False Bottom

by Hazel Edwards

  The twins nodded.

  ‘They don’t smuggle only birds, you know. Sometimes it’s snakes, or eggs or lizards. Quarantine look after them because they’ve broken the laws by trying to move birds illegally out of the country.’

  ‘What about other sorts of animals?’

  ‘What kind?’ The porter finished drinking his chocolate.

  ‘Suppose you had a pet dog. Could you take that on the plane, if you told the people in charge?’

  Amy didn’t mention the name Bozo. That was a famous dog.

  The porter shook his head. ‘Pets have to go into quarantine for a few months so they don’t spread disease in Australia or to another country. That’s for overseas flights. Domestic, flights between cities in Australia is okay. Pets go in special containers. Fragile freight.’

  ‘Fair enough,’ said Christopher. ‘Our Aunty Viv has lots of animals working as actors in her Animal Actors business.’

  ‘Does she fly overseas?’ asked the porter.

  ‘Aunty Viv doesn’t fly anywhere if she can help it.’

  ‘Do her animals need to go overseas?’

  Amy shook her head.

  ‘With racehorses, often they have a special plane,’ said the porter. ‘Does she have any racehorses?’

  Laughing, the twins said, ‘No. She’d never fit them in the van.

  And they wouldn’t sit at the No Standing zone. Too nervous.’

  Gloria re-appeared. It was time to go back to the transit lounge.

  ‘What about mobile phones?’ Christopher asked as they walked past a business man using his phone.

  ‘Not allowed in the arrival hall. Otherwise drug couriers warn their mates about baggage searches. Can’t use them on board,’ explained Gloria. ‘Sometimes they interfere with the plane’s sensitive instruments. The pilot and navigator might not realise because most of the instruments are computerised.’

  ‘Are battery-powered wheelchairs allowed?’

  ‘ Yes. Security wands them down. We move them very quickly through customs. And the people assisting them. They’re called assists’.

  Perhaps that’s how Mrs Smart got the navy security uniform past customs for her son, the bank robber, thought Amy. But she didn’t say it aloud. Christopher would say she had mysteritus again.

  Gloria left them in the transit lounge.

  ‘Listen for any announcements,’ she said.

  Christopher started sketching the banned goods on display. Amy people-watched.

  A few minutes later, Mrs Smart rolled past in her wheelchair, pushed by her bearded son.

  Amy looked up in astonishment. ‘It’s her! Let’s follow them!’

  ‘Go on the walkway,’ yelled Christopher.

  Amy ran along the moving belt. Her legs felt funny. The belt was moving and so was she. She started to jog. She touched the moving handrail to keep her balance. On either side of the walkway, people were moving, in slow motion. She was on fast-forward. Her legs went faster and faster. Left for standing. Right for walking. She jogged up the middle. She passed the man with the blue bag. She was getting faster. She looked up ahead. Mrs Smart in the wheelchair was nearly at a gateway lounge.

  The moving walkway stopped outside the gateway. Then it was just blue carpet. Amy took one more step. Her other leg followed, by itself, without her even thinking. ‘Made it!’ The floor didn’t move anymore. Her legs felt wobbly. It was strange, but not like pins and needles. Christopher was somewhere behind her.

  She felt as if she’d been running for hours in a marathon race. Passengers walked past her, knowing exactly where to go. Each door was labelled, but Amy wasn’t sure where to go next.

  Mrs Smart had vanished, again!

  Chapter 16

  Lizard Business

  ‘Goodbye UM sleuths. Thanks for your help with the bird smugglers. I’ll be in touch. Let me know when you’re passing through again. Meanwhile, keep your eyes open for clues,’

  Gloria said, waving. The boarding sign was flashing.

  ‘We have to go!’ Amy was upset. So was Christopher.

  They’d been so close to catching up with Mrs Smart. And now they’d have to leave for Singapore.

  Then Amy had an idea. She felt in her pocket for the business card. Yes. She still had one clue to work on. The Singapore address of the Smarts. Maybe the twins could track her down there.

  ‘Come on!’ said Christopher. ‘Or we’ll miss the plane. That would make Mum chuck a mental.’

