by Andrew Cope
‘Oooh yes! A dawn raid!’ said Star. ‘I’ve seen them do that on the telly! But we won’t have to break down any doors, or do anything dangerous, will we, Spud? Spud?’
Her only reply was a little snuffly snore.
At five o’clock the next morning, the two pups, armed with a tiny tracking device, were creeping up the drive towards Stanley Strange’s house. ‘Don’t walk on the gravel, Spud,’ whispered Star. ‘It’s too crunchy. Follow me along the edge where there’s grass.’ Star scampered ahead, springing lightly. Spud lolloped behind, his tummy swinging heavily.
It was completely dark and didn’t feel like morning at all. Heavy clouds covered the moon, and one or two snowflakes flew about in the wind.
‘Look, Star! Snow! Wow! Do you think we’ll have snow for Christmas? Wouldn’t that be great!’ Spud went cross-eyed as he examined a snowflake that had landed on his nose.
‘Concentrate on the mission, Spud,’ said Star strictly. ‘There’s the car. Now, let’s see if the Santa outfit is still inside.’
The pups jumped on the bonnet and tried to peer through the car’s windows but this time it was too dark to see. I wonder if we could pick the lock, thought Star. But what if the car’s got an alarm?
She looked for a winking light on the dashboard. ‘Hey, wait a minute!’ she said.
‘I think he’s forgotten to lock it!’ She went round to the back door, leapt up and pushed hard against the handle. Sure enough, the door swung open and the car’s interior lights came on.
‘Great!’ said Spud, jumping in. ‘Now we can have a proper look.’
The hat, the boots and the white beard were still lying on the back seat but the rest of the outfit had gone. Something else had been added instead – a sack packed with objects of different shapes and sizes.
‘It’s filled with presents!’ said Spud excitedly. ‘Toys, I bet! Maybe we’ve got it wrong and Stanley Strange is nicer than we thought. I wonder if there’s a pirate ship in there? Or a racing car? Or maybe some choccies?’
Spud burrowed into the sack until only his short, plump back legs and his wagging tail could be seen poking out of the end.
‘Well,’ Spud’s voice sounded disappointed in the depths of the sack. ‘There are a lot of boxes wrapped in Christmas paper, but they all feel really light. I think they’re fake presents, not real ones …’
‘Is that all?’ asked Star from the outside, addressing Spud’s tail.
‘No, there are some other things too – a giant box of matches and – yikes! A rope … and a blindfold and … and … a big heavy baseball bat.’ Spud began to wriggle backwards. ‘I don’t like this, Star. Let’s get out of here!’
Just then Star heard the sound of footsteps crunching across the gravel from the direction of the house.
‘Spud!’ she squeaked. ‘It’s Strange. He’s coming this way!’
Spud’s rear end scuttled straight back into the sack. ‘Shut the door quickly and hide in here with me,’ he hissed. ‘Hurry! That man is dangerous!’
In the nick of time, Star pulled the car door gently closed and slithered into the sack. The two pups huddled together, trying to keep perfectly still as the footsteps drew nearer and Strange climbed into the driver’s seat. He was talking quietly into his mobile phone.
‘OK, you’ve got the name of the shop, haven’t you?’ said Strange in his thin, whiny voice. ‘Yes, that’s right, the big department store in London.’
He’s planning something – I knew it! thought Spud. We’d better listen carefully.
Strange went on, ‘Why today? Because it’s the biggest shopping day in the biggest shopping week of the year, that’s why! All those mummies and daddies buying expensive Christmas presents for their nasty little sprogs. The shop will have taken millions. It’s the perfect day for a robbery.’
A robbery! He’s planning to rob a big London store! Spud fought to control his wagging tail.
Then Strange laughed. It wasn’t a nice laugh, either. More of a snigger, thought Star.
‘Don’t worry. All I need is a few minutes on one of the store’s computers and I can move all the money out of the shop’s bank account and straight into ours … Yes, all of it! No, of course they won’t be able to trace it! What do you think I’ve been working on all these weeks? I can guarantee no one will ever know how – or where – the money went. It’s the perfect crime! But you have to do your bit too … OK … Twelve o’clock, midday … Right. See you!’
