False Bottom

by Hazel Edwards

  ‘Don’t bother,’ said Amy politely.

  ‘I’d like to return a favour. It’s always helpful to know people in places where my son might visit. Is that your address on your backpack tag? ‘

  ‘Yes, and our Sydney one too.’

  Reaching into her big bag slung from the handles of the wheelchair, the old woman found a pen and copied both addresses.

  At the time, Amy did wonder why she wanted both. But then she moved on to thinking about why the plane might be late.

  ‘Bye. Thanks. Here’s my son’s business card. I can be contacted at that address too.’

  Amy looked at the engraved card. She preferred to collect surf stickers or telephone cards. The curly writing on the card was hard to read.

  JON SMART

  SPARE PARTS MANAGER

  EXPORT/IMPORT

  Why would that be a dangerous job? What sort of spare parts did he manage? She knew that ‘import’ meant things coming into the country. And ‘export’ meant things going out of the country.

  ‘What does he export?’ Amy asked.

  Mrs Smart didn’t seem to want to answer that. ‘Things. I’m not sure, this time.’

  ‘Do you like lizards?’ Amy stared at her jewellery.

  ‘Why? Oh, my opal. Yes, of course. My son gave it to me. A good luck present for our new business venture.’

  The thin woman with glasses walked out, tugging at her floppy hat.

  It was so big ,that it almost covered her face.

  At the mirror, a girl was putting a rainbow wig over her mousey, brown hair. She also put safety pin ear rings into her ears. Fascinated, Amy watched. Rainbow Wig’s bag had a Singapore travel tag, too. Later, it was quite useful to know that Rainbow Wig’s hair was mousey brown underneath.

  Chapter 4

  Wheelies

  ‘Look!’ Christopher pushed a business card at her.

  Amy read, ‘ Christopher Lee , Artist. That’s you.’

  ‘I know. It cost me two dollars for five in that machine.’

  He pointed to a squat vending machine. It made business cards.

  ‘If you wanted to pretend to be someone else, you could just make up a card,’ said Amy slowly.

  ‘Or use the one a person gave you,’ suggested Christopher.’And pretend to be them.’

  ‘It’s not like a passport. You don’t need a photo to match.You could pretend to be him.’

  ‘Or her. ‘ That reminded Amy. She fished in her outside pocket for the Jon Smart business card.

  ‘Where did you get that? It’s printed the same way as mine.’ Christopher looked closely at the curly printing. ‘Was it done on this airport vending machine?’

  ‘I don’t know. She gave it to me.’Amy tugged his sleeve.’What d’you reckon a spare parts manager might sell?’

  Christopher shrugged. ‘Car spare parts? Engine parts? Things for robots? Computer parts? Left-overs?’

  ‘Mmm, why would that be dangerous?’

  ‘Depends what they’re used for.’

  ‘If it was body parts, you could use a new brain.’ Christopher laughed.

  Just as Amy tried to think of something clever to say, she noticed the wheelchair rolling across the carpet towards the departure gates.

  ‘Look, Christopher!’

  ‘At what?’

  ‘Mrs Smart. The Lizard Lady. In that wheelchair.’

  ‘Yes, I drew her before. She was changing money. I liked the shape of that wheelchair.’ Christopher flipped through his notebook. ‘Here she is.’

  Amy stared at the sketch. Christopher’s drawing had captured her exactly. He always drew lots of details, so he’d drawn the bearded man standing behind her, holding an airline bag. He’d also drawn the bag on the handlebars and the stick with the frilled lizard shape. This chair had a drawer underneath.

  ‘Was that her son?’ asked Amy.

  ‘How would I know? I was going to draw one of the airport wheelchairs but then she rolled along.’

  ‘Which airport ones?’

  ‘Over there.’ Christopher waved at three blue wheelchairs neatly parked near the office. Each had a seat belt.

  ‘Can people take personal wheelchairs on board?’

  ‘I’m not sure.’

  ‘She said she was saying goodbye to her son. They have a new business, but she didn’t say what it was.She won’t be travelling with us,’ said Amy. ‘He must have gone through already.’

