BOOK SEVEN: JULY. Scholastic Australia. 345 Pacific Highway. Lindfield NSW
2070. An imprint of Scholastic Australia Pty Limited. (ABN 11 000 614 577).
To Amber, Cal, Holly, Jimmy and Matt
Scholast ic Austra l ia 345 Pa ci f ic H i g hway Li nd f ield NSW 2070 A n i mpr i nt of Scholast ic Austra l ia Pty Li m ited (A BN 11 000 614 577) PO Box 579 Gosford NSW 2250 w w w.scholast ic.com.au Pa r t of the Scholast ic Group Syd ney • Auck la nd • New York • Toronto • London • Mex ico City • New Del h i • Hon g Kon g • Buenos A i res • Puer to R ico Fi rst publ ished by Scholast ic Austra l ia i n 2010. Tex t copy r i g ht © Gabr iel le Lord, 2010. Graph ics by Nicole Lea r y, copy r i g ht © Scholast ic Austra l ia, 2010. Cover copy r i g ht © Scholast ic Austra l ia, 2010. Cover desi g n by Nata l ie Wi nter. Cover photog raphy: boy by Wendel l Lev i Teodoro (w w w.zeduce.org) © Scholast ic Austra l ia 2010; close-up of boy’s fa ce by M ichael Ba g na l l © Scholast ic Austra l ia 2010; chu rch © Serge La mere/Shutterstock; icicles © Ga r y Pau l Lew is/Shutterstock; ratra k tra cks © r yby/ Shutterstock; u nderg rou nd tu n nel © Perov Sta n islav/Shutterstock. I nterna l photog raphy: phone on pa ge 139 © istockphoto.com/Ma rk Frost; sku l l on pa ge 139 © istockphoto.com/Ph i l ip Ba rker; paper on pa ge 081 © istockphoto.com/Ra ndy Plett. A l l r i g hts reser ved. No pa r t of th is publ icat ion may be reproduced or tra nsm itted i n a ny form or by a ny mea ns, electron ic or mecha n ica l, i nclud i n g photocopy i n g, record i n g, stora ge i n a n i n format ion retr ieva l system, or other w ise, w ithout the pr ior w r itten perm ission of the publ isher, u n less speci f ica l ly perm itted u nder the Austra l ia n Copy r i g ht Act 1968 as a mended.
Nat iona l Libra r y of Austra l ia Cata log u i n g-i n-Publ icat ion entr y: Lord, Gabr iel le, 1946Conspi ra cy 365: Ju ly / Gabr iel le Lord. ISBN 978-1-74169-319-5 ( pbk.) A823.3 Pr i nted by McPherson’s Pr i nt i n g Group, Ma r yborou g h, Victor ia. Schol a st ic Au st ra l i a’s pol icy, i n a sso ci at ion w it h McPher son’s P r i nt i n g Gr oup, i s t o u se paper s t h at a r e r enewable a nd m a de ef f icient ly f r om wood g r ow n i n su st a i n able for est s, so a s t o m i n i m i se it s env i r on ment a l foot pr i nt .
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BOOK SEVEN: JULY
GABRIELLE LORD
JULY
1 JULY 184 days to go . . .
12:00 am Ton nes of wat er sw i rled a l l a r ou nd me a s I thrashed a nd f lou ndered, t r y i n g to claw my way out of t he enclosi n g f ish i n g net. I k new I cou ld n’t hold my breat h much lon ger. My lu n gs were desperate for a i r, a nd a l ready I cou ld feel my mout h wanting to open, even though that wou ld be a fata l move. T he net t i g htened, cr ush i n g me a ga i nst t he t rapped f ish. Fi ns a nd pr ick ly sca les scored my fa ce a nd ha nds l i ke t i ny ra zors. I st r u g g led, pa n icked a nd fra nt ic, feel i n g l i ke my lu n gs were goi n g to ex plode. Pull it up! I beg ged t he f ish i n g boat si lent ly. Plea se pull the net up! Don’t let me drown down here! T he pressu re was u nbea rable. A r i n g i n g i n my ea rs bu i lt i nto a cr ush i n g su rge. My pa n ic esca lated. This is it! T he pressu re sh i f ted as a sudden lu rch i n g, sw i n g i n g motion moved us th rou g h the water. T he net was l i f ti n g! I f I cou ld just hold on a few 181
CONSPIRACY 365
JULY
seconds longer! But my lu ngs sudden ly conv u lsed
were bleed i n g from t he t i ny i ncisions made by
out of my control, a nd I g u lped . . . a i r! Wonder-
hu nd reds of f i ns a nd spi kes.
fu l, l i fe-sav i n g a i r!
‘Hey! We’ve cau g ht ou rselves a mer ma id!’
T he net had broken t h rou g h t he su r fa ce of t he da rk sea, a nd a hu ge i n ha lat ion of ox ygen
sa id a voice nea rby. ‘Hey sk ipper! Look what we picked up!’
r ushed dow n my t h roat. I cou ld breat he —just!
