by Andrew Cope
Star scampered towards the black drainpipe and squeezed her body in. ‘Perfect for puppies,’ came the echoey bark. She used her paws to lever herself upwards. It was hard work but she made progress up the slippery, slimy pipe. The rain was dripping off the roof and down the drain, which meant there was a cold trickle of water running down her back. And it’s very scary, she thought as she got higher.
Spud put his mouth to the base of the pipe and shouted, ‘Are you there yet, sis?’
His bark boomed up the drainpipe and scared Star half to death. Her paws gave way and she almost fell, scrabbling for a hold. She righted herself and began to caterpillar her way upwards once more. ‘I’m fine,’ she yapped back to her brother. This is so hard, thought the tiny puppy.
My legs are aching. The light at the top was getting closer. Aunt Aggie’s depending on me. My ma’s a spy dog, best in the world. I want her to be proud of me! She rested for a moment, her back against the pipe and hind legs stretched out to stop herself from falling. I’ve got to go for it, she decided, and off she went again, inching upwards.
After what seemed an age, Lara and Spud saw a puppy’s head popping out of the top of the drainpipe, like a chimney sweep’s brush.
‘She’s there, Ma!’ shouted Spud. ‘She’s made it.’
Star climbed out on to the roof and stood carefully, looking down at her brother and mum. She waved. Hi, guys. Now to get through the window.
‘This looks like the hardest part, Star,’ woofed Lara. ‘Please be careful. I’ve wheeled this bin under you just in case. It’s full of cardboard so it’ll catch you if you fall.’
Falling wasn’t in Star’s vocabulary. She leant over the gutter and held on with her front paws and teeth. Her puppy body swung to and fro before she let go and disappeared into the window below. Lara and Spud heard a thud before a happy puppy face appeared at the window and gave the paws-up sign.
Lara and Spud raced round to the other side of the building as Star trotted down the stairs and appeared at the front window. She used her teeth and paws to loosen the catch. Ben helped pull the window open from the outside and they all climbed in. Lara was last through, looking around in case anyone had seen them breaking in. We don’t want some busybody upsetting our plan!
The group huddled together in the Smugglers’ Cafe.
‘This is it, then,’ announced Sophie. ‘The original castle.’
‘If we’re right, the gold should be here,’ said Ben. ‘Let’s find it!’
18. Dogged Determination
Professor Cortex stood back as the helicopter landed nearby and the door popped open. He bowed his head as he ran towards it, his three strands of hair dancing in the wind. Slamming the door he gestured for the pilot to take off.
‘No time to lose,’ he yelled. ‘We’re going north. And quick!’
‘It does feel a bit spooky,’ said Sophie as they wandered through to the eating area. The cafe’s empty dining room was dark and eerie. The suit of armour stood guarding the fireplace and the old portraits stared down at them. There were nets, ropes and an anchor hanging on the walls.
‘Look at those pistols,’ said Spud, pointing to the wall. ‘They’re just like the one the baddies have.’
‘OK,’ said Ben, ‘we need to find clues. But be quiet, everyone. We can’t afford to get caught.’
The children tiptoed around the dining room. ‘What are we looking for?’ whispered Ollie.
‘Not sure,’ hissed Ben. ‘Anything unusual, I guess.’
Star and Spud had their noses to the ground. Spud was straight over to the fireplace. ‘Remember the smell of the wardrobe?’ he woofed to Star. ‘That kind of musty smell? Check this out,’ he wagged, sniffing the hearth. Star joined him, tail upright.
‘And there’s a draught,’ she barked, ‘like there was in the wardrobe!’ Spud stood in the fireplace and tapped his claw on the hearth. ‘Hollow,’ he said. ‘Mum, I think we’ve found something.’
Lara bounded over. ‘Good work, Spud,’ she said, licking her son affectionately.
Ben wandered over. ‘I think the pups have found something,’ he said, poking about at the back of the fire. ‘A draught,’ he whispered. ‘This is a false back. I bet there’s a tunnel behind it.’
The pups wagged proudly. Ollie and Sophie’s eyes were shining as they all crowded around.
‘What about ghost pirates?’ asked Ollie.
‘No such thing,’ said Ben confidently. ‘It’s just a scare story to put people off finding the treasure.’ He looked round at Lara. ‘I’m going to have to smash a hole,’ he said. ‘It’ll be noisy.’
