"Waw, thanks Trace," Krystal said, passing a straw to Kevin and Matthew.
Krystal reached into her bag and brought out her little pocket radio. Family Radio Station, the positive alternative, she recited. Slowly she turned the little black knob. "Got it!" The four sat quietly for a few moments, relaxing and enjoying their party.
"Hey, this is great." said Matthew. "Why don't we start a gang?"
"Krystal said this is a 'gang'!" Kevin turned to Krystal as he spoke. "What's the name of the gang, by the way?"
"We'll have to make one up. How about, The Creepers Gang?" Krystal suggested, leaning forward to sip some of the koula, then added, "because we had to creepthrough the attic."
"We just jumped up," Matthew replied. "What about The Rat Gang? Rats live in attics," he added.
"I think we should be The Cool Koalas," Tracey suggested, brushing her pink track top. "They're cute and they climb."
"Sounds too frilly to me. I think we should be The Aussie Bafflers," Kevin suggested.
"Sounds like a bunch of oldies," Krystal remarked. "But we should have some Aussie name. How about The Prickly Possums?"
"Or, The Gum Tree Gang," Tracey added.
"That sounds Australian. I like it," said Krystal, encouraging her little friend.
"Sounds okay, I suppose," said Kevin, disappointed that his suggestion had not been accepted.
"That's cool! At least I won't forget what it is with all the gum trees around here!" Matthew concluded.
"Okay, officially we are now The Gum Tree Gang. Everyone agree?" Krystal raised her drinking straw like a gavel.
"Agreed," three voices echoed. Krystal brought her straw gavel down.
"Now to the business of The Gum Tree Gang," said Krystal, taking out her notebook and pencil. "Kevin, did you tell Matt about the Jupiter bar?"
"Oh, I forgot. You tell him," said Kevin, gulping a mouthful of koula.Three munching faces turned towards Krystal.
"It's about that bar you found Matthew. The one you and Kevin ate."
Matthew stopped sucking his lolly for a split second.
"Well, I figured it might've been stolen. They called it `loot' ." Krystal paused for a breath. "I think you and Kevin should check on Nathan and Davo and see if they are stealing. I've seen them at the Lolly Shop on their way to school. What d'you reckon?" she questioned.
"I think she could be right. They are acting a bit strange. What do you reckon Matt? Think we could track them?" Kevin asked.
"It might be more fun than scaring girls." Matthew flicked a crumpled lolly paper at Tracey.
"Thanks a lot, Brother." Tracey threw the wrapper back.
"Hey, that's enough, you two. Now, are you and Kevin tracking Nathan and Davo or not?" Krystal grabbed the wrapper as it flew through the air.
"I think we should start Monday morning then?" Kevin suggested.
"Okay. Monday's a good day to start. We can meet outside • the Lolly Shop before school, and catch the crooks." Matthew felt really keen.
"That's settled then. We should all work on a special code, so we can give messages to each other. Any suggestions?" Krystal asked.
The three shook their heads. "Okay, we can work onthat one," Krystal continued. "Our next meeting will be here after school on Monday."
Three heads nodded.
"Let's clean up and go home," said Krystal, straightening her legs, picking up her lolly wrappers and putting them in her pocket. "We can have a lolly-wrapper fight with these," she added.
The four clambered down through the cupboard.
"Oh, no! I'm filthy. Look at me!" Tracey brushed dust off her pink tracksuit which was now a dull grey colour in many places.
"My jeans are yuk!" said Krystal, slapping her thighs. Clouds of dust blew around the four.
"This is the best way to get rid of dust." Matthew jumped wildly around.
Kevin decided to try that too. "It doesn't work. Your face is still grubby," Kevin said to Matthew as they both jumped.
Matthew wiped his face with his sleeve. That just smeared more dirt over his nose.
Tracey produced a hankie that had been right at the bottom of her tracksuit pocket. It was almost black after she and Krystal had used it to wipe their faces.
"I give up. We'll just have to run for the shower when we get home, and hope nobody sees us," said Krystal, as she grabbed her bicycle from the back of the tank stand.
In a few minutes the children reached their special meeting corner. "See ya tomorrow," they yelled as they parted company.
