Roar to the Rescue!

by Ian Whybrow

  A cheery man wearing a bright checked shirt with a fancy silk scarf welcomed them. He had a monocle in his left eye. He ran his thumbs along his bushy moustache. ‘What can I do for you?’ asked the shopkeeper, slapping his hands together.

  ‘Are you Barry, by any chance?’ asked Harry.

  The man looked so surprised that his monocle slipped from his eye and dangled on its string. He snapped his fingers. ‘Ah! Now you’re not the first person to ask my name, you know. Are you anything to do with the man who phoned my wife about our business card?’ he said.

  The children nodded.

  ‘Well!’ the man went on. ‘Barry it is. And I’ll tell you what I told my wife just this morning. I couldn’t think at the time who I gave my card to, but it came back to me later. It was a very nice chap in a van. He stopped by the shop a couple of weeks ago to ask if we needed any odd jobs doing – gardening, decorating, clearing old furniture … that sort of thing. I said we had a rotten old table and some chairs that needed taking to the dump and we loaded them up.’

  ‘Can you remember if it was a red van?’ asked Harry.

  ‘Why, yes, it was … Dark red, I think,’ replied Barry.

  Harry looked at Siri and they both raised their eyebrows.

  ‘I offered him ten pounds for his trouble,’ Barry went on. ‘But he would only take five. Then he asked was there anything else. I said I’d think about it and he offered to call me the next day. That’s why I gave him my card.’

  ‘Did he call back?’ said Charlie.

  ‘No. Haven’t seen him since,’ Barry went on. ‘Mind you, I expect he’s been busy. I’d already given him the names of two or three folk living on their own who might be interested in some painting and decorating. I think I mentioned Mr and Mrs Jenkins down at Newlands Farm near Broxwood and Mrs Ogmore down Lyonshall way –’

  ‘So this man didn’t seem strange at all?’ Harry interrupted.

  ‘Not at all, or I would never have mentioned Major Hart to him!’

  ‘Who’s Major Hart?’ aked Siri.

  ‘Old Major Hart lives over in Far Hall. Do you know it? It’s a big old house and only him living there. It’s near Sarnesfield. Now there’s a trusting man! Only the other day he staggered into the shop with an old oil painting. Poor chap. He’s a bit doddery, see? What did he want for it – just fifty pounds! I told him not to be so daft – he could get thousands for it in a posh gallery!’

  Barry chatted on, telling them about various people he knew. He said there wasn’t one of them who didn’t own some valuable furniture or some silver spoons. ‘And of course, they like nothing better than to drop in and have a chat with me about them!’ he smiled.

  Harry looked at his friends and he could see that they were all thinking the same thing. Was the man who stole money from Mr Oakley going to play another trick on these people too? If they could warn Barry’s friends about the thief then maybe they could catch him and stop him stealing from someone else.

  Chapter 10

  It was hard to get away from Barry without seeming rude. But at last the four children gathered outside on the green.

  ‘He could talk your toenails off!’ grinned Charlie. ‘Still, at least now we’ve got a bit more to go on.’

  ‘Important information!’ agreed Siri.

  ‘One thing’s for sure,’ said Harry. ‘Red Van Man is on the look-out for people living on their own. He charms them and finds ways of getting money off them. I bet he does a few little jobs for them – and then has a sneaky look round.’

  ‘Yeah! For stuff to steal!’ declared Charlie.

  ‘Maybe,’ said Jack, giving his knuckles an extra-loud crack. ‘But he’s cleverer than that. I bet he doesn’t actually steal stuff. I reckon he just gets people to sell him things for next to nothing.’

  ‘Exactly!’ said Siri.

  ‘OK. Next stop Sarnesfield,’ said Harry, mounting his bike. ‘Let’s go and see if Major Thingy at Far Hall has had a visit from this crook!’

  ‘Major Hart,’ Siri reminded him. ‘But don’t forget that Barry mentioned plenty of other people living alone.’

  ‘That’s true,’ agreed Charlie. ‘And Barry told Red Van Man where they all lived as well.’

  ‘I have a suggestion!’ said Siri. ‘We spread out, and each visit a different house. When we hear something new about our crafty friend, we text each other. OK, GOGOs?’

  ‘Yeah, but you’d need a memory like an elephant to remember all the names and places that Barry mentioned,’ sighed Jack.

  Siri blew on his knuckles and smiled. ‘Call me Jumbo!’ With that, he repeated every name Barry had mentioned and where they all lived.

  Even Charlie was impressed. ‘You should go on TV with your brain,’ she laughed. ‘So what’s the plan now, Harry?’

  Harry suggested Siri should check out Mr and Mrs Jenkins. Off he clanked. He sent Jack, with Charlie in tow, to find Mrs Ogmore.

  Meanwhile, Harry powered off towards Sarnesfield and Far Hall. ‘You all know what to do!’ he called after the others. ‘If you find our target, text “RVM” for Red Van Man and say where you are. Then the rest of us can back you up double-quick. If none of us has any luck, we meet at the G.O. at about three o’clock.’

