‘Would any of you like something to eat or drink?’ she asked.
‘No, thank you.’
‘No, thanks.’
Theo shook his head.
‘I … er … I have some things to get on with in the … er … upstairs, so I’ll leave you all to it,’ Bullet’s mum said.
Even when Bullet’s mum had shut the living-room door behind her, still no one spoke. And then, without warning, Bullet sprang out of his chair.
‘So why are you here, Theo? To tell me how you’ve been sticking your nose into my private business as well?’ Bullet raged.
‘Pardon?’
‘You heard me. These two,’ Bullet waved a dismissive hand at Angela and Ricky, ‘these two have been telling me how you all decided to stick your noses in where they’re not wanted.’
‘We’re only trying to help you,’ Theo protested. ‘We thought as we all have a week off, we could …’
‘Who asked for your help?’ Bullet blazed. ‘I certainly didn’t. And as for helping me, are you sure having another stupid case for your rotten detective agency didn’t come into it somewhere?’
‘Theo never even mentioned our detective agency,’ Angela stormed back at Bullet.
Theo bent his head, guiltily. He had been thinking about the Solve-It Detective Agency, it was just that Angela hadn’t been present at the time – but that wasn’t all there was to it.
‘Bullet, you’re not being fair. We’re just trying to help,’ said Ricky quietly.
‘Help with what? I don’t need your help. I told my dad that I’m his son and he wasn’t interested. That’s it. End of story.’
‘But what about that bogus doctor in his hospital room? Don’t you want to find out what that was all about?’ Theo couldn’t help asking.
‘And what about when he keeled over on our school stage yesterday morning?’ said Ricky. ‘I don’t know about you, but I want to know what’s going on.’
‘Why?’ asked Bullet.
His question momentarily threw all three of them.
‘That’s a strange question,’ Angela frowned. ‘Someone’s out to get your dad. Aren’t you interested in finding out who and why?’
‘No,’ Bullet answered immediately.
Angela opened her mouth to respond but Ricky placed a restraining hand on her arm and shook his head. Theo was barely aware of the front doorbell ringing outside the room. He was so wrapped up in what was going on in Bullet’s living room, he was barely aware of anything else.
‘Are you really not interested?’ Ricky asked.
‘That’s right.’
‘Don’t you even want to know if it was your lie detector yesterday that made Darius’s Lazarus suit malfunction?’ Theo couldn’t believe Bullet could be that blasé about what had happened.
‘Now that I’ve had a chance to think about it and test it out again, I know it wasn’t my lie detector,’ Bullet replied.
‘How d’you know?’ Theo asked.
‘Because it’s not possible. I …’ Bullet got no further.
At that moment the door opened and to Theo’s stunned amazement, in walked Bullet’s mum followed by Darius Marriott. A collective gasp echoed in the room as they all regarded the unexpected guest. And Theo wasn’t the only one who looked as if he’d just been slapped around both cheeks with a dead trout. Bullet’s mum looked like she’d just seen a ghost. Looking at her, Theo tried to determine whether Darius’s arrival was a nice or nasty surprise but her face was now shuttered off, an expressionless mask.
‘I see I’m interrupting,’ Darius said easily.
‘No, not at all. Bullet’s friends were just leaving,’ Bullet’s mum said meaningfully.
Theo, Ricky and Angela immediately stood up.
‘Yes, that’s right, Mr Marriott. We were just leaving,’ said Ricky. He turned to Bullet. ‘Don’t worry, Bullet. We won’t be troubling you with this matter any more if you don’t want us to.’
‘Where’re you going?’ Bullet asked.
‘We’ve got to go home,’ Ricky said. ‘Besides …’ Ricky turned to look at Darius Marriott. He didn’t need to say anything else.
‘Could you stay, please?’ Bullet asked.
Theo looked from Ricky and Angela to Darius and then back to Bullet. He wondered who Bullet was talking to.
‘Toby, I don’t think …’ his mum began.
‘It’s OK, Mum. My friends know that he’s my father.’ Bullet’s voice was lemon-bitter as he turned to face his dad. ‘And they know just what he thinks of the idea, too.’
