Sewer Mayhem

by Annie Appleton

  The three of us had come down into the sewer to check on the Three Bambini. Charlie in particular had been very eager to come down, wanting to make sure that Daisy was okay.

  Besides knowing how Daisy was doing, I was also curious about the egg. What would it look like now that the two-legged had poured more stuff down the drain? Had it grown? If so, that would be the proof it wasn’t an egg.

  ‘I can hear voices,’ I all but mouthed to my companions. ‘I’m going to check it out.’

  Vinnie and Charlie nodded and watched as I inched my nose around the corner of the side-pipe for a view into the main sewer. I scanned the situation and without a sound moved back into the side-pipe.

  ‘What did you see?’ Charlie said. His whiskers trembled.

  I motioned to move a bit further up the pipe. ‘They’re quite near. I think we should find another pipe a bit further up, otherwise they might see us.’

  ‘I know another route,’ Vinnie said and Charlie and I followed his tail down the rabbit warren of pipes, until we ended up in a side-pipe close to the manhole.

  This time all three of us looked around the corner. In the distance Victor was sitting in the opening to Gus and Leo’s old digs, the treasure scattered about him.

  He had adorned himself with several pieces of the treasure that glittered and jingled as he moved about.

  ‘Remind you of someone?’ Vinnie whispered in my ear.

  I nodded. It was good that Gus wasn’t here. He would have freaked out to see Victor handling his precious treasure.

  Dino and Sal were near their brother, lying on their backs, sleeping with their mouths wide open. We could even hear them snore. Victor didn’t seem to notice that his brothers were sleeping as he was chatting to them.

  ‘Don’t you think this is the prettiest necklace you’ve ever seen?’ he said, holding a fine gold necklace up in the air. ‘And what about these earrings? I love that they jingle when I move.’ He shook his head and waited for a response of his brothers. When that wasn’t forthcoming, he kicked Dino in the side and the large rat woke up with a snort.

  ‘What… what?’ he said, looking about him with bleary eyes.

  Victor glared at him. ‘What do you think of my earrings, bro?’

  ‘Oh, they’re lovely,’ Dino mumbled, then curled up in a ball and fell asleep again.

  I wanted to snigger, but then I saw Daisy’s face, further down the sewer. She was looking out through a piece of heavy chicken wire, strung in front of another side-pipe.

  ‘Daisy!’ Charlie said, noticing her at the same time.

  Several of Victor’s Mafiosi guarded Daisy, but they looked bored and tired. Some of them had even fallen asleep. Charlie started to fidget.

  ‘We need to do something!’ he whispered. ‘They’re all sleeping.’

  ‘I know you’re itching to do something now, Charlie, but it’s no use just rescuing Daisy,’ I said. ‘We need to get the Bambini out of the sewers for good and to do that we need a proper plan.’

  Vinnie nodded. ‘It looks like Daisy is unharmed.’ He patted Charlie’s arm. ‘And she’s more than strong enough to hold out a little longer.’

  Charlie sighed. ‘I guess you’re right, but I really want to help Daisy now.’

  ‘We all do,’ Vinnie said. ‘But Paddy’s right, we need to think this through. Otherwise we won’t succeed.’

  ‘I hope you have a plan,’ Charlie said to me.

  ‘Umm…’ My whiskers drooped a bit. ‘Not yet.’

  Charlie glared at me. ‘You’d better come up with something soon, as I don’t want Daisy in the clutches of that maniac for too long.’

  I knew he was right, but what could we do?

  I looked up past the manhole and saw the egg was still stuck to the roof of the tunnel a little bit further up. It had grown a lot since I last saw it and was now an irregular blob that filled half the tunnel. Last night’s goo had dripped down the sides and solidified at the bottom. It looked disgustingly large and top heavy.

  ‘Is that the alligator egg?’ Vinnie said, looking at it, his eyes wide.

  ‘No, it’s just a blob of goo.’

  Vinnie caught my eye. ‘What about you being convinced it was an egg?’

  ‘Can’t I change my mind?’ I shrugged and turned, making my way back to the old building. I’d seen enough. My whiskers and ears tingled a bit. A plan had formed in my mind. Best to go back upstairs and talk it through, as its success depended on perfect timing. If it all turned out okay we would get Daisy out, give Gus his treasure back and chase the Mob out of the sewer forever!

