by Andrew Cope
Ben threw the three balls high into the air and sat down. Spud put his paws together and caught the first one, tossing it straight back into the sky. Star took charge of ball number two and before they knew it, the three balls were being juggled backwards and forwards between the puppies.
‘Check us out,’ woofed Spud. ‘The world’s most talented pups.’
‘Mum’s taught us well,’ barked Star. ‘We can ride bikes too, you know.’
The rest of the performers stopped and watched in amazement. Star finished by catching a ball on the end of her nose and flicking it into a nearby dustbin. Spud volleyed his final ball into the air, twizzled and caught it on the back of his neck like he’d seen Premiership footballers do.
Ta-daaa, he thought.
Star curtseyed and Spud bowed as they listened to the applause of the audience.
Tony Jewell’s bushy eyebrows were raised in delight. ‘Wow,’ he exclaimed. ‘I think we have something very special here today.’ He looked at Ben. ‘Could I work with your dogs and put them on stage tonight?’
Ben grinned widely. He winked at the puppies. You’re in!
‘Mr Jewell,’ he said, ‘it would be an honour.’
Once the auditions were over the local people were shooed away and the puppies were put in the care of Tony Jewell to do an hour’s practice. There was no time for snooping.
The professor was right – Tony Jewell was a hard man. The ringmaster barked orders to everyone and all the other performers seemed scared of him. As soon as Ben was out of earshot he yelled at the puppies and even aimed a kick at Star.
‘I hate dogs,’ he snarled. ‘The last thing we need is a pair of flea-bitten mongrels in the show, even if you can juggle. But if you draw in some extra customers, then I have no choice.’
Star bared her teeth and issued a low warning growl. ‘And I don’t much like you either, mister,’ she growled. ‘Tony Jewell-Thief. I hope we catch you red-handed.’
8. The Parade
Tony Jewell had arranged a mid-afternoon parade through the town, which gave the performers a chance to show off their skills and the circus an opportunity to gain some free publicity and sell tickets. The puppies were bundled on to the back of a lorry and were expected to sit and wave a paw at the crowds as they drove by.
They had to admit it was a wonderful carnival atmosphere. The lorry also had some acrobats who were wowing the crowd, and a clown with ridiculous shoes and a huge flower in his button hole. Every time someone from the audience asked to smell the flower, they received a squirt of water for their troubles. Spud thought this was hilarious. They also shared the lorry with Gordon Gibbons the monkey trainer. He had a pair of identical monkeys: small, brown and very cheeky.
At least they’re not chained up, thought Spud.
In fact, the red-coated primates were expert pickpockets and would scamper into the crowd and return with some earrings, a watch or bracelet. Gordon would then grin and hold up the wares for the unsuspecting owner to claim.
Star was on alert. Another suspect! She couldn’t help wondering if that was how the jewels were being stolen, but Gordon was giving everything back, so she dismissed the idea. But I’ll be keeping an eye on you and your monkeys, she thought.
The parade was a huge success. Crowds cheered and waved. At the end, two free tickets were given away in a spectacular manner. The circus stopped outside the largest house in town, Partington Manor. Tony Jewell rang the bell and the crowd that was following the procession hushed as they waited for an answer. Gordon sent his monkeys over the wall to see what was going on and eventually the gates glided open and Lord and Lady Partington stood, beaming and waving. The crowd applauded. Tony Jewell called for hush and he gave Lord and Lady Partington two tickets for the circus’ closing-night extravaganza. He declared the week a total sell-out and the crowd erupted once more.
Lara couldn’t help but be a little worried. The professor said it was a zero-danger mission, but I still don’t like it. Lara had tangled with jewel thieves before. And they can be very dangerous indeed! She had stood with the children while the parade went by and then followed the throng to Partington Manor. The retired spy dog scanned the crowd as they cheered, her expert eyes searching for anything out of the ordinary. The problem is, she thought, that with circus performers, everything’s out of the ordinary!
‘Good job we’ve got our tickets, Lara,’ shouted Ben as the last pair were given away to Lord and Lady Partington. ‘But I’ll tell the professor that they need to keep the Manor under surveillance on Saturday night. Inviting the richest couple in town to the closing night sounds like a trap.’