  Chapter 11

  After twenty minutes, Harry was cycling through the gate to Far Hall. The drive leading up to the house was bumpy with deep potholes everywhere. Shrubs and bushes that had not been looked after for years grew almost right across it in places. Harry had to concentrate on not crashing into a bush or buckling his front wheel in a pothole.

  That was why he didn’t see the red van until he turned a corner and the drive suddenly opened out. It curved round a wide circular lawn and in the middle were the remains of a large stone fountain. The grass needed mowing and there was no water in the fountain. Beyond the grass circle, the van was parked just below six crumbling stone steps leading up to the grand old front entrance of Far Hall.

  Before Harry could dodge back behind a bush and hide, two men appeared. They were struggling through the open door with a heavy dark wooden chest. The man in work clothes leading the way backwards down the steps had his back to the drive. But even from behind, his greasy white hair combed straight back gave him away.

  It’s him! thought Harry.

  Meanwhile, the red-faced old gentleman in the brown tweed suit was struggling. ‘Just a moment!’ he panted. He lowered his end of the chest on to the top of the steps.

  That was when he caught sight of Harry. ‘You!’ he shouted. ‘What are you doing here? This is private property!’

  The shock made Red Van Man miss his footing and sent him flying. He landed painfully on the gravel on his backside. ‘Watch what you’re doing!’ he blurted out.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ gasped old Major Hart. ‘It’s one of those horrible children from the village. They turn up now and then to throw stones at my windows.’

  There was no time for Harry to waste. He dropped his bike and dashed forward. ‘I’m not here to throw stones! Don’t listen to this man, Major! He’s after your money! If he says that chest isn’t worth much, he’s lying to you.’

  ‘How dare you?’ roared the Major. ‘You’ve no right to say things like that about people. You rude boy.’

  Red Van Man scrambled to his feet and dusted himself down. His face snapped into a brilliant smile. ‘Leave this to me, sir!’ he said soothingly.

  ‘You haven’t let him have anything else, have you?’ cried Harry.

  The Major didn’t say anything, but from the expression on his face it looked as though he probably had.

  Red Van Man had heard enough. He was face to face with Harry before the boy could make a move. He put his hands on Harry’s shoulders and squeezed with a strong grip. ‘What is the matter, son?’ he said, pretending to smile.

  Before Harry could yelp with pain, the man spun him round and poked him in the back. ‘That’s it. Off you go now.’ His voice was gentle, but Harry felt as if he was being jabbed with sti
cks.

  As Harry bent over to pick up his bike, a knee caught him from behind. It knocked him off balance so that he scraped his shin painfully against the raised pedal.

  ‘Oh, I’m so sorry!’ Red Van Man grinned.

  To make sure that the Major thought it was an accident, Red Van Man called in a friendly voice, ‘It’s all a mistake, Major. The boy has got the wrong address. And now he’s leaving.’ He leaned down to get close to Harry’s ear and whispered softly, ‘Because if he doesn’t, he’s going to get his fancy wheels kicked in …’

  Chapter 12

  Red Van Man left Harry on the ground beside his bike and walked back towards the steps. ‘Leave the chest to me now, Major,’ he said. ‘I can put that into the van myself.’

  As he opened the back doors of the van, Harry slid his right hand into his jeans pocket. His trembling fingers found the small shiny cards on his key-ring. One of them felt warm and vibrated a little. He ran his thumb along the length of it. ‘Nose-to-tail, I think,’ he whispered and braced himself.

  It was a good thing he did, because his first sight of the full-size spinosaurus was a shock. It reared up, huge and hissing, its long jaws snapping like a cracked whip. For a moment it glowed white-hot and then cooled to the colour of river-mud. Yet the men took no notice. Harry thought surely they must see the monster and hear it. And couldn’t they smell the stink of ancient swamp that came from it?

  No. They gave no sign of noticing anything except an annoying boy. The beast turned sideways and flapped his ragged sail – WHOOMPH! – and the doors of the van slammed shut.

  That got the attention of both the men who nearly jumped out of their skins! Red Van Man recovered himself first. ‘Talk about a freak gust of wind!’ he exclaimed, and stepped forward to open the doors again.

  Another wave of the sail. Another mighty gale. Before Red Van Man could jump out of the way, the doors slammed together again, this time on his fingers. He screamed then danced about shaking his hands and tucking them under his armpits.

  His smile was gone now. ‘What are you playing at, boy?’ he said angrily. He lunged at Harry, trying to grab him.

  With a flick of his enormous snout, the invisible spinosaurus flipped the man through the air and sent him crashing against the side of the van.

  As soon as he got his breath back, the man scrambled to his feet, pale with terror.

  ‘He’s not human!’ he yelled to the Major. ‘I’m out of here!’ He leapt into the driver’s seat, banged the door closed and locked it.

  But as soon as he started the engine, several tonnes of dinosaur heaved the van towards the centre of the circle of grass at the speed of an express train. The van smashed into the fountain and tipped up. High off the ground, the front wheels spun slowly. The back doors had not been closed properly and now that the van was tilted back, they swung open by themselves. Wrapped in grey blankets, the Major’s grandfather clock slid very gently on to the soft grass. It was followed by a large and rather splendid oil painting.

