Sleuth on Skates by Clementine Beauvais Read Free Book Online Page B

gentleman,” I replied obligingly. “My father and I have known each other since I was born.”
    â€œSophie, can you please leave us?” implored Dad, looking a little weary.
    I was happy to oblige.

    There were eight survivors from the intoxication and we all congratulated each other on our stainless steel stomachs before heading back to school, dragging a comatose Mr. Halitosis by the hand. As we reached the school gate, I said to him, “Isn’t it amazing, Mr. Barnes? All these torrents of milk-scented vomit and we didn’t even feel slightly queasy! Even with those little bits of undigested bread floating around in it! I call it a victory.”
    But then I realized Mr. Halitosis wasn’t listening any more: he was too busy being copiously sick into a bush, and the radioactive whiffs were spreading at lightspeed with every retch.

    Since it would have been unfair to make us do maths and history while the others were at home being granted all their dearest wishes by their parents, the Head asked Mrs. Appleyard, who has a passion for animals, to come and tell us exciting facts about them. We saw the cruel python swallowing an entire bulldog, and the fearless cheetah running after an antelope, and the incredible gliding squirrel falling from branch to branch with just a square of skin stretched between its arms and legs!
    And then we were allowed to go and do cartwheels on the school field, and inside the classrooms the other kids were pretty jealous of our super stomachs.
    â€œLook!” said Toby, dropping a paper boat in the river Cam which runs along the bottom of the school grounds. “It’ll end up in Grantchester!”
    â€œNo it won’t. The river flows the wrong way.”
    Rivers are very contrary. We waved goodbye to the scintillating ship on its long journey, and hoped it would discover unexplored lands in the manner of Christopher Columbus.
    And then it was time to go home, and I realized I hadn’t done anything today which could possibly enable me to find Jenna Jenkins.

VI
    This is the moment when the proud supersleuth, faced with defeat, collapses into a podgy armchair and sips on a drink with many ice cubes.
    â€œIn the name of all that is holy, Sophie! What’s in that glass?”
    â€œApple juice on the rocks, Maman. It adds to the atmosphere. Look, if I take it in my hands and swirl it around like this, it tinkles. Exactly like a detective film.”
    â€œYour father’s just told me he found you and Gemma on the street on your own yesterday afternoon. Didn’t I tell you to go straight home?”
    â€œWell, you did say ‘go home,’ but there wasno ‘straight’ between ‘go’ and ‘home’.”

    Mum rolled her eyes and sighed. “I didn’t know teenage crises started so early.”
    â€œWith her, it started at two years old,” Dad commented.
    They both recoiled in horror at what I assumed were stressful memories.
    â€œDAD!”
    â€œGoodness me! What is it now, you shrieking gibbon?”
    â€œI completely forgot to ask you about the duck!”
    â€œWas there any need for the Australians to hear that? The duck is safe. It’s at Emmanuel College. It’s made lots of new friends. Happy?”
    One of us wasn’t happy, and that was PeterMortimer. As he walked into the room I saw he was in a foul mood. His prey had all been removed. This morning the sock, now the duck. Tough luck. I fished the mysterious key out of my pocket.

    â€œLookity look, kitty darling baby,” I said soothingly, dangling the pompom under Peter Mortimer’s nose. “That’s almost as good as a pregnant duck!”
    He hit it with his paw, glared at me and strutted out of the room, making sure I could see his bum.
    I looked at the ruffled pompom. Under the fluff, a thin strip of white fabric had appeared, with numbers on it. 3901 . As I pondered on the meaning of these numbers, Mum shot