Game Play Page 7

  ‘What sort of car did he say?’

  ‘Green Toyota.’ Grand-nephew Bruce had stopped beside a mini.

  ‘Number plate?’

  ‘He said, EJV 362,’ remembered Amy.

  Christopher pointed. ‘ECP 123. That’s wrong, too. I think he just made up the number and the car.’

  ‘What else has he made up?’ Amy was hopping and still scraping mess from her shoe. ‘What are we going to do about it? They gave him the bag. It’s not really our business.’

  ‘But they did think he was their grand nephew. Didn’t they? Or were they just pretending?’

  The twins weren’t sure what to do next. Should one of them run back for Gloria? Should they try to find Tom?

  Christopher glanced at his watch again. Just then, Aunty Viv’s

  ‘ANIMAL ANTICS’ van drove into the carpark. The twins had never been so glad to see her.

  ‘Aunty Viv!’ She wound down the window.

  ‘Hi twins. Jump in. So glad your plane didn’t crash. I worry about you flying over all that water. At least you’re both good at backstroke.

  Hang on. I’ll have to find a parking space.’

  Christopher opened the passenger door. They hugged her.

  ‘Try to park near that mini ,Aunty Viv.’

  And she did. At first, she didn’t even ask why. That was the great thing about Aunty Viv. Apart from being scared of flying, she didn’t fuss about normal things. In the back, the twins could hear the animals. Amy thought of phoning Gloria for help. ‘What happened to your mobile phone, Aunty Viv?’

  ‘My phone?’ Aunty Viv looked puzzled.

  ‘The one Dad bought for you.’

  ‘Oh. It’s in the van pockets somewhere, dear.’

  ‘Not near Wilhemina?’

  ‘I hope not.’

  Wilhemina had snack-attacks. She’d never eaten a mobile in the past but there was always a first time!

  ‘Why didn’t you call us on the mobile?’

  ‘You were in the air, dear. And I was on the road. I didn’t think of it.’

  ‘So?’

  ‘I called from a public phone and left a couple of messages at the airport for you. At the UMs lounge. The number’s scribbled on the pad.’ On the armrest between the seats was the Aunty Viv survival kit: notepad, pen, map of Queensland, compass and peppermints.

  Amy turned and looked into the van. Something was chewing near her shoulder. ‘Hi, Wilhemina.’

  The mobile stuck out of the corner seat pocket. Amy opened it. Usually the aerial came out. This time it wasn’t all there.

  Aunty Viv glanced sideways. ‘Wilhemina? At least that’s probably what happened. Part of the aerial is missing.’

  ‘Wilhemina is nearby. She hasn’t eaten anything else today. And the phone doesn’t work properly?’

  The twins agreed. If you put together all those clues, the suspect was probably Wilhemina. That was an easy mystery to solve.

  ‘So why are we parking near this mini?’ Aunty Viv asked.

  ‘He could be a smuggler. Gloria might be interested in him.’

  ‘I see. And what are you going to do about it?’ The Animal Actors van was now parked two spaces away from the mini. They could see grand nephew Bruce, but he hadn’t noticed them. He was too busy.

  Unlocking the car, he threw the bag into the passenger seat. He slid into the driver’s seat.

  ‘D’you think he’s driving up closer to pick them up at the kerb?’

  Christopher watched closely. Grand nephew Bruce was using a key to unlock the tiny padlock. Then he was unzipping the bag.

  ‘Did Mrs Silver and Gold give him a key?’ hissed Christopher.

  ‘Not that I saw.’ Amy watched him pull out handfuls of jewellery.

  ‘Then he must have had his own. It must have been planned that he would pick up this bag.’ Christopher turned.

  ‘D’you know Gloria’s number?’

  ‘She’s got a walkie talkie and a beeper.’

  Meanwhile Aunty Viv had been checking on Wilhemina in the back.

  The twins watched closely. They could just see between the car windows. And the van was a little higher than a car.

  He pulled out the jewellery and dropped it on the front seat as if it didn’t matter. Then he pulled out some packages from underneath. He

  smiled. ‘D’you think..? Have a try.’ suggested Christopher.