~~~~Chapter Seventeen.~~~~
Down in a Dungeon
Krystal stared at her nails. For the first time in her life she wished she had some nail varnish. She had tried so hard to get all the dirt out, but her fingernails still had dirt under them. She noticed they were cracked and uneven. "Yuk!" she mumbled as she hid her hands under the pages of her Bible. She looked at Tracey who was sitting next to her. Tracey had nail varnish on! Krystal stared at her friend's pretty pink nails.
Tracey noticed and smiled. "Borrowed Mum's," she whispered, waving her hand delicately.
Krystal felt determined to persuade her Mum to let her use nail varnish. She glanced over at Matthew and Kevin. They were busy having a lively conversation.
"Meet ya at the Lolly Shop at quarter past," whispered Matthew.
"Right," replied Kevin, glancing around to make sure nobody was listening. The other children seemed quite unaware of their excitement about Monday.
How could they concentrate on a Bible lesson when such an adventure awaited them, Kevin thought, as Mrs. Croft opened her books and began to pray.
At the end of the prayer the children said a big "Amen."
"The Lesson today is about Jeremiah. He suffered for the sake of righteousness...," she continued, then told the class about the terrible time Jeremiah had down in the dark, muddy, damp hole. An old water hole. She told them how he almost died! "But God had plans for Jeremiah..." Mrs. Croft continued the interesting story while the children listened intently.
Later, as they completed their workbook, the four could really relate to Jeremiah with all that mud on him.
Krystal thought about her dirty nails. Imagine having dirt caked on everywhere! And no hot showers! She really felt for Jeremiah as she filled in the blank squares in her book.
Kevin thought of the black hole they discovered. At least they had torches. It must have been dark in that black place where Jeremiah had to stay by himself. But the LORD was with him.
Tracey enjoyed filling in the verse. Though our sins be as scarlet they shall be white as snow, she wrote.
The teacher had explained that the 'scarlet' was really a deep blackish purple.
"Probably like mulberry stains," Tracey murmured as she wrote. She was glad that Jesus had washed all her sins away. She loved her Saviour deeply as she thought of how he went through so much for her. Her nail varnish covered up the stains under her nails, but the dirt was still there. She knew Jesus had cast her sins as far as the east is from the west! She thanked Jesus in her heart for cleansing her and making her white as snow inside.
Matthew felt for Jeremiah in the dark place. He must have been brave, he thought in awe.
~~~~Chapter Eighteen~~~~
Stop Thief
Somehow Monday came at last. After school, Krystal and Tracey sat in the attic of the old Queenslander, waiting anxiously for the boys to arrive.
"Did you and Matt get into trouble after our adventure?" Krystal asked her friend.
"No. Mum was busy cooking something special in the kitchen, and Dad was in the workshop. We managed to have a shower and change before they saw us at dinner. Actually, Mum commented on how spick and span we looked. She was happy to lend me her nail varnish. She said I was becoming a real little lady. Somehow that made me feel bad," said Tracey sadly.
"I know how you feel! I wish we could tell our folks about all this, but I don't think they'd appreciate it," said Krystal, sighing.
Tracey sha
red the last of her drink just as they heard the boys coming.
The trapdoor moved at the back of the attic, and in a flash two schoolbags came sliding through the attic, followed by two boys.
"What happened?" Krystal asked as the two settled on the beams.
"Yeah, what happened?" Tracey joined in.
"Hey, one question at a time." Kevin grinned. "Matt, you start.""I'm thirsty. Need a drink." Matthew looked at Tracey. "Oops...sorry, we just drank all my spare. Sorry," she repeated.
"Here, have some `lemo'." Kevin reached in his bag and produced a yellow can.
"Great, thanks!" Matthew prised the seal and gulped a mouthful. "Mm, it's a bit warm. Well, we went to the Lolly Shop and waited until Nathan and Davo arrived." He paused to wipe his mouth with the back of his hand.
"So they did steal something?" Tracey's eyes sparkled.
"I didn't say that. Just wait. Okay?" Matthew glared at his sister. "They both went into the shop. Kevin stayed outside, watching. I followed Nathan and he sort of darted from one spot to another. I'm sure he put something in the inside pocket of his jacket. It's one of those ones with pockets everywhere. A bomber jacket. Really cool..."