‘You can’t just smash up someone’s cafe!’ protested Sophie, looking at her dog to back her up.
Lara thought for a second and nodded. Go ahead, Ben. Aunt Aggie is in grave danger. We have to find the treasure. The owners have gone for the day, she thought. So let’s go for it.
Ben reached for the suit of armour and removed the axe from its grip. ‘Sorry, old soldier, but I need to borrow this.’ He took a firm hold with both hands and prepared to swing at the fireplace. ‘Get back, everyone,’ he warned, and they all took a step away. Ben swung the axe and it hit the tiles, sending splinters across the room. He swung again, this time with more confidence and the axe got wedged in a small hole. Ben pumped the handle up and down to release it. ‘One more shot,’ he said, swinging with all his might. The axe shattered its way through the back of the fireplace, revealing a dark hole. He shuffled forward to peer into the blackness.
‘Any volunteers?’ Ben asked. ‘I won’t fit through there.’
Ollie and Sophie took a step backwards. ‘Too dark,’ said Sophie.
‘Ghost pirates,’ reminded Ollie.
‘Hidden treasure!’ woofed Spud, stepping boldly forward. ‘Agent Spud at your service.’
‘And saving Aunt Aggie,’ woofed Star. ‘Agent Star volunteering for action. We can squeeze through, Ma,’ wagged Star. ‘Let us follow the tunnel and see what we can find.’
Lara weighed up the options before giving them the nod. ‘OK, pups,’ she said. ‘We’ll stay here and keep looking while you check it out. I’ll also keep an eye open for the professor. Hopefully, he’ll be here in a little while and he’ll have some backup. But don’t do anything silly,’ she added, thinking back to the zip wire. ‘Just see what you can find out.’
Ollie handed over the helmet that Star had retrieved earlier. ‘Here,’ he grinned. ‘You might want this to light the way.’
The helmet was fitted to Spud’s head and immediately started capturing the energy from his tail, which was wagging rapidly with excitement.
‘Careful,’ warned Sophie, ‘you’ll blow the bulb with your enthusiasm!’
The puppies squeezed their way through the hole at the back of the fireplace.
‘Take care,’ woofed Lara, poking her nose after them. ‘And, remember, don’t get into any trouble!’
19. Attracting Attention
Spud led the way, the torch picking out cobwebs and one or two rats scurrying past.
‘It’s just like the passage behind the wardrobe,’ woofed his sister, checking out the red-bricked walls. ‘Same smell and everything.’
The pups tiptoed down some carved steps until the passageway levelled out. ‘We’re probably underneath the village green now,’ woofed Star, judging the general direction. ‘Heading to Aunt Aggie’s!’
It was a long, straight tunnel, quite low in places. Just about big enough for a small man, thought Spud.
They came to a pile of earth where the roof had collapsed.
‘Look!’ complained Spud as the torch lit up the tunnel. ‘It’s blocking the way.’
‘Well, let’s do what we’re good at,’ suggested Star as she climbed up the pile of rubble and started digging.
The pups worked frantically to get round the obstruction. Star finally made a hole near the top. They squeezed their way through and kept trotting.
‘Another dead end ahead,’ barked Spud, his l
amp picking out a wall. ‘But this one’s solid.’
Star approached the wall and cocked her head, listening intently. ‘Men,’ she woofed. ‘And a lot of banging.’ Spud joined his sister and his floppy ears stood to attention.
It was muffled but they could make out the words. ‘It’s got to be here somewhere,’ they heard Lord Burlington bellowing. ‘Either the gold or the entrance to the smugglers’ real tunnel.’
The pups looked at each other in alarm.
‘I’ll count to five, lady. I’ve given you enough chances. If you don’t give me an answer this time, then you will be in very big trouble.’
Star scraped at the wall. ‘The lord’s got a gun,’ she reminded her brother. ‘We have to rescue Aunt Aggie.’
‘One!’ boomed the American.
Star’s frightened eyes glowed in the torchlight. What are we going to do?
‘Two!’
‘Mum told us not to get into trouble but we have to help,’ said Spud.
He began to bark and Star joined in. ‘Leave her alone, you bully,’ they woofed from behind the bricked-up tunnel.