‘They know what?’ Bullet’s mum asked sharply. ‘How could you tell them or anyone else such a thing?’
‘Why not? It’s true, isn’t it?’
‘This isn’t something I care to discuss in front of all and sundry,’ snapped Bullet’s mum. ‘And Toby, I’ll thank you not to broadcast this family’s private business.’
‘If I can’t tell my best friends then who can I tell?’ Bullet replied.
It was funny the way things worked. A few minutes ago, Bullet was on the verge of throwing them out and never speaking to any of them again. And now here he was, declaring that Theo and the others were his best friends. Theo could feel his face begin to burn as he looked around the room. He was embarrassed – he couldn’t help it. He felt totally out of place, like a fifth wheel or a third leg.
‘Tessa, I would like to talk to you and Toby in private, if you don’t mind,’ said Darius.
‘Bullet, we do have to be going now,’ Ricky interjected when Bullet would have protested further. ‘We’ll see you tomorrow or Monday. Just call if you need anything – OK?’
Reluctantly, Bullet nodded. As they left the room, Theo looked up at Darius. Why was he here? What was he thinking? What was he after? Oh, to be a fly on the wall! Theo trooped out after the others but not before he’d given Darius a long, hard look and made sure that Darius knew he was being scrutinized. If Darius did anything, anything at all to upset Bullet, then Theo would find some way to pay him back.
‘You just see if I don’t,’ he thought, hoping that his thoughts were clearly readable on his face. He couldn’t help it, but he still didn’t like Darius Marriott and what’s more he didn’t trust him, either. Not one little bit.
Chapter Eight
Where There’s A Will
‘SO HE DIDN’T phone you either?’ Ricky asked.
‘Nope,’ Theo replied, disappointed. ‘I was hoping he would but … no.’
‘Not one call all last week?’
‘Not a peep. Not a beep.’ Theo shook his head. ‘Is he here yet?’
‘No. He wasn’t outside. And he’s not in the computer room either,’ Ricky said, amazed.
Monday morning – and every school morning come to that – always found Bullet in the school’s computer room, fiddling with one of his programs. But not today.
Angela sighed. ‘I called round to see him last Sunday, Tuesday and again yesterday.’
Ricky and Theo stared at her.
‘You’re joking!’
‘You never!’
Angela raised her eyebrows. ‘Of course I did. What was I meant to do? Sit at home and wonder all week?’
‘That’s what we did,’ Ricky pointed out.
‘Yeah, well, I couldn’t wait that long. I wanted to make sure that Bullet was all right.’
‘You are so nosy!’ Theo told her with a mixture of admiration and irritation.
‘The nosiest,’ Ricky agreed. ‘So how was he? Was he OK?’
‘I’m not going to tell you,’ Angela sniffed.
Ricky and Theo looked at each other, puzzled. ‘What d’you mean you’re not going to tell us?’
‘You two are just hypocrites!’ said Angela. ‘You stand there condemning me for being nosy and then, with the next breath, you ask me to share the results of my nosiness! You two need to get together and make up your minds what you really want.’
Theo had to admit that Angela had a point. ‘OK, sorry. Now tell us what hap
pened.’
‘Not until you admit that you like me to be nosy ’cos it means I do your dirty work for you.’
‘We admit it. We admit it!’ Ricky said, exasperated. ‘Now, what happened?’
‘Bullet and his mum weren’t in – at least, not any of the times I called round,’ Angela shrugged. ‘And I phoned them every evening at seven and there was no answer.’
‘I wonder where they were all week.’ Ricky voiced the thought in all their minds at that moment.
The classroom door opened and as if on cue, in walked Bullet. Bullet was usually one of the last ones to come into the classroom. He worked up until the last possible moment on the computers in the IT Lab. But when he did come into class, usually he made a beeline for Theo and the others. But not today. With just a faint smile in their direction, Bullet walked straight over to his chair and sat down at his table. Angela, Theo and Ricky exchanged a glance, wondering what was going on. Theo led the way as they walked across the classroom.
‘Hi, Bullet. How goes it?’