Lara nodded. I’ll just be glad when the show’s over and the pups come home, she thought.
Spud and Star returned to the circus having thoroughly enjoyed their afternoon and were now looking forward to the evening show. Spud satisfied his appetite with three toffee apples, a burger and two bundles of candyfloss.
The pups were put in the care of Gordon Gibbons. He gave them some straw to bed down in. ‘Relax, pups,’ he said. ‘Get some rest. We need a big performance from you this evening.’
Great idea, thought Spud, licking candyfloss from his face. He lay down for a snooze while his sister sneaked out of their caravan to do some spy-pup investigations. ‘Be careful, sis,’ he said sleepily.
Star crept under the canvas and into the big top. Think like a spy pup, she told herself. And stay out of sight.
The circus was alive with performers practising their routines. There were just two hours to go before the evening show. The tightrope team were balancing high above. Star crept past the lion’s cage, rather pleased that he was asleep. The strongman was ripping up telephone directories and the fire-eater was oiling his mouth. Star sat and watched as the rubber man practised his routine. He stood on a small box and bowed to the imaginary crowd. Then he opened the box and held it up so the audience could see just how tiny it was. Star watched in disbelief as he then stretched himself tall, his arms held high, and twisted his hands together in what looked like a very awkward way. His bones cracked and his shoulders went bendy.
Yikes, he’s deliberately dislocated his shoulders!
The rubber man then proceeded to scrunch himself into the box.
There’s no way, Star thought as he crouched in the very small box. I mean, the box is tiny and he’s tall. He’s defying the laws of physics!
The rubber man shuffled himself lower. He bent double.
Almost triple!
Finally, he lowered his head and his assistant flipped the lid shut.
Now that’s quite a trick! marvelled Star, clapping her paws together in admiration. Squeezing into tight places like that would be perfect for a burglar, she noted.
After that, the spy pup lingered near the clowns as they perfected their routine.
What a cool car, she thought as they drove it into the big top in readiness for the evening’s show. It was like a mini fire engine with a ladder on the back, but open-topped so the clowns could jump in and out as well as throw things at the crowd. It was mayhem. Star watched as the car drove around the circus ring with a clown hanging off the ladder. Star decided she’d like to train to be a clown.
It looks such great fun!
Night was coming and soon the locals would be turning up for an evening at the circus. Star had sniffed around, but could find no sign of crime. She watched as a lady strolled out of the big top back to her caravan.
She looks nice, thought Star as the lady bent down to stroke her.
‘Oh, you’re so cute,’ she beamed. ‘My husband’s told me about you and your brother. You are the juggling pups.’ Star rolled over for a tummy tickle.
And I like you too, she thought.
‘Why don’t you come with me for a biscuit?’ said Jennifer Jewell.
Star thought this was a great idea. ‘My bro stuffed his face at lunchtime, but I’ve not had a morsel,’ she wagged. ‘So a custard cream would be perfect.’ She followed the lady back to her caravan.
Mrs Jewell flicked on the kettle. She smiled at Star as she went about her business. ‘We used to have a dog,’ she said, not knowing that Star could understand every word, ‘Tony and I. But he got too old to perform and Tony got rid of him.’
Yes, I’ve heard he’s not very nice, thought Star. He aimed a kick at me earlier! He’d better watch out or I’ll get my mum on him!
Star sat, ears upright as she heard the crinkling of a packet being opened. She sniffed the air. Digestives! Nice one, Mrs J. She tried to look cute. The lady broke a biscuit in half and threw it to her. Star expertly caught it and chomped the biscuit down in one. Yummy! And the other half?
‘So now I busy myself making costumes,’ explained Jennifer.
Star looked around. There were sparkly costumes hanging up everywhere. And tubes of glitter and boxes of coloured beads. It’s like Aladdin’s cave! thought Star.
‘And I’ve got just the thing for you and your juggling sidekick.’ The lady reached into a cupboard and brought out a sparkly cape. ‘I’ve just made them,’ she smiled. ‘Made-to-measure circus outfits so when you enter the ring tonight, you’ll look like real circus performers.’
