‘Angela! Why are we going in there?’ Ricky asked impatiently.
‘I need to print out my homework,’ Angela snapped back. ‘It’ll take two minutes. Anyway, why’re you in such a hurry?’
‘I want to catch up with Jade before she goes home,’ Ricky replied. He glanced down at his watch. ‘She’s talking to Mrs Daltry at the moment.’
‘I won’t be long,’ Angela insisted.
‘I’ll wait for you out here,’ said Ricky. ‘I don’t want to miss her.’
‘Suit yourself.’ Angela shrugged.
Theo and Angela walked into the computer room. Theo frowned at Angela. School was over for another day and truth to tell, Theo wanted to go home. It was chicken and rice for dinner tonight, one of his favourites. He looked around. Three times a week, after school, Mrs Sumonu ran the computer club. And even though it was an after-school activity, the room was still three-quarters full. Theo wasn’t surprised by the people he saw either. He could’ve guessed who’d be part of the computer club and he would have got ninety-nine per cent of them right. And the first person he would’ve guessed at was Toby, better known as Bullet. Theo eyed Bullet warily. Bullet’s nickname was well-deserved. You only had to be around him for a minute or so before wanting to leave with the haste of a speeding bullet – and Theo should know. Toby sat directly behind him in class.
The trouble was – Toby was boring and three-quarters!
He ate, slept, lived and breathed computers. Theo loved computers himself, but even he knew where to draw the line. It wasn’t even as if Bullet was into computer games. No, he was into the serious stuff like writing his own programs to do nothing that would be of any interest to anyone except Bullet as far as Theo could see. Bullet was also into the hardware side of computers. He was riveted by how computers and modems and screens looked and worked from the inside out. Theo couldn’t understand it. As long as the computer worked on the outside, who cared what it looked like on the inside!
‘Angela, come on, then,’ Theo urged. ‘I thought you wanted to print off something.’
Angela looked around, her head moving this way and that.
‘There you are, Angela.’ Theo pointed to the nearest unoccupied seat in front of a PC.
‘No …’ Angela continued to look around. ‘There’s a seat over there.’
‘But that chair is next to Bullet,’ Theo whispered conspiratorially. ‘You don’t want to sit next to him, d’you?’
A deep, burning blush crept across Angela’s face. ‘I don’t care about that. I just want to use a PC.’
‘So what’s wrong with that one?’ Theo pointed to the PC he’d just indicated.
‘Because I like that one over there,’ Angela replied, agitated.
Confused, Theo looked from Angela to Bullet and back again. A slow, knowing smile crept across his face.
‘You …’
‘No, I don’t – before you say it,’ Angela denied vehemently.
‘You do!’ Theo was astounded. ‘You fancy Bullet! You need to get your eyes tested asap, and whilst you’re at it, you’d better let them look for your brain as well. I think it’s fallen out of your nostrils.’
‘I don’t fancy Bullet,’ Angela hissed. ‘And don’t you dare tell anyone that I do.’
‘Your secret is safe with me,’ Theo beamed.
‘Oh, shut up,’ Angela snapped. And with that she marched off.
Theo couldn’t resist it. He sauntered across to sit on the other side of Bullet. What on earth did Angela see in him? Bullet was long and gangly and had more pimples than a raw chicken leg. He didn’t think much of Angela’s taste.
‘Hi, Bullet. How’re you?’ Angela asked, still looking at her own computer screen.
‘Huh? Er … yes … er, I’m OK,’ Bullet spluttered.
Angela swivelled in her chair to face him. For the first time she saw Theo was sitting on the other side of Bullet and the instant scowl on her face could’ve curdled milk. Bullet obviously thought the look was directed at him. He sat back in his chair, terrified.
‘Bullet, don’t you just hate it when certain people butt in and won’t mind their own business?’ Angela hissed.
‘Er … pardon? No … yes … I guess.’
Giving Theo the filthiest look she could muster, Angela focused all her attention on Bullet.
‘So what’re you working on, Bullet, I mean, Toby?’
