doors, and scuttled away unseen.
At that moment, Oriana and Sumo turned and walked into the bank.
Winter ripped the red wig off as soon as she’d reached the side of the building. I took a deep breath of relief. Winter’s long, dark hair tumbled all over her shoulders, as she ran—barefoot now—down the street, with Boges close by her side.
Suddenly the earpiece spluttered into life once more. ‘We’re out,’ said Boges, as he ran. ‘Any minute now the alarm is going to go off—once they realise that the safety deposit box is empty!’
Almost as he said the words, the alarm from the bank started clanging. I ran after my friends. Within seconds, police cars were converging on the street.
‘That was way too close for comfort!’ said Boges, leaning over a chair and puffing.
Winter shook her head as she pulled off her jacket and practically ripped off her stockings. ‘It was a close call,’ she said, ‘such a close call. But we did it! Can you believe it? It worked!’
All three of us jumped up and high-fived each other.
Boges threw himself on the couch, grinning. ‘After what we’ve had to do to get this far, getting to Ireland will be a cinch!’
I didn’t exactly share Boges’s confidence, but at least we’d retrieved my family’s heirlooms. Our quest could start again!
‘Here,’ said Winter, passing me the packet from Oriana’s safety deposit box. ‘You should be the one to open it!’
Winter and Boges leaned forward as I emptied out the contents of the package on the table.
The three of us stared in disbelief.
‘Huh?’ said Boges. ‘What’s that?’
‘I don’t believe it!’ Winter cried in distress.
Instead of the amazing, one-in-a-million Ormond Jewel, we were staring at an ordinary oval brooch with a polished grey stone in the middle. I grabbed up what I first thought was the Riddle, only to find that it, too, was a fake.
‘Look, all the edges are frayed,’ I said. ‘It’s a copy! It’s a good copy, but it’s a fake! The original has a clean cut at the bottom—it’s not frayed on that bottom edge like this one.’ Slowly, I sank against the counter, all the excitement and energy drained out of me.
‘They’re not here,’ said Winter. ‘I can’t believethis! After everything we’ve done—Boges, all your work on the fingerprint. Disguises. Getting the PIN. I can’t believe it.’
The moments ticked by with the three of us in stunned silence as we stared at the fakes in front of us. I tried to focus.
Something occurred to me. ‘Oriana went to all the trouble of stashing them in the bank vault. Do you see what this means? Oriana doesn’t know these are fakes! Someone else has the real Jewel and the real Riddle!’
Boges glared at me. ‘If she doesn’t have them, then who does?’
I looked at Winter, who suddenly seemed uncomfortable.
‘It has to be Sligo,’ I said. ‘Somehow he must have intercepted my backpack at the funeral parlour and done the switcheroo. Oriana takes what she thinks is the original Ormond Riddle and Ormond Jewel and she stashes them in the bank for safekeeping, not realising that what she has is worthless. Worthless!’ I said, shoving the fakes off the table with a sweep of my arm. ‘Either there’s a third party involved in this—someone we’ve never heard of and don’t know about—or it has to be Sligo.’
‘But why would Sligo do a switcheroo?’ said Boges. ‘He’d just take them, wouldn’t he? Why go to the bother of replacing them with fakes?’
‘So that Oriana would believe that she had them,’ I said. ‘That gets her off his back. She thinks she’s sweet with the goods, leaving Sligo to relax and get on with the next part of his plan.’
Winter, who’d been sitting on the floor quietly, piped up. ‘Or Rathbone has outsmarted them both,’ she said.
‘All my time spent in the fume cupboard in the science lab … all for nothing!’ shouted Boges. ‘And it worked, can you believe it? My fake print
At that moment, Oriana and Sumo turned and walked into the bank.
Winter ripped the red wig off as soon as she’d reached the side of the building. I took a deep breath of relief. Winter’s long, dark hair tumbled all over her shoulders, as she ran—barefoot now—down the street, with Boges close by her side.
Suddenly the earpiece spluttered into life once more. ‘We’re out,’ said Boges, as he ran. ‘Any minute now the alarm is going to go off—once they realise that the safety deposit box is empty!’
Almost as he said the words, the alarm from the bank started clanging. I ran after my friends. Within seconds, police cars were converging on the street.
‘That was way too close for comfort!’ said Boges, leaning over a chair and puffing.
Winter shook her head as she pulled off her jacket and practically ripped off her stockings. ‘It was a close call,’ she said, ‘such a close call. But we did it! Can you believe it? It worked!’
All three of us jumped up and high-fived each other.
Boges threw himself on the couch, grinning. ‘After what we’ve had to do to get this far, getting to Ireland will be a cinch!’
I didn’t exactly share Boges’s confidence, but at least we’d retrieved my family’s heirlooms. Our quest could start again!
‘Here,’ said Winter, passing me the packet from Oriana’s safety deposit box. ‘You should be the one to open it!’
Winter and Boges leaned forward as I emptied out the contents of the package on the table.
The three of us stared in disbelief.
‘Huh?’ said Boges. ‘What’s that?’
‘I don’t believe it!’ Winter cried in distress.
Instead of the amazing, one-in-a-million Ormond Jewel, we were staring at an ordinary oval brooch with a polished grey stone in the middle. I grabbed up what I first thought was the Riddle, only to find that it, too, was a fake.
‘Look, all the edges are frayed,’ I said. ‘It’s a copy! It’s a good copy, but it’s a fake! The original has a clean cut at the bottom—it’s not frayed on that bottom edge like this one.’ Slowly, I sank against the counter, all the excitement and energy drained out of me.
‘They’re not here,’ said Winter. ‘I can’t believethis! After everything we’ve done—Boges, all your work on the fingerprint. Disguises. Getting the PIN. I can’t believe it.’
The moments ticked by with the three of us in stunned silence as we stared at the fakes in front of us. I tried to focus.
Something occurred to me. ‘Oriana went to all the trouble of stashing them in the bank vault. Do you see what this means? Oriana doesn’t know these are fakes! Someone else has the real Jewel and the real Riddle!’
Boges glared at me. ‘If she doesn’t have them, then who does?’
I looked at Winter, who suddenly seemed uncomfortable.
‘It has to be Sligo,’ I said. ‘Somehow he must have intercepted my backpack at the funeral parlour and done the switcheroo. Oriana takes what she thinks is the original Ormond Riddle and Ormond Jewel and she stashes them in the bank for safekeeping, not realising that what she has is worthless. Worthless!’ I said, shoving the fakes off the table with a sweep of my arm. ‘Either there’s a third party involved in this—someone we’ve never heard of and don’t know about—or it has to be Sligo.’
‘But why would Sligo do a switcheroo?’ said Boges. ‘He’d just take them, wouldn’t he? Why go to the bother of replacing them with fakes?’
‘So that Oriana would believe that she had them,’ I said. ‘That gets her off his back. She thinks she’s sweet with the goods, leaving Sligo to relax and get on with the next part of his plan.’
Winter, who’d been sitting on the floor quietly, piped up. ‘Or Rathbone has outsmarted them both,’ she said.
‘All my time spent in the fume cupboard in the science lab … all for nothing!’ shouted Boges. ‘And it worked, can you believe it? My fake print
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