Chapter 17
Unwelcome Visitors
Nat grabbed some biscuits and followed Riki and the others outside. They’d yelled and jumped so much they needed a rest.
‘That rubbing,’ said Jack, ‘it could be a red herring.’
‘A what?’ asked Riki.
‘A false lead, you know, to throw you off the scent.’
‘No way,’ said Riki. ‘It’s definitely important.’
‘I agree,’ said Elijah.
Nat paused to watch the kereru floating around the trees, but as she stepped forward, she didn’t look where she was going.
‘Nat – watch out!’ called Riki. But it was too late. Nat stumbled on an uneven piece of concrete and crashed onto her knee.
Jack cracked up laughing. ‘Morning, Splatters!’
Barnaby rushed to her side. ‘You okay?’
Nat winced. The blood was trickling down her shin. She smiled at Barnaby despite her embarrassment. ‘I’ll survive,’ she said, sliding into a chair.
They settled in the sun. Nat watched her fantail duck and dive with the birds in the tree-tops. She could tell Pi apart from the others because he’d scoot back towards the group once in a while and circle overhead, as if checking she was all right. It was a great sweeping loop, and watching it in the warm sun made her sleepy. All of a sudden Pi shot high into the air, far higher than the trees, then circled about and zoomed straight for Abraham.
He was gathering such speed that Nat turned in alarm, but the old man was already alert. Pi landed on his shoulder gracefully, and chirped twice before taking off again. In the background, Nat could hear the rumble of an approaching quad bike. Abraham sat forward.
‘Children, listen at once.’ The tone in his voice silenced everyone, even Jack. ‘There are some men coming down the driveway. You must stay absolutely still – don’t move a muscle, no coughing, no laughter.’ He started to mutter under his breath, and waved his hand in a wide arc around them.
Nat looked at her friends, and saw her frightened expression reflected in their eyes. She sat back in her chair to focus on being totally motionless.
The birds’ chirping was drowned out by the noise of the bike. Nat’s heart began to thump as it roared into view and pulled to a stop in front of the house. Two men hanging onto the back leapt off. The driver stayed where he was.
‘This is it?’ said one man. ‘What a dump.’
Nat recognised him from the Glowworm Cave. It was Cain Wylie. He was thin and shifty looking. Thin enough to squeeze into their secret room.
Wylie spat at the driveway. ‘I thought this guy was supposed to be respected.’
‘If you believe in that stuff,’ said the driver.
‘You said the kids and the old man were here,’ said the other man. It was Henderson, the man who’d created the machine to see through walls.
The driver shrugged. ‘They were,’ he said. ‘Must have popped out.’
Wylie was incensed. ‘With the money we’re paying I expect a better answer than that!’
The driver pulled out a tobacco pouch and started rolling a cigarette. ‘You paid the others more to go through the house up the hill.’
‘That’s none of your business,’ snapped Wylie, flicking mud from his city shoes.
The chubby engineer walked towards the house. He climbed the steps, passing a few metres in front of Nat.
‘Got anything Henderson?’ called Wylie. The man shook his head. ‘Then let’s get out of here.’ Wylie turned back to the bike. ‘They’ve been through the house already, there’s nothing inside but junk.’
‘What’s the next stop?’ asked the driver.
‘Straight to the Rehua Reserve,’ said Wylie.
‘We should close the cave down first,’ said Henderson, still snooping across the deck. ‘Save the trouble we had last time.’
‘We need an excuse,’ said Wylie. ‘Something to tell the suckers at the museum. The idiots have even pre-sold tickets to my talk!’
‘When’s that happening?’
‘Who cares,’ said Wylie. ‘We’ll be long gone.’
‘You’ll never be able to return,’ warned Henderson.
‘I’ve heard the stories about what’s hidden in this valley,’ said Wylie, ‘but there’s enough money in the Sinbad haul to last a lifetime. I’m going to take the big prize, and get out.’
Nat could feel her eyes bulge. She concentrated on being still, but her mind was racing. What else was hidden in her valley?
Henderson scratched his head. ‘You could tell the public the carbon dioxide levels are too high.’
‘Or say it’s not safe because of the coming storms,’ said the driver.
‘Any excuse will do,’ said Wylie. ‘Then we’re going straight through the wall. Thanks to your fancy machine, we know exactly where the treasure is.’
