the twins. If Gloria knew what Tess was doing, then maybe they were working together?
âIn the Golden Buddha story, she told us about something hidden inside something else. Did she think there was something inside the sword?â suggested Christopher.
âMaybe inside something, but not necessarily the sword,â Gloria smiled.
Amy was more interested in the silver container in Tessâs bag. Could Tess be a double agent? Was she working for security and someone else at the same time. And what was inside the container?
Gloria had disappeared. She had arrangements to make. In the newsagentsâ window, Amy glimpsed some card packs on display.
âSpecial issue.â But she didnât have enough money. Again Samuel appeared.
âWould you like to swap? Iâll buy one of the new issue special packs for you. And you can give me your Geelong card. Thatâd be fair wouldnât it?â
Samuelâs eyes had a funny smile. Amy wasnât sure whether he was just keen on getting the card or whether he was trying to rip her off. âNo thanks.â
âA collection is an investment,â said Samuel.â Some cards are worth thousands more than their face value. I have access to world markets which can source hard-to-find items. We buy and sell anything,everywhere, at a considerable profit... to the seller of course.â He liked the sound of his own voice. Amy turned away and bumped into Tess who was re-zipping her bum-bag.
âHe thinks youâre stupid just because youâre a kid,â said Tess. âIn the art world, some try to rip you off. I know about that all right. How many have you got? Perhaps theyâre worth more than you think.â
Amy showed her two hundred cards. She stopped at the used âGenevaâ. âMum got it from Switzerland. I know itâs worth about $150 . And this is the lifesaver one that Samuel wants.â
Most of Amyâs cards were picked up near phone boxes, especially at airports, but not in Singapore. Nobody dropped rubbish in Singapore. And mobile phones were no use for card collectors. So many kids were collecting cards, it was getting harder. Christopher stopped beside Samuel who was staring in the newsagentsâ window.â What are you looking for? â
Samuel admitted, âCards. Japanese and other overseas interest is very strong. Dealers can repackage cards and sell them to overseas clubs and collectors. Your sister is very foolish in refusing my offer. She could have made a lot of money. Someone else could also have made money selling a collectable. But now it wonât happen,â
âIn that mist, we were breathing detergent .â Amy was proud of her sleuthing skills.â A detergent cloud. But it was harmless. I heard the pilot telling William.â
âWhat?â Christopher looked up.
âThe planeâs engine was washed with a water detergent mixture last night. Some of it had got into the cabinâs air conditioning system.â said Amy.
âThen why is the plane delayed so long?â Christopher was fed up with waiting. Even another hamburger and double chocolate sauce wouldnât distract him.
âBecause the engineers needed to check out the engines and do a test run. Then the planeâs taking off in ten minutes.â
âHow did you find all that out?â Sometimes Christopher got cross when Amy found out things he hadnât even thought about.
âI overheard. I was standing alongside William when the pilot told him. He got sick of me asking questions. So he told me too.â
âPerhaps he wasnât programmed for emergencies,â joked Christopher.
Amy wasnât so sure. Perhaps William was not just a cabin attendant. Just then, came the announcement to board.
It was time to leave, again, for Tokyo.
Chapter 11
On Board
Who was Mr Wang? Could he be the same person as Mr Ng? The post office box address on the newspaper clipping and
Nina Perez
Hilary Badger
John Brunner
June Stevens
Ginny Baird
Sidney Bristol
Anna Starobinets
L. E. Modesitt Jr.
Adriana Locke
Linda Howard