‘Look,’ Frank said, ‘Larry and Tony know you were set up—and realise they were, too.’

‘They do?’ asked Andy.

‘They were?’ Dylan added.

Frank nodded. ‘The Geo-Finder member who set the clues was anonymous and they have since deleted their account without a trace. But that doesn’t change the fact that Larry and Tony could press charges. Given how much damage you’ve done to their reputations, you could end up in juvenile detention.’

Andy and Dylan traded fearful looks, imagining themselves behind bars.

‘Luckily,’ Frank continued, ‘they’re reasonable guys. They both work with kids. They don’t want your lives ruined. Besides, they’re not squeaky clean in this.’

‘They’re not?’ Andy asked, as Dylan’s eyebrows shot up.

Frank nodded. ‘They were trespassing in Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Just because a fellow Geo-Finder regularly leaves a gate unlocked doesn’t make it legal to go inside. They didn’t admit to that when they made their anonymous tip-off about seeing vandals. It’s not much, but it’s all the leverage I’ve got.’

Andy nodded. He’d take whatever hope was offered. ‘So, what now, Dad?’

Frank drained his coffee cup and tossed it in the bin. ‘I’ve told them I won’t file trespass charges against them. They’ve agreed to drop the charges against you if …’

The boys looked at each other.

‘If?’ Andy asked.

‘If you apologise,’ Frank said.

The boys looked at each other with delight. This could all go away that easily?

‘Sure,’ said Andy. ‘I feel terrible about what’s happened.’

‘That’s it?’ asked Dylan. ‘They just want us to say “sorry”?’

Frank shook his head slowly. ‘Not just say it—vlog it. They want a personal apology. But they also want a public apology. They want you both to say sorry on video and post it to Scoop.’

Silence descended in the interrogation room.

Andy knew what that would mean for him and for Scoop. He also knew he had no choice. But the least he could do was make sure Dylan didn’t share the blame.

‘OK,’ Andy said finally. ‘But just me. It’s my website. It was my idea.’

‘No way, mate,’ Dylan said. ‘We’re in this together.’

‘I’m impressed by your loyalty,’ Frank said, ‘but you both have to make the video. And Larry and Tony want the apology seen by as many people as saw the accusation, so they need Felix Scott to acknowledge it with a follow-up tweet. Do you think he’ll do that?’

Andy nodded. But he hated to think how Felix would react to such public embarrassment.

Frank stood up. ‘I’ll get your phones from Daniels so you can film the apology and contact Felix.’

‘Um, Dad?’ Andy said, sheepishly, pulling his InfiniFone from his camo pants pocket. He glanced at Dylan, who produced his phone from the pocket of his Hawaiian shirt.

Frank’s eyes hardened. ‘I told Officer Daniels to confiscate those.’

‘He did,’ Andy admitted. ‘But I kinda, er, liberated them from his desk.’

His father scowled but swallowed his anger. ‘First trespass and now stealing police evidence? When this is all over, you and I are going to have a serious talk.’

Andy nodded, eyes downcast. ‘Yes, sir.’

Frank left and the boys looked at each other.

‘Mate, do you reckon we were set up by someone with a grudge against Scoop?’ Dylan asked.

‘Could be,’ Andy said. ‘Like I said, I’ve had death threats before because of my stories.’

‘Who do you think Ethan really was?’ Dylan asked.

‘Dunno.’ Andy threw back his chair and prowled the room. ‘I feel so … dumb,’ he murmured, kicking at a skirting board with a sneaker.

‘Well,’ Dylan said, raking his fingers through his dreadlocks, ‘that makes us dumb and dumber because I fell for Ethan’s whole nerd act.’

Andy let out a little laugh.

‘Was there anything about him that was familiar?’ Dylan asked.

‘Dude, he could’ve been anyone. He might’ve even been hired to play the part.’

‘Hired?’ Dylan said, on his feet now, fists balled in the pockets of his khaki trousers as he circled the table. ‘What do you mean?’

Andy shrugged. ‘Someone contacts these Geo-Finders and dangles a clue. Then sets up the envelopes and gets “Ethan” to come to us with a story that’s right up Scoop’s alley. All he has to do is hand over an envelope and disappear. You and me, and this Larry and Tony, do the rest, without even realising it.’

Dylan nodded. ‘I guess there’s plenty of desperate young actors in Hollywood who’d do something like that.’

‘That’s how your parents started out, right?’ Andy joked.

But instead of laughing, Dylan smacked a hand to his forehead. ‘Maybe this didn’t have anything to do with your old Scoop stories,’ he said, grabbing the envelopes left on the table. ‘Remember what Bald Guy said at the observatory?’

Andy thought a moment. ‘“Five down, two to go”?’

Dylan fanned out the envelopes.

‘Seven envelopes!’ Andy said.

Dylan nodded. ‘Seven envelopes, seven coordinates, seven weird riddles. No way that’s a coincidence, right?’

‘Can’t be. Now it makes more sense. This isn’t about payback.’

Andy punched a fist into his palm with a smack! ‘It’s to stop me using Scoop to turn the signs into a story! I mean, who’d believe me now I’ve fallen for a massive hoax, right?’

‘We,’ Dylan said. ‘We fell for it.’

Andy nodded. ‘Well, if we try to use Scoop to tell anyone about the signs now, they’ll think we’re making it up.’

Dylan tapped a finger to his head. ‘Or that we’re a couple of kangaroos short in the top paddock.’

Andy managed a grin. ‘I’d be surprised if even my dad believes us.’

‘We’ve gotta try to convince him,’ Dylan said. ‘These envelopes, the set-up, he’s gotta see it’s for real, yeah?’

‘I hope so,’ Andy said. ‘But he’s not gonna listen to a thing we say until we’ve made that apology video.’

The boys stood side by side and filmed themselves saying sorry for running the story.