‘Three!’ yelled Lord Burlington.
Spud imagined he was probably pointing the pistol at Aunt Aggie, her eyes filled with fear. The puppy used the metal part of the torch to bang on the tunnel wall. ‘Pick on someone your own size!’
‘Four!’ screeched the man. ‘I mean it, lady. Five’s your limit.’
Spud banged louder, the sound echoing through the tunnel. Star barked her fiercest bark, her claws tearing frantically at the bricks.
‘What’s that?’ they heard PC Winkle ask. ‘Tapping and barking. From over there. Tapping in the fireplace.’
The puppies looked at each other and barked louder. ‘Here, you bully,’ woofed Spud. ‘Come into this tunnel. Follow us to the real castle. You’ll have my mum to answer to.’
Without warning the dogs heard an almighty crash and a hole appeared in the wall right next to Spud’s head. The policeman’s huge nose peered through into the darkness. Spud took his opportunity and grabbed it with his razor-sharp teeth. The man let out a blood-curdling scream but Spud held on. I could get a taste for baddie blood! He remembered a story his mum had once told him, about how she’d sunk her teeth into a baddie and held on. So this is what I’m going to do too, he thought.
An arm came through the hole and hit the puppy hard. Ouch! Followed by a frantic punch. Spud let go. There was another crash as the sledgehammer hit the bricks again. A bigger hole appeared and the puppies backed off a bit, snarling and yapping in fury. A boot kicked at the hole, widening it.
‘What’s going on in there?’ shouted Lord Burlington.
‘It’s a rat or something,’ replied PC Winkle. ‘Bit me on the nose.’
‘Rats don’t bark, stupid,’ said the American. ‘It’s dogs. Probably those puppies from earlier. Must be a tunnel. This could be it!’ A hand came into the passageway and the puppies caught sight of a pistol waving in the light of their torch. ‘I’ll scare them off.’
Star ducked. Spud was on full guard-dog alert, his ears sticking up like yacht sails. There was a blinding flash of light and a noise so loud it sent the puppies tumbling to the ground. The lord withdrew his hand and reloaded his pistol. ‘There,’ he said, ‘that should frighten the critters.’
He was right. Star and Spud turned tail and ran for their lives. They scampered along the tunnel in total darkness, Spud’s tail between his legs. He forced himself to start wagging it again so they could see as the landslide approached. Once they’d squeezed past they finally stopped for a rest, their chests heaving.
‘That was close,’ gasped Star. ‘Are you OK, bro?’
‘Think so,’ said Spud. ‘But my ears are ringing. Must have been the noise of that pistol.’
The dogs scurried back to the Smugglers’ Cafe and emerged through the hole in the fireplace.
‘They’re back,’ yelled Sophie, picking up Star and giving her a hug.
‘But what’s happened to Spud?’ yelled Ben. ‘He’s got a hole in his ear.’
‘Have I?’ said the puppy, putting his paw up to feel. ‘Like Mum’s?’
Lara hugged her son close. ‘Who did this?’ she asked. ‘What on earth happened down there? I told you to be careful!’
‘We heard the baddies threatening Aunt Aggie,’ woofed Star. ‘And we tried to distract them.’
‘And they came after us,’ barked Spud, ‘but with a gun,’ he continued, pointing at his holey ear.
‘I think they’re going to follow us down the tunnel,’ warned Star.
Lara growled in frustration. This is worse than I thought. ‘One thing’s for sure,’ she snarled. ‘Whoever emerges from that tunnel is in for the fright of their lives!’
The policeman reloaded his pistol. ‘That’ll have scared them off,’ he said, smiling at the smoking gun. Aunt Aggie winced in pain as the ropes round her wrists were tightened.
‘It’s no use struggling,’ said Lord Burlington. ‘You’ve seen what happens when I get annoyed,’ he sneered.
As Aunt Aggie looked on, the two men smashed a hole large enough to scramble through and set off to explore the passageway. Each had a torch, and they strode purposefully, driven by the desire for gold. They soon arrived at the landslide.
‘Go back and get a shovel quickly,’ snapped the lord.