  If she had already said goodbye, why was she in this international lounge? Most people here would be flying soon. As Christopher drew, Amy looked around. Out of habit, she checked the screen. Places and times kept flicking over.

  There it was! SIN was moving up the list.

  ‘Look, Christopher. Singapore’s just flashed up higher. We’ll be moving soon.’

  ‘Ace.’

  Rose bustled up to them, again. She’d been checking regularly. ‘The plane will be leaving in less than an hour. Just a few problems. Are you still okay?’

  ‘Fine.’

  ‘Move down to Gate 8 soon. Have you got your departure tax stamps?’

  Luckily, Aunty Viv had already paid their departure tax, so they didn’t have to stand in a queue for that. Everybody had to pay twenty dollars before they left the country. Airports had lots of rules. And different uniforms.

  ‘See his uniform,’ Amy said, pointing to the security guard. ‘That’s like the jacket Mrs Smart had stuffed in her bag. Perhaps it’s the latest fashion?’

  Above them, the television news was on.

  ‘A bank robbery occurred at Westpac in the city late this morning. Half a million dollars was taken. Police are looking for a woman and a man dressed as a security officer to help them with their enquiries.

  ‘Let’s go!’ said Amy. ‘Follow that wheelchair!’

  ‘Which chair? I can’t see one.’

  Mrs Smart had vanished.

  ‘How can something as big as a wheelchair vanish?’ said Amy.

  But it had.

  Chapter 5

  Security

  ‘Lots of people around here wear navy jackets.’ Christopher flipped through his sketchbook. ‘See. And some wear brown.’

  The sketchbook was filled with lumpy, bumpy security guards, porters and aircrew.

  ‘What would you do with half a million dollars, Christopher?’

  ‘Spend it.’

  ‘But what if you were a bank robber?’

  ‘Hide it.’

  ‘Where?’

  ‘An unusual place. Or with lots of other money.’

  ‘Like the Bureau de Change in the passageway outside?’

  The Bureau de Change was the place where people changed their money or cashed travellers cheques. Some wanted money for the country to which they were flying.

  Christopher remembered something important.

  ‘Amy, have you still got our Singapore dollars?’

  Amy checked her bum bag and nodded.

  ‘Mum sent more this time. Have you still got your e-ticket?’

  Christopher felt in his pocket. It wasn’t there.

  ‘It’s okay. I put the ticket in here.’ Christopher opened his sketchpad again. The e-ticket fluttered to the ground. The thin-faced woman with glasses walked past and picked it up. She bent over with difficulty, holding on to her hat.

  ‘Yours?’

  ‘Thanks.’ Christopher stared after her as she moved away.

  ‘D’you reckon she’s got a tummy-ache, Amy ?’

  ‘Lots of travellers have dodgy tummies. I saw her in the toilets a few minutes ago. She looked a bit white.’

  Just then, Rainbow Wig walked past, just behind a baggy man carrying a guitar- shaped case. Amy stared after him. She knew his face. She’d seen it on a cover recently. That magazine in the rubbish b
in. The one Wilhelmina had probably eaten by now. And the guitar was a clue. She’d seen him on television before. He was famous. And so was his little dog ,Bozo.’

  ‘Hey ,Christopher, it’s The Mouth.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘You know. The pop star. With his dog Bozo. The one who plays with Bodyworks. Hair on My Head is his greatest hit. Got a gold record.’

  ‘The guy with the guitar case?’ Christopher stared after him. ‘Would he be travelling with us? Don’t famous people get special treatment? Don’t they have to be protected from their fans? ‘

  ‘I’m a fan. D’you think he’d give me an autograph?’

  ‘If he’s really The Mouth, he’d probably be travelling first class. Not with us in economy.’

  Amy thought for a minute. ‘You know how we pay half price because we’re under twelve?’

  ‘Well, Mum pays for us.’

  ‘Okay. You know what I mean. First class tickets cost heaps. Two first class tickets would be double heaps. A guitar takes up a lot of room. Would it fit in the overhead locker? Or where they hang the suit bags? Or would he have to buy a ticket for it?’