Bullet shrugged. ‘Fine.’
‘Everything all right?’ asked Ricky.
‘Yeah, fine.’
‘Did you have a good week?’
‘Yeah, great.’
Was that all he had to say to them? Theo tried and failed not to get annoyed.
‘So what did Darius want when he came round to your house that Saturday, then?’ asked Angela.
Bless her! Theo had to bite his lip to stop himself from laughing outright.
‘If you must know, Angela, he came to apologize,’ said Bullet. ‘He said that not only am I his son but that he’s glad I am. We sat and talked for a long while and then he took us out to dinner.’
‘Why the sudden change of heart?’ Theo couldn’t help asking.
‘I think my announcement that I was his son was just as much a shock to him as it was to me when I found out. It never occurred to me that he would be fazed by the news,’ Bullet replied.
Theo remained silent. It all sounded very reasonable. Very plausible. And yet … And yet. Darius had been more than adamant that he was not Bullet’s dad. And now he’d done a whole one hundred and eighty, welcoming Bullet with open arms. What was he up to? Theo sighed inwardly. Maybe the man wasn’t up to anything. Maybe he really had changed his mind. Theo sighed again. He’d have to watch this cynical, pessimistic attitude that he seemed to be developing!
‘I’m glad for you,’ Theo said sincerely.
Bullet grinned. ‘Thanks.’
‘And where were you yesterday and all last week?’ said Angela.
‘Pardon?’ blinked Bullet.
‘Where were you? I knocked for you a couple of times and I phoned you every night last week,’ said Angela.
‘If you must know, Mum went to stay with my aunt whilst I spent the week with my dad – and I’m getting more than a little tired of you, Angela.’
‘Huh?’
‘Since when did I have to report to you?’
‘I wasn’t expecting you to report to me. I was just concerned.’
‘Don’t you mean “prying”?’ Bullet asked scornfully. ‘My dad said I should be careful about my so-called friends now. He said a lot of people will only want to be my friend so that they can get to him through me.’
Theo’s mouth dropped open so fast, he nearly dislocated his jaw – and he wasn’t the only one. This seemed to be a continuation of the conversation they’d had in Bullet’s living room over a week ago, only it had taken a bizarre and much more hurtful twist.
‘Thanks a lot. We’re not your friends because of your dad,’ Angela said with indignation.
‘And why would we want to get to your dad? I don’t even like the man,’ Theo fumed.
‘Bullet, you’ve got a nerve. We were your friends long before your dad arrived on the scene,’ Ricky reminded him furiously.
‘No, you weren’t. I was just a nerd who happened to know his way around a computer. That’s the only reason you talked to me in the first place,’ Bullet said.
‘That’s not true. I mean, that’s not the whole story,’ Theo amended at Bullet’s sceptical glance. ‘OK, that might’ve been why we first started talking to you but we all considered you our friend after that.’
‘You obviously didn’t feel the same way,’ Ricky said quietly.
Theo recognized that tone at once. Bullet had gone too far. Even Bullet seemed to recognize that maybe he’d said too much.
‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that the way it came out. But my dad said that now he’s changed his will, I have to choose my friends very carefully,’ Bullet tried to explain.
‘Now he’s done what?’ asked Theo, the rest of Bullet’s sentence lost on him.
Bullet looked around, then beckoned them closer. ‘I’m only telling you three this because … because I know that you’re my friends really,’ Bullet whispered. ‘But my dad changed his will last Thursday. His lawyer visited him whilst I was at his penthouse flat. He’s left some of his money to his staff and some close friends, but he’s left his company, DemTech Industries, to me.’
No one said a word at that. Not even Angela. They all stared goggle-eyed at Bullet. It didn’t even cross Theo’s mind that this was a wind-up. Bullet was too earnest, too serious.
‘But I want you all to promise that you won’t tell another living soul. I promised Dad I wouldn’t tell anyone, so you’ve got to promise, too. OK?’
‘We promise.’ Theo raised his right hand. Angela and Ricky did the same.
‘Why is he leaving you his company?’ Theo asked when his voice had fully returned.