Wet, bla ck r ubber boots stepped up close to
H i g her a nd h i g her t he bu l g i n g net sw u n g above
my fa ce. I st ra i ned my eyes, bl i n k i n g u nder t he
t he water, compressi n g my body even more w it h
torch l i g ht t hat was sudden ly on me. A you n g g uy
t he wei g ht of t he hu ge cat ch su r rou nd i n g me.
was bend i n g over me, h is su nbu r nt fa ce peer i n g
Fish seet hed, scraped a nd hopelessly f la i led,
out t h rou g h t h ick, cu rly ha i r. He k icked me gen-
pressed a ga i nst my sk i n.
t ly, l i ke he was check i n g I was a l ive. ‘Jeez, she’s not t he prett iest one I’ve ever
12:04 am
seen!’ he sa id to a not her g uy com i n g up beh i nd
T he bottom of t he net abr upt ly opened, g iv i n g
h i m. ‘You’re pretty bad ly cut, k id,’ he sa id to me.
way l i ke t he wet ex plosion of a bu rst water ba l-
‘How d id you get you rsel f i nto t h is mess?’
loon. I was sent free-fa l l i n g from about t h ree
A boom i n g voice from a megaphone broke
met res, a nd du mped on t he deck of t he boat.
t h rou g h my consciousness, t he words loud a nd
T he cat ch sk idded out ever y where a nd I la nded
clea r. ‘Ca l lu m Or mond! Stop! Pol ice!’
w it h a t hud, f lat on my ba ck. I was stu n ned a nd
I st r u g g led to get up. T he si l houette of t he
st i l l st r u g g l i n g for a i r as f ish f lapped desper-
second deck ha nd was tu r ned away from me,
ately a rou nd me. My breat h ca me i n g reat sob-
wat ch i n g t he approa ch i n g pol ice boat, St ingray.
bi n g g u lps. I cou ld n’t do a ny t h i n g except suck i n
I looked a rou nd for a way out —a way of
ox ygen. I had su r v ived, a nd t hat was a l l I k new
snea k i n g of f t he boat u n not iced. I checked for
or ca red about just t hen.
my ba ckpa ck. It was st i l l on my shou lders. I st i l l
I pu l led a sma l l brea m from my fa ce, shook
had t he Or mond Jewel, but had ever y t h i n g su r-
of f st r i n gs of sl i my seaweed from my ha i r, a nd
v ived bei n g u nder water? T here was no t i me to
spat sea water from my sa lty l ips. T he d i m g low
check. A br i l l ia nt l i g ht was sweepi n g t he su r fa ce
of t he boat’s spot l i g hts showed t hat my ha nds
of t he sea nea rby, ever y second gett i n g closer to
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CONSPIRACY 365
JULY
t he deck of t he boat t hat I had la nded on. I had
t he da rk ness, revea l i n g t he choppy su r fa ce of
to get away or h ide! T hink, Cal, think, shouted
t he su r rou nd i n g sea, a nd t he uptu r ned jet sk i,
t he voice i n my m i nd.
bobbi n g just a few met res away. T he t h reats
‘Hey k id, you i n t rouble?’ asked t he cu rlyha i red deck ha nd, squatt i n g dow n beside me. ‘Chuck h i m over t he side!’ sa id t he second deck ha nd, as he ba cked away from t he approa ch-
stopped for a moment, a nd t he sk ipper sta red dow n at me once more. ‘W here t he i n t he world d id you come from, boy?’
i n g sea rchers. He stopped, ha nds on h is h ips,
My t eet h chat t er ed a s I spat mor e wat er
sha k i n g h is head. ‘We don’t wa nt a ny t rouble.
f r om my mout h. ‘I fel l of f my jet sk i a nd got
We don’t wa nt cops nosi n g a rou nd here.’
t a n g led up i n you r f i sh i n g net ,’ I ga sped t o t he
I su re d id n’t wa nt t he cops nosi n g a rou nd
sk ipper t ower i n g over me. ‘I’m bei n g cha sed
eit her! I scra mbled to my feet, a l most sta ck i n g
by t he pol ice, but I ca n’t let t hem cat ch me! I
it as I sk idded i n squ id i n k.
haven’t done a ny t h i n g w r on g, I swea r!’
‘None of us ca n a f ford t hat,’ t he second deck-
T he pol ice boat was pu l l i n g up a lon gside us
ha nd cont i nued. ‘Ever yone we’ve got on boa rd is
now—t he voices of t he cops shouted above t he
on t he r u n from somet h i n g or someone!’
noise of t he en g i ne. T hey were goi n g to get me.
H is voice seemed fa m i l ia r, but before I cou ld t h i n k a ny more about it, t he sk ipper —a n old g uy
W hat was I goi n g to do to protect a l l my stu f f ? T he d raw i n gs, t he R idd le, t he Jewel?
w it h a bea rd a nd a bla ck bea n ie pu l led dow n
T he sk ipper sw u n g rou nd, yel l i n g at h is deck-
a rou nd h is fa ce —appea red. He looked a rou nd,
ha nds. ‘OK you two! W hat a m I pay i n g you for?
con fused by a l l t he u nex pected com mot ion su r-
Don’t just sta nd t here! Sta r t sor t i n g t he cat ch!’
rou nd i n g h is boat.
I f i na l ly hau led mysel f up, g rabbi n g onto t he
‘What’s going on here?’ he demanded, in a thick
sides of t he f ish i n g boat, t h i n k i n g I’d have to
Greek a ccent. ‘W hat’s w it h t he pol ice? W hat’s
ju mp overboa rd a nd ta ke my cha nces i n t he
w it h t he k id?’ he asked, poi nt i n g at me, before
da rk ness of t he sea.
bei n g i nter r upted by t he megaphone t h reats
‘So, you’re on t he r u n,’ ba rked t he sk ipper.
from t he pol ice boat, wh ich was com i n g closer
I was a fra id to spea k a ga i n. I g uessed what
ever y second. T he sea rch l i g ht pierced t h rou g h
was goi n g to happen nex t —he’d ca l l out to t he
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CONSPIRACY 365
JULY
pol ice, a nd I’d be ha nded i n. Wou ld I ma ke it to my si x teent h bi r t hday i n pr ison?