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Emily looked at the clock. Only half an hour left to go and then her shift at Posh Nosh would finally be over. She was so sick of it by now and couldn’t wait for her two days off.

  She smiled as she handed Mrs Roberts her weekly pound of Red Leicester cheese, then noticed Jacob coming into the shop. He made a beeline for her.

  ‘What’s up, Jacob?’ Emily said.

  He glanced at Peggy, who was helping a customer, then leaned over the counter towards Emily. ‘I’ve had a very interesting conversation with Sam this morning. Apparently her mother showed Patrizia a picture. It wouldn’t surprise me if this was the same picture that went missing from the school.’

  ‘Interesting,’ Emily said. ‘We need to see it.’

  ‘Yes, my thoughts exactly. Of course the interesting question is how Patrizia knew about the picture. What was it that she wanted to find out and if she did find out something incriminating, was she killed for it?’

  Emily nodded. Her mind had skipped past several possibilities while Jacob was talking. ‘So the ultimate question is, can the picture prove that Colleen is the killer?’

  ‘Exactly.’ Jacob leant over the counter again. ‘Sam’s really scared that Colleen will harm her, so I’ve taken her home. She’s now trying to find out if any more of her family members remember Colleen from before.’

  ‘Can you two stop whispering?’ Peggy stood glaring at them both, her hands planted on her hips. ‘I have had it with murder talk in my shop, so get out. The both of you.’

  Emily glanced at the clock. ‘But my shift hasn’t ended yet.’

  ‘I’m giving you the rest of the day off.’ Peggy gave her a push. Emily quickly got her hoody and bag from the back, then joined Jacob on Woolaston Road.

  ‘This is the first time I’ve been kicked out of Posh Nosh,’ Jacob said. ‘And I needed some cheese.’

  ‘Too late for that now.’ Emily looked over her shoulder at the shop. ‘Aunt Peggy’s been in quite a mood today. The sewer smell is getting worse by the day and she blames Uncle Dave for not having found a solution yet.’

  Jacob sniffed the air. ‘Now that you mention it, the smell is getting worse. Let’s get out of here.’

  They made their way over to Sant’Ambrogio’s and entered the restaurant. Sam saw them come in and walked towards them.

  ‘I’m glad you’re looking so much calmer,’ Jacob said.

  Sam smiled. ‘I feel a lot better to be honest. I’m so glad I don’t have secrets any more.’

  ‘I hope you haven’t had any problems with Colleen,’ Emily said, looking up and seeing Lorenzo studying them from the door to the kitchen. He still gave her the creeps, even though he had gone down on their list of suspects.

  ‘No, I haven’t seen her at all.’ Sam looked at her brother. ‘And Lorenzo has kept an eye on me. He’s been very sweet.’

  ‘Great,’ Emily said, and she smiled at her friend.

  ‘Also,’ Sam continued, ‘I have left a message for my aunt in Italy about Colleen and I hope to hear from her soon.’

  ‘Thank you,’ Jacob said. ‘Please let us know what she says.’ He glanced around the restaurant. ‘Is your mother at home, by any chance?’

  Sam nodded and she looked at the ground. ‘Mother has taken the death of Patrizia really hard. We all have, really. We didn’t know her very well before she came to Milbury, but she became part of our fa
mily in a short time.’

  ‘Yes, of course,’ Emily said. She put her arm around Sam’s shoulder, wishing she’d talked about it earlier with her. The whole Bandoni family must be in mourning right now.

  ‘I will take you to her, if you like,’ Sam said.

  They followed Sam upstairs to the apartment above the restaurant. Entering a small living room overlooking the car park across Milbury Road, they saw Sam’s mother Giovanna staring out of the window. She turned around as they came in.

  ‘Mama,’ Sam said. ‘Jacob and Emily would like to ask you something.’

  The woman looked at them, her face streaked by tears.

  ‘We’re so sorry about what happened to your niece,’ Jacob said. ‘This can’t be easy for you.’

  Giovanna waved at the couch and they all sat down. More tears welled up in her eyes. ‘Poor Patrizia. I should have looked after her better,’ she said. ‘She was in a foreign country after all.’