PC Winkle returned to the cottage for a shovel and Aunt Aggie glared at him as he disappeared back down the tunnel. All the while she hoped the puppies were going to appear from a snooze on one of the children’s beds and save her. I hope that barking wasn’t them… or Lara, she worried.
Back in the tunnel Lord Burlington and PC Winkle spent an hour clearing a way through the landslide. Muddied and sweaty, they scrambled through and set out towards the cafe. If someone else had found the treasure before them, there was going to be a showdown!
20. Booby-trapped
‘Ouch, it stings,’ complained Spud as Sophie bathed his ear in the cafe’s bathroom.
‘It will hurt, silly dog,’ tutted the little girl. ‘You’ve been shot!’ Sophie bandaged her puppy’s ear and Spud bounded back into the thick of the action.
Lara instructed the puppies to set traps for the baddies. She’d calculated that the next people through that hole would be Lord Burlington and PC Winkle. If they have a gun then we’d better booby-trap the place and get the kids out of the way.
The children joined in with making traps. Ben had raided the kitchen. He’d poured cooking oil on the tiles by the fireplace. Sophie and Ollie had taken the ropes off the walls and tied them to the chairs as tripwires. ‘Saw it on a film once,’ grinned Ollie.
Spud had searched the kitchen for extra ammunition. All I can find is mashed potato!
Star, remembering her success with the window-cleaning burglar, had taken the gobstoppers from the shop and scattered them on the stairs.
Lara had been busy with a pan of soup. She’d also removed the sword from the display and left it resting on the cooker. Then she switched the cooker on to full and the electric hotplate began to glow. ‘Keep clear of this,’ she barked. ‘Very hot!’
Lara managed to get Ben’s help in tying a side of beef from one of the ropes. He heaved it to the side of the room so it was ready to swing. ‘Let go of this rope,’ he explained, ‘and wallop! The baddies will be hit by half a cow.’
‘All set?’ asked Sophie.
All set, wagged Lara and her spy pups. Ben complained as the family pet shooed the children safely upstairs. Sorry, guys, but this is a doggie mission.
Lara jumped on to a chair and up to the window sill, hiding behind the curtain. ‘Shush,’ she hissed, paw to her lips. ‘Any minute now.’
The puppies positioned themselves and lay in wait.
Spud was the first to hear voices. His bullet-holed ear was numb but in perfect working order. ‘They’re coming,’ he woofed excitedly. ‘Let’s take them out.’
Professor Cortex’s helicopter came in to land as
he pointed to a field below. ‘Set me down there,’ he shouted. ‘That’s the car.’ The helicopter landed and the professor made a stooped dash across the field. He jumped into the four-wheel drive Jeep and pulled down the sun visor, as he’d agreed with Agent A. The keys fell into his lap and he was away.
Within minutes he was driving through the village, heading for Smugglers’ Cottage. He sped past the cafe and hit his foot on the brake. The tyres screeched and the professor jumped out. He ran to the cafe window where GM451 was sitting. The scientist tapped loudly and Lara nearly fell off the shelf in fright.
‘GM451,’ he yelled. ‘What are you doing in there? Let me in, please. The children’s aunt is in danger. I thought you were in charge? You’ve not got time to sit in a cafe having your tea!’
Lara sighed in frustration. Go away, Prof, she willed, urging him away with her paws. Baddies are coming through the fireplace tunnel. Any second now!
The professor marched to the front door and banged loudly. ‘Let me in,’ he ordered. ‘What’s going on in there, GM451?’
We’re catching baddies, she thought. I’ll let you in later.
Lara peered round the curtain just as the policeman’s head appeared at the fireplace. Yikes, she thought, that’s a lot of blood! She watched as he emerged from the hole and dusted himself down. Lord Burlington squeezed through behind him. He offered his colleague a hanky and he dabbed at the bloody nose.
‘Gee, that’s quite a scratch,’ commented the lord.
‘It’s a bite,’ PC Winkle reminded him. ‘A vicious brute of a dog that, if I catch it, will be a dead dog.’
Spud gulped.
Lord Burlington pulled the pistol from his jacket pocket. ‘Just in case,’ he said, tapping it reassuringly. ‘Where are we exactly?’
‘The cafe, I reckon,’ guessed the policeman, looking around at the tables. ‘Nobody around, though – it’s closed. Let’s explore,’ he said, taking a step forward.