‘Haven’t seen a nyone l i ke t hat,’ t he sk ipper’s d ist i nct voice ca l led ba ck. ‘Did n’t see a nyone on
I cou ld hea r the pol ice a lon gside us, prepa ri n g to boa rd. T he slappi n g sou nd of the water a ga i nst the boat g rew stron ger, blend i n g w ith the gapi n g g i l ls a nd f lappi n g f ish t hat st i l l enci rcled me. W hat wa s I going to do? I was so d ist ra cted, I ba rely hea rd t he sk ipper when he spoke a ga i n. ‘So, you’re on t he r u n,’ he repeated. ‘Bi g dea l. A l l of my deck ha nds a re on t he r u n. T hey’re a l l
a jet sk i. Maybe he went t hat way.’ He covered for me! I n t he cra mped cabi n below, my l i mbs went wea k w it h rel ief. But my rel ief d id n’t last lon g. ‘We’re com i n g aboa rd,’ t he of f icer cont i nued, d ism issively. ‘We need to ta ke a look a rou nd.’ ‘You’ve got no r i g ht to boa rd my boat.’ ‘H id i n g somet h i n g, a re you?’
crooks!’ ‘Ca l lu m
Or mond!’
roa red
t he
loud ha i ler.
‘Revea l you r locat ion! Ha nd you rsel f i n!’
12:19 am W h i le t he a rg u ment cont i nued above me, I t r ied
‘You’d better get out of si g ht, fa st!’ h issed t he
to spot a pla ce to h ide. But i n a few moments, I’d
Greek sk ipper, before d ra g g i n g me to t he cabi n
felt out a l l t here was: fou r na r row bu n k beds,
ent ra nce a nd shov i n g me dow n it.
st rew n w it h clot hes; two sma l l cupboa rds; a toilet a nd shower, a nd, t h rou g h a door way, a t i ny
12:14 am
k it chen. Ot her t ha n t hat, t here was a hu m m i n g
I t u mbled i nt o da rk ness, a nd crouched q u iet ly,
fr id ge t hat reeked of blood a nd sca les, a nd a
st ra i n i n g t o l i st en t o what wa s happen i n g on
couple of lon g freezers.
deck.
T he place was so sma l l, there was nowhere to
‘Seen a k id around here?’ demanded the offi-
h ide. I cou ld n’t even f it u nder the bu n ks. I l is-
cer’s voice from the police boat. ‘Fifteen to six teen
tened i ntently th rou g h the hat ch-open i n g a ga i n.
years of age? He must have come past around the
‘OK,’ I hea rd t he sk ipper say. ‘I g uess I ca n’t
point—he was on a jet sk i. There it is, drifting
stop you from boa rd i n g my boat. But I’m not
over there, so he has to be around somewhere.’
happy about it, of f icer. We’re ju st t r y i n g to
Please, I beg ged t he sk ipper. Don’t cha n ge you r m i nd a nd ha nd me over! 176
do a n i g ht’s work here. We don’t have t i me to wa ste.’ 175
CONSPIRACY 365
JULY
Someone t hudded dow n t he cabi n steps w it h-
closi n g. T he footsteps ca me closer a nd closer . . .
out wa r n i n g. It was t he f i rst deck ha nd, w it h
I cowered, hopi n g t hey wou ld n’t f i nd t he hat ch
t he bla ck boots a nd cu rly ha i r. He g rabbed me
I was i n.
a nd I t hou g ht for a moment he’d been ordered to t h row me overboa rd. I resisted as ha rd as I
‘W here a re t he en g i nes?’ a voice asked, dashi n g t hat hope i nsta nt ly.
cou ld u nt i l I rea l ised t hat he was d ra g g i n g me
I held my breat h as t he freezer was sh i f ted
towa rds a nother hat ch, ha l f the size of a norma l
once more, revea l i n g t he hat ch door a nd my h id-
door, cut low i nto t he wa l l beh i nd one of t he
i n g pla ce. T he door opened a nd a bea m of l i g ht
freezers. He jerked t he door open a nd pushed
shone i n. I pressed mysel f a ga i nst t he f loor, as
me t h rou g h t he hole. Heat a nd t he stench of
t he l ig ht played over the mach i ner y that I hoped
d iesel fuel sla m med me i n t he fa ce.
wou ld obscu re me.
‘T he boss says you gotta get i n t here!’
A sudden g ush of heat r ushed out.
I cou ld just ma ke out two la rge d iesel en g i nes
‘Noth i n g here,’ someone sa id, before cou g h i n g
i n t he cra mped, g loomy a rea, but cou ld n’t see a ny where to h ide.
a nd swea ri n g. ‘Bloody fu mes.’ T he door sla m med shut.
‘T here’s some spa ce u nder neat h t he d iesels—
I ba rely breat hed a ga i n u nt i l I hea rd t he
where t he mecha n ic works,’ he added, w it h a
pol ice d isemba rk, a nd St ingray sped away to
shove. ‘Get i n!’
cont i nue t he sea rch for me elsewhere.