  Sam grabbed her mother’s hand. ‘It’s not your fault, Mama.’

  Jacob began to fidget and Emily knew he was burning to ask Giovanna some questions. She cleared her throat. ‘Umm… we know this is a difficult time for you, but Sam told us that Patrizia had asked you to show her a picture.’

  ‘Picture?’ Giovanna looked at Emily with a blank face. ‘Patrizia didn’t ask me about a picture.’

  ‘Oh, sorry… we thought…’

  ‘Patrizia asked me about a girl that used to live here,’ Giovanna continued. ‘Then I remembered the girl was in an old photo and showed it to her.’

  ‘Who was the girl Patrizia wanted to know about?’ Jacob said.

  ‘Sarah. She went to school with my Gianni.’

  Emily’s pulse quickened; they were on to something. She made eye contact with Jacob and he gave her the smallest of smiles.

  ‘Can you show them the picture, Mama?’ Sam said. ‘It’s important.’

  Giovanna nodded and pointed to a cabinet in the corner. ‘Get the blue album for me, Samuela. The one on the bottom shelve.’

  Sam handed her mother the photo album and Giovanna started leafing through it. The protective parchment paper crackled under her hands.

  ‘Here it is,’ she said, turning the album, to show them a large school photo. They all looked at it. The faces of about thirty teenagers stared back at them.

  ‘There’s Gianni,’ Sam said and pointed at a lanky but handsome boy, who looked down his nose at the camera. He hadn’t changed much, Emily thought. He was still arrogant and full of himself.

  ‘Is Nate on here?’ Jacob said.

  ‘He should be,’ Sam said. She studied the picture. ‘There.’ Emily looked at the boy with interest as she had never actually met Nate. He was lanky, like Gianni, but more awkward and geeky, wearing a T-shirt with the Star Trek logo on it.

  ‘Mama,’ Sam said. ‘Who is the girl that Patrizia was interested in?’

  Giovanna bent over the picture, then pointed at a chubby girl standing on the edge of the group. She had blonde hair, braided into two pigtails. She didn’t smile and her gaze was focussed on a spot below the camera.

  ‘That’s Colleen?’ Emily said.

  Giovanna shook her head. ‘Sarah. Her name is Sarah Miller.’

  Emily looked at Jacob. ‘But she doesn’t look at all like the woman she is today.’

  ‘People change,’ Jacob said. ‘Giovanna, can you tell us a bit more about Sarah?’

  ‘Yes, but there’s not that much to tell. Sarah and her family only lived in Milbury for a few years. Her father got a job somewhere else and they moved away right after secondary school. Sarah must have been about sixteen then.’

  ‘Thank you for the information. It’s a big help.’ Jacob smiled at her. ‘Would you mind if we borrowed this picture for a little while?’

  ‘Is it going to help to find the killer of my niece?’

  ‘It might very well.’

  ‘Okay then. But I want it back.’ Giovanna popped the picture out of the little plastic corners that held it on the page and gave it to Jacob. They said their goodbyes and followed Sam back down to the restaurant.

  ‘Thanks, Sam. You’ve been a great help,’ Emily said and she gave her friend a quick hug. ‘Make sure you let us know asap when you hear from your aunt.’

  Sam smiled. ‘Will do.’

  Back on Woolaston Road, Emily took the picture from Jacob and studied it in greater detail.

  ‘This must be the same picture that was in the school corridor,’ she said. ‘So what’s so incriminating about it for Colleen?’

  Jacob shrugged. ‘It looks like an ordinary school photo, so perhaps Colleen was simply afraid that people would recognise her from it and put two and two together.’

  ‘Perhaps.’

  Suddenly Emily realised she actually recognised someone else on the picture. ‘Look here.’ She pointed at a somewhat scrawny looking boy, with a think mop of curly brown hair. ‘It’s Abe.’

  ‘Abe?’ Jacob took the picture from her and looked at it up close. ‘Of course! Abe actually told me he was in the same year as Nate. Perhaps he can tell us more about Colleen.’

  ‘But why hasn’t he said anything before? He must have recognised her by now.’

