The Gum Tree Gang and the Mystery at the Old Queenslander

by Marie Seltenrych

  "Not really Mum. Do you want me to help with dinner?" Krystal replied, plumping up her pillow.

  "No, I'd just like you to keep an eye on Kathy while I do the vegies. She's very fretful today; she could be coming down with something. And I think you should put on some warmer things too, Krystal. I don't want you catching a cold." She looked with disapproval at

  Krystal's tee shirt and shorts, and smiled at Tracey in her snug pink tracksuit.

  "Kevin, could you put out the garbage and the vegetable scraps for me, please?" Mrs Cormack headed back towards the kitchen.

  "Sure Mum," Krystal and Kevin replied.

  "Okay, you guys, get out! I want to put my warm gear on." Krystal indicated the door to Matthew and Kevin.

  "It's getting late. I'd better go too, in case Mum needs me." Tracey left with the boys. "See you tomorrow morning then?" Tracey waved her hand.

  "Same place. See ya." Krystal closed the door as the three left.

  ~~~~Chatper Eight ~~~~

  Empty Tomb

  After dinner the Cormacks settled in the family room for the evening Bible reading.

  After a short prayer, Mr. Cormack opened his Bible. "We'll just continue our reading of the Gospel of Luke," he said, flipping through the pages. "We're up to chapter twenty-four, which is about the resurrection of Jesus," he noted.

  Steve Cormack usually divided the chapter into sections, with each person reading a section. "There are fifty-three verses in this chapter, so how many will each of us four read, Krystal, Kevin?" Mr. Cormack looked in the direction of the two eldest children.

  Kevin made a quick calculation. "Three read thirteen, and someone read fourteen!"

  "Do you agree with that Krystal?" Mr. Cormack asked, directing his gaze at Krystal.

  Krystal looked up. She had not heard the question, or the answer. Her mind was on the note, and the old Queenslander.

  "Me? Agree with what Dad?" she asked. She had a far-away look in her eyes.

  Steve Cormack frowned at his eldest daughter. "I thought you were in dreamland. Never mind, Kevin just did some mathematics. Can you please read the first thirteen verses of Luke, Chapter twenty-four, Krystal?"Steve Cormack fixed his glasses on his nose.

  Krystal had difficulty in concentrating at first, but as she read on, she found the reading becoming more interesting. It was about the women who first went to the

  tomb and found it empty. Jesus had risen. The women must have felt very excited, Krystal thought, but still the men didn't believe them. She felt annoyed with the unbelieving disciples. They reminded her of Matthew and Kevin. As she read verse eleven, she emphasised, and they did not believe them. She glanced at Kevin. He didn't bat an eyelid!

  She felt even more determined to prove to Kevin and Matthew all that had happened today. She hoped that the four guys would turn up again tomorrow to prove what Tracey and she had said.

  ~~~~Chapter Nine~~~~

  Inside the Old Queenslander

  Everything seemed boring at school the next day! Krystal felt sure the classroom clock had stopped. It was only half-past two. She had remembered to wear her watch today, so checked the time. Yes, it read: 2:30 p.m. The next thirty minutes seemed like hours as Krystal waited impatiently. A few minutes before school finished, she had her bag packed and was ready for closing prayers. She noticed Tracey had packed her things too!

  When the bell went, they had to restrain themselves from hurrying and bumping other children as they left the room.

  Krystal managed to be first through the school gate. She put her bag down at her feet and waited restlessly for Tracey. She checked her watch ten times in the next two minutes before Tracey's neat figure was seen hurrying through the gate. Tracey smiled as she came close to Krystal. Krystal picked up her school bag and heaved it onto her shoulders, then started walking as Tracey joined her.

  "We'd better hurry. We don't want anyone to start yabberin' and keep us late." Krystal sounded annoyed.

  "We're the first to leave. I've never seen you pack up so quickly." Tracey tried to calm her friend.

  "I thought you'd never get here. You took exactly two minutes longer than me!" said Krystal crossly."Sorry." Tracey gave her friend a sheepish smile.

  "It's okay." Krystal could not resist smiling back.

  As they came towards the old Queenslander, they walked faster. There was not even a car in sight. Soon they were in the shade of the big gum tree, and were hidden by the bushes around the house.