Then Stanley Strange, looking unusually plump in his jolly red, padded Santa outfit, drove off through the sleeping village, along the empty roads and out towards the motorway.
8. Santa’s Grotto
It was a long way to London. Strange drove fast and very badly, hurling the car about like a tiny boat on a stormy sea. Star felt travel-sick for most of the way and was glad she hadn’t eaten any breakfast. Spud felt tired but didn’t dare fall asleep.
After a while the sun rose and a pale, watery light filled the car, but it was still as dark as night for the pups in the bottom of the sack.
Eventually the car slowed, and soon it was stopping and starting, crawling through heavy traffic. They were off the motorway and on their way to the centre of London.
But what do we do then? thought Spud anxiously. What happens when Strange opens the sack and finds us?
Finally the car stopped and Strange got out of the driver’s seat and opened the back door. The pups tensed their muscles, hardly daring to breathe. Strange sat down and put on the black boots, then he picked up the hat and beard and put them on too, admiring himself in the car’s wing mirror.
‘Ho! Ho! Ho!’ he said, in a rather poor attempt to sound like Father Christmas. ‘Soon I’ll be a multi-millionaire!’
Not if we can help it, thought Star.
Finally, Strange picked up the sack and swung it awkwardly over his shoulder. The pups tumbled from left to right inside.
‘Funny, it feels heavier than I thought,’ muttered Strange. ‘Oh well, not far to go.’
He marched into the staff entrance at the back of the big store. The shop hadn’t opened yet but a few assistants were beginning to arrive.
Dave, the security officer at the door, looked up at Strange in surprise.
‘Oh, it’s you again, Santa!’ he said. ‘I thought you were upstairs already. Did you forget something?’
‘Yes, that’s right,’ answered Strange in as deep a voice as he could manage. ‘I had to go … er … to –’
‘I expect you left Rudolph on a double yellow line, didn’t you, eh?’ laughed Dave, who thought himself rather witty. ‘Here, hold the lift for Santa! You can’t expect the poor old bloke to climb all those stairs, can you? There you go, Mister Claus, fourth floor as usual. Have a nice day!’
Strange got out of the lift and walked through the toy department to Santa’s Grotto. There was no one about. The winding path into the grotto was beautifully decorated with trees covered in fake snow and little toy creatures – squirrels, deer and rabbits – peeping out between the branches, but Strange wasn’t interested in the décor. He was looking for his victim.
As he reached the centre of the grotto, a log cabin made to look like a gingerbread house, Strange dropped the sack with a thump.
Ow! Star put her paw over her mouth to muffle her surprised squeal. Luckily, Strange didn’t hear. He pushed his hand into the sack.
Shall I bite it? thought Spud, but it was too late. Strange had grabbed the baseball bat. The pups heard a single, sickening thud, followed by a groan and the sound of a heavy body slumping on to the floor. Strange had found the real Santa, crept up behind him and clubbed him over the head!
‘Now’s our chance!’ Spud knew they had to act fast. The two pups pushed their way out of the sack and looked around for a way out. Their eyes took a split second to adjust to the light. It was a split second too long.
‘What!’ Strange had
seen them. ‘You two mutts in my sack! I recognize you from the other night too – you’re the ones who trampled all over my car! You little varmints!’
He raised the baseball bat again.
‘Run, Star! Run as fast you can!’ growled Spud. ‘I’ll try to hold him off.’
Spud turned and snarled at Strange, baring his teeth and barking ferociously. He looked fierce but he was still only a puppy; compared to Strange he was very small.
‘Don’t you growl at me!’ said Strange and brought the baseball bat down with a thwack. Spud dived out of the way just in time, then he turned and growled again.
Meanwhile, Star dodged out of the grotto and into a nearby stockroom. She hid, quaking, behind a paddling pool.
‘I’ll get you, you little devil!’ shouted Strange, a menacing sight in his jolly Santa outfit, wielding the heavy baseball bat.
