‘What’re they like?’ Theo asked.
‘What d’you care?’ Angela said belligerently.
‘Just asking,’ Theo replied.
‘Listen. I know you two hate me and well, I don’t care. I hate you too. And I know you’ve told the whole class about me and my brother and they all hate me as well. Well, it wasn’t my fault. I tried to stop Tom – I did. And I’m not going to apologize any more. I’m not.’
Theo opened his mouth to speak but Ricky got in first.
‘Now, you listen. We don’t hate you. And we haven’t told anyone in the class a thing, have we, Theo? All they know is what they read in the papers and saw on telly,’ Ricky said. ‘And no one’s asking you to apologize for anything. It wasn’t your fault. In fact, if it wasn’t for you, Theo couldn’t have rescued me.’
‘But I was the one who wrote out the dare which got you captured in the first place.’ Angela stood up, letting her bag drop to the floor. ‘You hate me for that at least.’
‘At first I did,’ Ricky admitted. ‘But you wouldn’t have written it if you’d known how things were going to turn out. I know that now.’
‘Why’re you being so nice to me?’ Angela asked suspiciously.
‘Because I know what it’s like to be alone and scared,’ Ricky said simply. ‘And I can see from your face that that’s how you feel.’
‘I don’t want you to feel sorry for me,’ Angela fumed.
‘I don’t. I think you’re feeling sorry enough for yourself. You don’t need any help from me,’ said Ricky.
‘Well, I don’t need you or anyone else for that matter. I’m doing just fine on my own.’
Ricky sighed. ‘Suit yourself. I just thought we could be friends, that’s all. Come on, Theo. Let’s go for lunch.’
Ricky walked off without another word. Theo looked from Ricky to Angela helplessly. With a shrug, he turned and ran to catch up with Ricky.
‘Ricky …?’ Angela stopped them just as they reached the door. ‘Can I … can I go to lunch with you two?’
Ricky smiled. ‘Sure. If you like.’
Angela picked up her bag and ran to catch up with them.
‘This doesn’t mean I like you two or anything,’ Angela said.
‘Course not. It doesn’t mean we like you either,’ Ricky agreed.
‘But we’ve all got to eat,’ Theo added.
Theo was the first to smile, with Ricky, then Angela joining in reluctantly.
‘Come on. I’m starving,’ said Ricky.
And they left the classroom together, discussing just how boring Mrs Daltry had been that morning.
Chapter Twenty-three
Nowhere To Go But Up
19:00 hrs Monday, 16th June
TODAY WASN’T AS bad as I thought it was going to be. I had a long chat with Ricky and Theo at lunchtime and we all walked home together. Colin and some others came over to me when I was eating my lunch and tried to ask me all sorts of questions but Theo and Ricky weren’t having any. I didn’t have to say a word. Theo called Colin a nosy doof and two-thirds and told him to bog off or else – and from the look on Theo’s face, everyone could see he wasn’t joking.
It’s funny but when I first joined Mrs Daltry’s class, I thought Ricky was big and brash and didn’t have much going for him and I must admit, I thought Theo was a bit of a wimp. It just goes to show, doesn’t it. I got them both completely wrong.
I still miss Tom desperately. Marian, my new foster-mum, says she’ll take me to see him if I want. Tom wrote to me, asking me to visit him but I don’t know. I’m not sure. To be honest, I’m scared. I don’t know how he thinks of me. In his letter he said I’m still his favourite sister and he hopes he’s still my favourite brother. I miss him so much. I want everything to go back to the way it was and yet I’m glad it’s not like that any more. That makes it sound like I don’t even know my own mind and to be honest, I’m not sure I do. Everything is still a jumble in my head.
D’you know, I look back and I still can’t believe that all this started with a dare. Ricky was right about that. If I’d known what would come of it I would never, ever have written it. I would’ve broken my fingers first.
Tom’s in prison and I’m all alone and I feel like I’ve no one to talk to and nowhere to go. At least I felt like that till today. Marian and George – he’s my foster-dad – practically frog-marched me to school. What with not feeling well and having to get myself sorted out, I haven’t been to school in four weeks. I didn’t want to go back today – certainly not to the same school where everyone knows about me, but like I said, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.