  "Nobody's here yet. Let's go inside." Krystal bounded up the steps. Tracey looked cautiously around before joining Krystal at the door.

  Krystal pushed the right-hand side of the door, and immediately it creaked and opened inwards. The girls moved quickly inside and stayed still, listening for noises. All was very quiet.

  "Oh, no! I forgot to bring some sheets," said Krystal, placing her bag in the cupboard.

  "I remembered." Tracey undid her bag and pulled out two small sheets, one white, and one patterned with red and black triangles. "These were the only old ones I could find." She shoved her bag into the cupboard and handed the patterned sheet to Krystal.

  The girls put the sheets over their heads.

  "Woo." Tracey waved her arms under the white sheet.

  "I can't see," Krystal murmured through the patterned sheet. She pulled her sheet off. "We could make some eye holes."

  "Well, they are old sheets. I suppose we could always sew them up again if we needed to." Tracey put her sheet over her head and marked the eye holes with her fingers. Krystal did the same.

  "We need scissors." Tracey tried to tear the sheet with her fingers.

  "Got it." Krystal bit a small piece out of her sheet. "Use your teeth." She spat the bits into her hand.

  "Good one." Tracey chewed a couple of holes. "Tastes awful." She spat the bits on the floor.

  "Litterbug," said Krystal, putting her bits in her pocket. "Sorry," Tracey bent and picked up her bits. "Yuk, they're wet." She shoved them in her pocket.

  "It's worth it." Krystal put the patterned sheet over her head and peered through one hole. "At least one works." The other hole was near her chin.

  "You look funny with side-eyes," said Tracey, laughing, trying on her costume. She peered through two holes.

  "You were always better at sewing than me," said Krystal, praising her friend.

  "And biting?" Tracey giggled and 'swooned' around the room. "Just wait until that brother of mine comes."

  "Yup, let's hope they come before the others do." Krystal took her sheet off and pushed it into the cupboard on top of her bag. "Let's look around the place. We can make a dash for it if we hear someone coming."

  "Yeah, it's not much fun without somebody to scare," said Tracey, folding her costume and placing it neatly on top of her bag.

  "There's another door at the end of the hallway."Krystal headed out of the 'cupboard' room and towards the far end of the house. Tracey followed. They tried to turn the brass knob of the door at the end of the hallway, but it wouldn't open.

  "This must've been the back door. I think there's a verandah at the back of the house too. We'll have to go around the outside of the house to check that out." Krystal gave up trying to open the door.

  Tracey stared at the locked back door. "'We should make a map of the layout. I wouldn't like to get stuck in here. There seems to be no way out except through the front door. I'm not so sure I like the idea of being trapped in that cupboard either. We'll have to find another way out of the place Krystal. It's too risky." She shivered.

  "You're right. I wonder if we could get out one of the boarded up windows..." Krystal stopped to listen. "I think I hear something! Quick!" She ran towards the cupboard room.

  Tracey followed.

  The two girls clambered into the cupboard and closed the door. All seemed quiet.

  Tracey put her 'costume' on in a flash.

  Krystal wrestled with her sheet, while Tracey looked for a crack in the door.

  "It's hard to see in
this thing." Tracey moved her eyes up and down the door.

  Krystal looked through one of the holes in the sheet,then crouched down. "Okay, I'm ready! I've found a good periscope hole. I'll watch. Try the other side of the door."

  "Here's one!" Tracey exclaimed, bundling the sheet around her knees.

  "Shh, they're here," Krystal whispered.

  They could hear voices. The front door creaked as it opened.

  Tracey started feeling faint again, and was glad she was on her knees. She hoped they were Kevin and Matthew. She would enjoy scaring them. What if they were Nathan and Davo, should they scare them too? Tracey decided to leave the decision to Krystal.

  Krystal's heart beat fast with excitement. They were probably Kevin and Matthew, she thought. But what if they were Nathan and Davo? If they scared them they might stop doing whatever it was they were doing. On the other hand, she pondered, they would never find out what it was they were up to. No, it was best to keep still if Nathan and Davo turned up before Kevin and Matthew. They just had to find out some more. Krystal's mind was made up. She hoped Tracey was ready for anything. The footsteps stopped, then started again, accompanied by soft whispers.