  Red Van Man tried to escape, of course. A savage swish from an armoured tail with a hole through the tip stopped him. It bashed a great dent in the door of the van and trapped him inside.

  Harry was nervous that something nastier might happen. ‘Enough!’ he said.

  That seemed to do it. Spinosaurus obeyed him like a good dog and Harry stroked his scales. ‘Tail-to-nose this time,’ he muttered to himself.

  Before you could say ‘plasticated and pocketed’, both things happened.

  After that, Harry started bashing buttons on his mobile.

  Chapter 13

  By the time the rest of the gang was on the scene, so was Barry and so was Mr Oakley with his tractor.

  One by one they found their way up the long drive until they arrived in front of Far Hall and saw the fountain. The sight of a van perched on it at an angle made them scratch their heads in wonder. Behind the steering wheel, Red Van Man sat quietly, looking rather sea-sick.

  ‘It looks like a boat shipwrecked on a rock,’ said Siri with a smile.

  In the mean time, Harry had explained to the poor dumbstruck Major why he and his friends had been after the man in the red van. He told him all about the dirty trick he had played on Mr Oakley.

  When Barry turned up at Harry’s request, he told the Major what he guessed was the real value of the things Red Van Man had nearly driven off with.

  ‘An ancient chest like that must be worth thousands. The same goes for a two-hundred-year-old grandfather clock. And I told you before that you should ask a proper gallery to value your paintings for you. You mustn’t go giving your valuable things away to strangers for a bit of pocket-money, Major!’

  The Major looked crestfallen. ‘You’re quite right, I’m sure. But he talked so fast and he was such a friendly chap. I’m afraid I believed everything he said. I’m most grateful to you all, and especially to you, Harry, for coming to my rescue. You know, if you and your friends ever feel like making use of my tennis court, you’d be more than welcome.’

  Harry, Jack, Charlie and Siri thought that would be brilliant. They would have thanked the Major properly, only just at that moment, Mr Oakley was doing something rather interesting. He was opening the bashed-in door on the driver’s side of the van with his spade.

  ‘Right, we’re all set to winch the van down! You can get out now,’ yelled Mr Oakley over the noise of his tractor-engine.

  Red Van Man’s face was still pale with shock. Mr Oakley helped him climb down and then held out his open hand.

  ‘There will be a small charge for a tow to the nearest garage. And I can only take folding money. Is folding money all right with you?’ Mr Oakley was enjoying this. ‘It will be three hundred pounds plus a bit of money on top for my diesel. Then the Major will be wanting back the cash you took off him. Thank you.’

  ‘Anything you say!’ The man took a fat wallet out of his pocket and handed it to Mr Oakley. ‘Take what you want. Just keep that kid away from me!’ he said, glancing in terror at Harry.

  Charlie turned to Harry. ‘Wow! What did you do to him, Harry?’ she gasped.

  ‘And how on earth did the van end up in the air like that?’ asked Jack.

  ‘It’s hard to explain,’ said Harry. He grinned and patted his pocket where Spinosaurus was safely tucked away. ‘Let’s just say I couldn’t have done it without a lot of back-up.’

  Chapter 14

  The rest of the weekend was very busy. Harry had to speak to the police about what had happened at Far Hall, and it looked like Red Van Man was in big trouble. By now the police had had lots of reports of people being tricked by a man fitting his description.

  Harry got to school early on Monday morning. The only other kids who were around as he locked up his bike were Rocco Wiley and his mates.

  ‘We’ve been looking for you, Dino-boy,’ sneered Rocco. ‘You’ve been getting too big for your boots, you have!’ He pulled out his lighter again and flicked it under the saddle of Harry’s bike.

  ‘You shouldn’t play with fire,’ said Harry quietly. His hand went to his front pocket. His thumb moved. Nose-to-tail.

  ‘Oh yeah? And who’s going to stop me?’ asked Rocco.

  WHOOOOMPH!

  From nowhere came a gust of wind so strong that it snatched the lighter from Rocco’s hand and blew it away. The same gust ripped back the hoods he and his friends were wearing. It left them bareheaded and blinking with surprise.

  ‘What’s going on, Rocco?’ said Philip Wells.

  They all looked around, trying to work out what was happening.

  But then Harry said something none of them would ever forget, though none of them ever talked about it to anyone.

  What he said was: ‘Spinosaurus … Show yourself!’

  And for the first time in ages, Rocco and his friends had nothing to say.

  Nobody could explain the change that came over Rocco Wiley that week.

  ‘Quite amazing!’ said the Head, Mrs Potts. ‘I arrived on Monday
morning to find that somebody had left Rocco and his friends dangling by their hoods from the coat-hooks outside my office. I expected them to tell me who did it, but they wouldn’t say a word!’

  On Wednesday, Rocco was seen at the supermarket pushing his baby brother in a shopping trolley.

  ‘I can’t believe it! Rocco? Helping his mum?’ Jack said to Harry.

  ‘And being nice to his baby brother!’ added Charlie. ‘What’s going on?’

  ‘It is a miracle!’ was Siri’s reply. ‘Something very strange must have happened to change him so much.’

  Harry smiled to himself. ‘You can say that again.’