Fleeced (8 page)

Chapter 11

That night, Mum and Dad radioed Milford Sound to check that Amy was okay. She could stay in the hotel until they got there. Christopher was sure she'd be sleuthing around. She'd told him something before she flew out.

‘Travel insurance pays for the flight,' Zoe explained. ‘It's search and rescue. That's why a police helicopter is used. Brian Todd, Gertrude's son was flown out too.'

‘What happened to him?'

What Christopher learnt then, helped him piece together part of the mystery.

Big Jon remembered, ‘ He was on my Celebrity Walk. Hurt his leg looking for minerals in the creek. That cook helped him back to the hut. ‘

‘Was he the same guy who makes our sandwiches?' asked Christopher.

‘Probably.'

Had there been a nugget sandwich, wondered Christopher? Meanwhile he would watch out for suspect Stan, Ms Tree who was still trailing them, golfing Gertrude and the fishing Big Jon. Even Zoe knew about gold and was still minding that kea watch.

‘We made it!'

The 33 1/2 mile sign marked Sandfly Point, the Track end.

‘A photo opportunity!' Hiroshi clicked.

‘Guess where the name came from?' Zoe itched her arm.

‘Is that a joke?' Stan swatted a sandfly. ‘Missed!'

Sandfly spots on Christopher's wrist itched. ‘How come they don't have a Mackas Sandfly Snack?'

Squelch! Stan hit another fly, with his walking stick, which rattled!

‘Is that a left handed walking stick?”

‘No. Although I'm thinking of inventing one. I'm a part-time inventor you know.'

‘He's made some clever things.' interrupted Ms Tree who'd become Stan's big shadow. While wondered how she knew, Christopher was more interested in Big Jon.

‘Have some of my anti-fly lotion,' Big Jon pulled a big bottle of repellent from his backpack.

That was the suspicious shape!

Crack! Stan aimed his stick at a sandfly near Big Jon's arm. He missed and hit the face of Big Jon's watch. It cracked!

‘Er, so sorry.' Stan looked really upset. ‘Can I buy you another one?'

‘Don't worry. A well- travelled watch,' Big Jon looked regretfully at the cracked face. ‘But I've got several more from our ‘Goldbuyers' rugby sponsors.'

‘Does the back come off ?' asked Christopher.

‘Yes. Unfortunately. Smugglers have already done that.'

‘What do you mean?'

‘My watch was taken from my hotel room during the international games. The police got it back. And I wore

it past South African customs security. Later, I found that the ‘fan' had smuggled out a nugget in my copy-watch. Unknowingly, I couriered it for them.'

Christopher was fascinated. ‘When did the smugglers try to get it back from you?'

‘At the airport. But Customs caught them.'

‘How?'

‘A tip off. I wasn't blamed. Fans have taken my clothes before. I just thought it was another fan-theft.'

Sleuth Christopher had suspected the watches!

‘If you take the back off, ‘ Big Jon showed them.' There's room to carry a nugget or two.'

Was someone trying the same method here, Christopher thought.

‘Was the copy-watch method reported in the newspapers?' asked Christopher.

‘Yes.' said Big Jon.' Internationally.'

‘So a copy-cat might use a copy-watch to smuggle Milford nuggets? ‘ suggested Christopher. But a nugget-smuggler must have been on the Track before to know where the nuggets were. Could it be Hiroshi? He'd walked the track before? Big Jon? Not likely. What about Gertrude? Or even Zoe? Or Ms Tree and Stan?

Christopher still suspected Stan's stick. Something had rattled in there.Could it be a gold nugget? As he returned it to Stan, he deliberately dropped it.

‘Something's rattling Stan. Let me fix it for you. I'll screw the top.' Christopher unscrewed the top of the walking stick. Out fell something!

‘Diet pills,' explained Stan.

Despite having to hop, Amy had been busy sleuthing. She watched the hotel-guide check in backpacks of the group in front of theirs. Most went into the drying room but two were put aside.

‘What are you doing with them?' asked Amy.