I crawled deeper into the stink ing, black hole. There was just enough room for me and my back-
1:06 am
pack to squeeze under the eng ines. Cold and wet,
Cra mped a nd sweat i n g, I k icked a leg out at t he
I f lattened mysel f i nto t he spa ce.
hat ch door —I’d wa ited lon g enou g h for t he cops
T he hat ch door sla m med shut, a nd the freezer was d ra g ged ba ck i nto posit ion. T he cops sta r ted boa rd i n g. I hea rd t hei r
to move on—I needed to get out. But it wou ld n’t bud ge. I k icked a ga i n, t h is t i me ha rder. St i l l not h i n g. T hey’d locked me i n.
mu f f led voices, fol lowed by t hei r t hudd i n g steps dow n i nto t he cabi n. T here were t h i n gs bei n g
4:47 am
l i f ted a nd t h row n about, doors open i n g a nd
Loud t hu mpi n g woke me up. Despite ever y t h i n g,
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JULY
I must have slept, or passed out from the fu mes.
w ith curiosity. He didn’t seem hostile, but I was
‘You can come out of there now,’ sa id the sk ipper, open i n g t he door. Sof t l i g ht fel l on my fa ce, a nd I sucked up t he fresh a i r.
very wary of what he was going to tell me to do. ‘T he Litt le Mer-boy,’ he joked. ‘I’m George,’ he sa id, h is fa ce g r i ma ci n g w it h d isl i ke at h is
Awk wa rd ly, I squeezed my st i f f a nd st i n g i n g
na me, ‘but ever yone ca l ls me Squ id.’ He pu l led a
body out from u nder t he en g i nes a nd emerged.
du f fel ba g dow n from a lu g ga ge ra ck. ‘We’ve just
T he sk ipper wasn’t sm i l i n g a ny more. T here were
pu l led i n to t he f ish ma rket wha r f.’
no jokes about h is crew a l l bei n g on t he r u n. H is
‘OK,’ I sa id, ex pecta nt ly.
fa ce was ster n a nd ha rd.
‘So, Merboy, what’s you r stor y?’
‘You must have done somet h i n g rea l bad, boy,’
‘T he na me’s Tom, a ctua l ly,’ I sa id, even t hou g h
he sa id as I l i f ted mysel f up a nd lea ned a ga i nst
t he pol ice boat had been hol ler i n g out my rea l
t he ed ge of t he freezer. ‘You owe me.’
na me, just hou rs a go.
‘You saved me,’ I sa id. ‘But I haven’t done a ny t h i n g w ron g,’ I added. ‘I’m i n nocent.’ ‘A ren’t we a l l?’ he scof fed, sa rcast ica l ly. ‘You work for me now.’
He considered t h is for a moment, before sayi n g, ‘Na h, I l i ke Merboy better. W hat’s i n t he ba g ?’ he asked, nodd i n g towa rds my ba ckpa ck. ‘Not h i n g much. W hat’s your stor y?’
‘Work for you? For how lon g ?’ I asked. He sh r u g ged. ‘Unt i l you’ve pa id me ba ck. Ot her w ise I g ive you to t he pol ice. Understa nd?’ I nodded. I k new I had no opt ion. I’d escaped t he net but was st i l l t rapped. ‘I’l l send one of t he boys dow n to get you sta r ted. Stay here u nt i l t hen.’ He tu r ned a nd va n ished up t he na r row steps.
‘Pretty much t he sa me as t he ot her g uys. Most of us ta ke t h is k i nd of work because t here a re no quest ions asked.’ ‘But you’ve just asked me two of t hem,’ I poi nted out. He lau g hed, du mpi n g t he du f fel ba g on one of t he na r row bu n ks. ‘So I d id, you’re r i g ht. A nd you just avoided a nswer i n g bot h. Sou nds l i ke you’l l f it r i g ht i n w it h ou r crew!’ He sat dow n
5:03 am
beside h is ba g before cont i nu i n g. ‘I f you’ve done
The curly-haired deckhand jumped down the steps
t h is ty pe of work before you’l l k now t hat casua l
into the cabin, his narrowed eyes watching me
deck ha nds on f ish i n g boats a re of ten on t he r u n
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CONSPIRACY 365
JULY
from somet h i n g. Maybe it’s t he law, maybe it’s
You ca n have t hese.’ He pu l led a wor n towel out
t he m issus, a nd maybe t hey just wa nt to get lost
of t he cupboa rd a nd t h rew t hat at me as wel l.
for a wh i le. W hatever t he case, t here a re a lot of crooks.’
I fol lowed Squ id up to t he deck a nd onto t he wha r f. T he sk ipper a nd t he ot her deck ha nd were
‘A nd you’re not one of t hem?’ I asked, sm i l i n g. ‘Not rea l ly. Never done a ny t h i n g rea l ly bad.’ ‘Sa me,’ I sa id. ‘I ju st need t o l ie low for a wh i le.’ I sh r u g ged. ‘Fa m i ly stu f f.’ ‘Mate, I u ndersta nd. But a l l t he sa me, you’l l
busy sor ti n g a nd stack i n g big plastic tubs of f ish. T he sk ipper looked up br ief ly as we passed. ‘Show h i m where to go,’ he ordered Squ id. ‘W hen I’ve got time, I’l l show h im how to clean and sca le. Mea nt i me, he ca n be a wheeler w it h you.’
need to stay on you r toes. T he cops do a lot of
Squ id nodded.
l i g ht n i n g ra ids; t hey swoop dow n on t he wha r f,
‘W heeler?’ I asked, hu r r y i n g a f ter h i m a lon g
look i n g for people who m i g ht be t r y i n g to avoid t hem. We’re t r y i n g to cat ch f ish, a nd t he cops a re t r y i n g to cat ch us!’ He stood ba ck up a nd stuck out h is ha nd w it h a g r i n. It was g r i my a nd sca ly, but I shook it.
t he wha r f. ‘A f ter t he f ish a re auct ioned,’ he ex pla i ned, ‘t he wheelers sta ck a nd load t he boxes onto t rolleys a nd wheel t hem over to t he load i n g a reas where t he pick-ups a re wa it i n g.’