  Two figures came into the room. Krystal's heart seemed to miss a beat. Could they be Nathan and Davo? No, they were too quiet. They must be Kevin and Matthew, she reckoned. Both girls gave a sign of relief when the two figures turned out to be their brothers.

  "Now!" Tracey heard Krystal whisper through the dark.

  Tracey's sheet nodded.

  Krystal made a soft wooing noise.

  Tracey joined in.

  Matthew and Kevin stopped in the middle of the room. Matthew yelled, "I'm gettin' outa here...," and started heading towards the front door.

  Kevin stood still, looking around. "Wait...," the girls heard Kevin call to Matthew.

  He stopped and looked back at Kevin. His face was bright in the darkness. He rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand, and seemed ready to make a dash for the front door.

  "Woo," Tracey and Krystal moaned together, then started giggling.

  "I bet the girls are here." Kevin stared at the cupboard.

  "Yeah, I think you're right mate. I bet it's them, getting back at us! I think they're over there," said Matthew, heading cautiously towards the cupboard.

  Krystal and Tracey moved right back into the corner of the cupboard tripping over their sheets, almost falling on top of each other with laughter. Matthew tried to pull the door open from the bottom.

  "Let's jump up when the door opens," Krystal whispered. The door flew open.

  "Boo." The two girls leaped up. A sheet made a ripping sound. Matthew jumped back.

  For a split second Matthew stared. "My sheet." He pointed at Krystal. "You tore my sheet."

  "Sorry Matthew." Krystal's head emerged from a large hole in the torn sheet. "I stood on it."

  "I knew it was you, trying to scare us," said Matthew, still shaking from the fright.

  "Well, we did," said Tracey, as she pulled her white sheet off "And you never use that sheet. It was just lying at the bottom of your wardrobe."

  "Well, it's wrecked now," Matthew scowled.

  "We'll sew it up, won't we Tracey." Krystal tried to sound cheerful as she stepped through the large rip. She really hated sewing.

  "We can try." Tracey sounded unsure as she stared at the now very large hole.

  "Yeah, Christians shouldn't play games with ghosts and things. Dad said so. There's only the Holy Ghost in the Bible." Kevin stared at his sister.

  "You won't tell Dad, will you? Please promise you won't. And I won't tell Dad you scared us yesterday," Krystal begged.

  "It's a deal; I promise."

  "It was fun." Krystal smiled at Tracey

  She nodded, grinning from ear to ear.

  "I knew this was a rip off. Where are those four guysyou said would be here?" Kevin had his hands on his hips.

  "Look, they could be here any minute. Hide in here. Give us your bags." Krystal held her hand out.

  The boys flung their bags up and Tracey pushed them into the corner of the cupboard. Matthew hopped up on the ledge of the cupboard, with Kevin right behind. It was a tight squeeze for the four in the cupboard.

  "Vacuum packed," Matthew whispered.

  "This is dumb. What if they don't turn up?" Kevin questioned, as he tried to find a spot for his left foot. Krystal glared at the boys in the dark. "Be a bit patient. Remember Job. Shh...," she added.

  "What about our reward?" Matthew mumbled. "Quiet!" Tracey scowled.

  The girls hoped the Car Gang would be here soon, before the boys made too much noise. Just then, as if in answer to the girls' thoughts, footsteps and voices could be heard clearly. Boards creaked as people walked through the house. They seemed to go towards the room with the fireplace, then came towards their cupboard room.

