‘This is bad,’ Minnie said, looking at her phone. ‘Bad, bad, bad.’
‘Let me go!’ Marcus said, rolling on the concrete floor of the storeroom, collecting dust and smears on his smart suit.
Everyone ignored him.
Flora stepped closer to Minnie and peered at her phone. ‘What is it?’
Minnie bit her lip. She looked at Flora, who seemed paler than usual, frightened. She was right to be. ‘A text,’ Minnie said, ‘from Gran’s phone. But I don’t think Gran sent it.’
‘What does it say?’ Andrew asked.
‘It says: HELP in pcs car. S.’
‘Who’s S?’ Andrew asked.
‘Who’s pcs?’ Andrew asked.
They looked at each other. Sylvie needed them; she was in trouble. But with who?
‘Pc might be police constable?’ Piotr suggested. ‘Maybe she’s with Jimmy.’
Flora shook her head. ‘Sylvie knows he’s a special constable. And why would she be asking for help if she was with Jimmy? I don’t like this!’ Her voice rose and almost cracked with worry. ‘Where’s Sylvie? Where’s my sister?’
‘And my gran,’ Minnie said flatly. Sylvie was using Gran’s phone. That wasn’t good.
‘Don’t panic,’ Piotr said. He was out of the masquerade. ‘Flora, do you have your notebook?’
Flora pulled off her backpack and nodded.
‘Have we any suspects, anyone who might be pcs? Any initials or places? Or companies? Anything at all?’
Flora unzipped her bag. She pulled out the green T-shirt and laid it on the table, then she took out her notebook and opened it. Minnie saw flashes of their investigation – the postcard, interviews with the window cleaner, the Nigerian letterhead. But no pcs.
Nothing.
‘My T-shirt!’ Femi said in delight.
Minnie picked it up to give to him. Then she paused. He looked up at her, one hand on the T-shirt she was still holding. ‘Femi,’ Minnie said. ‘What do you know about the boss? Have you ever seen her? Do you know her name? It’s important. The lady who noticed you on the plane, who accidentally took your case, she’s my gran. My family. And she’s in trouble. Anything you can tell us might help us find her. Oh, and Sylvie, Flora’s sister.’
Femi frowned deeply, thinking. ‘I don’t know her name.’
‘What does she look like?’
He shrugged again. ‘I don’t know. She doesn’t come here.’
‘Please, Femi, anything you can remember might help.’
Andrew coughed. She looked up. He was standing near Marcus. He held the sword that Marcus had been waving around only moments ago. Andrew raised an eyebrow. ‘I bet I can get Marcus to tell us.’ He lifted the sword.
‘Andrew!’ Minnie snapped. ‘No one gets hurt. Yet. Give Femi a chance.’
Femi gave a small leap. ‘I thought of something! They call her Badger One sometimes.’
Something shifted in Minnie’s brain. Something badgery. She handed over the T-shirt slowly. The label caught her eye. Swift Limited. Badgers. Swift …
‘Police Commissioner Swift!’ Minnie yelled.
Marcus gave a low moan. Andrew gave him a prod with the tip of the sword.
‘We need to call Jimmy right now!’ Minnie said.