45 and 47 Stella Street by Elizabeth Honey

Author:Elizabeth Honey
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Published: 2015-09-21T04:00:00+00:00

We shot back to Zev’s room. There was the Blue Sky bag. We examined it thoroughly. There’s something dead important about this bag or why would she want it back so desperately?

‘Hey there’s a zip pocket inside!’ says Frank. ‘You can’t see it very well because it’s a little black zip.’

‘Here, let’s have a look,’ says Zev. ‘JACKPOT! There’s something in it. There’s a letter in it!’

Carefully Zev took the letter out like a detective (which is exactly what he was!), remembering precisely the way it was folded up in the envelope and in the pocket. We were sure the letter was important. We were so disappointed to find it was only a boring old letter to some bank.

‘It must be important though,’ said Zev. ‘Otherwise why would she go through hell to get it?’

‘We should get a copy of it,’I said. ‘We’ll have to give it back to her.’

We made a plan. Looking absolutely normal we all trooped out the front door. I had the bag folded flat shoved up my jumper and tucked into my jeans.

‘I bet she’s watching us walk up the street,’ said Danielle.

We felt her eyes boring into our backs. We walked so normal and talked so normal I bet we looked really unnatural.

We walk normally to the newsagents. Zev stands guard at the door normally patting a dog that’s tied up outside while Danielle normally buys lollies and I make a photocopy of the letter, both sides. Carefully I put it back in the pocket just how Zev found it. The photocopy I fold carefully and put in my jeans pocket.

Then normally we walk on to Josh Laidlaw’s place and normally go round the back. There’s nobody home because they’re at Noosa for two weeks. We wait at the back door for a couple of minutes then with the bag in hand normally walk back down the street again to the Phonies.

Mrs Phonie has left the gate unlocked and we go up the path to the front door.

‘Wonder why they didn’t get a locking gate with a security phone button you press and talk?’I whisper.

‘I can guess!’ says Frank waving his button-pressing finger with a cheeky smile.

We’re standing on the front porch having a good look around before we press the bell. In the window there’s a sign saying ‘THIS PLACE IS GUARDED BY A WERTMOLD SECURITY SYSTEM’. When Auntie Lillie lived here we never went to the front door. The back door was always open.

We ring the bell. Instantly there’s Mrs Phonie. She must have been standing inside listening. Just as well we didn’t say much. She lights up when she sees the bag, but not completely.

‘Oh wonderful, you’ve brought it!’

She doesn’t invite us inside. We aren’t expecting milkshakes and chocolate cake.

Through the crack in the door we can see behind her the white hall, something that might have been a statue. Paintings. We are soaking up every detail. Eyes everywhere.

‘Such a silly mistake. That man is so careless sometimes…does things without considering…’

She’s rabbiting on to us.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.