For the first time in a long, long time I think I may have made two real friends. I guess I should look forward now, not back. What’s done is done. What I said before, about having nowhere to go, it’s not true. I’ve just realized. The only place I can go from here is up.
COMPUTER GHOST
Chapter One
The Message
To:
[email protected] From:
[email protected] Darling Jade,
I miss you so much. You don’t know what it’s like. I’m so alone here. I can’t go forwards, I can’t go back. I’m stuck. And I’ll be here for ever if you don’t do something. Please, please help me. I’m desperate. This is the only way I’ve found of getting through to you. I can’t communicate any other way or with anyone else. God knows I’ve tried. I guess the reason I can talk to you is that you’re the only one still listening to me. You’re the only one who still believes in me. As far as everyone else is concerned – including your mother – I’m gone for good. Jade, I need your help. Don’t let me down.
All my love,
Dad.
Chapter Two
A Brilliant Idea
THE NOISE LEVEL in the class was getting louder and louder. Theo stared out of the classroom window beside him, half wondering what had happened to Mrs Daltry. It wasn’t like her to be late. Not that he particularly minded that she wasn’t here. Mrs Daltry didn’t mess about when it came to her class messing about! She was the kind of teacher who took no prisoners! She was very strict, but Theo had to admit that she was also fair. Unlike some of the other teachers, she didn’t have favourites and she didn’t pick on people without a good reason. Yes, she was definitely one of the better teachers. Not that he’d invite her or any of his teachers to one of his birthday parties!
Theo started in surprise. He was just thinking about her and there she was. He rubbed the grimy glass of the window to get a better look. Mrs Daltry was out in the school grounds talking to the new caretaker, Mr Appleyard. Mr Appleyard had started working at St Christopher’s at the beginning of the year and already it was as if he’d been there for ever. Theo wasn’t keen on Mr Appleyard. And he wasn’t the only one. Mr Appleyard fancied himself as taking over where Hitler had left off. Theo wondered what they were talking about. Hopefully, Mrs Daltry was having a go and giving the caretaker what for! Curious, Theo stood up and opened the window.
‘Are you mad?’ Ricky rounded on him.
‘Theo, shut the window.’
‘It’s freezing!’
‘Theo!’
‘All right! All right!’ Theo shut the window quickly before anyone else could rant in his ear. Oh well! He’d just have to wonder. Still, the longer Mrs Daltry stayed out there, the longer he could stare out at the clear blue October sky and think. Well, he called it thinking! Mrs Daltry called it wool-gathering. Angela called it daydreaming. Ricky called it space gazing. It was none of those things. It was a time to collect his thoughts, to dream and scheme and use his imagination. It was a time to think about ‘what ifs …’ and ‘suppose that …’ And just at that moment the most magnificent ‘what if’ he’d ever had in his life occurred to him.
Theo turned to Ricky, his eyes wide and shining like car headlights. ‘Ricky, I’ve just had a brilliant idea!’
‘Even if you do say so yourself!’
&
nbsp; ‘Even if I do say so myself!’ Theo agreed with a grin.
‘Go on then. What is it?’ Ricky urged.
Theo’s eyes widened even more in delight at the mere thought of it. The only thing he couldn’t figure out was why no one had thought of it sooner.
‘Ricky, why don’t we start up a detective agency?’
‘A what?’ Whatever Ricky had been expecting, it hadn’t been that!
‘A detective agency,’ Theo repeated. ‘Right here in the school.’
‘But … but where would we get our cases from? And besides, the teachers would never allow it.’
‘Then we won’t tell them. This will be a detective agency run by us for the other kids in the school. What d’you think?’
‘I don’t know. I mean, it sounds like a good idea but really we don’t know anything about being detectives.’
‘I do!’ Theo contradicted. ‘I’ve been reading How To Be a Detective in 10 Easy Lessons and The Detective’s Handbook and The Spy’s Guidebook and Young Detective and Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Being a Detective.’