‘Welcome aboa rd, Merboy. St ick w it h me, keep
We’d rea ched a t i led shower a rea, a nd Squ id
you r eyes peeled a nd you shou ld be OK. I ca n
nodded towa rds one of t he open cubicle doors. I
show you t he ropes.’ He frow ned for a second,
stepped i nto one a nd locked t he door beh i nd me,
peer i n g closely at me. ‘You su re you haven’t
t hen qu ick ly r u m ma ged t h rou g h my ba ckpa ck to
worked t he boats before?’
check how ever y t h i n g had held up. I peeled t he
‘Never,’ I sa id, before he ba cked away, w r i n kl i n g h is nose i n d isg ust.
tape of f t he pa cka ge at t he bottom of my ba g, a nd t ipped t he Or mond Jewel out.
‘No-one smel ls good rou nd here, but you smel l
I could hardly believe it. Somehow it had sur-
l i ke t he bottom of t he ba it t i n! How ’bout you
vived, just like me. I stared at it again, amazed
wash up a bit a nd I get you some d r y gea r?’
at t he emera ld a nd precious stones. I tu r ned it
He r u m ma ged t h rou g h h is ba g a nd t h rew me a
over a nd looked at t he i ma ges on t he ba ck—a
bla ck sh i r t a nd a pa i r of work overa l ls. ‘Here.
red rose a nd rosebud. Water had da mpened t he
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CONSPIRACY 365
JULY
ed ges of t he R idd le a nd t he d raw i n gs, but t hey
i n coi ns a nd ha nded it over. I n excha n ge, Squ id
were OK. I re-w rapped ever y t h i n g t i g ht ly a nd
passed me h is mobi le.
stuck t he tape dow n a ga i n, as best I cou ld. My
I stood t here, wa it i n g.
phone wasn’t so luck y—it had not su r v ived t he
‘Oh, I get it’ he sa id. ‘Gi rl fr iend, eh? You on ly
d rench i n g. Wat er st rea ked a cross t he dea d
got one m i nute, OK? It’l l be my head on t he block
screen.
i f you’re cau g ht sla ck i n g of f.’
It was rou g h sta nd i n g u nder t he spray of hot water —ever y l itt le cut on my body stu n g l i ke cra zy. It was so pa i n fu l, but k now i n g ever y t h i n g I’d col lected was sa fe got me t h rou g h. Wit hout
I ducked ba ck i nto t he cubicle a nd closed t he door. Boges picked up t he phone so fast, l i ke he was t here wa it i n g for it to r i n g.
rea l isi n g it, t he g r u f f sk ipper had g iven me some
‘You’re not going to believe this!’ I blurted out.
ser ious cover.
‘W hose phone a re you ca l l i n g from? T he state
‘I need to d r y my gea r out,’ I sa id to Squ id as I ca me out of t he shower cubicle. ‘Ta ke it ba ck to t he Sta r. Star of Mykonos,
is i n lockdow n!’ he yel led over me. ‘T here’s a ma n-hu nt goi n g on a rou nd t he bea ches. W here a re you?’
t hat’s t he na me of ou r boat. Fi nd somewhere to
‘I’m at t he f ish ma rkets.’
ha n g it. Hu r r y up!’
‘W hat?’
‘A nd I need t o ma ke a phone ca l l f i rst.
‘I’l l ex pla i n later, I don’t have much t i me to
Urgent ly,’ I added, show i n g h i m t he dead screen
ta l k. We’ve gotta meet. We have ever y t h i n g now.
on my phone.
T he R idd le, t he Jewel.’
‘It’l l cost ya,’ he sa id, rea ch i n g i nto h is ba ck
‘T hat’s g reat, but I’m ser ious, you have to keep out of si g ht! H ide, blend i n, do whatever
pocket. ‘How much?’
it ta kes, a nd t hen we ca n meet up when ever y-
‘Five bucks.’
t h i n g’s cooled dow n a ga i n. I’m stuck here at t he
‘Five bucks for one, qu ick ca l l?’
moment a ny way, t r y i n g to get my appl icat ion
‘It’s a good dea l for a n u rgent ca l l!’
toget her for a n i nter nsh ip.’
I was i n no posit ion to a rg ue. I du g i nto a pocket i n my ba ckpa ck, scrou n ged up f ive bucks 168
Squ id ba n ged on t he door. ‘Hu r r y up! T he boss wa nts to k now why we’re not work i n g!’ 167
CONSPIRACY 365
JULY
‘Gotta go?’ Boges asked.
auct ioneers boomed t h rou g h t he a rea. Buyers
‘I’l l ca l l you,’ I sa id before ha n g i n g up.
a nd sel lers m i l led a rou nd on t he wet a nd sl ip-
‘Be ba ck here i n f ive!’ Squ id shouted at me as
per y f loor.
I ra n past h i m, head dow n, on my way ba ck to where t he f ish i n g boat was moored.
We worked ha rd, load i n g t he heav y boxes onto ou r t rol leys as t hey were pu rchased, a nd
It d id n’t look l i ke a nyone was on boa rd, so I
wheel i n g t hem t h rou g h t he crowds to t he load i n g
ju mped on a nd d raped my da mp gea r over some
dock. Once t here, we’d u n load t hem a nd help t he
crates on t he deck. T he w i nd a nd su n wou ld d r y
buyers sta ck t hem on t he ba cks of t hei r t r ucks,
t hem out soon, I hoped.
or i n t hei r va ns.
I’d been ver y luck y. I’d escaped t he pol ice —
As we were l i f t i n g a rea l ly heav y box of red
a ga i n. But Boges was r i g ht, a nd I a l ready k new
f ish on top of a couple of boxes of f lat head, Squ id
t he whole state wou ld be look i n g for me. I hoped
g roa ned a nd w iped sweat from h is forehead.
