Read Online A Raucous Time (The Celtic Cousins' Adventures) by Julia Hughes - Free Book Online Page A

Showing Wren the glossy photo. A photo of him, at his first cadet camp. A chubby thirteen year old wearing a green flying suit, silver helmet, holding two thumbs up to the camera and grinning as he posed in front of a small plane. His first time: The thrill, the excitement listening to air control, then his pilot confirming flight details. The pre-flight checks, the rush to get into the air, the ground falling away behind him. On the fields far below the mid day sun projected a tiny silhouette of a plane, pleasing him enormously. Then he’d actually been given the controls. Pulling the joy stick towards him, feeling the plane respond to his every whim, dancing through air. Just as he began to anticipate each uplift and down draught, they were landing, and Rhyllann wanted more than anything to be up in the air flying again. Each time was like the first time. The exhilaration never palled.
    Wren peered over his shoulder.
    ‘Happy days.’ He said bleakly.
    Without comment, Rhyllann slid the photo into the bedside cabinet drawer between the two single beds. His fingers brushed against paper, and he drew out a wrap of notes. He blinked in surprise, holding them out mutely to Wren for an explanation.
     ‘My savings. I found them on the kitchen floor.’ Closing his fingers round the notes he pushed them into Rhyllann’s pocket. ‘You keep it Annie, look after it. Our money.’
    Rhyllann nodded agreement.
    ‘Annie … d’you think we’re safe here?’
    ‘We’d better be. Crombie’s threatening to lock us up.’
    Wren snorted. ‘That’s their answer to everything.’
    ‘They? Who are they?’ Rhyllann lowered his voice. ‘And just who have you hacked off brawd? Who is after you?’
    Wren surveyed him silently. Then: ‘Remember that beetle I showed you? I hope there’s no bugs in this room.’ With a smile he added. ‘Wouldn’t it be funny if insects spoke different languages? Like – I dunno – Welsh.’
    With that, he turned to clump down the stairs.
    Jesus. Wren could be such a geek, and needed to get his paranoia under control. Bugged! As if his life wasn’t weird enough.
    His house had been trashed, Wren’s notebook appeared to be the only thing stolen. Wren had attracted some bad company; he knew a couple of names at least. But he wouldn’t tell Crombie. Why? It hit Rhyllann like a lightning bolt. Because they wanted what Wren knew. And Wren reasoned that if he turned them in, chances were everything would come out. The whole story. Crombie and the Met Police would go after the treasure. Jeez! Rhyllann tugged at the chain around his neck. The stupid little sod. There was no treasure. Things like that just didn’t happen to people like them. The sooner he got that through Wren’s thick head the better. Except Wren was the brightest kid he knew. A year below Rhyllann, yet still in most of his classes. Auntie Dottie called up to him. Exhaling heavily, he rushed to shower and change.
     
    After dinner, Rhyllann casually asked Auntie Dottie if he could use her computer to access the internet.
    ‘We’ve got a history test on Monday, I thought I’d do some revision.’ he said in reply to her questioning, carefully avoiding eye contact.
    ‘I’ll clear away.’ Wren offered, pulling himself up. ‘You see to Baby Henry.’
    ‘Thank you lovey, but I need to supervise your cousin. You understand don’t you lovey? You two wash up, while I put the baby to bed.’ Auntie Dottie said firmly, leaving them with no choice but to agree.
     
    Twenty minutes later, Rhyllann was squeezed on the sofa between auntie Dottie and Wren, staring at the laptop screen resting on the coffee table.
     ‘Magna Carta – remember Annie.’ Wren prompted.
             ‘Aha! Naughty old King John!’ Auntie Dottie smiled at the chance to display her knowledge. ‘Habeas Corpus and all that!’
    ‘Habeas Corpus?’ Rhyllann repeated, clicking on the top link.
    ‘Literally – I have the body – the body of evidence. It