Dan and the Dead by Thomas Taylor Read Free Book Online Page B

one go for that trick, but boy, what a corker! Bagport and his men can’t deny the evidence of their own eyes and they’re terrified. I think the lock-breaker’s actually wet himself.
    I stand up and brush myself down.
    â€˜Let’s get this tomb open then, shall we?’ I say.

12
A PEW WITH A VIEW

    I push at the stone slab on the tomb, and make a lot of straining noises. This is still part of the act, you understand. I mean, obviously I can’t move the slab on my own, but right now I don’t actually want to.
    â€˜Get back, kid!’ gasps Bagport as he staggers down from the pulpit, still swearing, and snapping his fingers like he’s close to losing it.
    He’s genuinely rattled by what he’s just seen, but at the same time, the chance to lay his hands on afabulous jewel-encrusted sword keeps him sane.
    â€˜Ringpull, close your gob and get pushing!’
    Ringpull pulls himself together and throws his enormous strength against the slab, but it doesn’t budge. He tries again and again, and then stops. He pulls his jacket off and rolls up his sleeves. He hangs his jacket on a pew.
    Along with the camera.
    â€˜Quit gawping!’ Bagport yells at the other two men. ‘Get your backs into it!’ And as the men push their guns into their belts and start shoving, even Mr Big lends a hand. With all four of them straining at the weight there’s a short deep scraping sound as the slab begins to move.
    â€˜Push harder!’ yells Bagsy.
    The slab grinds right back, till it’s almost toppling onto the ground.
    But before that can happen, it’s time for me to act.
    â€˜Look out, behind you!’ I shout, and the men turn to me in alarm.
    FLASH!
    I get a great shot of the four of them.
    FLASH!
    Gangsters, grave robbing tools, open tomb –
check
!
    Then I’m running.
    I yank the door open, jump left and race into the dark graveyard, leaving the path behind me.
    I don’t know which one comes after me first – I was banking on them all being blinded by the flash – but there’s someone behind me pretty quick.
    â€˜Run, Daniel!’ cries Si. ‘He’s got a gun!’
    Crapsticks!
    There’s a BANG! behind me as the gun goes off and the top of the gravestone I’m ducking behind explodes. Bits of stone hit me in the face, but I can’t stop now. I’m zig-zagging and it’s dark, so I don’t see the person I run into till I’ve run right smack bang into them.
    â€˜Ow!’ says a woman’s voice. ‘What in heaven’s name is going on?’ And in the dark, as I roll on the ground, I see her standing there. I also see a white square at the woman’s neck, as well as the slathering teeth of two enormous dogs at her side.
    â€˜Er, hello Vicar,’ I say at the top of my voice.
    There’s a very loud and very rude word in the dark behind me, not the kind of thing lady vicars expect to hear in their own churchyard, I’m sure, but this lady vicar’s obviously not the scone and raffle-tickets type. There’s an eruption of light as she turns on a torch.
    â€˜Get back here this instant!’ she roars at the man who was following me, only now he’s running away as fast as he can. ‘Or I’ll set the dogs on you!’
    There’s more frantic running by the church as four dark figures race down the path, and then there’s the sound of car doors slamming. Mr Big’s car roars off without its lights on.
    Quiet falls over the graveyard.
    â€˜Thanks,’ I say, as I get to my feet. ‘That was, er, more interesting than the last time I went to church.’
    There’s sudden light as the vicar turns the torch on me. I shield my eyes and try to picture what she must be seeing: a skinny kid with mad hair and purple glasses, and a black leather coat with death’s heads Tippexed on it. A kid who’s handcuffed to a golden cage with a human skull in