by Andrew Cope
ANDREW COPE
Illustrated by James de la Rue
PUFFIN
Contents
1. Pick-pocket
2. Spies!
3. School’s Out!
4. Storm Spell!
5. Star Treatment
6. No Happy Endings
7. Going Green
8. Cupcake
9. The Show Must Go On
10. Moonlit Chase
11. Imposters!
12. The Dancing Troll
13. A Race Against Time
14. Crash!
15. The Leap of Faith
16. The Ride of Your Life
PUFFIN BOOKS
My dog can find anything. She’s a LabraGoogle! Geddit? No? Oh.
Well, the truth is that my dog is rubbish. She never Googles anything. She’s called Lara. She sleeps a lot and makes bad doggy smells. She certainly doesn’t go on my PS3 or Wii. And she absolutely cannot ride a motorbike or eat spag Bol with a knife and fork. And as for riding on rollercoasters! That’d be ridiculous. Wouldn’t it?
If you want Spy Dog to come to your school, please email her at [email protected]. She’ll probably have to bring Andrew Cope along too because she feels a bit sorry for him. He doesn’t get out much, you see. I know you’ll make a big fuss of Lara. Please, please make a big fuss of Andrew too.
www.spydog451.co.uk
Books by Andrew Cope
Spy Dog
Spy Dog Captured!
Spy Dog Unleashed!
Spy Dog Superbrain
Spy Dog Rocket Rider
Spy Dog Secret Santa
Spy Dog Teacher’s Pet
Spy Dog Rollercoaster!
Spy Pups Treasure Quest
Spy Pups Prison Break
Spy Pups Circus Act
Spy Pups Danger Island
Spy Pups Survival Camp
Spy Pups Training School
Spy Dog Joke Book
1. Pick-pocket
Enchanted Towers Theme Park was doing magical business. At ten o’clock in the morning it was already packed; the air rang with happy screams, there were queues for all the big rides and more visitors were streaming in through the main gates.
‘What do you want to go on first?’ a mother asked her three children as they pushed through the turnstiles.
‘The Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum ride,’ said one boy. ‘It’s amazing! You whizz round the beanstalk so fast your eyes nearly pop out of your head!’
‘Nah! Let’s do the Rollertoaster,’ said his brother. ‘You go down and down and it gets hotter and hotter until you suddenly pop up!’
‘What about Rapunzel’s Tower? That’s got to be the best. See how high it is?’ The first boy pointed to a tall, thin tower rising above the treetops. ‘And they dangle you over the edge for ages before they drop you!’
‘Yeah, OK.’ His brother nodded in agreement. ‘Rapunzel’s Tower.’
‘What about you, sweetie?’ asked the mother, bending down to the little girl. ‘What do you want to do first?’
‘I want to meet Princess Pretty and her Troll Prince. They’re my favourites.’
Both boys stuck fingers in their mouths and made gagging noises.
‘Oh, look!’ cried the little girl, ignoring her brothers. ‘There they are!’
A beautiful, dark-haired girl stood in the square beyond the turnstiles, dressed in a pink princess costume. An enormous troll with a snaggle-toothed smile stood beside her. He was dressed like a prince and had a tiny crown perched on the top of his huge head.
The little girl let go of her mother’s hand and raced towards her fairy-tale heroes.
‘Oof!’ said Princess Pretty as the little girl cannoned into her.
‘Sorry,’ said the mother, catching up. ‘She’s been dying to meet you. She loves Princess Pretty and her Troll Prince, don’t you, sweetie?’
‘Well, we love you too. We surely do!’ said Princess Pretty brightly, yanking her dress out of the little girl’s sticky grip.
‘She’s got the storybook, the dolls, everything,’ the mother said. ‘She loves the bit where your troll turns into a handsome prince.’
‘How sweet,’ said Princess Pretty, eyeing the mother’s open handbag. A purse was sticking out of the top.
The mother turned away to check on her boys, and Princess Pretty took her chance. Patting the little girl on the head with one hand, she lifted the purse from the mother’s bag with the other and passed it to the Troll Prince. Quickly, he pushed it into his snaggle-toothed mouth just before the mother turned back.