  Krystal and Tracey felt relieved as they looked for their `spotter'. Matthew and Kevin tried to find cracks in the door but could not find suitable ones, so left the looking up to the girls. Kevin put his ear to the middle of the two doors, where he was crouched.

  ~~~~Chapter Ten~~~~

  Found Out

  Two boys came in. They were Nathan and Davo. Krystal smiled. Now the boys could hear for themselves what was going on.

  "How many did you bring, Maz?" Nathan asked Davo. "None. Just couldn't get any. Lost me instructions. Got any spare Toy?" Davo pleaded.

  "Okay, you owe me two." Nathan made a rattling sound as he handed two objects to Davo. Davo put the objects in his jacket pocket.

  "Thanks Mate, I mean Toy!" said Davo, sounding happier.

  The two boys sat on the floor in the middle of the room. They're waiting for Chevy and Merc, Krystal and Tracey thought.

  After a minute or two a car pulled up outside the house and they could hear the car doors being shut. Then they heard brisk footsteps coming through the entrance of the house. The footsteps became louder. In a moment, Krystal and Tracey could see who they were. Yes, they were Chevy and Merc.

  Chevy indicated to the two younger boys to get up. Nathan and Davo immediately stood up, stood to attention, and saluted Chevy and Merc. Chevy clicked his heels and stood to attention, held his hand stiffly in front of his forehead, then saluted in reply."At ease," he yelled.

  Nathan and Davo immediately stood with their feet apart, and their hands behind their backs.

  "Okay, where's the goods?" Chevy asked, reaching in his inside pockets and throwing handfuls of objects on the floor in front of the two younger boys. Merc immediately did the same.

  Nathan and Davo went, "Wow!"

  Nathan threw about four objects on the floor. Davo threw two objects at his feet.

  "Mm...very good. Keep up the good work. I want a good show next Wednesday. Okay, we'll share the loot." Chevy picked up the objects and distributed to each of the four. "Two spares. Here, you two; your just reward. There'll be even more next time." Chevy addressed Nathan and Davo.

  "About next time...," said Davo hesitatingly. "I don't know if I can come so late. I'm usually in bed by then. My parents would be mad with me if they found me missin'."

  "Mine too!" Nathan joined in.

  "It's a very important meeting. We'll have a special guest, and...," said Chevy, glinting at the two boys, "if you don't turn up on Wednesday, you're out, okay?" He then stood to attention and saluted again. Merc did the same.

  "Bully," Krystal whispered, feeling angry as she watched Chevy.Nathan and Davo saluted in reply.

  "Dismissed." Chevy clicked his heels.

  Nathan and Davo hurried towards the front door.

  Merc and Chevy headed towards the fireplace room and

  after a couple of minutes left through the front door.

  The four in the cupboard could hear the engine of the car revving, and then the noise disappeared

  .

  ~~~~Chatper Eleven~~~~

  Hot-Gossip

  "Phew. It's hot in here." Matthew was the first to s
peak. "I'm cooking." Kevin pushed the door open.

  "Well, do you believe us now?" Krystal demanded. Kevin nodded. "'Suppose so."

  "Yeah, I reckon we ought to tell the police," said Matthew.

  "What!" Krystal exclaimed. "Tell the police we hid in this place and saw some guys throwing things on the floor."

  "Maybe they were bullets!" Matthew sounded serious. "Looked more like chocolate bars to me." Tracey glanced at her brother.

  "Well, we couldn't see. So what's next?" Matthew glared at his sister.

  "Get out of this stuffy place." Kevin jumped down. Matthew followed close on his heels.

  Kevin flicked his torch and shone it around the spots where the four threw the stuff.

  The two girls jumped down.

  "Hey, they left something." Kevin picked up a small brown and white object.

  "It's a Jupiter Bar." Kevin checked the bar with his torch. "The bar with a heavenly taste," he said dramatically.

  Matthew licked his lips. "Our reward. We can shareit."

  "Count me out! You don't know if it's been poisoned, or something," Tracey warned.

  "Yeah, it might. We'd better keep it for evidence. There might be fingerprints on it too." Kevin held the bar between his fingers.

  "Yeah, yours," said Krystal sarcastically.

  "Oh! Well maybe we should share it then?" Kevin tossed the bar in the air, then caught it again.

  "I'm hungry." Matthew licked his lips. "Actually, I'm starving. Let's eat it."

  "Well, I'm not having any." Tracey shook her head. "Me neither," said Krystal.

  "Well, that leaves more for the two of us then!" Kevin made a mark in the centre of the bar and tried to break it. The paper tore and the bar broke in half - almost. He twisted it until it was in two mangled parts.

  "Yuk!" Krystal and Tracey screwed up their noses. The two boys took a part each and started munching. The girls watched. Their mouths started watering.

  They glanced at each other. Maybe they should have

  shared with the boys they both thought.

  "Well, that gets rid of our evidence." Krystal pulled her bag out of the cupboard. "I'm going home. I'm getting hungry. C'me on Trace."

  "Right. I'll just get my things." Tracey turned to grab her bag and the white sheet. "When are we coming back?" she asked as she squashed the sheet into her bag."'dunno. We don't have school tomorrow. Why don't we come here and check this place out a bit more," Krystal suggested.