  Christopher didn’t have time to answer.

  Rose bustled back.’Time to go through security.’

  ‘Thanks. We know what to do.’ Amy fixed her backpack. .’What was missing from the plane?’

  Rose looked worried. ‘A passenger. There were two pieces of luggage loaded ,and no Mr Gee.’

  ‘Who’s he?’

  ‘That’s what we’re trying to find out. Never mind.’

  Why did adults say ‘never mind’? The twins did mind. They liked to know what happened and why. Facts stuck in Amy’s mindmap if they were interesting enough.

  And a missing passenger to Singapore was of great interest.

  This is an announcement for passengers flying to Singapore via Melbourne. There will be a slight delay. Please wait in the lounge.’

  Amy groaned. ‘Why do we just have to lounge around? Something really bad must be wrong with the plane.’

  ‘Shh, I’m busy.’ Christopher was sketching the man reading Flying Today. On the cover was the photo of a new plane. Christopher turned sideways to draw the man’s head right, but the man moved.

  ‘D’you like planes, son?’

  His eyes were watery blue. His left ear stuck out like a backwards letter G.

  ‘Here. Have a look.’ He handed Christopher the magazine.

  ‘Thanks. Do you work with planes?’

  The man nodded. ‘Used to.’

  ‘What do you do?’ Amy asked. Amy always asked people that. Most people loved to talk about their jobs.

  ‘I used to look after planes,’ said the man.’On the ground.’

  ‘Why did you stop?’ asked Christopher, putting down his pencil.

  ‘Early retirement.’

  ‘Why?’ asked Christopher. The photo on the cover of the magazine looked flat. He’d rather draw the real plane.

  ‘Shh,’ said Amy, pushing her brother. ‘He’s probably too old.’

  ‘Some people thought so.’ The man said. He looked sad and Amy felt sorry that she’d said that. She took off her glasses and polished them. It was something to do.

  ‘D’you know all about new planes?’ asked Christopher, looking closely at the photo.

  ‘Know a bit about instruments. You need those for navigation, especially when going across the ocean. The INS is important.’

  He sounded as if he knew what he was talking about.

  ‘What’s the INS?’ asked Amy as Christopher gave the magazine back to the man.

  ‘The Inertia Navigation System’ The man said. He looked pleased at their interest.’What do you want to know about it?”

  ‘But what does it do?’ asked Christopher. He wondered if he could see a real one to draw.

  ‘It means that a plane can fly free of any ground- based air traffic control. You can navigate without any aids. But you need the INS instrument.’

  ‘Does it cost much?’ Christopher worried about money his and other people’s.

  ‘About fifty thousand each.’

  ‘Wow! My pocket money doesn’t go that far. What’s the instrument look like?

  ‘A long tube. It’s in the cockpit.’

  Amy wondered why he was telling them all this.

  ‘Do they ever go wrong?’ she asked. ‘And make the plane late?’

  ‘Had a few reports of electrical interference with them. But not proved yet.That’s why laptop computers aren’t allowed to be used during take-off or landing. Okay when cruising, but not at other times.’

  ‘So a plane could be delayed. Like our plane.’

  ‘Do they have many spare INS?”

  ‘Depends where you are. If it’s a big airport, a couple of hours wait. At a smaller airport it might take a couple of days to get a replacement.’

  ‘This is a BIG airport.’ said Amy thoughtfully. ‘And we’ve had to wait an hour already!’

  ‘Yes, if someone wanted to delay the plane, they could mess with the INS,’ said Christopher excitedly.

  ‘ Hey, you don’t know that’s happened,’ said the man.

  ‘But who would want to stop the plane for a while?’

  ‘That’s the million dollar question.’

  ‘An announcement for passengers flying to Singapore on Flight Q9. Please proceed through security.’

  Chapter 6

  Beep! Beep! Beep!

  Beep! Beep! Beep!

  Christopher felt eyes on him.