‘Bye-bye now!’ called Princess Pretty as the little family headed for the rides. ‘Have a nice day!’
‘They won’t though, will they?’ groaned a voice from inside the troll’s massive chest. ‘Because we’ve stolen all their spending money.’
Princess Pretty glared at the troll. ‘Don’t start that again, Darren,’ she hissed under her breath.
‘But I feel really bad!’ wailed Darren from inside the troll suit. ‘Let’s give the purse back. We can say she dropped it –’
Princess Pretty stamped her foot. ‘Don’t you care about me?’
‘Of course I do, Princess! More than anything in the world, but …’
Princess Pretty narrowed her beautiful eyes. ‘But?’
‘But I don’t want to help you pick any more pockets,’ Darren blurted. ‘Please don’t make me.’
‘So, how are we going to get enough cash for me to go to Hollywood and become a star? Hmm?’ demanded Princess Pretty.
Darren shrugged inside his troll suit. ‘Maybe we should just stay here. It’s not so bad.’
‘Not so bad? You can’t be serious! I hate this place, I hate this job and I especially hate wearing this silly pink princess outfit!’
‘You should try wearing a troll suit,’ muttered Darren. ‘It’s like an oven in here and this head weighs a ton.’
‘Be quiet!’ snarled Princess Pretty. ‘This isn’t about you!’
‘It never is,’ sighed Darren. ‘It’s always about you.’
Princess Pretty was about to tear a strip off Darren when she spotted a white-haired man in a brightly coloured waistcoat heading towards them. ‘Watch out. The boss is coming,’ she hissed, turning her snarl into a smile. ‘Good morning, Mr Cartwright!’
‘I’ve been watching you two,’ said Mr Cartwright.
Darren groaned inside his troll suit. ‘We’re so sorry, boss. We’ll give it back straight aw– OWWW!’
Mr Cartwright raised a bushy eyebrow. ‘Are you all right, son?’
‘He’s fine,’ said Princess Pretty, grinding the heel of her shoe deeper into Darren’s foot. ‘Aren’t you?’
‘Ye-es!’ squeaked Darren.
‘Good. As I was saying, I’ve been watching you two, and it’s clear that Princess Pretty and her Troll Prince are very popular with our visitors. I think you deserve a reward for all your hard work.’
‘Why thank you, Mr Cartwright,’ sang Princess Pretty, her eyelids fluttering. ‘We just love seeing the happy faces of the little kiddies … Hang on. Did you say “reward”?’ Princess Pretty’s eyes gleamed greedily. ‘What reward?’
‘In two days’ time we launch our latest ride.’ Mr Cartwright nodded proudly towards the Enchanted Towers woods, where the gleaming curves of the new rollercoaster rose above the treetops. ‘It’s going to be the longest, twirliest, fastest rollercoaster in the world!’
‘Wonderful,’ said Princess Pretty, willing him to get to the reward part.
‘As you know, we held a competition to find a name for our new rollercoaster,’ continued Mr Cartwright. ‘And I have just chosen the winner. I’ll be telling him this afternoon and he will arrive at Enchanted Towers this evening, along with his fa
mily.’
‘And my reward is …?’ Princess Pretty prompted.
‘Ah yes. I have chosen you two to be the face of Enchanted Towers for this very special event!’ said Mr Cartwright.
‘That’s it?’ said Princess Pretty. ‘THAT’S IT?! I mean … how very – lovely.’ She made a deep curtsy to hide her angry face.
Mr Cartwright carried on happily. ‘I know! It’s a real honour. Not only will you be looking after our competition winner and his family, but you’ll also be taking care of another very special guest. Chart-topping singer Summer Rayne will be coming here to launch our new ride!’
Princess Pretty rose up out of her curtsy, her eyes glittering with a mad mixture of hatred and joy. ‘Summer Rayne?’ she hissed.
Mr Cartwright beamed. ‘Pop sensation Summer Rayne! She’s a real superstar. We’re very lucky to get her.’
‘Wow! What are the chances, Princess?’ said Darren.
Princess Pretty ignored him.
‘Chances?’ asked Mr Cartwright. ‘What do you mean, Darren?’
