Operation Gadgetman! (12 page)

‘Not yet. But I'll find it today for sure. Can you go away and come back this evening for it?' Beans said.

‘But Beans, what about all those papers in the workroom?' Louisa reminded her.

‘Papers?' Detective Warner said quickly.

‘Oh, they're not the ones you want,' Beans dismissed. ‘Dad always keeps his notes and drawings on serious projects in his bedroom or in the attic. The papers in his workroom are details of his official Gadgetman spy kits.'

‘Ah yes, the workroom. I'd like to take a look in there,' Detective Warner said.

‘You've been in there before,' Beans said.

‘No, I haven't,' the detective replied sharply. ‘You're mistaken.'

‘Oh . . . I thought you had . . . I – I'd let you see it but . . . but Gran has padlocked the door and gone off to church with the key in her handbag,' Beans lied. ‘Have you seen Dad's Gadgetman spy kits? They're going on sale at the end of the month. Would you like to see one? My kit is in my bedroom. Hang on a sec whilst . . .'

Detective Warner shook his head. ‘No, we don't have time. So you think you'll find the papers on the induction oscillator today?'

‘Yes, I'm sure of it,' Beans said. ‘Could you wait there a moment, please?'

Beans pulled Ann and Louisa out of the sitting-room and into the kitchen.

‘You two are not to say a word to those detectives. Not one word,' Beans whispered vehemently.

Beans ran round the kitchen, getting two glasses out of the cupboard. Ann and Louisa frowned at each other, totally baffled. Beans placed each glass in a saucer after cleaning them thoroughly with some kitchen towel first. Then she filled the glasses with fresh orange juice from the fridge.

‘Is something wrong?' Detective Warner came to stand in the kitchen doorway, Sergeant Paxman behind him. Beans jumped.

‘No . . . er . . . I was just getting you both a drink. Some orange juice.' Beans smiled. She'd never found smiling so hard to do.

‘No thanks,' Detective Warner said.

‘Oh, but . . . but I've poured it out now.' Beans held out the drinks by the saucers to the two detectives.

Detective Warner shrugged at Sergeant Paxman before taking the glass of orange juice. The sergeant took his drink. They both downed them in one before placing them back on the saucers.

‘I . . . I'm sorry for the delay, but I only had a chance to really start looking for what you wanted this morning,' Beans said. ‘Detective Warner, should I phone you when I find anything? At the same number as before?'

‘Yes, do that,' the detective said.

‘But like I said, I'm sure I'll find them later on today anyway,' Beans smiled.

‘Fine,' said Detective Warner. ‘We'll see ourselves out.'

‘Louisa, show them to the front door then.' Beans elbowed Louisa in the ribs to get her going.

Louisa frowned at Beans, but followed the two policemen out into the hall. Beans set down the glasses in their saucers carefully, one on either side of the hob.

‘Warner.' Beans pointed to the now empty glass on the left. ‘Paxman.' She pointed to the one on the right.

‘Beans, what are . . . ?' Ann began.

‘Ann, you can help me wash up these glasses,' Beans said, her voice louder than normal.

‘Oh, all right,' Ann grumbled. ‘But I wish you'd stop being so mysterious and tell me what's going on.'

Louisa came back into the kitchen.

‘They've gone?' Beans whispered.

‘Yes, of course,' said Louisa, surprised.

‘You shut the front door behind them?' Beans asked urgently.

Louisa nodded.

‘ANN, DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH THAT GLASS!' Beans screamed.

Ann's arm froze, just as her hand was about to pick up the now-empty glass used by one of the policemen.

‘You just told me to help you wash up,' Ann said, annoyed.

‘That was for
their
benefit, not yours,' Beans said. ‘Wait here, you two. I'm just going to get my spy kit, and for goodness sake don't touch those glasses.'

‘What's wrong with her?' Ann asked Louisa as Beans raced up the stairs.

‘Don't ask me.' Louisa shrugged. ‘She was fine until those two policemen arrived. Mind you, there was something weird about that sergeant. He didn't say much, did he? And . . .'

They heard Beans charge downstairs. She ran full pelt into the kitchen, spy-kit briefcase in one hand,
OPERATION GADGETMAN
folder in the other.

Louisa and Ann watched as Beans put the folder on the work surface before opening her briefcase. She got out the vial of dark fingerprint powder. Digging into her jeans pockets, she then took out a small reel of Sellotape.

‘Are you going to dust the glasses for fingerprints?' asked Ann, surprised.

Beans nodded.

‘What on earth for?' Louisa frowned.

‘Did you notice the sergeant?' Beans asked, as she dusted fingerprint powder all round each glass.

‘What about him?' Louisa asked.

‘His jaw-line in particular,' Beans hinted.

She brushed the excess powder off the prints and straightened up with a smile. ‘A perfect set of prints – on both glasses.' Beans grinned.

‘His skin was paler on the lower half of his face.' Louisa shrugged. ‘So what?'

‘Louisa, you haven't read the section in my dad's book on disguises.' Beans smiled with satisfaction. ‘Because if you had, you'd know that when a bearded man shaves off his beard, especially in the summer, the skin beneath the beard is invariably going to be lighter than the rest of his face. It's the same for black men as well as white men.'

‘So Sergeant Paxman had a beard until recently. So wha . . . ?' Louisa's voice trailed off as she realized what she'd said. ‘You're not saying . . . he can't be . . . !' Louisa stared.

‘You mean . . . Sergeant Paxman and Lucas Moynahan are one and the same person?' Ann breathed.

‘That's exactly what I mean,' Beans replied.

‘But they can't be. What would Lucas Moynahan be doing with Detective Warner?' Ann shook her head.