  Amy nodded. The aerial was a bit chewed, but Amy straightened it up.

  ‘What’s the airport number?’ Aunty Viv had dialled it twice today already. ‘Here!’ The number was scribbled on the notepad beside the gears. Amy dialled the number.

  ‘Excuse me. Could you please put me through to Gloria, in Customs? It’s urgent.’

  Gloria was a quick worker. As soon as Amy contacted her and explained, she said, ‘Hang on, I’ll be out to the carpark as soon as possible. Which row?’

  ‘C 4.’ Christopher had noticed the parking signs on the way in.

  ‘We’re in an ANIMAL ACTORS van, parked two spaces away from the mini.’

  ‘Can you speak up? This is a bad connection. Your voice is fading.’

  Amy didn’t try to explain about Wilhemina’s snack attacks. So the twins waited for help to arrive. Aunty Viv listened as they explained in whispers. She was good like that.

  ‘So what were they smuggling?’

  ‘Something UNDER the jewellery,’ said Amy. ‘It might be steroids.’

  ‘D’you think Mrs Silver and Gold knew about the steroids underneath the jewellery?’ Christopher wondered.

  ‘Mrs Silver and Gold wear such a lot of bling.’

  ‘Yes. You couldn’t miss seeing or hearing it.’

  ‘D’you think that was a trick?’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘D’you think they wanted Customs to notice their jewellery so that the steroids would be missed?’

  ‘Could be.’ Aunty Viv stared out of the window. ‘I think you’ve got another problem. The mini is backing out. He’s leaving.’

  Amy swivelled around. ‘Where’s Gloria? We’ll have to stop him!’

  The twins jumped out of the van. Christopher raced across to the mini.He waved his arms so the driver could see him in his rear-vision mirror. ‘Stop!’

  The mini kept reversing.

  ‘Stop! Stop!

  Then the red brake lights went on.

  ‘Stop!

  What could they do? Could the Animal Actors van be used to block him in? Just until Gloria arrived with help?

  Meanwhile Amy had a better idea. She pulled Wilhemina out of the van and dragged her to the back of the mini.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ Grand nephew Bruce stuck his head out of the driver’s window. ‘Get out of my way!’

  Luckily he didn’t seem to recognise the twins. Now they’d made him stop, the twins had to think fast.

  Amy had tied Wilhemina to the bumper bar. ‘Excuse me, sir. You’ve got a goat attached to your bumper bar.’

  ‘What? Is this an April Fools Day joke or something?’ Grandnephew Bruce jumped out of the car. He raced around to the back of the mini. ‘It is a goat!’

  Wilhemina gave him a goat-smile.

  Meanwhile, from the passenger’s side, Christopher had grabbed the handles of the CAIRNS bag. It was still open. He jerked it up and hauled it out through the doorway. He started to run.

  ‘Hey! Stop thief!’ Grand-nephew Bruce had seen him.

  Christopher ducked in between the parked cars. The bag was heavy. He was getting puffed. Grand- nephew Bruce was catching up.

  Amy was following. Somehow Wilhemina had broken free and she was trotting alongside.

  Aunty Viv was laughing so hard she had to lean against the side of the van. Tears ran down her cheeks.

  ‘Stop!’ C
hristopher ran full tilt into Gloria who was running towards the C4 section of the carpark. She had three security people with her. They fell in a heap, legs and arms everywhere. Amy fell over them, too.

  Then Wilhemina trotted up and started to nibble Amy’s hair.

  ‘Stop that!’

  Gloria grabbed the CAIRNS bag. Two of the security men put their hands on grand-nephew Bruce.

  ‘Excuse me, sir. Would you like to come in to our office?

  Gloria checked at the bottom of the bag. ‘Yes, I think you’re right again, twins.’

  Back inside the airport, Mrs Silver and Mrs Gold were waiting anxiously near the tropical ferns window. Their other bags were still piled on the seat.

  Why are you arresting our nephew? What’s wrong? Where is our ‘Is he really your nephew? Or is he just a contact?’

  Mrs Silver and Mrs Gold didn’t answer. Gloria arranged for ALL their luggage to be examined again.

  ‘Noisy bling might have been a good cover for something else.’