Thwack! This time the bat grazed Spud’s ear. He reckoned Star had had long enough to get away. Now it was time for him to do the same. His back paws skidding on the shiny floor, Spud decided on a surprise tactic. Instead of running away from Strange, he ran towards him, hurtling through the gap between his black, shiny boots. Strange tried to reach down to grab the pup but was hampered by his big, padded tummy. He tripped over head first and ended up doing a perfect forward roll. By the time Strange was sitting up again, Spud was gone.
‘Stupid dogs,’ muttered Strange, feeling rather embarrassed now. ‘Getting in my way. I’m losing valuable time.’
Strange lifted the unconscious Santa under the arms and dragged him into the stockroom where Star was hiding. He tied him up with the rope and gag from the sack. Then he straightened his beard and marched out, locking the door behind him, just in time to take his place in Santa’s rocking chair in the grotto. The shop’s doors were open and the first customers were coming in.
9. Spud in the City
‘Look at that puppy!’ The little girl on her way to Santa’s Grotto couldn’t believe her eyes. ‘It looks sooo real!’
Of course I’m real! thought Spud indignantly from his hiding place behind a large display of scooters. But then he realized, Oh no! I’m in a toy department. She thinks I’m a toy!
‘It is real. It must be lost!’ The girl’s brother had seen Spud now. ‘Come here, pup, it’s OK, we won’t hurt you.’
They seemed like nice children and Spud was tempted to make friends with them but the word ‘lost’ struck terror into his heart. What if they take me to a dogs’ home? I might never see my family again! He started to back away and bumped into a scooter, which toppled into another scooter, which fell on to a bike. In seconds there was a chaotic tangle of handlebars and wheels.
Hmm, not a good move. I couldn’t have drawn more attention to myself if I’d tried.
Spud headed for what he thought was a funny metal staircase. He’d never seen an escalator before. He started to run down it before he realized it was moving up.
I’ll just have to run faster and … phew … faster! puffed Spud.
Eventually, he reached the bottom. Luckily, the next escalator was going downwards. Spud realized he could simply sit on the step and be taken to the lower floor without moving a muscle.
This is amazing! We should have one of these at home.
By the time he’d got to the ground floor Spud was quite enjoying himself. The shop was full of exciting sights and interesting smells. It was warm and bright and there was cheerful Christmassy music playing. Better still, on the ground floor there was a huge food department.
Mmmm, I can smell fresh bread and chocolate, thought Spud. His tummy began to rumble. I wonder if …?
‘Who let that dog in here?’ The store manager had seen him. He didn’t look pleased.
Uh-oh. I don’t think I’m welcome! Spud slipped out of the open shop doors into the cold air of the busy street.
The pavement was thronging with people. Furry boots, stiletto heels, grubby trainers, shiny lace-ups – Spud had never seen so many feet so close together – and all moving so fast! He dodged his way through the forest of legs but when he reached the kerb, his path was blocked by a big red London bus, then a taxi, then another bus. The traffic was nose to tail. It was noisy and smelly too.
Then, from a side street, Spud heard the clip-clopping of horses’ hooves. It was a sound he knew well from the village at home. Two handsome chestnut police horses were proudly carrying their riders side by side.
Police officers! I could tell them about Strange and his plan, thought Spud. But how? The policemen were so high off the ground they didn’t even notice the small black pup looking up at them from the pavement.
The horses saw him. One of them dipped her head and snorted in a friendly way but Spud couldn’t understand. If only I’d learned more horse language, thought Spud despairingly as the pair passed by.
‘Hello there, young’un,’ growled a gentle voice behind him. Spud turned and saw a golden Labrador wearing a bright fluorescent jacket.
Oh, thank goodness, another dog!
‘Can you help me, please?’ said Spud. ‘I’ve got to rescue my sister who’s locked in a room at the top of a shop with an unconscious man who may need medical attention, but there’s a dangerous villain up there, dressed as Father Christmas, he’s got the key you see, and he’s going to commit a huge robbery really soon – at twelve o’clock I think – and it’s my mission to stop him and –’
‘Really?’ the Labrador smiled indulgently. ‘I think you might have been watching too many films, young fellow-me-lad. Now hop it, there’s a good boy. I’m working.’