Bullet looked surprised, not to mention flattered.
‘I … er, well actually, I’m working on a master program to solve things.’ Bullet’s voice grew quieter but more steady as he started to talk about his favourite subject.
A program to solve things! Theo snorted with disgust. He might’ve guessed Bullet was writing a program to do his homework.
‘What sort of things are you trying to solve?’ Angela prompted. ‘D’you mean things like science and maths questions, like equations and angles and areas and stuff like that?’
Theo could’ve sworn that Angela actually batted her eyelashes at Bullet. Pass the sick bag!
Bullet’s eyes gleamed. ‘Not exactly.’ He lowered his voice so that Theo had to strain to hear him. ‘I’m writing a program to solve crimes.’
Angela stared at him. And she wasn’t the only one.
‘You’re joking,’ she said, uncertainly.
Bullet shook his head emphatically. ‘No, I’m not – I promise. I reckon that if you input enough data and that data is analysed and interpreted in the right way, then there’s no reason why a computer shouldn’t solve crime problems just as easily as it solves maths problems.’
Theo couldn’t help it. He was actually interested in what Bullet was saying! First Mrs Daltry, and now Bullet. This was turning out to be a paranormal kind of day and no mistake. Surreptitiously, he tried to draw his chair closer to Bullet’s.
‘So how does this program work? How do you input all the necessary information and how do you know when you’ve put in enough and …’
‘Hang on! Hang on!’ Bullet raised a protesting hand. ‘I’m just finishing off the program now. Then I’ll need a real, live crime to input to test it properly.’
‘Can I see how it would work?’ Angela pulled her chair closer to Bullet. So did Theo. Bullet turned, startled, as Theo’s head suddenly appeared over his shoulder.
‘Don’t mind me,’ Theo smiled. ‘I’d just like to see how this works too.’
‘I … er … well, I don’t … er …’
‘Angela! Theo! We have to get going.’ Ricky popped his head around the door.
‘Just a minute.’ Theo waved Ricky off impatiently.
‘No. We have to go now or we’ll miss her,’ Ricky insisted.
Reluctantly Theo stood up, followed by Angela.
‘I’ll have to catch up with you later.’ Angela smiled at Bullet.
Pass two sick bags! Theo thought with disgust. As they made their way out of the computer room, Theo turned to Angela.
‘Why didn’t you just fall down at his feet and kiss them?’ he sniffed.
‘Theo, I’ve told you before and I’ll tell you again,’ Angela rounded on him. ‘Mind your own business.’
Chapter Eight
The Offer
‘WHY’RE YOU LOT hanging around out here?’
Angela, Theo and Ricky looked at each other. Each of them had the same expression on their faces. Mini-Hitler had arrived and from the belligerent look on his face they could tell he was in the mood to throw his weight around.
‘We’re waiting for someone, Mr Appleyard,’ Ricky explained.
‘Who?’
‘A friend.’
‘Hhmm!’ Mr Appleyard looked at them out of the corner of narrowed eyes. ‘Well, why can’t you wait for them somewhere else?’
Theo glared at him. What was his problem? They were outside the school gates and they weren’t causing any trouble, for goodness’ sake.
‘We won’t be much longer. Our friend is just coming,’ Ricky soothed the caretaker.
‘Hhmm! All right then,’ said Mr Appleyard. And he turned to walk back to the school building, just as a few others left the premises.
‘That man needs to get a life!’ Theo sniffed.
‘Too right!’ Angela agreed emphatically.
‘Hi Jade. Are you OK?’
Startled, Jade turned around. She looked even more startled when she saw who had asked the question – Ricky, with Angela and Theo just behind him.
‘Where did you lot suddenly appear from?’ Jade asked.
‘We’ve been waiting for you,’ said Ricky.
Ricky, Theo and Angela had been standing outside the school gates for at least ten minutes. It was drizzling and from the look of it, the weather was going to get a lot worse. Grey clouds filled the sky. The kind of clouds that were dark, almost charcoal grey, but which seemed to be lit by candlelight from within. Theo hoped it would pour with rain. He liked the rain.
