The Super Miraculous Journey of Freddie Yates by Jenny Pearson

Author:Jenny Pearson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Norton Young Readers
Published: 2020-03-28T00:00:00+00:00

16

Hooray! We score some transport! Of sorts

After the photo, PC Mike—that was the policeman-journalist—let Albert off with a stern warning and a reminder that he still had thirty hours of community service outstanding. This was for the time he put a goat in Phyllis’s garden and it ate Gileston’s prize-winning roses. Albert had a reputation as a troublemaker. His war against his sister had begun a few weeks earlier following an argument over some family heirlooms and he could not let the matter drop.

A little more questioning by any one of us at this point would have revealed that we had information about the very heirlooms in question. But we didn’t ask, so we didn’t make the connection until much later, after the seagull had died. (You’ll understand when we get to it.)

Mike confiscated Albert’s shovel and Albert trudged back to his house, muttering angrily to himself about how Mike was a crooked cop. Mike got upset about this, but when Phyllis said, “You’re a big brave policeman now, Michael. Rise above it,” he managed to pull himself together.

As a reward for our heroics, Phyllis invited us back for tea and cake. We had a quick group meeting to decide whether this was a good idea—after all, Phyllis was a stranger. But as we were all hungry and a policeman slash journalist was there, we did not see any sense in turning down free food. Although we might have if she’d told us what was on offer sooner. Pear-and-potato turnovers take some getting used to.

Her house was a little stone cottage less than a minute around the corner. While Phyllis busied herself in the kitchen, Mike sat down at the kitchen table, looking right at home—which we later found out was because he was. He double-clicked his pen, clearly very excited to write his newspaper article.

“Tell me, what brings you to Gileston?”

I immediately felt uncomfortable. I’d crack under the pressure of a police interrogation. I’d spill everything—that we were runaways, trespassers, thieves, and arsonists. We’d be sent away to a facility to be corrected and I’d never get to meet Alan Froggley. No—it would be best to say nothing. I tried my Keep your mouths shut look on Ben and Charlie.

Incredibly, Charlie did not pick up on my look. He frowned at me and then started to speak. “We’re looking—” I elbowed him in the side and a chunk of potato or pear—it was hard to tell which—fell out of his mouth.

Ben must have picked up on my look because he said, “We’re on vacation with Fred’s family.”

“As in Frederica? How are you spelling that?”

“As in Fred. F R E D.”

Mike looked at me, then did a double take. “Sorry, mate. I thought you were a girl. What with your skirt and all.”

I sighed. The whole girl thing was getting a little annoying. Although Charlie and Ben thought it was hilarious. I had finished off an entire pear-and-potato turnover before they stopped laughing at me.

“So, can you give me your full names?” Mike’s pen hovered over his notepad.

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.