  ‘Did you notice Mrs Silver’s necklace?’

  ‘Mmm. It did look like a collection of pills, didn’t it?’

  Mrs Silver overheard. ‘Pills! That necklace was especially designed for my great-great-great-great grandmother. She would have been insulted by comparing her work of art with a string of pills.’

  Gloria had checked the necklace. It was just a necklace. ‘But you never know. Lots of stolen jewellery is sold on e-bay too.’’

  ‘What about the antique jewellery in the CAIRNS bag belonging to Mrs Silver and Mrs Gold?’ asked the twins. ‘Did they know about the steroids underneath?’

  ‘That might also be fake!’ suggested Gloria.

  ‘Fake jewellery?’

  ‘No. Fake antique,’ said Gloria.

  ‘What’s the difference?’ asked Amy.

  ‘Why would it matter?’ asked Christopher.

  ‘Tax,’ said Tom quickly. ‘In Australia, antiques, over 100 years, are free of Customs duty and exempt from sales tax. Non-antique jewellery attracts customs duty and sales tax. There could be a story in this.’

  ‘Customs had a look. Most was estate jewellery but not 100 years old,’ said Gloria. ‘So they should pay tax. A couple of months ago, some fake antique jewellery was imported into South Australia from England.

  Local experts confirmed they weren’t antiques.’

  ‘What happened with the South Australian affair?’ asked Tom.

  ‘Customs investigated. They accepted that the importers believed their goods were genuine antiques.’

  Hearing that, Mrs Gold said crossly. ‘My relatives TOLD me it was over 100 years old. They must have kept the really old jewellery for themselves!’

  Mrs Silver was cross, too. ‘My aunt always said this was from her great-great-great-great aunt.’

  The twins wondered if she’d got mixed up with her greats. Or if Mrs Silver and Gold had been ‘conned’.

  ‘Were you aware of the steroids packed under the jewellery?’

  ‘What?’ They hadn’t known.

  Grand-nephew Bruce admitted that he set it all up. He was charged. He belonged to an international syndicate They had used the old aunts. The elderly ladies were given the family jewellery to carry.

  They were told to leave the CAIRNS bag in the middle locker and put the key underneath, so it could be fished out with a nail file. Or leave it on the message board in an envelope. But when they arrived in Cairns, the keys on most of the lockers were missing.

  ‘Why did they do it?’ asked the twins.

  ‘They didn’t think it out. Probably they were a bit worried about the jewellery. They suspected that carrying all that jewellery wasn’t quite legal, so they wore most of it.’

  ‘Does that make any difference?’ asked Christopher

  ‘No.’ said Gloria. ‘But they thought it might.’

  They were given the choice of either paying the Customs duty and sales tax totalling approximately $170, 000 or returning the non-antique items to the family in England. Meanwhile it was held by Customs.

  ‘D’you mean Mrs Silver and Mrs Gold are DOUBLE smugglers?’

  Amy asked Gloria. ‘Steroids and jewellery?’

  But Gloria said more proof was needed about the steroids. ALL the bags were put through the special X-ray back in the Customs Hall.

  Walking past the airport chemist, Amy remembered Mr Muscles’ VITTAMIN containers.

  ‘I think they were fakes, too!’ whispered Amy excitedly. ‘Mr Muscles’ vitamins.’

  ‘You’re off your face!’ said Christopher.

  ‘Don’t say that,’ said Tom Savvas quickly.

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘It means using drugs so heavily that the person is out of control.’

  ‘Sorry, sis. I didn’t mean THAT! Why do you think they’re fakes?’

  ‘Fake steroids. The ones meant for animals. Not for people.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Because the printed spelling is wrong on the label. ‘VITTAMINS’

  It should be ‘vitamins’.

  ‘Really? I missed that.’ Tom admitted.

  ‘Amy’s a good speller,’ explained Christopher.

  ‘Gloria told us about the wrong German spelling. That’s what made me think of it.’

  ‘But that might only mean that he’s repackaged the steroids. It doesn’t have to mean they’re animal ones.’

  ‘True.’

  But Amy passed on her suspicions to Gloria who said, ‘We’ll follow that up now. Meet me in my office in ten minutes.’

