Minnie ran outside, with the others right behind her. Flora checked her watch. ‘We’ve only got six minutes before the police commissioner gets here,’ she said.
A police car pulled into the drive and headed towards them. It stopped by the curb, in plain view of the road.
‘They can’t park there,’ Minnie said.
Both front doors opened and Jimmy stepped out; a woman in police uniform got out too.
‘Hello,’ she called in a sickly sweet voice. ‘What have you little ones been up to?’
Minnie looked at Piotr in horror; the woman clearly thought they were still in nursery. Jimmy strode over to them. He was harassed, his forehead creased with worry. ‘Right,’ he said, ‘you had better tell me exactly what’s been going on. I want to hear everything.’
‘There isn’t time. You have to move your car! Hide it,’ Minnie begged.
The woman strolled towards them. She had a wide smile. ‘So you’re the wonder children I’ve been hearing so much about from Jimmy. I’m his beat partner, Helena. Now you’ve made Jimmy very worried. What’s all this we hear about Sylvie chasing bad guys on her own?’
‘Five minutes,’ Flora said. Her voice betrayed her panic.
Minnie glared at Helena. ‘Will you stop talking! I have something important to say.’
‘Hey!’ Jimmy said. ‘That’s rude and uncalled for.’
Minnie forced down a scream of frustration. Why wouldn’t Jimmy just listen to her? ‘Sorry,’ she managed to say. ‘But you don’t understand. We need you to hide your car, then hide yourselves and record everything that happens here in the next ten minutes. If you do, you will have all the good solid evidence you need.’
‘Evidence for what?’ Helena said.
‘Evidence to prove that Police Commissioner Anthea Swift is in charge of an international art smuggling gang that uses little kids to carry messages, and kidnaps grandmothers to get their way.’
Jimmy and Helena looked stunned. They froze, their mouths open, as though time had suddenly stopped.
‘Four minutes,’ Flora said.
Minnie looked Jimmy right in the eye. She tried to look as determined and honest as she possibly could. ‘Please, Jimmy, please, you have to trust me.’
Jimmy closed his mouth. He gave a swift nod. ‘Helena, move the car.’
‘But they can’t be right,’ Helena said. ‘They can’t be.’
‘Move the car. Take it behind the next building and park out of sight. Then run back here. Run, OK?’
Helena sighed, but ran back to the car and got in.
‘Minnie, are you sure about all this?’ Jimmy asked.
‘You’ll see yourself,’ Minnie said. ‘She’s on her way here to take the evidence.’
‘Well,’ Jimmy said. ‘In that case, we’d better be ready.’