At that moment, Spud realized three things. The first was that the Labrador didn’t believe a word he’d said, and Spud had to admit his garbled story did sound rather far-fetched; the second was that the Labrador was a guide dog for the blind and was too busy helping his owner to have time for a small black pup from a village far away; and the third and final thing Spud realized was that he was a very small dog in a very big city. Despite all the people around him, he was totally and completely alone.
10. Agent CV89
Just a few miles away across the city, the Cook family were spending the morning in London.
‘All these brilliant shops!’ said Mum enthusiastically after breakfast. ‘I can feel some serious retail therapy coming on.’
Ben and Sophie groaned. Neither of them could understand why Mum liked shopping so much – or why it took her so long. Lara wasn’t keen, either, and Dad said he’d rather eat worms than go anywhere near a big store on the Saturday before Christmas.
‘That’s OK,’ said Mum. ‘We’ll split up. You can take Ben, Sophie and Lara to the London Eye and I’ll take Ollie to buy his new shoes – and to look at some computer games,’ she added quickly when she saw Ollie’s face. ‘We’ll meet up at lunchtime.’
‘Oh, Mum, why can’t I go to the London Eye?’ complained Ollie.
‘I’m sorry, Ollie, there isn’t time to do both, but you can have a special surprise treat of your own instead,’ promised Mum. Ollie beamed. He liked surprises.
‘Do they let dogs on the London Eye?’ asked Ben.
‘Not usually,’ said Dad, ‘but they’ll make an exception for Lara. The professor’s had a word with them.’
I should think so too, thought Lara. I’m hardly just any old dog. Sometimes I think they forget!
So Mum and Ollie went off to the tube station and Dad, Ben, Sophie and Lara set off for the London Eye. As they were walking along the path beside the river, looking across at the Houses of Parliament, Lara noticed a man in an old overcoat selling newspapers. He had a young dog sitting beside him with a piece of string for a lead. It was a spaniel with brown freckles on a white nose.
I think we’ve met before! thought Lara.
She wandered casually over to the dog. ‘How’s the mission going, Agent CV89?’ she muttered, pretending to sniff a piece of paper on the ground nearby.
‘Bit boring, really,’ smiled the spaniel. ‘We’re working on a tip-off but it might not be reliable. Something to do with some secret government documents. Probably nothing to it.’
‘Well, keep on your guard,’ advised Lara. ‘Sometimes things happen when you least expect it.’
Dad bought a newspaper from the man. ‘Keep the change, mate,’ he said. ‘Merry Christmas!’
Ben and Sophie patted the dog, then Ben did a double take. ‘Hey!’ he exclaimed.
He’s recognized the spaniel too. Lara pushed Ben hard in the back of the knees. Be quiet, Ben! Don’t say any more!
Ben got the message, he gave Sophie a nudge and they all walked quickly on. ‘Spy Dogs everywhere,’ he whispered.
A few minutes later they heard a sudden commotion behind them. Lara spun round, immediately on full alert.
Something’s happened!
A man carrying a briefcase was sprinting along the path, followed closely by the homeless newspaper seller, who had thrown off his overcoat and was running like a champion sprinter, and Agent CV89. Agent CV89 was barking fiercely and the newspaper seller was shouting, ‘Stop! Police!’
Dad and the children froze. In fact everyone on the riverbank froze, watching in shock as the spaniel caught up with the man and made a grab for the briefcase. But the man pulled out a handgun. He aimed it at the newspaper seller and stopped him in his tracks. Then he aimed it at the dog at his feet.
Oh no! He’s going to shoot!
The spaniel remembered his training. He dived over the wall into the river and disappeared under the water.
With his gun aimed back at the newspaper seller, the man began to edge towards a landing stage, where a motorboat was moored ready for his getaway.
Lara’s mind raced through her options. He’s got his back to us, so he won’t see me if I make a dash for him, she thought. But he’s too far away. By the time I get there it will be too late. If only there was something I could throw, like a rope or – Then she remembered. The professor’s secret weapon! I haven’t got a gun to fire it but maybe I could throw it?