Unleashed! (12 page)

‘You’re all okay!’ cried Mr Lark when the kids arrived back at The Van. He patted Sugar, then one by one he gave them a hug, stopping when he got to Tong. He smiled but his eyes were wary. ‘And who might you be?’

Tong clasped his hands and gave a slight bow.

Mr Lark also clasped his hands, then bowed back, saying,
‘Chào em.’
[Hello, young man.]

The kids looked surprised but Tong didn’t. He kept his face neutral.

‘Chau Ong Lark.’
[Hello, Mr Lark.]
‘Râ’t hân hanh.’
[Nice to meet you.]

Mr Lark cleared his throat as he asked,
‘Tên cúa em là gì?’
[What is your name?]

‘Dang Van Tong.’

‘Em bao nhiêu tuô’i?’
[How old are you?]

‘Tôi
muòi ba tuô’inmh.’
[I’m thirteen years old.]

‘Em nói tiê’ng Anh không?’
[Do you speak English?]

‘Tôi nói chút
.’
[I speak a little.]

‘Em có hiê’u không?’
[Do you understand?]

‘Có.’
[Yes.]

Mr Lark smiled. ‘We will speak English then.’

‘What language is that?’ demanded Clem.

‘Vietnamese.’

‘Where’d you learn to speak Vietnamese?’

‘Vietnam. Where else?’

‘When?’

Mr Lark hesitated. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. ‘A long time ago. Before you lot were born.’ A myriad of emotions flitted across his face, some happy, some sad and some that were impossible to read.

Darcy grabbed Clem’s shoulder and gave her a shake. ‘Enough!’ He turned to Tong and grinned. ‘Excuse my sister, Queen Busybody.’

Clem gave Darcy a shove. ‘Speak for yourself.’

The kids explained to Mr Lark about Tong and why he took Sugar.

Mr Lark nodded as he listened, saying the occasional ‘Good lad’ and ‘Very clever’. He patted Tong on the back then took Sugar from Clem’s clutches. ‘I’d better get young Sugar back to her
owner or there’ll be all hell to pay. Then, I think I should call the police.’

Bryce went pale, except for two flushed spots on his cheeks. ‘No cops.’ He reached out and grabbed Mr Lark’s arm. ‘Please.’

‘Yes, please don’t, Mr Lark,’ begged Clem. ‘Not yet. We need more evidence first.’

‘Yes, wait.’

‘Please.’

‘What harm can it do?’

Mr Lark’s lips pressed together in a thin line. ‘It’s time they’re involved,’ he said. Absent-mindedly, he tickled Sugar under the chin and she melted into a doggie grin. Mr Lark gestured to the door of The Van. ‘The video and camera are inside. I’ll see you soon.’ He turned to Tong. ‘You too, Tong.’ Then he strode along the perimeter of the park. At the gate he stopped and yelled, ‘Now, don’t do anything stupid. Go home.’

‘Yes, Mr Lark,’ they chorused.

But no-one had any intention of going home.

‘What’ll we do now?’ asked Mio, when Mr Lark and Sugar were a speck in the distance.

‘Come up with a new plan,’ said Clem, stepping into The Van and plonking herself on a milk crate. The others followed, except for Tong. He hovered at the doorway and peeked inside.

‘We won’t bite.’ Bryce shuffled to the edge of his milk crate. ‘Here, share with me.’

‘We’ve got your hat by the way,’ said Clem.

Mio opened the suitcase, adding, ‘And your vest,’ as she handed them to Tong.

Tong slipped on the vest, then jammed on his hat. ‘Make Auntie Kim-Ly very happy.’

Clem laughed and wriggled to get comfortable. ‘Tong? You say you saw a woman take the big silver dog after paying lots of money?’

‘Yes.’

‘Did you see the beagle get sold?’

Tong shook his head.

‘Phew!’

Mio leaned forward to ask, ‘What about the Chin?’

‘No.’

‘Thanks to the
kami.
Shinto gods,’ she added.

‘So, they could still be in the warehouse?’ Clem leapt to her feet. ’Let’s go.’

Darcy rolled his eyes, saying, ‘Hang on, Clem. What do you think you’re going to do? Knock on the door and ask for the dogs? As if the man will hand them over!’

‘They might have many dogs in the warehouse that we need to free,’ said Mio.

Clem shook with frustration. ‘We’ve got to get into the warehouse somehow. And we’ve got to do it now!’

‘Not without a plan.’ Darcy prodded at the suitcase with his foot, deep in thought.

‘We could try climbing through a window,’ suggested Mio.

‘Nah. Too high up.’

‘What about trying to break down the door?’ asked Clem.

‘Are you serious?’ Bryce laughed. ‘Number one, we’re not strong enough, number two, we’ve got to take the thieves by surprise, and number three, it’s vandalism and there’s no way I’m going there again.’

‘Well, how are we going to rescue the dogs, then? And how are we going to convince the police that there’s a dog-stealing ring?’

Tong bowed his head and looked at the ground. ‘Watch from roof. Take picture.’ He demonstrated by holding a camera to his eye.

Mio reached for the video which was resting on the suitcase, saying, ‘I could film it.’