‘Wow! Why the sudden interest in sleuthing?’ asked Ricky.
‘Mum and Dad bought me a detective kit for my birthday,’ Theo said.
‘Oh yeah! You told me,’ Ricky remembered. ‘But I thought you weren’t terribly impressed by it?’
‘I changed my mind,’ Theo mumbled.
When he caught sight of Ricky’s knowing grin, he added testily, ‘I can change my mind, can’t I?’
‘’Course you can,’ Ricky soothed.
Theo decided not to rise to Ricky’s teasing. Especially since Theo knew it was his own fault. He remembered how he’d whined and complained about the present his parents had bought him. But once he’d sat down and started reading all the accompanying blurb and taken a good look at what was actually in the kit, it’d turned out to be not so bad after all. It fact it had turned out to be very interesting – not that Theo would ever admit that to his mum and dad. Not after the way he’d moaned at them for buying him something so feeble!
‘So what d’you think of my idea?’ Theo persisted.
‘Hadn’t I better read all that detective stuff too before we start offering our services as detectives?’ said Ricky.
‘Yeah, yeah!’ Theo waved Ricky’s observation aside with an impatient hand. ‘But what about the cases we’re going to solve? We’ll only pick really interesting, exciting cases. Only cases that are going to be a real challenge. We’ll be like Sherlock Holmes and Watson, Poirot and Hastings, Batman and Robin. We’ll be …’
‘OK class, settle down. The cat’s back now!’ Mrs Daltry swept into the room, followed by a man Theo had never seen before. The man was tall, with mid-brown hair swept back off his head and a slightly lighter, shortcut, neat beard. His piercing ice-blue eyes looked as if they wouldn’t miss much.
‘I said settle down. Or we can all practise being quiet during the lunch break later,’ Mrs Daltry said, annoyed.
Instant silence.
‘That’s better. Now this is Mr Dove. He’s going to be taking over this class as your form teacher from next week for the rest of the term.’
Murmurs immediately erupted throughout the classroom. Angela put up her hand.
‘Yes, Angela.’ Mrs Daltry sighed as if she knew what was coming.
‘Where are you going to be, Mrs Daltry?’ Angela asked.
Theo smiled. That was Angela. As blunt as ever. Always asking the questions that no one else dared.
‘I am going away and I won’t be back until the New Year,’ Mrs Daltry said.
‘Where are you going?’
‘If you must know, I’m going to Canada for six weeks.’
‘How come?’
‘I won a prize and this is the only time the prize organizers will let me go. I have to go next week or I can’t go at all.’
‘How did you win …?’
‘That’s quite enough, Angela. If you went to university and did a degree in nosiness, you’d get a first!’ Mrs Daltry interrupted firmly. ‘Now then everyone, Mr Dove will be sitting in with us for the rest of the week, just to see how we do things.’
‘I’m looking forward to it.’ Mr Dove directed his smile around the class.
‘He doesn’t need a week for that. It’ll only take about five minutes,’ Ricky whispered to Theo.
‘Thank you, Ricky, but when I want your opinion I’ll ask for it,’ said Mrs Daltry.
Ricky and Theo stared at her. How on earth had she heard that? They were sitting towards the back of the class.
‘She’s got ears like a bat!’ Theo whispered, his voice so low that even he could barely hear it.
‘And don’t you forget it, Theo!’ Mrs Daltry smiled.
Theo decided to give up. Much as he was dying to discuss his new idea with Ricky, he certainly didn’t want to risk having to sit outside the staff room at lunch time. He’d just have to put his idea on hold until after the lesson.
But it is a brilliant idea, he thought to himself. And he felt sure that everyone in the class – no, everyone in the entire school would immediately agree with him.
‘A detective agency. Are you nuts?’ Colin roared with laughter.
Theo tried not to let his annoyance show but he failed. All day, he’d been getting exactly the same reaction. Was he really the only one in the school with any vision?!
‘Oh, come on, Theo.’ Colin wiped the tears from his eyes. ‘You must admit that it’s a bit of a bizarre idea.’