‘’Cos I’m his son, of course!’ Bullet replied, eyebrows raised.
‘Yes, I know. But you’ve only known the man for five minutes. He can’t have changed his will already,’ said Theo.
‘Well, he has.’
‘Why?’
‘What d’you mean?’
Theo grew more and more puzzled by the second. ‘I mean, what’s his rush? If he really has changed his will, why did he change it so quickly?’
‘I’m his son.’
‘Yes, but … Ricky, what d’you think?’ Theo appealed to his friend to back him up. Surely he wasn’t the only one who thought this whole thing was bizarre. Ricky shrugged and said nothing. Theo frowned at him, trying to decipher his expression but Ricky’s face was a mask. Theo turned to Angela. He felt sure that her expression mirrored his own.
‘But why isn’t he leaving the company to his wife, Samantha? What does she get?’ Theo continued.
Bullet frowned. ‘Dad never mentioned her. I guess she’ll get his money and I’ll get the company. Or maybe they have one of those special agreements that rich people make when they don’t want to lose all their money. One of those pre-nuptial agreements?’
‘Twit!’ Ricky laughed. ‘Rich people make pre-nuptial agreements before they get married. It’s so they can protect their money if they ever get divorced. I’ve never heard of an agreement to cut out the other person if one of you dies.’
‘Just because Dad never mentioned it, doesn’t mean he didn’t leave her anything,’ Bullet defended rigorously. ‘Besides, maybe Dad’s set it up so that she already has all the money she needs.’
‘From what I’ve seen, rich people never have all the money they need. They never have enough.’ Theo shook his head. ‘But congratulations, Bullet. That’s brilliant news. Good for you.’
Bullet smiled. ‘To be honest, I don’t even care about the money. I’d always planned to be a famous inventor and make my own money. What I can’t get over is saying the word “Dad”! My dad! I still can’t quite get used to it. It’s wonderful. All these years without a dad and suddenly I’ve got one – and it’s Darius Marriott.’
Ricky lowered his head.
‘What did your mum say about all this?’ asked Theo.
‘She was furious with me at first. She never told me the name of her boss all those years ago, so I had to do some digging. All she said was that s
he and a man she’d worked with had been very much in love and she became pregnant and decided to leave without telling him.’
‘So how did you pin it down to Darius Marriott being your dad?’ asked Theo.
‘Mum stopped working when she was pregnant with me and she only started working again when I was seven. I found some old pay-slips she’d hidden away and then used the Internet to track down DemTech. There were only a handful at DemTech at the same time as my mum. It wasn’t hard to find out who Mum was working for.’
Ricky used his elbow to nudge Theo in the ribs before nodding in Angela’s direction. Angela was staring at Bullet, a strange expression on her face.
‘Angela, you’re very quiet,’ said Ricky.
Angela never took her eyes off Bullet. The hurt in her eyes was being overtaken by a hard, sombre look that Theo hadn’t seen in a long, long time. ‘I don’t want to be accused of sticking my nose in where it’s not wanted.’
‘Angela, I …’
‘Excuse me.’ Angela didn’t wait for Bullet to finish. She turned abruptly and walked off.
‘I didn’t mean to upset her,’ Bullet mumbled.
‘Yes, you did,’ Ricky contradicted. ‘Angela liked you and stuck up for you long before anyone else gave you a chance and you were really mean to her.’
‘Yes, Saint Ricky. Sorry, Saint Ricky.’ Bullet bowed with sarcasm. ‘Who d’you think you are?’
‘I know who I am. And that’s not someone who thinks he can switch his friends on and off like a tap whenever it suits him,’ Ricky snapped.
‘I don’t do that.’
‘That’s exactly what you’re doing. A moment ago you said you were telling us about your dad’s will ’cos we’re your friends, but now you’re acting like a cow pat again,’ Ricky told him straight.
‘Listen, I don’t need you or anyone else in this rotten school. My dad says he’s going to pay for me to go to a private school so I don’t have to mix with people like you any more.’
People like you! Theo opened his mouth to tell Bullet exactly where he could stuff his private school but Ricky got in first.