Read Online The Case of the Stolen Film by Gareth P. Jones - Free Book Online

remained perfectly still, listening for another sound. He turned round as something flew over him. A weight landed on his back. He stumbled forward, tripped on a root and fell to the ground. Spikes dug into his skin, so sharp he could even feel them through the hard skin on his back. Dirk craned his neck around just enough to catch a glimpse of the spiky face of a particularly vicious-looking Desert Dragon before it pushed his head to the ground. Strong limbs pinned him to the floor and a thin voice said, ‘You looking to rumble, dragon? You come trespassin’ on my turf lookin’ for a fight?’

Chapter 12

    â€˜I surrender,’ said Dirk, hoping that the Desert Dragon on his back had already used up his day’s worth of poison.
    â€˜That’s real funny,’ said an incredulous voice. ‘You come struttin’ into my territory, ready to rumble, and you expect me to believe that you surrender? Old Putz ain’t no klutz. You’re a friend of Kitelsky’s, ain’t you? I shoulda saw it comin’, a cheap trick like this. He don’t wanna play fair no more.’
    â€˜Listen, Putz, my name’s Dirk Dilly. I’m a detective. I didn’t come here to fight and I don’t know anyone called Kitelsky,’ said Dirk.
    â€˜Dirk Dilly? What kind of silly name is that?’
    â€˜It’s my name,’ snarled Dirk, ‘and don’t call me silly.’
    â€˜You don’t get to give orders on my turf, OK, particularly when I found you with your claws ready flicked,’ said Putz.
    â€˜I only drew my claws because I heard a noise,’ said Dirk.
    â€˜A noise? I didn’t make no noise. Old Putz is a silent assailant.’
    â€˜Sure you made a noise,’ said another voice.
    â€˜Kitelsky,’ growled Putz. ‘I knew it. So he is with you.’
    At first it looked to Dirk like one of the Joshua trees was moving, but what Dirk had taken for branches were thick limbs. What had looked like a mound of dead grass at the foot of the tree was a dragon’s head at the end of a long neck, with two yellow eyes set in the middle. A tail swung into view, with a cone of white spikes at the end.
    â€˜He ain’t wi’ me,’ said Kitelsky. ‘It looks to me like he’s wi’ you.’
    â€˜If he were wi’ me, why would I be pinning him down, which I am doing, I should say, with no small degree of ease and expertise?’ replied Putz.
    â€˜Because that’s how you treat your friends, Putz,’ replied Kitelsky bitterly.
    Dirk felt the weight lift from his back as Putz flew at Kitelsky, his spikes splayed out, but Kitelsky was ready for him, diving out of the way, leaving Putz to land into a roll before jumping back on to all fours and squaring off.
    Putz’s skin was lighter than Kitelsky’s, with sharp green spikes on the end of his tail, and, where Kitelsky had a grassy beard, Putz’s craggy chin was visible. He snarled, showing his white teeth.
    Maintaining eye contact, the two dragons started to sidestep, head to head, moving in a circle. A bubbling noise came from the backs of their throats. Dirk edged away.
    As they paced, he understood what Mrs Klingerflim had meant about their movements being beautiful. They stepped in perfect time with each other. It was like watching a graceful dance.
    Then Putz broke step. He opened his mouth wide and spat a stream of luminous green liquid at the other dragon. Kitelsky ducked and the liquid flew over his head, hitting the tree behind him, which hissed as the poison burnt straight through its bark and caused it to fall to the ground.
    Neither Desert Dragon looked at the tree, their yellow eyes remaining fixed on each other as they movedback and forth. Without warning Kitelsky took a sidestep then spat poison at Putz. Putz jumped into the air to avoid it, somersaulting over Kitelsky, who spun round, bringing them face to face again.
    â€˜You’re