  Most of the passengers were already on board. The twins showed their tickets and hurried down the mobile corridor.

  Brett smiled at them. ‘Welcome back.’

  ‘Any wheelchairs on this flight?’ Amy asked him. She expected a ‘no’, but she never gave up.

  ‘One. Up the front. She came on first.’

  Mrs Smart was sitting comfortably in the aisle seat. Her neck brace still looked like a neck frill.

  ‘Where’s her wheelchair?’ Amy knew that wouldn’t fit in the overhead lockers. Or couldn’t be belted on the seat like Mr Gee.

  ‘Underneath with the baggage. It was folded up and fork-lifted onto the plane.’

  ‘Why didn’t she use an airport one?’

  ‘Why don’t you ask her.’ Brett sounded hassled. ‘There are spare seats alongside Mrs Smart. After take-off, move there until we serve dinner.’

  Sleuth Amy thought quickly. Brett was hurrying her. Other late passengers were queued in the aisle behind them. ‘Do you mind if I visit you after take off?’ Amy asked.

  Mrs Smart looked a little surprised. ‘Why not? There are some spare seats here.’

  ‘D’you mind if my brother comes too?”

  ‘Please yourself.’

  So the twins quickly found their proper seats. Mrs Smart couldn’t get away from them this time. In a seven- hour flight, there was nowhere to hide. Not even the toilets,thought Amy.

  Some of the transit passengers had different seats on this leg of the flight. But Mr Smith was sitting alongside. And he still looked nervous.

  He and Aunty Viv would make a good pair of anti-flyers, thought Christopher. The Mouth and his guitar Mr Gee were nearby. Amy looked forwards to where Mrs Smart was sitting. This time, she couldn’t vanish!

  The twins were determined to find out about the Lizard Lady. After take-off, Amy was ready to move. As soon as the seat belts sign went off, she unclipped hers. Christopher slipped from the other seat. The U M sleuths were ready for action. But just then the fasten safety belts message flashed again.

  The captain spoke. ‘We’ll be going through some rough weather. Please fasten your seat belts.’

  The twins sat down again.

  Mr Smith clasped his tummy. ‘I don’t like rough flying. And I hate taking off. That’s why I always read, and eat sweets.’

  Amy wasn’t sure how she felt. The plane bumped up and down.

  Mr Smith looked white. ‘A doctor shouldn’t get sick,’ he said to Amy. Suddenly she felt sorry for him.

  She gave him her sick-bags, just in case. And Christopher’s too.

  Christopher never got sick. Not even after parties.

  For something to do, Amy read the safety handbook again.There were warnings about changes in air pressure. Temperature changes or turbulence might cause containers to leak.

  Christopher was looking at the map to see how far they yet had to fly. He liked maps. They were pictures of a different kind.

  ‘I’ll show you where we are,’ offered The Mouth ‘Probably I’ve walked around here before.’

  Christopher looked at the blue part. ‘Isn’t that water?’

  The Mouth laughed. ‘I didn’t walk there. But I’ve hiked a lot. And backpacked. With my guitar. Used to be a busker.’

  Before he was famous? Or after? Maybe The Mouth was a tall-storyteller too.

&n
bsp; Mr Smith still looked unhappy, but as the plane levelled out, he gave back the unused sick bags. ‘Thanks,Amy.’

  He must have heard Christopher use her name.

  As soon as the fasten safety belts sign went off, the twins were ready to move. But then something else happened.

  The drinks trolley had started crawling down the aisle. It blocked everything. ‘Stay put,’ warned Brett.

  Christopher leaned out into the aisle to check. There was a trolley on that side too. Both sides! They were caught until it passed them.

  Amy sighed.

  Today she was not such a good sleuth. She couldn’t even get down the aisle to see Mrs Smart. Something was always blocking her way.

  ‘Like a game of cards?’ offered The Mouth shuffling a pack.

  ‘No thanks.’ But the cards gave Amy an idea.

  ‘Chris, could you sketch? And she told him what she needed.

  ‘Okay. Nothing else much to do.’

  Her brother took what she offered, and started drawing.