"Tell the story please, Matthew," said Tracey sternly to her brother.
"I'm tellin' it! Well, I sort'f followed him towards the counter to see what he did. He put a bar down and took some money out of his pocket. It all looked normal." Matthew shrugged his shoulders.
"So you didn't really catch him stealing, did you?" asked Tracey.
"Not really..." Matthew stopped short again.
"Go on Matt, tell the rest of the story," urged Kevin. "Well," said Matthew, "I left the shop after Nathan, and then Mr. Smith called me back. He asked me what I wanted to buy! I said `nothin'...." Matthew's lips felt dry. He gulped another mouthful of lemo.
"So, what's wrong with that?" Krystal felt concerned about Matthew's sad expression.
"He told me someone was pinchin' stuff at his shop, and he was watching me." Matthew gulped another mouthful. Lemo spilled down his chin onto his school shirt.
"So I went into the shop and bought a drink - lemo. But Matt's really a hero. He found this!" said Kevin as he took a small roll of paper out of his pocket.
"Matt, that's great!" exclaimed Krystal. She could not bear to see Matthew's face looking so sad.
"Might be," replied Matthew. "Who cares. Mr. Smith thinks I'm a low life now."
"Don't worry, he'll soon find out you're not. Let's see what you found." Tracey moved closer to read the note.
Kevin shone his torch on the writing. "Can't make it out. It's worse than the first note you girls found."
The four children cluttered around the note. Surely it was the next clue! Kevin kept the light on the piece of paper.
It read: SEllout, VEry fiNe FOrds, yoUR TradE caN stash your CAsh. Don't delay, REep sWeet gAins foR all Deals.
"I know. I know! It's like the other message. Look at the strange way the capital letters are!" exclaimed Tracey."Sure are strange. Nearly looks like my writing." Kevin grinned at Matthew, trying to cheer him up.
"Look, we could be on to something. Quiet please! Krystal admonished, "we're trying to think!"
"I just can't believe it!" said Matthew, after a moment's silence.
Three heads turned to Matthew.
"That man nearly said 'Stop thief . I felt really shamed out," said Matthew sadly. "I never want to go to that shop again! Never!"
"Don't worry Matt, you got the most important thing...the next clue! When the truth is revealed, Mr. Smith'll want your autograph - and he might give you free `koula' for a year!" said Krystal encouragingly. She felt furious inside, and longed more than ever to find out what those boys were up to.
Tracey was busy circling the capital letters. Kevin was helping.
"Got it!" Tracey exclaimed, writing down the capitals. SEVEN FOUR TEN CAD REWARD
Tracey read the words. "I wonder what it means?" "Well, it could mean that they meet either at seven, four or ten," Kevin suggested.
"So far it's been at four. Maybe we could try a different time," Tracey reminded the others.
"If four is the usual time they meet maybe we should stick to that," Kevin suggested.
"Or seven," said Krystal. "But that's a bad time to getaway from the house. We always have our family Bible time then. But maybe we could take turns to come on different days at different times."
"So, how can we decide?" Tracey puzzled aloud. "Ten o'clock at night," Matthew mumbled.
"Ten at night! Why then?" questioned Tracey.
"Well, didn't Nathan and Davo say they should be in bed. It can't be four! Seven's a bit early, so it must be ten," concluded Matthew.
"Matt's right. They did say something about being in bed. It has to be ten at night," Krystal agreed.
Tracey yawned, "Gosh, surely it can't be ten at night. I feel tired thinking about going out at ten at night!"
"Well, what do you guys think?" Krystal asked, staring at the solemn faces. "Ten at night or not?"
"That's what I said. Ten o'clock at night." Matthew nodded.
"I agree with Matt," said Kevin.
"Okay. But which night? I don't want to come here every night. We'll have to choose one night," Tracey added.
"Didn't that Chevy guy say something about a Wednesday," said Kevin, thinking hard.
"Yes - come to think of it - he did mention Wednesday. So, who wants to come on Wednesday night? It sounds like the best night." Krystal felt excited.
"Wednesday!" Matthew nodded.
"I don't want to miss out. I probably wouldn't sleepanyway. I'll come if you do, Krystal," said Tracey.