‘I didn’t see you,’ said Jade.
‘I’m not surprised. You were in a world of your own,’ Ricky smiled.
‘What’s the matter?’ Jade asked with narrowed eyes. ‘What d’you want?’
‘I … er, I wanted to say I was sorry to hear about your dad,’ Ricky said.
Jade turned to Theo, then back to Ricky. Theo shifted from foot to foot with unease. ‘My dad died over three months ago. What suddenly brought this on?’ she asked.
‘I just wanted to say that … if you ever need any help with anything, then – I’m here. We all are.’
‘Are you serious?’ Jade raised her eyebrows.
‘Totally,’ Ricky replied.
‘This is just so you can get a client for one of your detective cases, isn’t it?’
‘It has nothing to do with that,’ Ricky denied.
‘If I needed any help – which I don’t – what makes you think I’d ask you of all people?’ said Jade.
Theo was furious for his friend and even Angela, who was better at hiding her true feelings than Theo, gasped at Jade’s nerve. But to Theo’s surprise Ricky merely smiled.
‘Maybe because I’m so unlikely,’ said Ricky. ‘Then, no matter what you tell me, you know I won’t reply in the same way as everyone else.’
Jade frowned but didn’t reply.
‘Jade, I recognize that look on your face. It reminds me of how I must’ve looked – and felt – when … when I was in trouble a while ago. So I just wanted to say, if you need someone to talk to, I’m here. We all are.’ Ricky turned round to Theo and Angela. ‘Come on, gang. Let’s leave Jade to think it over.’
They all trooped past Jade in silence, leaving her to watch them. Ricky turned round after a few steps.
‘Oh, and another thing. I do believe in ghosts,’ he said easily.
And with that he carried on walking. Theo couldn’t help it. He turned and gave Jade a reproachful look before falling into step with Ricky. She didn’t have to be quite so nasty.
‘Jade’s really rude and sarky. She reminds me a bit of you,’ Theo told Angela.
‘Thanks a lot!’ Angela was definitely not impressed.
‘No, I mean how you used to be,’ Theo amended hastily.
‘Thanks a lot!’
‘No, I mean …’
‘Theo, give up while you’re behind!’ Ricky laughed.
Theo side-stepped a couple of paces away from Angela, giving her a wary look. That hadn’t come out right at all. ‘Ricky, you still haven’t told us about the ghost you saw when you were on holiday,’ Theo reminded him, anxiously changing the subject.
‘Oh yes. Where was I? I remember. Well, it was late morning and …’
‘Ricky, wait.’
Theo sighed as Jade came running up to them. It didn’t look like he’d ever hear the end of Ricky’s story.
‘I … er … I would like to talk to you.’ Jade looked down at the front of her left shoe which moved nervously back and forth over the glistening pavement as if she was trying to work a hole in the concrete. ‘I don’t know how to say this …’
‘Is it about your dad?’ Ricky prompted.
Jade nodded quickly, her expression grateful. Someone else had brought up the subject of her dad first.
‘He … he talks to me.’
Theo’s eyes narrowed. He couldn’t help it. If this wasn’t a wind-up, then he had no idea what Jade was up to. Was she serious? She couldn’t be … There were no such things as ghosts. Not that kind of ghost. Not really. Maybe soldiers who died in wars and all those people in the French Revolution who had been guillotined, maybe their ghosts still floated about somewhere, but not everyday people. That was just silly. The more Theo thought about it, the more unlikely he thought the whole thing.
‘Theo, I know what that look on your face means.’ Jade shook her head. ‘I don’t blame you. I didn’t believe it myself at first.’
‘What does your dad say to you?’ Angela asked.
‘He doesn’t actually say anything.’
‘But you just said he talks to you.’
‘Yes, but I meant he …’ Jade sighed. ‘Look, this would be easier if I could show you what I mean. I only live a few minutes away. If you three aren’t in a rush to get home, I could show you what I’m talking about. It’ll only take five minutes.’