  First came the security scanner. It was shaped like a door frame. Some people made it beep. Others didn’t. Beyond the security control stretched an ocean of grey-blue carpet leading to gate lounges. They all had numbers.

  ‘Come on, Christopher!’

  Three security officers stood around the scanner. They watched the line of passengers moving through. One stared at the security monitor. Another helped passengers put their hand luggage on the moving belt. The woman security officer just watched.

  Christopher glanced around. Was a hidden security camera watching them too? Nervously he nibbled the fingernail of his little finger. Would his nail-biting habit be on the security camera for ever?

  He looked up. Near the ceiling was a grey bubble. Was it a smoke detector? Or something else?

  ‘Come on, Christopher!’ repeated Amy. ‘Put your bag on. And that pencil case.’

  Amy dropped her backpack onto the moving belt. She noticed a porter wheeling an elderly man around but not through the scanner.

  ‘Why wasn’t he checked?’

  ‘That wheelchair wouldn’t fit through the frame,’ said Christopher.

  ‘Couldn’t he walk through?’

  ‘I don’t know. But it was an official airport wheelchair.’ Christopher had noticed the seat belt. Just then, The Mouth pushed past Amy. He flung his bag onto the moving belt. Then he placed his guitar-case more carefully.

  ‘Sorry, in a hurry,’ he muttered.

  Amy stared. Why should he be in a hurry to get on? Their plane couldn’t leave until all passengers boarded. Ms Rainbow Wig did seem to be following him closely. Was she a fan?

  Amy had thought that famous pop stars travelled with lots of helpers. Rainbow Wig was now in the line, pretending not to know him. The Mouth seemed alone and in a hurry.

  ‘Sir!’

  When the security officer touched him on the shoulder. The Mouth jumped guiltily.

  ‘Please put all your bags on the belt. The camera bag, too.’

  ‘What about my film?’ The Mouth looked around a lot as if expecting to see someone or something.

  ‘That will be quite safe, sir.’

  Reluctantly The Mouth put his bag onto the moving belt.

  ‘Come on, Christopher.’ Amy was determined to
see inside The Mouth’s luggage. With three pieces of hand luggage, he was over the limit. And he had a duty free bag too. That made four.

  As the camera bag disappeared, Amy stepped over to the side and peered at the screen.

  The public was not meant to be there, but she wanted to see her bag X- rayed on the monitor. She also wanted to check on The Mouth’s bags ... from the inside.

  Usually the security guard would have stopped her, but at that moment Christopher said loudly, ‘Look Amy. Skeletons!’

  For a second, the guard looked sideways at them. The Mouth’s baggage went through, un-examined.

  Since Christopher had a very loud voice, Amy said, ‘Shhhh.’

  One screen was black-and-white. The other monitor was coloured, but not quite like a TV screen at home.

  ‘Why is that blue?’ Christopher pointed to the blue smudges on the suitcase outline displayed on the screen.

  ‘Something inorganic. All non-carbon-based,’ replied the guard, returning his eyes to the screen. ‘Changes according to the density. Less dense, then more colour. Things like paper and cotton are orange.’

  ‘What is green?’

  ‘Orange or green is for vegetable or plant matter. Brown is carbon-based.’

  Amy was puzzled. She had seen the round, black shape in The Mouth’s guitar-case, even if the guard missed it. What could that be? Did it move slightly? Or was that just the jerk of the belt? Was it alive? Was he smuggling something?

  ‘What’s that?’ Christopher pointed to a doll-like shape in the outline of Amy’s backpack.

  ‘Vegetable matter.’

  Amy didn’t like to tell the guard that it was Edwina, her teddy. ‘Cool’ ten- year- old sleuths don’t usually carry stuffed teddies in their bags. But her Edwina had been all over the world.

  Strangely, the mysterious shape in The Mouth’s bag was about the same shape. Did he have an Edwina, too? Or was it alive?

  Edwina was stuffed with cotton wool because Aunty Viv repaired her after a Wilhelmina snack attack. So there were no weapons or drugs inside Edwina. And she wasn’t smuggling anything inside a toy, but others might be.