  In between, Aunty Viv insisted they thank the UM attendant.

  So they did.

  Amy squinted at the padded bag on Gloria’s table. It was addressed to Tom Savvas c/- Poste Restante, Cairns Airport Post Office. She turned the bag over. On the other side was the sender’s address. It was written in German. She knew that much even though she couldn’t work out the words.

  ‘Let’s see that SPORTS magazine.’ Amy flicked to the back pages.

  She found the ad. Christopher peered over her shoulder.

  ‘That matches the address in the SPORTS magazine,’ said Christopher.

  At that moment, Tom walked into the room. He looked from the padded bag to the twins’ faces. ‘Ah. You worked out what I’ve been doing. My research.’

  ‘Were you trying out the mail order system?’

  ‘Looks a bit like that, doesn’t it?’ replied Tom, opening the bag. ‘I wanted to prove how easy it was so I could expose it in my article.’

  ‘We have the steroids now. Tom gave them to us.’ Gloria shuffled the papers on the desk.

  ‘Oh, ‘ said Amy. ‘We weren’t sure. At first, we thought you might have been smuggling steroids in the CAIRNS bag. The one in the lockers.’

  Chapter 14

  Explanations

  Later, Gloria explained to Aunty Viv. ‘Thanks to the twins, we’ve uncovered an international steroid smuggling ring run by Bruce. They’ve been buying animal steroids in bulk. These were really meant for race horses. The ring repacked them, put on fake labels and sold them to professional body builders. This was the first time they’ve brought them in hidden under bling. Sometimes they were disguised as health foods like vitamins.’

  Like Mr Muscles.’ said sleuth Amy proudly.

  ‘Ah,’ said Gloria. ‘Mr Muscles did something else. He had fake fakes.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ The twins were puzzled. So Gloria explained.

  ‘Mr Muscles, as you call him, had made some fake steroids. He was going to sell them at the International Games.’

  ‘What did they look like?’

  ‘Little white pills.’

  ‘What were they made from?’

  ‘Oil and water. They look like sucrose pills. They’re called counterfeit steroid
s.’

  Amy had wondered why he dropped so many clues. ‘Did he want the sports teams to think he was an overseas steroids supplier?’

  ‘Why?’ asked Aunty Viv.

  ‘That way he could charge high prices.’

  ‘For fakes?’

  Amy said thoughtfully. ‘So he was acting like an advertisement for his pills because of his big muscles, but really he wasn’t selling anything harmful.’

  Gloria was checking something on a form. ‘I don’t think he had a chance to sell anything. He didn’t expect us to be so strict at the Customs level. If there hadn’t been the tip-off we wouldn’t have been examining everything.’

  ‘And yet he prepared the newspaper. He hid the pills in there.

  That must have taken ages to fix up.’

  ‘I know why,’ exclaimed Christopher. ‘So that Customs would think he was carrying the real thing.’

  Amy shook her head. ‘That doesn’t make sense. He didn’t want to get caught. He just wanted to look as if he was carrying the real things for any buyers, like athletes.’

  ‘Then why did he try to give me the newspaper just before he was searched at Customs?’

  ‘Scared of being caught? A warning by another seller like the soccer player?’

  ‘But why did he give them to me? The pills were still rolled up inside. I might have had a look.’ Amy was still puzzled.

  ‘He took a risk. But he didn’t want to be caught with them on him.’

  Christopher hadn’t worked it out yet.

  Gloria said, ‘But they weren’t the real steroids. We couldn’t have charged him for them.’

  Christopher pushed back his glasses ... thinking time again.

  ‘But they did look real. Perhaps he was so worried that they might be found by Customs and thought to be real.’ said Amy.

  ‘Our tests are very thorough.’ said Gloria.

  ‘Or he didn’t know,’ Christopher suggested quickly. ‘What if all along he thought they were the real thing?

  ‘You mean someone was playing a trick on him?’ Gloria looked thoughtful. ‘Maybe he found out while waiting in the queue?’

  ‘He had two lots. The ones in the rolled newspaper which are sucrose fakes which he was passing off as real. And the ones in the vitamin containers which were animal steroids passing as human.’