‘Who told you he was Detective Warner? Who told you he was a detective?
He
did,' Beans said. Her tone was angry, but Louisa knew that Beans was angry with herself rather than anyone else. ‘It's all my fault. Dad's always warning me not to let anyone into the house – the gas people, the electricity people, anyone – without scrutinizing their identification cards first. He waves his wallet under my nose and I just assumed it was all right. I never had a proper, long look.'

As Beans spoke, she used the Sellotape to carefully lift the fingerprints off the glasses and place them on a clean piece of paper. She put the Sellotape back into her pocket and carried on talking.

‘D'you know what I think happened? I reckon Lucas Moynahan shaved off his beard and wore sunglasses and extra layers of clothing to disguise himself. Did you see how squidgy and strange his shape was? I'll bet you anything that was padding underneath his outer clothes. He was trying to make sure that none of us would recognize him – changing his hairstyle, padding himself out, shaving off his beard. Only he was a little too smart for his own good. Or he reckoned we were more stupid than we are!'

‘But why?' Ann asked, bewildered. ‘I mean, what did he hope to gain?'

‘I think they were hoping to find me alone. Yesterday, so-called Detective Warner questioned me very closely about when Gran would be in, but I reckon now that he was more interested in when Gran would be
out
. They wanted to get me as well, to force Dad to tell them how the induction oscillator works. And if they couldn't get me, then Dad's notes or blueprints on the oscillator would be the next best thing. That Lucas Moynahan had to disguise himself or I would never have let him in. And he couldn't risk being seen by our neighbours, in case I had told someone about him and they gave his real description to the police.'

‘Detective Warner didn't need to disguise himself because he was already in disguise. You already thought he was a detective,' Louisa gasped. ‘So those two are the kidnappers . . . What a pair of cow pats! We have to go to the police. Right this second . . .'

‘Oh no!' Beans straightened up suddenly, her expression stricken, horrified.

‘What's the matter?' Ann asked. ‘What is it?'

‘Dad's letter – the one with the secret message,' Beans said, dismayed. ‘I gave it to so-called Detective Warner. They knew right from the start what Dad did. Oh, how could I have been so stupid? I got Dad into even more trouble.'

‘You weren't to know,' Ann said. ‘None of us were.'

‘But what about the letter? How can I go to the police? That letter was proof that Dad's been kidnapped,' Beans whispered. ‘I haven't got anything else.'

‘What about the fingerprints the kidnappers left on the glasses?' Louisa asked.

Her lips a hard, anxious line, Beans took out her magnifying glass and started closely examining the fingerprints she'd just got off the glasses, comparing them to the fingerprints she'd recorded on Friday evening.

Ann crossed her fingers so tightly that they started to hurt. She and Louisa both peered over Beans's shoulder.

‘I knew it!' Beans squealed.

‘What is it?' Ann asked, moving in for a better look.

‘Remember I took some fingerprints off the door handle of Dad's workroom?' Beans said. ‘Look at that! This one matches up exactly with the right-hand little-finger print of Lucas Moynahan, taken from the prints I just got off his glass.'

‘Are you sure?' Louisa asked.

‘Look for yourself. It's got a whorl pattern with a ridge count of three,' Beans said.

‘It's got a
what
?' Louisa blinked.

‘Read Dad's book – as I keep telling you! It's all explained in there,' Beans said. ‘You know what this means, don't you? To my knowledge, Lucas Moynahan has never been in Dad's workroom, and I bet he'd deny even being in this house. Why should he have been in here? Dad doesn't know him. Their only connection is Dad's building society. So what were his fingerprints doing on Dad's workroom door handle? Lucas was here, both as Sergeant Paxman and as Lucas Moynahan. These fingerprints will prove it's one and the same man.'

‘What about the one who calls himself Detective Warner?' Louisa asked. ‘Who's he, then?'

‘The accomplice of that creep, Lucas Moynahan. He's no more a detective than I am,' Ann said with disgust.

‘You girls are too smart for your own good. We'll take that folder! And those fingerprints.' The voice cracked out like a whiplash from behind them.

Beans's head spun round in dismay. Ann gasped. Louisa couldn't breathe. There, standing by the open kitchen window and listening to every word, was ‘Detective' Julian Warner – one of the kidnappers!

‘RUN!' Beans shouted.

Ann and Louisa didn't need to be told twice! Beans snatched up her
OPERATION GADGETMAN
folder from the kitchen work surface, her piece of paper with all the fingerprints on it, and legged it after her friends.

‘STOP! YOU GIRLS, STAY RIGHT THERE!' Julian Warner yelled after them.

Beans heard him rattle the kitchen door, then curse. She offered up a silent prayer. Thank goodness Gran had locked the kitchen door. What a shame she didn't do the same to the side gate! Beans wondered how much the so-called detective had heard. Enough – of that there was no doubt. Beans rammed her new evidence into the
OPERATION GADGETMAN
folder.

‘Quick! The front door!' Louisa shouted.

Ann got to the door first. She tried to turn the latch. It slipped through her sweaty fingers before it opened. And there stood Lucas Moynahan.

‘Ann . . .' Louisa urged desperately.

Ann tried to push the door shut. Lucas stuck his foot in it and pushed.

‘Help me! Quick!' Ann squealed. She pushed back against the door with all her might. Lucas's hand appeared round the door as he sought a grip. Beans launched herself against the door to help Ann. Lucas cursed fluently as he tried to push back.

‘Louisa, quick! Do something!' Beans hissed frantically.

Louisa slammed her fist against Lucas's fingers whilst stomping down on his foot. His hand and foot withdrew immediately, to be replaced by a whole string of words that Beans's gran wouldn't have approved of. The girls slammed the door.