‘Princess knows Summer Rayne!’ explained Darren. ‘Owww! My foot!’
Princess Pretty gave a tinkly laugh. ‘Don’t be silly, Darren. I don’t know her. I just feel as though I know her because she’s so famous.’
‘But I thought you were in the same – OWWW!’
‘For instance, I know the words to all her hit songs,’ continued Princess Pretty, giving Darren’s foot another jab.
‘Excellent! It sounds as though you’re just the person to take care of her,’ said Mr Cartwright.
‘Oh, I’ll take care of her all right,’ growled Princess Pretty.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
Mr Cartwright unhooked his pager from his belt and frowned at the screen. ‘Oh no,’ he breathed, turning pale. ‘Another visitor’s purse has gone missing.’
‘That’s our fault,’ moaned Darren as Mr Cartwright headed off. ‘I feel terrible.’
‘Don’t worry, wimp,’ snapped Princess Pretty. ‘We don’t need to pick any more pockets. I have a cunning plan. Summer Rayne is going to give me all the money I need, and more.’
2. Spies!
‘I’m afraid it’s now or never,’ woofed Lara. ‘Are you ready, pups?’
‘But, the Prof isn’t here yet!’ whimpered Star. ‘We can’t go ahead without him!’
‘We have no choice,’ said Lara. ‘In five minutes’ time this place will be overrun; we won’t stand a chance of getting across unseen.’
Star’s sticky-up ear drooped and Spud’s tail crept between his legs. Lara understood exactly how her pups were feeling. Professor Cortex might be one of the world’s top scientists and the head of the British Government’s animal spying programme, but he had always found time to be there for the important moments in their lives. He had trained Lara to be the world’s first ever Spy Dog and, once she had retired from active service, he had trained her pups too. He had been there, beaming with pride, when Spud and Star became fully fledged Spy Dogs.
So where was her old friend now?
Lara sighed. ‘Sorry, pups. We can’t wait any longer.’
‘Chin up, sis,’ woofed Spud, touching his nose to Star’s. ‘Even if the Prof isn’t here to see it, we’re still about to do something amazing!’
Star’s sticky-up ear sprang to attention again. ‘You’re right,’ she barked. ‘The world’s first ever dog free-runners. We’ve been training for this for weeks. Come on, let’s do it!’
They were in the playground of their local park. Quickly, Star turned to face the big slide, Spud ran to stand behind her and Lara took her place behind Spud, checking to see if anyone was watching as she went. In a few minutes’ time, the park would fill up with children when the school next door finished for the summer but, for now, there were only three people to be seen, and none of them were interested in Lara and her pups. The old lady on the bench was reading a newspaper, the park gardener was weeding a flower bed with his back to them and the homeless man sprawled in the shade of a tree was snoring loudly. Lara gave a satisfied nod.
‘Ready, pups?’
‘Ready, Ma,’ yapped Star, going into a crouch.
Spud waggled his rear end. ‘Ready, Ma!’
‘Remember, keep moving and don’t touch the ground. You get marks for style as well as skill. Spud, wait three seconds before you follow Star. I’ll bring up the rear. Go, Star!’
Star raced for the slide like a black and white arrow.
‘One, two, three! Geronimo!’ yapped Spud, charging after his sister.
Lara counted off three more seconds before following Spud as fast as her paws would go.
Star galloped up the slippery slide chute to the top and then flung herself over the edge. She fell towards a climbing frame, but twisted in mid-air, hit the top platform with all four paws and pushed off again. Full marks for style! This time, she tumbled towards a rocking horse and landed on the saddle. The horse tipped on its spring and then –
Boing!
– it bounced back, shooting Star into the air again. She somersaulted and came down neatly on the roof of the playhouse.
‘Yeehah!’ yapped Spud, bouncing off the rocking horse saddle. ‘Good free-running, sis!’
‘Thanks, pardner,’ Star panted, vaulting on to the playhouse chimney.
The next jump was the most difficult of all, but Star didn’t hesitate. She leapt from the chimney to the see-saw, landed on the lower seat and then ran up the sloping bar towards the higher seat. As she passed the mid-point, the see-saw tipped, and she slid the rest of the way down the bar.
‘Here I come!’ yapped Spud.
