“They’re on that island! I’m sure of it!” said Vicky.
“Now, now, Mrs Green. I really don’t think we can be absolutely sure of that!” said DCI Bryant.
“Can you get a police boat?” said Charlie. “To take us over there?”
“What about a whole fleet?” said Grandpa Mike.
“Yes!” said Grandma Poppy. “After all, what if they’ve been kidnapped? And are being held hostage on that island? By terrorists?”
“Oh, can we please try and not be silly,” said DCI Bryant.
“Excuse me!” said Grandma Glenda, drawing herself up to her not very full height. “No one tells my sister-in-law not to be silly!”
Everyone looked round. There had been a lot of surprising things about the events of this night so far, but this might have been the most surprising of all: Grandma Glenda standing up for Grandma Poppy. And then, to make it even more surprising, Glenda went and stood by Poppy and linked arms with her and Grandpa Mike.
“Oh blimey,” sighed DCI Bryant.
Then Vicky and Charlie went over and joined the line, and so did Carmel. Even Spock came over as well. Although that might have been because he’d spotted another manky apple core next to Grandpa Mike’s foot.
But DCI Bryant wasn’t having any of it.
“Look!” he said. “What do you lot expect me to do?” From his chest, where it was stuck there with some Velcro, he ripped off his walkie-talkie radio and held it up in the air. “Contact Police HQ and ask them to send out a SWAT team, jet skis, boats, frogmen, the whole lot, on the basis of a tip-off from … a guinea-pig? Really?”
At which point, PC Middleton grabbed the radio, and said:
“Good idea, sir. Hello? HQ? Did you get all that?”