‘No, I don’t admit any such thing,’ Theo replied testily. ‘What’s wrong with it?’
‘Well, for a start, what d’you know about being a detective?’ asked Jack. ‘And secondly, this isn’t New York. This is St Christopher’s! What crimes do you expect to solve in our school?’
‘The only crimes here are the school dinners,’ Colin added.
‘You’d be surprised. There are lots of mysteries that go on in this school,’ said Theo.
‘Like what?’ asked Ricky.
Theo scowled at his friend. Whose side was he on? Ricky got the unsubtle hint and looked suitably contrite.
‘Just give us a chance – OK?’ Ricky said quickly. ‘You’ll be amazed.’
‘I’m amazed already,’ Jack said. ‘Theo, you’ve come up with some weird ideas in your time but this is the best yet.’
Colin started laughing again. And off went Jack and Colin to their first lesson of the afternoon. Ricky and Theo trailed behind them. Theo couldn’t believe it, he really couldn’t. He had thought they’d be inundated with cases. He really believed they’d have to pick and choose. After he’d had the idea in Mrs Daltry’s class that morning, he spent the rest of the lesson going over in his mind the detective techniques he’d learned and working out the best way to keep track of the many cases they were bound to get. He’d even mentally practised turning down those clients unlucky enough to have boring cases.
‘I’m so sorry, but we’re just too busy … Our caseload is phenomenal, astronomical, extraordinary, sensational … BIG!!’
‘We don’t seem to be getting very far,’ said Ricky.
‘Don’t worry. I’m not giving up,’ Theo said with determination.
But even as he spoke, he realized that starting his detective agency was going to be more of an uphill struggle than he’d ever imagined.
‘We’ll just have to convince everyone that they really need us,’ said Theo, thoughtfully.
The question was, how?
Chapter Three
Reality Like Rot
‘I CAN’T BELIEVE this place, I really can’t,’ Theo bristled.
‘You’ll just have to give everyone a chance to get used to the idea,’ said Ricky.
‘I think it’s a good idea,’ Angela added.
Theo, Ricky and Angela were all walking home together. The day had turned out to be a raging disappointment for Theo. He’d stood outside the school gates, trying to convince everyone who came out that his detective agency was
going to be the best thing since salt and vinegar crisps. He still couldn’t believe the apathy his brilliant idea had been met with. Those who hadn’t laughed in his face didn’t seem to care much about the idea one way or the other. Reality, like rot, was beginning to set in.
‘I can’t understand it. I thought people would be queuing up to use us.’ Theo couldn’t keep the frustration out of his voice. ‘Maybe we should advertise?’
‘How?’
‘I could print off some ads using Mum and Dad’s computer tonight,’ said Theo. ‘Something along the lines of – “Got a problem? Come and see the only ones who can really help you out. Theo and Ricky.” Something like that.’
‘You’ll have to do better than that if you want people to take you seriously. You’ll need a better name for your detective agency than “Theo and Ricky’s”! That sounds like a restaurant!’ said Angela. ‘And your ad will have to be eye-catching but discreet. Obvious yet tasteful. Bold yet sincere.’
Ricky and Theo exchanged a look.
‘I’m serious,’ said Angela. ‘Anyway, I doubt if you’ll get many girls asking for your help.’
That stopped Theo dead in his tracks.
‘Why not?’
‘’Cause you’re two boys. You can’t be expected to deal with girl problems.’
‘Why not?’ Theo’s frown deepened.
‘’Cos you’re a boy. You won’t understand the way we girls do things. The way we think and feel. Girl problems need to be handled in a very special way.’
‘What a load of rubbish!’ Ricky scoffed. ‘We both helped you with your problem not too long ago.’
‘Too right,’ Theo agreed.
‘Yes, but that was a one-off. I’m telling you, you won’t get any girl clients – not unless you have a girl helping you out with your cases,’ said Angela.
‘Ah!’ Theo said, as the penny dropped. ‘We do have a girl helping us. You!’
‘I thought you’d never ask,’ Angela grinned.
‘Why didn’t you just come right out and say that you wanted to be part of our detective agency?’ asked Ricky.