‘Straps need mending. I'll replace those packs with others for the next group.'

‘Do you record the pack numbers and who uses them?'

‘Of course. Occasionally people leave things zipped in the pockets. We post lost items onto their home addresses. Occasionally we miss something small.'

Quickly Amy checked the equipment list. In Group 66, backpack 108 was booked out to Todd. For the next few walking groups, it was in the store, being mended.

So no-one had used it in-between Todd and Amy. Maybe that's why the map hadn't been found earlier. Why had Todd carried a kea copy-watch? To hide a nugget?

Why had it been left behind? Had he left in a hurry?

‘Did Gertrude Todd book backpack 108 for our walk?' asked Amy.

‘Look in the equipment book. Sometimes people have lucky number requests.'

Amy found what she was looking for. But it didn't all fit together. Had Todd left the marked map in backpack 108 by accident? Were the crosses the nugget locations? Did he tell his Mum to ask for that backpack, knowing they were her favourite numbers? Would he have known about the backpack being mended?

If Todd was a gold smuggler who was now in the prison farm, maybe that's why he sent his Mum. No-one would suspect her.

In the hotel office Amy found old group photos. She checked faces. On the back were the names. She found a Labelled photo of Brian Todd in the celebrity walk of Big Jon! Autographs were scrawled on the back. But not Brian Todd's. Was that important?

By late afternoon, when the trekkers arrived at the hotel from Sandfly Point by boat, Amy had solved some of the mystery. But she was too late to catch the nugget-thief. That person flew out early.

‘How did you find that out?' Christopher asked. They were sharing clues, sitting on the front steps. Amy's leg stuck out at a strange angle.

Amy grinned. ‘I hobbled into the hotel chemist shop. I wanted something for my blister. So I asked the chemist about diabetics.'

‘Gertrude told me about her son. The cook made some diabetic meals, several weeks ago. I think the cook was also a nugget-thief who took the photo. I matched Brian Todd's legs, shorts and boots in the half photo with the Group photo. ‘Amy was talking faster as she got more excited.

‘So what did that prove? Only that he was on the tour.' Christopher was unsure.

‘Brian Todd was the Loser. Left his stuff behind. And left crosses on the map. At first I thought the crosses were photo opportunities. Then pick- up points for smuggled keas. The kea watch had to fit in somewhere.

But the keas were too big to hide. So it had to be nuggets. Brian marked where he'd found the main nuggets on his first visit. This was a sign for the next pick-up.'

‘I know why the things were left in backpack 108. Brian Todd was injured and flown out unexpectedly.

Maybe his backpack was left behind with the guide?' suggested Christopher.

‘Right! But why didn't he have his things posted on? SShh. Here comes Zoe.'

‘But he was arrested and sent to the prison farm.' Christopher ignored the ‘be quiet.'

Overhearing them, Zoë said.' Brian Todd wasn't arrested for smuggling gold. He was imprisoned for credit card fraud.' Zoe hurried away. ‘See you for the special dinner in half an hour.'

‘Fraud!”

Her leg might be out of action, but Amy's brain was working at full speed.

‘What if each nugget was hidden in a tiny plastic sandwich bag at those crosses? During this trek, someone transferred them to the back of a copy- watch.'

‘Who? Was it Big Jon when he stayed back to fish?'

Amy shook her head. ‘He knew about the copy-watch scam. He'd already been ‘fleeced' by that South African fan.'

‘I thought it might be Stan,' suggested Christopher. ‘He was always hanging back to meet that Freedom Walker. And his sandwiches were specially marked. At first I thought the cook was smuggling the nuggets out as crunchy peanut butter.'

Amy said seriously, ‘I think the cook was involved. He took the photo of Todd.'

‘Why was the photo ripped?' Christopher hadn't worked that out yet.

‘Accidentally? But it also meant that Gertrude would know her son's accomplice. He could match it with the other half. They did that when no-one else was around.'

‘Talking of photos. Why did Stan want two group photos as proof?'