Or ia na de la Force a nd Vu l ka n Sl i go d id n’t have
‘Ga r y’s supposed to be helpi n g us,’ he sa id.
a ny i n for mat ion on where I was. What Squid said about the police raids on the wharves had me rattled. This was a good enough
‘You mea n t he ot her g uy?’ I asked. ‘T he ot her deck ha nd?’ I’d ba rely seen h i m—on ly hea rd h is voice a nd I had n’t l i ked what he’d sa id.
place to hide out for a while, but I couldn’t stay
‘T hat’s Ga r y. He’s on ly been work i n g here a
here too long . . . I wanted to meet up w ith Bog-
few weeks. He just d isappea rs when t here’s ha rd
es and see what we could make of crack ing the
work a rou nd. I don’t l i ke t he g uy,’ Squ id cont i n-
double-key code, now that we had both halves—
ued. ‘I don’t t r ust h i m. I mea n, I k now you ca n
the Ormond Riddle and the Ormond Jewel. I also
ha rd ly t r ust a nyone a rou nd here, but I really
wanted to know if he’d had any luck tracking down
don’t t r ust h i m. T he sk ipper on ly keeps h i m on
Great-uncle Bartholomew’s sister, Millicent.
because it’s ha rd to f i nd deck ha nds.’
I cou ld hea r Squ id yel l i n g out, so I slu n g my backpack on and jumped off the boat to join him.
8:20 am
Squ id a nd I hu r r ied over to a spot where hu n-
T h ree hou rs later, t he auct ion was a l most f i n-
d reds of boxes of f ish were pi led h i g h. T he f ish
ished a nd t he last of t he buyers were leav i n g
auct ions were i n fu l l sw i n g a nd t he voices of t he
w it h t hei r pu rchases. Beh i nd us, ot her workers
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CONSPIRACY 365
JULY
were hosi n g dow n t he t i led a nd cement su r fa ces,
to help me, but he’s useless. Did n’t even show up.’
clu mpi n g a rou nd i n bu l k y g u mboots. ‘I’m so g lad t h is is a l most over,’ sa id Squ id,
T here was st i l l no si g n of Squ id, a nd t h i r ty bucks sou nded good to me.
sprawl i n g on t he g rou nd nea r a br ick wa l l. ‘I
‘Sure,’ I said, shak ing his hand. I felt bad for
need a brea k.’ He took h is phone out of h is poc-
tak ing off w ithout saying any thing to Squid, but
ket a ga i n a nd sta r ted tex t i n g someone.
thought I had to take up the opportunity to get
‘I’m goi n g to duck ba ck to t he boat, to get my gea r,’ I told h i m. ‘Ba ck i n a m i nute.’
away—I had no idea what the sk ipper would expect me to do nex t. ‘My shop’s just a few blocks away,’ t he g uy
Star of Mykonos
ex pla i ned as we d rove away from t he ma rkets. ‘I i nju red my w r ist, a nd Ga r y was supposed to
8:32 am
help me w it h t he load at t he ot her end, but he
I snat ched up my clot hes—t hey were sa lty a nd
obv iously made ot her pla ns.’
a l most st i f f—t hen ja m med t hem i nto my ba ck-
Gar y? T he g uy Squ id d id n’t t r ust?
pa ck. I ju mped ba ck onto t he wha r f, hu r r y i n g to
8:48 am
rejoi n Squ id. T he pla ce had a l most empt ied a nd Squ id had d isappea red. I lu g ged t he last two conta i ners of sa nd sha rk a nd leat her ja cket i nto t he ba ck of a va n a nd looked a rou nd a ga i n for h i m. I cou ld n’t see h i m a ny where.
A few m i nutes later, we pu l led up i n front of M i ke’s Sea food. ‘T hat’s me. I’m M i ke,’ he sa id, poi nt i n g a ba nda ged ha nd i n t he d i rect ion of t he shop. ‘Tom,’ I sa id, before ju mpi n g out a nd wa l k i n g
Just then, a shor t g uy i n overa l ls—the ow ner
to the back of the va n. I peered a rou nd me, keep-
of one of the va ns we’d loaded—approached me.
i n g a wat ch on the street i n case of pol ice patrols.
‘Wi l l you help me w ith th is load, son?’ he asked,
M i ke opened the doors a nd I bega n u n load i n g
pu l l i n g off h is wool len bea n ie a nd w ipi n g h is
a nd stack i n g h is trol ley.
forehead w ith it. ‘I f you ride w ith me to my shop
I wheeled t he f i rst lot of conta i ners t h rou g h
a nd g ive me a ha nd at the other end, I’l l g ive you
h is shop a nd out to t he ba ck where t here was a
th i r ty bucks. A nother you n g bloke was supposed
bi g freezer room. M i ke awk wa rd ly u nbolted t he
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CONSPIRACY 365
JULY
door a nd it sw u n g open, releasi n g a n icy cloud.
you th i n k we were a l l du mb or someth i n g?’ he
It was so cold a nd frosty i n t here —it was l i ke
sa id, spitting at my feet. ‘Everyone k nows who you
steppi n g i nside a n i g loo i n t he m idd le of A nta rc-
a re! T he cops were ca l l i n g you r na me!’ I ju mped
t ica—so I u n loaded as fast as I cou ld, my breat h
up a nd braced mysel f, rememberi n g too wel l
stea m i n g out i n front of me.
how he’d beaten me up at the ca rpa rk. ‘T here’s a massive price on you r head, Ormond, a nd you
9:25 am
owe me big ti me! I cou ld have got a thousa nd
Fi na l ly, I sta cked t he last load onto t he t rol ley.
bucks for spotti n g that ca r. It’s ti me I cashed i n!’
