Crowns and Codebreakers (18 page)
Read Crowns and Codebreakers Online
Authors: Elen Caldecott
Jimmy took his tea from Gran with a nod. He blew on it thoughtfully before saying, ‘We’ve found Femi’s family. His
aunt. She owns a farm. He’s going to go and live with her. There’s no sign of his mum and dad sadly. Which is maybe why he fell into the clutches of the gang in the first place.’
‘He’s not in any trouble now?’ Minnie asked.
‘No. He’s too young to face any charges. He was being used as a courier, money, communications, all hidden in his luggage. But it’s over. Don’t worry, he’s safe now.’
‘And the head?’
‘You were right. It had been excavated illegally. The police in Nigeria have traced the thieves. It seems they were behind a few art thefts in the country. Anthea Swift used her connections to smuggle the bronze head out and Marcus was going to sell it on in Europe.’ Jimmy took a sip of his drink, then pulled a face. Minnie didn’t blame him. Tea shouldn’t taste of flowers.
Gran sat down at the table. ‘The kings can rest again,’ she said.
Jimmy nodded. ‘The head will be returned to Nigeria as soon as the investigation is concluded.’ He put down his cup. It was still nearly full. ‘Well, that was delicious, but I think we’d best be getting on. Shall I take your luggage down to the car?’
‘You can take this box,’ Mum said, handing him the food. ‘We’ll be down in a minute with the rest.’
There was a general bustle as Gran rinsed the cups and Jimmy got to his feet. He headed out with the food. Then Dad was back. He took Gran’s big red suitcases.
Minnie carried the small black one downstairs. It was only a little thing – light too. But it had started such a big adventure. It just went to show, the small things were important too.
Jimmy’s squad car was parked outside the salon. It was allowed in the pedestrian zone. Above, the sky was the bright blue of the sea. An aeroplane had left cotton bud trails. Minnie placed the black case carefully in the boot of the car.
She paused, looking at it. It had led her to Femi, to the head of a king, to an international smuggling ring. It was amazing.
‘Mind out,’ Dad said. He swung the big red cases up, and the black case was hidden.
Jimmy held open the door for Gran to get in. ‘Will you say your goodbyes now?’ he asked.
Mum shook her head. ‘Don’t be silly. We’re all coming with you.’
Then Minnie found herself squished in the back of the car, with Mum and Dad on either side and Gran in
the front. Jimmy turned on the radio. It crackled with police messages, then he pressed a button and music filled the car. He turned up the volume.
Minnie settled back into her seat and smiled.
She hoped the wind changed and they could stay like this forever.
Thank you to the wonderful Lucy Coats, whose postcard at Folly Farm was so inspirational. To Liz Kessler, who helped to make sure we were all in the same room at the same time. Thanks also to Christian and Ekwy, who read an early draft of this book, checking for cultural errors. Any that still remain are entirely my fault. Thanks to Ellen, Polly, Helen, Jodie, Jane and Julian for their careful steering through an eventful time. And massive thanks to my family for their support; especially Simon, who suggests parallel universes where much worse things happen in order to keep me cheery.
Elen Caldecott graduated with an MA in Writing for Young People from Bath Spa University. Before becoming a writer, she was an archaeologist, a nurse, a theatre usher and a museum security guard. It was while working at the museum that Elen realised there is a way to steal anything if you think about it hard enough. Elen either had to become a master thief, or create some characters to do it for her – and so her debut novel,
How Kirsty Jenkins Stole the Elephant
, was born. It was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Prize and was followed by
The Mystery of Wickworth Manor
and
The Great Ice-Cream Heist
. Elen lives in Bristol with her husband, Simon, and their dog.
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How Kirsty Jenkins Stole the Elephant
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Operation Eiffel Tower
The Mystery of Wickworth Manor
The Great Ice-Cream Heist
Bloomsbury Publishing, London, New Delhi, New York and Sydney
First published in Great Britain in July 2015 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
50 Bedford Square, London WC1B 3DP
Bloomsbury is a registered trademark of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Text copyright © Elen Caldecott 2015
Illustrations copyright © Nathan Reed 2015
The moral rights of the author and illustrator have been asserted
All rights reserved
No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
eISBN 978 1 4088 5272 9
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