‘No way!’ woofed Star. ‘How thrilling!’ The puppy lifted her head to allow Mrs Jewell to fasten the strap round her neck. Then she checked herself in the mirror. Her cloak sparkled and she looked like a real performer. The cape billowed out as she did a doggie twirl. ‘I look like a superhero! This is the coolest thing ever. Thank you so much, Mrs Jewell.’ She licked the lady’s hand.
Jennifer Jewell threw the other half of the biscuit to Star and it disappeared the same way as the first. ‘Tony’s decided to introduce you as “The Precious Puppies”, which you most certainly are.’ She smiled.
Star licked her lips before taking Spud’s outfit in her mouth and bounding outside. She trotted proudly across the field back to her brother. Wait till he sees his new sparkly outfit, she thought. Tonight ‘The Precious Puppies’ will steal the show!
9. Bat Dog
Clarissa White sat in her castle watching the fish. She was irritated that she’d heard nothing from Tony Jewell. She pressed a button and the speakerphone sprang into life. The ringmaster had obviously recognized the number because he sounded nervous. ‘Hello there,’ he began. ‘How are –’
‘No need for niceties,’ she snapped. ‘I gave you one week, Tony,’ she reminded him. ‘And that was exactly one week ago.’
‘Everything’s scheduled for this Saturday,’ stammered the ringmaster. ‘Partington Manor, like you said. You’ll have your gems soon enough.’
‘Saturday’s no good, Tony,’ she purred, her evilness somehow sounding silky. ‘Tomorrow is delivery day. Bring your plan forward. The robbery happens tonight.’ Miss White left a deathly pause. ‘Consider this your last warning.’
‘Yes, but –’ began the ringmaster.
The line went dead. Clarissa White smiled at her cat. ‘We get more diamonds tomorrow,’ she smiled, fingering the cat’s collar. ‘Or the fish will be getting very well fed.’
It was one hour until the first show of the week. Star watched as Tony Jewell took a call on his mobile. She couldn’t help but notice that he went grey. Somebody must have delivered some bad news. He pocketed his phone and looked for someone to bellow at. Unfortunately for them, the pups were practising their juggling and dropped a ball just as the ringmaster was striding by. Whoops, thought Spud.
The circus owner shook his head and cursed. ‘Stupid good-for-nothing dogs,’ he yelled. ‘I knew we should have chosen people. If you two don’t get your act together you’ll find yourselves locked up over there,’ he threatened.
Spud followed his finger and gulped. ‘Lion!’ he woofed to his sister. ‘Let’s practise a bit harder.’
But Star didn’t want to practise. Tony Jewell marched off to shout at another act. ‘Come on, bro,’ she woofed. ‘We’re not here to perform. This is a spying mission – remember? We have to snoop. There may be millions of pounds’ worth of diamonds hidden somewhere. And it’s our job to sniff them out!’
‘But what about him?’ barked her brother, jabbing his paw at the ringmaster. ‘He’s going to feed us to the lion.’
‘He wouldn’t dare,’ replied Star. ‘And besides, we’ll have Mum here later and she won’t take any nonsense. It may be Mr Eyebrows who gets fed to the lions!’
‘OK,’ said Spud. ‘But let’s be quick before he comes back.’
The pups scooted out of the big top and scampered from caravan to caravan, listening at doors and windows.
‘Hide!’ yapped Star as she spotted the rubber man walking across the field towards them.
They hid under a red lorry as he went past, talking on his mobile. ‘We’re all ready for Saturday,’ he muttered. He listened to his mobile for a few seconds. ‘OK,’ they heard him say, ‘but this is my final act. I’ll take my cut, and run.’
Spud and Star looked at each other in shock. ‘Did you hear that?’ whined Spud. ‘Maybe he’s one of the criminals?’
‘Saturday?’ replied Star. ‘That’s the night the Partingtons are supposed to come for the closing night. Ben said the prof will have police all over their manor house. Looks like this could be the end of their stealing spree, sis!’
The dogs kept their eye on the man as he sauntered away across the field. He was joined by one of the tightrope walkers. The pair looked around, a little suspiciously, before entering the ringmaster’s caravan. Star beckoned to her brother. ‘Let’s check it out.’ The puppies lolloped across the field to the biggest caravan. Star cocked her head, straining to hear. ‘No good. We need to get up to that window,’ she woofed, jabbing her paw upwards. ‘But how?’