‘W heel that load i nto the freezer room too, a nd then ca n you wa it for me here i n the shop? I
He held up a ca mera phone, a nd snapped a pictu re of me.
need to get some cash out to pay you.’ He poi nted
I lu n ged at h i m, but before I rea ched h i m,
to a n AT M dow n the street. ‘Ca n’t spa re a ny from
he stepped ba ck a nd sla m med t he freezer door
the ti l l, I’m a fra id.’
shut. My f ists sla m med i nto not h i n g but meta l. I g rabbed t he door ha nd le a nd w renched it,
‘Su re.’ Just as I was d ra g g i n g t he last heav y box of
but it wou ld n’t open.
f ish of f t he t rol ley, sh iver i n g i nside t he ch i l ly
‘Let me out! Let me out, da m n it!’ I shouted.
freezer room, a f i g u re appea red i n t he door way,
I w renched t he door ha nd le a ga i n, but not h-
h is fa ce ha l f-h idden i n a da rk hood ie.
i n g happened. I cou ld n’t get out. I ba n ged a nd
‘I can help you w ith that,’ he said, w ith an
bashed, yel l i n g loud ly, rea l isi n g t hat T h ree-O
evil chuck le. It was the second deckhand from
must have recog n ised me ba ck on t he boat, fol-
the Star of Mykonos—Gary. As he g rabbed hold of
lowed me here, a nd now he was of f to tel l t he
the freezer door, I realised too late why his voice
pol ice a nd show t hem my pictu re.
had seemed familiar to me back on the boat. On the hand that held the door were three fingers!
A nd I was locked up i n t he freezer, just wa iti n g for t he cops to come a nd get me.
Before I could say or do any thing, Three-O shoved
‘M i ke!’ I shouted, ba n g i n g uselessly on t he
me hard up against the trolley, sending me f ly-
door, t h i n k i n g su rely he’d be ba ck a ny second.
ing backwards into the depths of the freezer!
He had to let me out before t he pol ice tu r ned up.
‘I k now exactly who you a re, Ca l Ormond. Did 162
‘I’m locked i n t he freezer!’ 161
CONSPIRACY 365
JULY
A l ready my teet h were chatter i n g. A ga i n,
I got back up and ju mped a rou nd, clapping my
I k icked a nd bashed a nd pushed t he door, but
a r ms, t r y i n g to keep mov i n g. It was i mpossible
despite its r usty h i n ges, it wasn’t bud g i n g. I
to wa r m up a nd I was sta r t i n g to rea l ly frea k
sw u n g a rou nd to see i f t here was a ny ot her way
out, l i ke I had t hat n i g ht i n T rea cher y Bay when
out, but of cou rse t here wasn’t.
t he sha rks were ci rcl i n g, ready to atta ck. It
I g rabbed my phone out of desperat ion, but
had been Dad’s words i n my m i nd t hat got me
it was st i l l as dead as t he bi ns of f ish t hat su r-
t h rou g h t hat ordea l. T hink, Cal. T hink. I was
rou nded me. I f lu n g it ba ck i nto my ba g, look i n g
t r y i n g to t h i n k, t r y i n g to work out a pla n of
a rou nd a ga i n for a way out.
a ct ion, but it was l i ke my bra i n was sta r t i n g
W ho was goi n g to f i nd me f i rst, M i ke or t he cops? A nd how lon g wer e t hey goi n g t o t a ke?
to freeze, ma k i n g it i mpossible. How do you get t h rou g h a locked door? Wit hout bei n g a g host?
A t her momet er on t he wa l l i nd icat ed m i nu s
T he si g ht of my f i n gers made me feel d i zzy—
t went y-f ive deg r ees Cel siu s. I d id n’t k now how
t hey were dead wh ite, a nd when I pressed t hem
lon g I cou ld last.
toget her, t hey felt l i ke pieces of wood, as i f t hey
‘Let me out!’ I shouted a nd t h rashed my body uselessly a ga i nst t he door. I was goi n g to be a
d id n’t belon g to me. Was t h is t he f i rst sta ge of frostbite?
dead f ish too i f I d id n’t get out fast. A few m i n-
I was sti l l rack i n g my bra i n for a way to open
utes had passed a l ready, a nd pa n ic was sta r t i n g
the door . . . but ca me up w ith noth ing. W here was
to fester i n t he pit of my stoma ch. I’d have to get
Repro when I needed h i m? I pictu red h i m i n h is
out of here or I’d d ie. Bei n g a r rested was better
ti ny l iv i n g qua r ters beh i nd the f i l i n g cabi nets,
t ha n freezi n g to deat h.
su rrou nded by h is pi les of lost proper ty a nd
My f i n gers a nd toes were a ch i n g w it h cold a nd my nose had gone nu mb. I ba cked away from
scaven ged bits a nd pieces. A nd that rem i nded me of someth i n g . . .
t he door a nd hudd led, hu g g i n g my k nees, t r y-
T he t ra ck detonators!
i n g to wa r m mysel f up. T he cold was t ravel l i n g
With my clumsy, frozen fingers, I dragged the
t h rou g h my body fast, ma k i n g my a r ms a nd legs
backpack off my shoulders and dug around for the
a che. My ea rs were t h robbi n g too a nd t he bones
tin containing the blast caps Repro had g iven me.
i n my fa ce were hu r t i n g. 160
I f ig u red i f I cou ld wed ge them i nto the cracks 159
CONSPIRACY 365
JULY
between the door a nd its h i n ges, then sla m some-
T he pol ice were goi n g to show up a ny m i nute,
th i n g a ga i nst the door to trig ger them, there
a nd T h ree-O wou ld get h is rewa rd for my cap-
m ig ht be a cha nce for me to blow the whole th i n g
tu re. I d id n’t k now what to do.
open. A nd get out.