Theo sighed inwardly. He could almost smell his dad’s rice and chicken, but he was no closer to getting to it. His stomach rumbled in protest, but Theo ignored it. He looked at Ricky and Angela and shrugged.
‘Yeah. OK.’ Ricky spoke for all of them.
A relieved smile spread slowly over Jade’s face. Theo was startled to realize that he hadn’t seen Jade smile in a very, very long time. They walked to Jade’s house in silence. A strange, embarrassed hush descended over all of them. It was as if each of them had only just realized exactly why they were going to Jade’s home. Jade’s dad – a ghost – actually spoke to her and Jade was going to show them. Theo turned to Jade with a sudden frown, suspicion in his eyes. If Jade was winding them up, then he’d never speak to her again. Never, ever. How would he ever live it down if the word got out that he went to Jade’s house to meet her dead father? Jade turned her head to look at him and Theo quickly looked away.
‘I’m not lying, Theo,’ Jade said quietly.
‘I never said you were,’ Theo answered defensively.
‘No?’
Theo looked away, feeling guilty and annoyed because of it. Not for the first time, he wished that what he was thinking wasn’t always so obviously apparent on his face. It had got him into trouble more than once before. He just couldn’t help feeling like they were all inside a joke, just waiting for the punch line. He didn’t want the punch line to be at his expense, that was all.
Walking along, Theo began to feel distinctly uncomfortable. He couldn’t put his finger on it and yet the hairs on his nape were slowly standing to attention. Frowning deeply, Theo turned around. The road behind them was clear. There were just a couple of cars on the road and yet Theo couldn’t shake the wary feeling creeping over him. It was as if … as if … Theo turned his head again quickly.
‘Theo, what’s the matter?’ asked Ricky.
‘Nothing. Nothing,’ Theo denied quickly.
He was imagining things, letting his imagination gallop away with him. And no wonder with all this talk about ghosts and ghouls and things that went bump in the night. And yet …
Were they being followed?
‘Theo …?’ Ricky prompted.
‘It’s OK. I’m all right. Nothing’s the matter,’ Theo replied.
So why couldn’t he shake the feeling that they were being watched?
When they reached Jade’s house, she dug into her jacket pocket for her front door key. As she turned the key in the lock, she suddenly turned around, nervous.
‘You won’t say anything to my mum about this, will you? She … she doesn’t know that Dad talks to me.’
‘Don’t worry, we won’t say a word,’ Theo replied immediately.
At Jade’s contemplative look,
Theo realized that he shouldn’t have jumped in quite so quickly. He’d done it again.
‘Come on, then,’ Jade said. And she opened her front door.
Theo had a last quick look around. He could see nothing and no one out of the ordinary. But then what did he expect? Someone walking along, holding a placard saying, ‘Yes, you’re right! I am following you!’ A dark car cruised past them, but apart from that, Jade’s street was empty.
The first thing that hit Theo as he stepped into Jade’s house, was the smell of air freshener and furniture polish and carpet cleaner and disinfectant. The smells were all mixed up together but distinct nevertheless and they made him want to sneeze. They all stood in the hall as Jade pulled off her jacket and hung it up on one of the coat hooks on the wall.
‘Mum, I’m home,’ Jade called out.
A woman of about forty appeared immediately.
‘It’s raining. Don’t leave your coat there, Jade. Put it in the bathroom until it dries. Otherwise it’ll drip all over the carpet.’
‘It’s only drizzling, Mum. My jacket barely got wet,’ Jade sighed.
‘Jade, don’t mess up the carpet,’ Jade’s mum insisted.
With a deeper sigh, Jade removed her coat from the coat hook.
‘OK, Mum,’ she said quietly. ‘I’ve brought some friends home. Is that all right?’
Mrs Driscoll looked Theo, Ricky and Angela up and down and from side to side. Theo could feel his face begin to burn. He tried to look straight back at Mrs Driscoll but it was hard. He felt like a germ being examined under a microscope.
‘That’s fine,’ Mrs Driscoll said at last. ‘As long as they take off their shoes.’