"I wouldn't miss it for the world!" replied Kystal We're all in...great! Now, if the ten means ten o'clock, then what do the other two numbers mean?"
"Maybe you add them up," Matthew suggested.
"Eleven. So what would eleven mean?" said Kevin.
"We might find out on Wednesday. I think we should get here a bit earlier if we can. What about half past nine?" asked Krystal, putting her lolly wrapper into her bag.
"It seems so late. And what about the 'Cad' bit?" Tracey asked as everyone moved to leave. "D'you think he's the special guest?"
"Could be,"answered Krystal.
"Find out Wednesday," yodeled Matthew.
"Wednesday, at night," choruses joined in. The four could not help feeling excited about their coming adventure.
"I'd better go back through the cupboard," said Matthew, having gotten over his earlier depression. "I want to collect that piece of timber and put some hinges and a handle on it."
"Yes, and we'd better make sure we haven't left anything lying around," Tracey reminded the others, as they crawled back along the rafters to the cupboard.
~~~~Chapter Nineteen~~~~
A Dark Adventure
Krystal, Kevin, Tracey and Matthew agreed to work hard on Wednesday at school, so that they might not get any homework. They also agreed they would get to bed early, and set their alarms to wake up again at nine that night. They could hardly wait for Wednesday to come.
On Wednesday evening, Steve Cormack said he wanted to attend the prayer meeting at the church. "Is that okay with you, Darling." He looked at his wife Maureen.
Mrs. Cormack nodded. "That's fine. I'll just put this little one to bed," she said, as she firmly held Kathy, who had fallen asleep on her lap during the Bible reading.
"Do you want a hand with her?" Steve Cormack asked.
"No, it's fine. She's still small enough for me to handle. You go on to the meeting." Mrs. Cormack gently brushed a golden lock off Kathy's angelic face. "She looks so beautiful when she's sleeping; reminds me of Krystal at the same age," she whispered.
Steve Cormack smiled. "You children should be asleep when I come home, so I'll say goodnight now." He turned towards Krystal and Kevin as he put his warm jacket on. "It's a bit cool tonight."
"Night, Dad," the two said quietly, so as not to disturb Kathy.
"I'm off to bed too, Mum," Krystal added, yawning."Oh, that's unusual for you. Have you done all your homework?" Mrs. Cormack asked, rising and placing Kathy against her shoulder.
"I didn't have any." Krystal stretched and looked away from her Mum. Why did she feel guilty?
"I may as well go to bed too." Kevin rubbed his eyes and looked at Krystal.
"Well, it'll do you both good to have an early night. I'm a bit tired myself looking at all the sleepy people around here. Kevin, could you please turn Kathy's doona cover down for me," Mrs. Cormack asked as she headed towards the little pale pink coloured bedroom at the end of the passage.
Kevin hurried to help.
Both children gave their Mum a goodnight kiss and headed for their room.
"Remember to have a quiet time with the Lord," Mrs. Cormack reminded the two.
Krystal sat in bed reading the Psalms. She found it difficult to concentrate as she read. She loved the Book of Psalms; however, tonight her mind seemed unsettled. She felt strange knowing she was going to leave home without telling her parents; the thought really bothered her. The others probably felt the same, she concluded.
Maybe they should leave a note or something, in case
their parents missed them, Krystal mused. She hated to
think they might be worried. That would be terrible! She
flipped the pages of her Bible over to Psalm twenty-three.She began to read the Psalm. She had memorised it a couple of months ago. Though I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I will fear no evil..., she read. The words made her feel uneasy. She hopped out of bed and took a pencil and notepad from her back pack.
Dear Mum, she wrote.
Sorry we could not tell you but
we are going to the old Queenslander
on Underwood Road.
Something bad is going on. We had to go!
Love Krystal.
Krystal sighed as she tucked the note under her bedside lamp. She hopped back into bed and snuggled under the covers; somehow she felt a bit better now. She closed her eyes. She could see Tracey's smiling face in her mind, her dark eyes dancing, then Matthew's solemn face with drips running down his chin. She wondered what they were doing right now?
The Gum Tree Gang and the Mystery at the Old Queenslander Page 5