The Case of the Missing Cats by Gareth P. Jones Read Free Book Online

him.
    But he was feeling tired. His legs grew weak. Energy was draining away from him with each passing second. The raft grew heavier and heavier. He felt like he was swimming in treacle. Every stroke felt like his last.
    I must be near now
, he thought. He could hear Holly shouting, but he couldn’t respond and his vision had gone as though night had fallen. Too tired. Even breathing was too much effort. Holly’s face loomed in front of him.
    â€˜What’s wrong?’ he heard her say.But the exhaustion had overrun every muscle in his body. He pulled himself on to the riverbank and tried to stand, but stumbled and then the darkness took him and he collapsed.

Chapter Ten

    Dirk,’ screamed Holly. She shook the dragon’s limp body, but he didn’t respond. She lowered her head to listen to his heartbeat, but quickly realised that she had absolutely no idea where a dragon’s heart might be kept. Providing they even had hearts. ‘What’s happened to you, Dirk? Can you hear me?’
    He said nothing.
    A miaow from the box reminded her about the cats. The crate bobbed by the side of the bank, but it was too heavy for her to lift. Instead she climbed on to the raft, edged her way carefully on to the other side and with all the energy she could muster, pushed.
    The crate toppled over, causing an almighty screeching from within. Holly scrambled back on to the bank, rounded the crate and yanked open the top. Cats clambered out. More cats than she had ever seen in one place. Gingers, tabbies, black, white, grey, all scrambling over each other, desperate to get out of the crate on to dry land. Holly had never heard cats make such a noise. The poor things. They must have been terrified. And then at last she saw what she was looking for: a black cat with white paws and a white face with a black smudge on her nose. It was Willow. Holly reached down to grab her and received a scratch from another cat. Ignoring the pain, she held Willow to her stomach and lifted her up.
    â€˜Willow,’ she whispered, looking into the cat’s eyes. ‘You’re alive.’
    Willow replied with a sweet miaow.
    Holly wrapped her arms round her cat and hugged her tightly. Willow purred. ‘I’m so glad you’re OK,’ she said. Willow was more than a pet. She was more than a friend. She was Holly’s family. Not like Dad, who gave her pocket money, or Dad’s big-haired wife, who told her to turn her music down and go to bed. When Holly had had a bad day at school or if she was feeling lonely or sad, Willow was always there,comforting, loving and pleased to see her. Holly felt tears of relief fill her eyes. She blinked several times and swallowed hard to stop them from falling.
    She remained like that, cuddling Willow, grateful that she was alive, until a low moan reminded her that they weren’t alone. She looked up. The other cats had disappeared into the undergrowth or gone off in search of bowls of milk or kindly old people who would take pity on them.
    The moan had come from Dirk.
    â€˜Dirk?’ she said, seeing that one of his eyes was half open.
    He let out another groan.
    â€˜Wink if you can hear me,’ she said.
    Slowly but surely the large eyelid closed.
    Then opened again.
    Holly knew she had to get him back to his office, out of danger. This, however, was not as easily done as it was thought. She had the unique problem of having to get herself, her cat and this rather large dragon back to central London without drawing any unwanted attention. This called for some serious thinking.
    â€˜I could call a cab,’ Holly said to herself, finding it easier to think aloud, ‘But they would definitelynotice that one of the customers was a dragon.’ She paced up and down, Willow held in her arms. ‘Same goes for an ambulance or police.’ A plastic bag floated past in the river. ‘I could push him on to the raft and we could drift down the river.’ But