  Amy looked across the seats. Could she crawl around the other way? No. There was a trolley in that aisle, too. She could squeeze past the trolley but Brett wouldn’t let her. Not unless she pretended that she really had to go to the toilet!

  That’s what she decided to do. But something dropped on her head. Something was dripping.

  And this time, it wasn’t from a bird. Amy put her hand to her head and found the damp spot. She tasted it. The taste was sour.

  Christopher noticed. He looked up and pointed.

  She looked up. The drip was coming from the overhead locker,not from theirs, but the one alongside. That was the locker where The Mouth had put his things. She looked at her fingers. The tips were a reddish-brown colour. Was it blood?

  ‘Excuse me, have you anything unusual up there?’ asked Christopher.

  ‘Like a body?’ Amy pointed upwards. Or maybe it was a very squashed Bozo?

  The Mouth looked up in surprise. He’d been dozing.

  ‘A body? What? Oh, something dripping? ‘

  Unclipping his seat belt, The Mouth clambered out of his seat. He opened up the overhead locker. Carefully he pulled out something out.

  ‘Sorry about that,’ he said cheerfully. ‘I just love seafood. Singapore has great seafood. So I brought a bottle of my special vinegar to have with the seafood. The top must have leaked.’

  ‘We thought it was something else.’ admitted Christopher.

  ‘Blood?’

  Feeling foolish, Christopher nodded.

  The Mouth laughed. ‘My band might be called Bodyworks ,but we don’t create bodies. Just entertain them.’

  After the Brett cleaned up the mess, The Mouth looked lonely.

  ‘Does Mr Gee play cards?’ asked Amy. Down the aisle the trolley was still in the way. They all laughed.

  ‘Usually my minder looks after everything. This time I thought I wanted to travel alone, but it’s a bit lonely. D’you play any card games? ‘

  Amy shook her head. She preferred reading. After a game the cards went back into the pack. After finishing a book, she felt she’d been in another world for a few hours.

  ‘I’ll teach you some card tricks,’ offered The Mouth.

  ‘A bit later,’ said Amy.’We’re going to visit someone first. Bring your sketch, Christopher.’

  ‘Excuse us.’ Eventually they wriggled past the drinks trolley.

  Mrs Smart was sitting calmly, her neck ruff in place. She looked surprised as the twins slipped into the seats alongside.

  ‘We’re twins, Amy and Christopher Lee. We’ve got something for you.’ Christopher gave her the Smart business card. ‘Turn it over.’

  ‘Lizards!’ Mrs Smart looked pleased. ‘Why thank you. Frillies. My favourite. So well drawn.’

  ‘Yes,’ agreed Christopher.’Brilliant, isn’t it?’

  Amy interrupted.

  ‘We saw the lizard stickers on your wheelchair in Sydney. ‘

  ‘Advertising. Or it will be,’ Mrs Smart explained. ‘My son and I are starting a native bird and reptile park,The Lizard of Oz. Like a theme park. D’you know what that is?’

  ‘Like Disneyland or Sea World?’

  Amy wondered if that’s why they were smuggling wildlife.

  ‘Ours won’t be as big. We’ve got special permission. And a licence. Lizards have to be protected. Although they look like tiny dinosaurs, frillies are very shy.’

  Mrs Smart felt in her pocket. ‘I’ve got some money here.

  For a moment, Christopher expected her to produce stolen millions. But she pulled out an olden days coin.

  ‘Two cent piece. Has a frillie on it.’

  ‘That’s right. I’ve got one in my coin collection at home. Aunty gave it to me.’ Amy looked carefully. There was a frill necked lizard on one side.’

  ‘Will you have rides at your theme park? Like the Giant Frillie?’

  ‘Maybe. My son wants that. But we don’t agree on everything. That’s why we had an argument before he left Sydney.’

  ‘Was it about how to catch the wildlife smugglers?’

  The Lizard Lady looked thoughtful. ‘So you know.’

  The twins nodded.

  ‘Some of our birds were stolen,’ she said.

  ‘By smugglers?’

  ‘We weren’t sure. But we knew they’d be on the flight to Singapore today.’

  ‘Is that why you’re not staying in Sydney? Why did you bring your wheelchair with you?.’

