear plastic bags were perfect for storing any clues she might find. To her surprise – and pleasure – the spy kit was actually useful.