Star scrambled on to the seat just as her brother jumped from the playhouse chimney and landed with a thud on the other end of the see-saw. His seat shot down and Star’s seat shot up, catapulting her across the final stretch of the playground and on to the grass beyond.
Star rolled as she landed and then came up on to her back legs, like a gymnast at the end of her routine. Chest out. Bum out. Arms high! ‘That was amazing!’
‘My turn!’ called Spud, galloping along to the other end of the see-saw. He reached the far seat just as Lara jumped from the playhouse on to the see-saw and sent him flying through the air like a furry black cannonball. Lara’s extra weight sent him much higher than his sister. ‘Whoo-hoo!’ he howled, flying through the air. ‘Is it a bird … or a plane?’
Star put her paw to her eyes to shield them from the sun. She gulped as her brother soared through the blue sky.
‘No, it’s a superdooooog,’ she heard him yowl before he disappeared over the school fence. There was a splash as the puppy landed in the school’s outdoor pool.
Lara looked at Star who blinked back, rather alarmed.
‘No harm done,’ wagged Spud as his soggy body emerged from under the school fence. ‘Practised my front crawl too!’ The puppy shook his body, water spraying everywhere. ‘You saw it here, folks!’ he yapped. ‘Dogs really can fly!’
‘Uh-oh,’ woofed Star, suddenly serious. ‘There could be trouble on the way.’
Lara and Spud turned to see the old lady from the bench heading towards them.
Lara frowned. ‘Hmm. She either saw us free-running, or she’s coming to shoo us off the grass.’
‘Should we make a run for it?’ asked Spud.
‘We can’t!’ Lara barked. ‘We’re meeting Ben, Sophie and Ollie here when they finish school – and they’ll be arriving any minute,’ she added as the school bell finished ringing from across the road.
‘What do we do, Ma?’ asked Star.
‘Stay put,’ woofed Lara, watching the old lady totter on to the playground. ‘Maybe she just wants to make friends.’
Suddenly the old lady wobbled off her high heels and fell over with a loud squawk. As Lara, Spud and Star ran to help, the old lady’s skirt flapped up over her face.
‘She’s got really hairy legs,’ yapped Star, skidding to a stop beside the old lady.
‘And she’
s wearing lime-green Y-fronts!’ yelped Spud.
‘That’s because she’s no lady,’ growled Lara, glaring down at the man in disguise. ‘Someone’s been spying on us!’
3. School’s Out!
Lara scanned the park. Now the homeless man and the gardener were both hurrying towards the playground too. Who are these people? she thought. She was about to yank the skirt from the imposter’s face when a familiar voice spoke from beneath the flowery material.
‘Hello, GM451.’
Lara gasped. Only one person used her Spy Dog code name. ‘It’s Professor Cortex!’ she woofed.
‘Yay! He did come to see us – I knew he wouldn’t let us down!’ yapped Star.
‘But why’s he dressed like a gruesome grannie?’ asked Spud.
Professor Cortex sat up and straightened his wig. ‘I’ll never understand why women choose to wear such painful and, frankly, dangerous footwear,’ he grumbled, scowling at his high heels. ‘Help me up, please.’
Spud grabbed one sleeve of the professor’s frilly blouse and Star grabbed the other.
‘Heave, pups!’ woofed Lara, putting her shoulder against his back. Professor Cortex staggered to his feet and pulled his skirt down over his hairy legs as the homeless man and the park gardener arrived.
‘Ah, Agents K and T,’ he said. ‘Good undercover work.’
‘Thank you, sir,’ said the professor’s personal bodyguards, pulling their shades from their pockets and slipping them on. ‘Looks like we fooled our three Spy Dogs!’
Lara gaped at the hairy homeless man and the park gardener and then slapped a paw to her forehead. How could I have missed them?
‘Yes, you might well feel ashamed of yourself, GM451,’ glared Professor Cortex. ‘You may be retired now, but your pups will be going into active service soon. You should be passing on all your training to them – including observational skills!’
Lara hung her head. It’s true; I’ve lost my edge. Since she had given up being a Spy Dog and moved in with the Cook family as their family pet, she had become just a bit too comfortable.