  ‘You’re the UM twins aren’t you? I heard about you helping to catch the bird smugglers.’

  Mrs Smart didn’t seem worried that the UM sleuths might catch her next!

  Chapter 17

  Lizards

  “Is that ruff real?’ Christopher pointed to her neck brace. ‘Or a disguise?’

  ‘After the car accident, I had to wear a neck brace. So I felt like a frillie myself. But I’m not a lizard smuggler. We even helped catch some last week.’

  ‘The newspaper report!’ remembered Amy. That was proof.

  ‘Frillie,’ repeated Christopher. ‘Ace name.’ I thought we were well camouflaged, like the frillie. But I’m so old, if I were a lizard, I’d be a belt!’ Her eyes crinkled in a smiley way.

  ‘Where’s your son ?’

  ‘Stayed in Melbourne to speak with the wildlife people about the smugglers. I’m flying to Singapore on business to visit parks and discuss exchanges.’

  ‘Money exchanges?’ Amy was quick.

  ‘No. Animals and people. By the way, did you hear that the Sydney

  Westpac robbers were caught? My son told me. It was on Melbourne radio. They parked their getaway car in a No Standing zone and it was booked.’

  Amy looked at Christopher and they both laughed.

  ‘Our Aunty Viv will be interested to hear that!’

  Not understanding, Mrs Smart continued. ‘The police got all the money back. Does your aunt have money in that bank?’

  The twins shook their heads.

  ‘It’d be great to be a frillie,’ said Christopher thoughtfully. ‘Your frill could be a parachute, or an umbrella or a fan ... or a solar pad.’He started to sketch another giant frillie.

  ‘They’ve been disappearing over the past thirty years,’ warned the Lizard Lady. ‘And we don’t want to lose any more,especially to smugglers. Like last week in Sydney.’

  ‘Were they yours?’ Amy was very interested.

  ‘Yes. That’s why we decided to chase the bird smugglers today. We got a tip. And Janey, the plump woman who released the birds in the women’s toilets used to work for us. I recognised her. That’s why I caught the other plane to Melbourne. I joined the mystery flight at the last moment. ‘

  ‘On the International flight?’ asked Christopher. ‘Because you were in th
e international lounge, not the domestic.’

  ‘Cluey lad.’ Mrs Smart smiled. ‘You’re right. They take a few on to fill the extra seats. But did you think I was smuggling birds in my wheelchair?’

  ‘Christopher explained.’Gloria said that once in customs, they had squeaks in a sound-system. The speakers were packed with drugged birds and one had woken early.’

  ‘Was the squeak amplified through the speaker?’

  ‘No. Gloria said the smugglers had taken out the actual speakers to fit the birds inside.’

  Mrs Smart smiled.

  The twins nodded. ‘Your chair squeaked. And you kept it instead of using an airport one. Do you really need one to get around?’ Like a good sleuth, Amy wanted to sort out the details. ‘Or was it part of a disguise? Did you think the smugglers wouldn’t suspect a person in a wheelchair?’

  ‘Well I can walk. I’m not permanently disabled. But after the car accident, I was worried about my neck and leg. That’s why I was wearing the neck brace. Getting around the airport is hard if your legs don’t work quickly. Some gates are a long way from the carpark. And it’s a very long walk through Changi, the Singapore airport. Afterwards I’ll need the chair for business visits.’’

  ‘And why do you wear all that lizard jewellery?’

  ‘Making jewellery is my hobby. We’re going to sell it at the park. I collect lizards of any kind.’

  Amy understood. ‘I collect phonecards, stickers and badges.’

  ‘Have one of my lizard stickers.’

  ‘Thanks. What does it mean?’ Amy looked closely at the Frilled

  Not Grilled sticker.

  ‘A bushfire warning. Many frillies are killed by deliberately lit bushfires.’

  The twins agreed that was cruel.

  ‘Why did your son have his business card printed on the airport machine?’ Christopher pulled out his own. ‘The print looked very similar to this one.’

  ‘Mmm, That was when he was posing as the spare parts manager wasn’t it?’

  ‘Posing?’

  ‘He was chasing the bird smugglers who had taken birds from our reserve.’