The Ghastly Gerty Swindle With the Ghosts of Hungryhouse Lane by Sam McBratney

Author:Sam McBratney
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Published: 2014-10-02T16:00:00+00:00

“Are you sure they won’t suspect you?” said Alexander through the window of his van.

“No. I was out all afternoon, wasn’t I? Went to the village for some stamps. I’ll be in touch when I’ve gathered up enough stuff for a second run. Two trips should do us, then I’ll split. Take care now, you hear? We don’t want things swishing around in the back. Half of those lovely goodies are mine, duck. I want to be comfortable in my old age.”

“Don’t worry about a thing,” Alexander said with a sly little smile. I’ll send you a postcard from Rio, he was thinking. “See you, Mom.”

“And have that chest seen to,” cried Gerty. “There’s nothing worse than a summer cold.”

It was a comfortable drive home for Alexander. He was disappointed, in a way, that he didn’t even spot a policeman, for there was an odd kind of excitement in driving a van full of somebody else’s property under the very nose of the law. Back at the shop, the jeweler’s assistant from next door helped him to unload the goodies.

And now, on his own at last, Alexander uncovered the six stolen pictures from Hungryhouse Lane. Five of them weren’t up to much—perhaps a thousand each. Nice frames. But the sixth picture had all the moody charm of a landscape by Rembrandt. Oh man, we’re talking big money here, thought Alexander. Sunshine, here I come! The old magical thrill of stealing things surged once more through muscle and vein, making him lightheaded.

That was when he saw the monkey. He saw it quite plainly—the ghostly outline of a little monkey in a jacket and short trousers. And a fez. It seemed to be nibbling something. Nuts?

Well, of course, this had to be an extraordinary trick of the light. Alexander knew that it would be gone when he looked again. And so it was. He gave himself a shivery sort of shake and smiled.

You’re the one who’s nuts, Alex, he thought. Sillybilly!

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.