I’d never felt a ny t h i n g l i ke t h is k i nd of
Aside from the fact that I had no idea whether
ex t reme cold before. My eyel ids seemed to be
t he t i n had stayed a i r t i g ht, protect i n g t he caps
d r y i n g out. I bl i n ked desperately, t r y i n g to
when I’d fa l len u nder water, I had a not her prob-
see as I wed ged t he ot her two blast caps u nder
lem: it was ver y t i g ht ly sea led a nd my f i n gers
t he door, i n a last-d it ch ef for t. Wor r ied I m i g ht
were nu mb, ba rely able to move. Fever ish ly, I
ex plode t hem ea rly, I f l i nched as I shoved a nd
batt led w it h t he l id, fu mbl i n g l i ke a baby as I
k icked t hem i nto posit ion.
attempted to get it open.
Now t hat t hey were i n pla ce, how was I goi n g
T he i ntense cold tried to ta ke me dow n as I
to detonate t hem? A nd how cou ld I be su re t hat
battled to prise the l id up. My feet were sta r ti n g
t he pressu re of t he blast wou ld blow t he door
to feel frozen to the f loor, l i ke blocks of dead
outwa rd, of f its h i n ges, a nd not towa rds me?
weig ht, when at last the l id l i f ted. I th rew it aside, a nd ripped out the mou ldy rol l that was sti l l i n there. Underneath, fou r blast caps lay f lat i n the ti n. T hey were d r y. T hey were i ntact.
I had to t r y something. I had to set of f t he detonators. A l l I had was t he t rol ley I’d wheeled i n. I g rabbed it w it h f i n gers t hat cou ld n’t feel a ny-
It took me a ges to fu mble t he f i rst two caps
t h i n g a ny more, a nd w it h what was lef t of my
i nto posit ion—one above a nd one beneat h t he top
st ren g t h I ba cked it up a nd t hen ra n a nd ra m med
h i n ge. But when I went to do t he sa me w it h t he
it as power fu l ly as I cou ld a ga i nst t he door.
bottom h i n ge, I rea l ised it wasn’t possible. T he
A l l fou r detonators ex ploded si mu lta neously!
door d id n’t ha n g st ra i g ht a nd t here was a l most
T he i mpa ct of t he col l ision r ipped t h rou g h
no gap between t he lower ja mb a nd t he meta l of
my body, a nd t he sou nd a nd pressu re of t he
t he door. T wo caps weren’t goi n g to be enou g h.
ex plosion i n t he con f i ned spa ce blasted me ba ck
‘M i ke!’ I shouted a ga i n. W hat i n t he world had happened to h i m? ‘Help me out of t he freezer! M i ke, I’m t rapped!’
a ga i nst t he freezer wa l l. Icy spl i nters spea red i nto my fa ce. A r ush of ad rena l i ne gave me t he energ y to
158
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CONSPIRACY 365
JULY
get to my feet a nd check t he door. T he top h i n ges
st reet toget her, bot h of t hem w it h t hei r mobi le
had buck led a nd t he bottom h i n ges were tw isted,
phones out. I sh ivered, i ncreasi n g my pa ce, a nd
but t he door was st i l l stuck. I nsta nt ly I forced
tu r ned dow n a not her st reet a nd out of si g ht.
my ha l f-frozen body r i g ht ba ck i nto a ct ion, a nd
T he sou nd of si rens sta r ted swa r m i n g, a nd i n
got beh i nd t he t rol ley a ga i n. I ra n fu l l pelt at
seconds I cou ld hea r cop ca rs sk idd i n g to a ha lt
the door once more, bash i n g it w ith the weig ht of
outside M i ke’s shop. I d id n’t waste t i me look i n g
my body. I felt it sh i f t a nd buck le. Yel l i n g l i ke a
ba ck, I just ra n as fast as I cou ld i n t he opposite
cra zy ma n, I had my t h i rd go at it a nd t h is t i me
d i rect ion, forci n g my cold, nu mb legs to st r ide
I crash-ta ck led t he door dow n, completely of f its
out a nd ca r r y me away. Fa r away from t he cops,
h i n ges, sprawl i n g sideways as it col lapsed to t he
a nd fa r away from t he rotten smel l of f ish.
f loor outside.
10:04 am T here was no si g n of a nyone —M i ke, T h ree-O or t he cops. I hesitated, my body mad ly re-adjusti n g to t he cha n ge i n temperatu re, but I cou ld n’t wor r y about t he mess I was leav i n g beh i nd. A l l I k new was t hat I had to get out of t here fast. I g rabbed my ba ckpa ck a nd ra n. I stu mbled out t he door of t he shop, lopsided a nd of f-ba la nce l i ke Fra n kenstei n’s monster. I was sta r t i n g to t haw, my sk i n f i rst, t hen my muscles, a nd for a few frea k y moments it was l i ke I cou ld feel my mov i n g skeleton, ea ch frosty bone of my body w it h i n t he t issue t hat was sta r ti n g to wa r m up a nd sof ten. A qu ick g la nce dow n t he road, i n t he d i rect ion of t he AT M, showed M i ke shout i n g at Ga r y as t hey stor med up t he 156
155