DAY 15: Saturday
My skims: 0
Wriggler’s skims: 0
Training for world record stopped. For a while, at least.
Money made for tinnie: $0 ($725 to go.)
We’ve got a plan, it’s not perfect but that’s its only problem.
Wriggler reckons Mr Black is keeping someone he has kidnapped under the kitchen. I reckon it’s where he hides stuff he steals from people’s houses. Whatever it is we have to find out. Then an idea hit me like a rolled up newspaper swatting a mosquito.
When Wrigs came around I said, ‘What we need is a sensor camera. Y’know, a camera that takes photos when it senses movement.’
‘Why?’
‘There’s no way Mr Black would risk opening the manhole during the day when people might see him, so I reckon he must only go into that cellar at night.’
I pointed at a photo on the computer I’d found online. It was of a camera that we could buy from any electronics shop.
‘If we had this we could photograph him in the dark and see what he does down there. The police wouldn’t be able to ignore that.’
‘We haven’t got enough money for one of those.’
Typical Wrigs. Always worried about detail.
‘You can buy one for about a hundred bucks. Think how much reward money we’d make when we catch him. We’d definitely get the tinnie then.’
‘Yeah, but still it’s a hundred bucks we don’t have. We have fifteen dollars. Or twenty-five, if you’re willing to wash the vomit off the ten-dollar note Squid made selling the biscuits.’
‘We can earn the rest.’
‘How? Black Princes again?’ He pointed at his broken arm.
‘What about Tearley?’ I said. ‘I bet she’s got it.’
‘Yeah, Tearley’s got heaps of cash. She’s saved every dollar she’s ever earnt or been given,’ Wrigs said.
‘Maybe we can borrow it from her,’ I said.
‘Fat chance. She’s the scabbiest person in the world,’ said Wrigs.
‘Come on, let’s give it a crack.’
So we walked around to Tearley’s to see if she would loan us the money.
‘You’re not allowed in, Dribbler,’ Tearley said when she opened her front door. ‘Mum says you’re banned from here.’
‘What about him?’ I said, pointing to Wriggler.
‘No. Mum likes Wrigs.’
So I had to stand outside on the porch while they chatted in the hallway.
Wrigs told Tearley about the metal trapdoor in the deserted house and our plans with the camera. Then he asked her for the seventy-five dollars.
‘How will you pay me back?’
‘We’ll give you some of the reward money when we find out what Mr Black is up to,’ I called out from the porch. ‘We’ll get a reward. And if not, it’s Wrigs’ birthday next month and he always gets some money from his grandparents, so we’ll give you that.’
I was glad I couldn’t see Wrigs’ face when I said that. But we were going to have to make sacrifices and Wrigs might as well be the one making them.
Tearley thought for a moment then said, ‘Will you write that down and sign it?’
‘Yes,’ I shouted from outside.
‘Wriggler?’ she said.
‘Okay,’ Wriggler mumbled.
‘And if the reward money is more than the seventy-five dollars, I get half of the rest of it, no matter how much it is?’ she said.
Man she drives a hard deal.
‘All right,’ I called out.
‘And,’ she said, ‘I get to help catch Mr Black.’
‘No way,’ I shouted.
‘Why not?’ Wrigs called back.
‘It’s blackmail, we don’t want her hanging around with us. And besides, every time she gets involved things go wrong,’ I shouted.
‘Dribbler, every time you do anything it goes wrong. You don’t need me there to stuff it up,’ Tearley shouted back.
Then she pushed Wrigs out onto the porch and shut the front door.
‘What are we going to do now?’ asked Wrigs.
‘Don’t worry,’ I said. ‘I’ve got a plan.’