The puppies looked around. Spectators were now arriving and the place was getting busy. The clowns were squirting people as they entered the big top. The candyfloss seller was doing a roaring trade and there was a line of children queuing to feed the elephant, who looked tired of eating peanuts.
‘There’s a skylight on the top of the caravan,’ woofed Star. ‘So if I can get on the roof I can probably listen in.’ Both pups looked up at the caravan towering above them.
‘Look, here’s our chance!’ yapped Star, pointing a paw at the clown car that was driving their way. ‘If I can get on the car, I can leap on to the caravan roof as it drives by.’
Spud looked unsure. ‘Sounds risky,’ he woofed. Mrs Cook wouldn’t like it one bit, he thought.
‘Of course it’s risky,’ said his sister in frustration. ‘But we’re spy pups. We sometimes have to live by the seat of our pants. You just stop the car and I’ll do the rest.’
The clown car was nearly upon them. No time to think! Spud ran out in front of the car, stood on his hind legs and put his paws in the air. He felt like a highwayman! ‘Hold it there!’ he barked in his loudest voice. ‘And please stop or I’m a flattened pup!’
The clown driver saw the puppy and hit the brake pedal. The comedy car lurched to a halt and the clown jumped out. ‘You stupid little mutt!’ he began. ‘You could have got yourself squashed –’ Then he looked around at the spectators, who’d gathered to watch, and realized he needed to be clowning not moaning. He softened and forced a smile. ‘But, little fella, it’s a good job I saw you in time.’ The clown picked Spud up, stroked his head and moved him away from the wheels. He got back in his car and started up the engine. Then with a big honk of the horn and a wave to the crowd, he drove off towards the big top.
Star had taken advantage of the situation. She’d timed it just right and jumped up on to the car bonnet and then on to the ladder. As the clown car drove by the caravan, she leapt like a cat and scrabbled on to the caravan roof.
Phew! That was close. She waved at her brother below and then padded silently across the caravan roof to the skylight. Excellent, it’s open.
Star hung down like a bat and peeped in. I need to lower myself in for a better view. Her ears dangled full length, swaying as she scrabbled to hold herself in pla
ce with her back paws.’ It’s a bit uncomfortable, but it’ll have to do.
Tony Jewell and his gang were sitting at the kitchen table. The rubber man was drawing something and everyone else was poring over the picture. ‘You’re sure it’s on the fourth floor?’ asked the tightrope lady.
‘Course I’m sure,’ said Gordon the monkey man. ‘The monkeys have scouted it. And sorted it. Cameras are off. We’re all set.’
Star couldn’t believe her doggie ears. So some of the animals are being used as criminal spies! This is getting very interesting indeed. Her ears were fully extended, soaking up the conversation. Perfect for spying!
‘Anything, sis?’ yapped Spud from outside. ‘Any clues?’
Star heaved herself out of the skylight and leant over the end of the caravan. ‘Shush,’ she whined, putting her paw to her lips. ‘Plenty going on, bro. I think we may have found our robbers.’ She resumed her half-dog, half-bat position, ears swinging gently. Nobody noticed the puppy’s head peering in at the kitchen table.
‘And when do the old codgers arrive?’ asked the rubber man.
‘I’ve rung the Partingtons personally and asked if they could come for the opening night instead. They’ve got front-row tickets, so are guaranteed to be here. Probably in their seats already,’ said Tony Jewell. ‘Remember, we’ve promised Clarissa a million. Anything less and we’re for it.’ Star watched as Tony Jewell ran his finger across his neck. ‘She wants the gems tomorrow so there’s no margin for error.’
Stars eyes widened. Tonight? But the Partingtons weren’t supposed to come until Saturday.
‘So what time do we strike?’ asked the acrobat.
‘Very soon,’ said the ringmaster, glancing at his watch. ‘Those ridiculous clowns are on first. Then Lenny and his lion. Then “The Precious Puppies” to impress the locals, so we’ve got a clear forty minutes before any of you perform. Wait for the intro, wave to the crowd, then we’re away. Lord and Lady Partington won’t know a thing.’