  ‘Don’t forget that Colleen has changed quite a bit.’ Jacob tapped the picture with his finger. ‘And Abe has been occupied with the murders. Perhaps he’s simply not been around much and never got a chance to even recognise her.’

  Jacob looked at his watch and started walking down Milbury Road. ‘But we can ask him about it in a minute, as I’m supposed to meet up with him at the Fox & Glove for the darts match.’

  Emily watched his retreating back, then caught up with him. ‘What darts match?’

  ‘You know, the final between Jock Cropper and Dan Stevenson. It’s on TV this afternoon.’

  ‘What?’ Emily stared at Jacob. ‘Since when are you into darts?’

  ‘I’m not. But Jock Cropper is a local boy.’ Jacob rubbed his hands together. ‘I taught him physics in school, so his success is down to me.’

  Emily sighed. ‘I’m going to regret asking this, but why is his success down to you?’

  ‘Darts is physics, as simple as that.’

  Emily rolled her eyes. ‘You’re simple.’

  Jacob cocked his head at her. ‘We’ll see.’

  * * *

  Ricky was back on Woolaston Road, standing in the boarded up door opening to the old post office. He watched as Mr Hicks and the Goth girl walked off down Milbury Road. At least his old physics teacher hadn’t spotted him this time. The man had always been too nosey for words.

  Ricky’d had some time to think things over since finding the ring the day before and now he was staring at the manhole again. Was the answer to his problems to be found down there?

  He suddenly remembered that Mr Hicks always had an exaggerated interest in wildlife of any kind. Specially the more creepy ones, like rats. Ricky also recalled Mr Hicks telling a story about some rats once, while teaching class. They’d all listened, as the more Mr Hicks talked about other things, the less he would drone on about physics. He remembered his mate Ant asking strategic questions, to draw Mr Hicks out to tell them even more.

  Something clicked in Ricky’s mind. Mr Hicks had told them that when he was young, he’d shocked the whole neighbourhood, because he’d formed some sort of friendship with the rats in the back gardens of his street. He had managed to recognise individual rats and had given them names to study them.

  They’d all laughed about his story and how the neighbourhood cop had eventually stopped the experiment, as the rats had started infesting the houses.

  But what if Mr Hicks still studied rats? He was a friend of the neighbourhood warden, so what if he was in on it as well and had trained the rats to guard his loot? It didn’t even sound too outrageous to Ricky. It was a possibility. Especially as Mr Hicks had been hanging around, just like the others who had stolen his loot.

  It seemed that he had no other choic
e but to go down into that hellhole again, as he was convinced that his loot was back in the sewers and that the rats were guarding it. He needed to persevere this time and get his loot back. This game had gone on for long enough.

  Lots of cars whizzed by. It was impossible to go down now. Ricky pulled the hood of his sweater over his head. Tonight he would go back into the sewers and once and for all find out what had happened to his loot. He needed the loot. It was his. He’d worked hard to get it and even harder to track it down after his unfortunate choice to dump it in the manhole.

  Ricky glared at the offending object as it lay in the middle of the road. He wished he’d never seen that stupid manhole cover and had taken his backpack home with him that night. Then none of this crap would have happened!

  This whole chase had cost him a perfectly good backpack, a new pair of trainers and scratches on his face and hands. He sighed deeply. That reminded him. He’d better make sure he wore some protective clothing tonight to prevent being scratched again. There was no doubt that those rats were guarding his loot and he wasn’t going to let himself be surprised again. A balaclava and some gloves should do the trick. He’d better buy some.

  Ricky walked off. He needed to plan his attack with military precision. He needed to beat them all!

  * * *

  Paddy

  The more quiet everything was in the sewer, the more nervous I was about things to come. We’d spent all morning fine-tuning the plan I had come up with to get the Mob out of the sewer, and now it was time to set it in motion.

  On our way down into the sewer, I tried to ignore the voice in my head that told me that too many things could go wrong. My senses were on high alert and my fur tingled, feeling as if it was on fire as it touched the walls of the narrow pipe. I jumped at every little sound, and if I’d had a choice, I would be halfway back to Milbury Hill by now, far away from this crazy situation and dark sewers.

  I stopped as we reached the main sewer. None of the Mafiosi were in sight.

  Charlie came to a halt beside me.