‘It’ll cause massive destruction,’ said Henderson. ‘You’ll have a lot of explaining to do.’
Wylie shrugged. ‘Earthquakes happen all the time,’ he said. ‘The push should be ready by Friday, right?’
Henderson nodded. He stepped away from the porch, then paused and looked back. Nat held her breath. He’d looked straight at her, or more precisely, her feet. Her heart started to thump as he climbed the steps again and knelt in front of her.
‘Wylie,’ he called. ‘Check this out.’
Nat was almost trembling in her attempts to remain still.
‘What is it?’ snapped Wylie.
‘There’s fresh blood on the concrete,’ said Henderson.
‘They probably killed a possum,’ said Wylie. ‘Let’s go.’
‘Really fresh,’ said Henderson. ‘It’s dripping from something right in front of me.’ He stared straight at Nat. Wylie climbed the steps, and Nat saw he was still favouring his hip. She’d hurt him badly in the Glowworm Cave. The two men stood before her. Wylie bent over and started sniffing around her head. She watched the way his nostrils quivered as he breathed in, and felt sick in the pit of her stomach.
‘Reach out,’ ordered Wylie. ‘See if anything’s there.’
‘You’re the boss,’ protested Henderson, his chins rolling together. ‘You deal with it.’
‘On three,’ said Wylie. ‘On three, we’ll grab the chair together.’
The driver of the quad coughed on his cigarette as he laughed at them. ‘It’s an empty chair,’ he said. ‘You guys get spooked too easily.’
Every hair on Nat’s arms was standing on end. This was it – they were about to be discovered, and all because of her.
‘One,’ said Wylie. He lifted his hand, ready to grab. Henderson did the same. ‘Two, ready? Three!’
Everything happened at once. Wylie and Henderson reached forward and grabbed Nat’s shoulders at the same moment as Abraham stood up. He threw his arms straight ahead, and suddenly Wylie and Henderson were lifted off the ground and flung back into the trees. They slid down the trunks and lay motionless on the ground. The driver’s cigarette dropped clean out of his mouth. He took off, leaving Wylie and Henderson to their fate. Nat looked at Abraham in amazement. He waved one hand and pointed at the stunned men.
There was a strange cry from the air. At the tree tops, Nat could see fantails, kereru, tui, even mynahs and magpies gathering. Then there was a rush of wind. The birds moved as one, a squawking mass of terror. They swooped on the men, pecking and clawing, and when Wylie and Henderson came to, they were defenceless. Every attempt they made to bat the birds away was useless. Soon the birds changed tactics. Pi flittered into view, circled the men, and landed a poo on Wylie’s head.
‘What the hell?’ The man was outraged. ‘Cheeky bird!’
Pi circled again and landed another one. But this time, he wasn’t quick enough to get away. Wylie’s hand shot up and swatted the bird. Pi landed on the ground, and in a flash, the man leapt up and booted the fantail. Pi spun through the air. Wylie and Henderson ran up the driveway, stumbling and yelling. But the birds didn’t stop; they dive bombed the m
en, over and over, all the way up to the gate. Nat could hear their cries long after they’d disappeared.
Nat ran from her seat to the spot where Pi had fallen. Heartbroken, she picked up his crumpled body from the ferns. He was still warm. The poor thing hadn’t done anything but try and protect her from those horrid men. She cradled him in her hands and sobbed.
‘Nat,’ whispered Riki. ‘Nat – look.’
Nat opened her eyes. Pi chirped weakly.
‘He’s okay,’ said Riki. ‘They just winded him.’
Nat started crying again in relief, and for the fright she’d had at almost getting caught. Then she realised everyone was standing around her and she was embarrassed all over again. But Abraham crouched down and gave her a hug.
‘You did well,’ he said with a smile.
‘You were amazing!’ she said.
‘Ah well,’ said the old man. ‘That’ll teach those clowns not to come snooping around my place again.’
Nat clambered to her feet, and Pi flapped his wings a few times before snuggling into Nat’s hand. They settled in the sun again, and Pi nibbled at the biscuits that Barnaby and Nat softened up for him.
Elijah was the one who broke the peace. ‘Right,’ he said. ‘No way we’re going to let those scumbags get away with that. Time for revenge.’