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girls as he ushered them out. “Or Mum will flip.”
    â€œDo visit some other time,” Granny Sullivan said. “Always interested in talking to Fancy Jim Smith’s granddaughter, and the grandchildren of old Colin Campion.”
    â€œThanks for seeing us,” Jeff said as they left.
    â€œ She was really interesting,” Ronnie said as they hurtled down the road on their bikes. “I didn’t know you had a grandfather called Fancy Jim Smith?”
    â€œThe skeleton in our family closet,” Katie said. “What about that old rogue, Colin Campion?”
    â€œWe won’t ask you about Fancy Jim Smith if you shut up about learning about Colin Campion,” Jeff bargained.
    They slowed down at Katie’s place and she went inside. Ronnie and Jeff turned down the lane towards their own house .
    â€œWhat about that old rogue Colin Campion?” Ronnie demanded. “What don’t I know?”
    â€œNothing of importance,” Jeff said.
    â€œI’ll ask Dad.”
    â€œNot before we’ve found our runaways,” Jeff said.
    Ronnie sobered suddenly. For the almost ten minutes it took them to ride fast through the quiet streets towards their home, she had managed to put from her mind the scary and ever present worry oppressing their lives.
    Now she had the riddle of the mansion with its underground cellars and even a secret passage to think about.

 
    Chapter S eventeen
    Â 
    Sunday morning, Ronnie’s mother was making scones and Ronnie was whipping cream. Katie turned up with her homework, escorted by her brother Will in time to join them for morning tea.
    Somehow, it wasn’t the usual nice atmosphere in their kitchen. Mrs. Campion had red-rimmed eyes, and looked as if she had lost weight. Mr. Campion was polite but grim and returned to tinkering in the garage. Jeff ate his scones and returned to his room muttering about homework.
    Ronnie, Katie and Will moved into the back yard and paused. They didn’t want to visit the hospital to see the still unconscious Jasmine. Much as they both liked Will it was no fun to drag him around to visit their other friends.
    â€œLife is the pits,” Katie grumbled. “Wouldn’t you have thought the police would have found some clue about —”
    â€œThat your tree house?” Will interrupted as he gazed up at the big gum tree.
    â€œMainly Jamie’s these days,” Ronnie said glumly. She sighed, and blinked back the ready tears. If only she could be sure that Jamie had run away and not been kidnapped.
    â€œ So how does a little kid like him get up there?” Will asked. “No branches around for him to climb.”
    Ronnie walked down the yard towards the big trunk and reached for the dangling rope and pulled. The rope ladder fell down.
    â€œWow,” Will said. “Must get a good look at the district from up there.”
    He started climbing the rope ladder. Katie shrugged, rolled her eyes and followed him up.
    Ronnie followed them up. She had outgrown tree houses ages ago. Although as tree houses went, her father had done a magnificent job of building it. The gum tree was one of the tallest in the district, and the platform and roof had been built as near as the top as was safe. Jamie loved it and spent a lot of his time up there.
    She pulled herself into the platform. She blinked away tears again as she saw the neat accumulation of Jamie’s treasures on the side bench. All his favourite toy soldiers, his battery operated car and a pair of binoculars.
    â€œHe was using them for bird spotting,” Ronnie’s voice had a quaver in it. “Guess he forgot to bring them down again.”
    Will picked the binoculars up and looked through them. “Terrific view of the district with them, except for the trees on the other side.”
    â€œThere used to be a line of them along the back fences but some had to be removed,” Ronnie explained.
    â€œ Some activity at