Clem’s eyes lit up. ‘That’d work.’

Darcy started tapping on the suitcase and said, ‘Trouble is, we might be waiting up there for a very long time. I don’t want to come down off that roof with white hair, a beard and a moustache.’

Bryce pulled out his key-ring and jiggled it.

‘We need to hurry things along,’ said Darcy.

‘But how?’ asked Clem.

‘Yes, how?’ said Mio.

Clem scowled. Mio frowned. Darcy tapped.

But Bryce stopped jiggling. He peered at the key-ring deep in thought, then closed his eyes. A slight shudder went through his body and his lips moved as if in silent prayer.

‘There must be a way,’ cried Clem.

Bryce opened his eyes, cleared his throat and said quietly, ‘There is.’ All eyes were on him. Carefully he reached for a metal tube dangling from the key-ring and slowly unscrewed the top. Then he upended the contents into his hand and held them out for everyone to see.

‘What are they?’ asked Mio, squinting in the dim light of The Van.

Darcy reached out to pick one up but Bryce pulled back, saying, ‘Not so fast, buddy.’

Clem had a bemused look on her face. ‘They aren’t what I think they are, are they?’

‘Depends.’ Bryce took his time before continuing. ‘What d’you think they are?’

‘Are they some sort of tools for picking a lock?’

‘They might be.’

Clem inspected the assortment of tools in different shapes and sizes. Bryce pointed to one with a long handle and a thin bridge, with a tip on the end. ‘This is what you call a pick with a half
diamond tip.’ He put it down and picked up another. ‘And this is a torque wrench. Not too springy, but strong.’ He pointed to the head. ‘With a 90-degree twist.’

‘But why do you have them?’ asked Mio.

Darcy laughed and said, ‘Can’t you guess? Part of Bryce’s dim, dark past.’

Bryce snapped at him, ‘You want me to break in, or don’t you?’

‘Are you sure you want to do this?’ Mio stared intently into his eyes. ‘We don’t want you getting into more trouble.’

‘Yes,’ said Clem. ‘What if you’re caught?’

‘And what about your dad?’

‘And what about what the judge said? He said one more thing and you’ll be locked up for sure.’

Bryce twisted the handle of the torque wrench in his fingers and sighed. It was a long, deep sigh that seemed to last forever. Finally he said, ‘We need to rescue the dogs. End of argument.’ Then under his breath he sang,
‘Quietly turning the backdoor key. Stepping outside he is free.’

Tong, who had been listening, clasped his hands and bowed. ‘You good person, Bryce. Very good.’

Bryce gave a wan smile. ‘Let’s hope Dad and the judge agree.’

‘So, how do they work?’ asked Mio.

‘Basically, all I have to do is set the pins inside the lock, rotate the plug, and she opens. Simple.’

‘Great!’ Darcy gave Bryce an affectionate poke in the ribs. ‘Where’d we be without you?’

Clem gave a wicked cackle as she leaned forward, rubbing her hands together. ‘Right!’ she said. ‘This is the plan…’

Clem ran through the checklist of her rescue plan. ‘Bryce?’

‘Pick the lock and open the door.’

‘Darcy?’

‘Camera man.’ He turned to Bryce and held up the camera, asking, ‘Has this thing got a flash?’

‘Sure.’ Bryce leaned over and pointed. ‘Press this button here. It’ll flash automatically. And don’t forget the rapid shot function. Hold down the motor drive to take the fast frames. I’ll show you.’ Suddenly, The Van flooded with light as the camera rapidly clicked.

‘Cool.’

‘Mio?’

‘Roof surveillance with video. Lucky it’s summer or we wouldn’t see a thing. Tong’s going to show me how he gets to the best spot.’ Mio looked at her watch then cried, ‘Oh, no! It’s late. When Mum rings I won’t be at my desk. Boy, will I be in trouble!’

‘You can’t pike!’ hissed Clem, her nostrils flaring.

‘No, I won’t pull out.’ Mio lifted her head and squared her shoulders. ‘I’m a Freewheeler.’

‘Good,’ said Clem with a nod. ‘Now, my job is to scout around the warehouse to free the dogs. Then we run for our lives.’ She looked at everyone. ‘Ready?’

‘Ready!’

Mio and Tong left The Van and headed for the tenements, the video tucked under Mio’s arm, dark heads bent in conversation. Clem, Darcy and Bryce walked to the corner of the warehouse and glanced round. They saw nothing but the usual piles of rubbish and a car turning into the alley. They waited.

‘Tong’s waving his hat,’ said Darcy. ‘Mio must be in position.’

Clem grabbed Darcy’s arm and squeezed it gently, saying, ‘I’m so nervous.’ ‘Me, too.’

‘Me, three,’ said Bryce, wringing his hands. They were damp with sweat so he wiped them on his
shorts a few times. Two seconds later they were damp again. ‘It’s a long time since I’ve done this. I’m probably rusty.’

They walked past the two huge doors with MCMXIV above them and stopped at the small door at the end of the building.

Clem turned to Mio and waved. Then in a hushed voice she said, ‘Okay, Bryce. Show us what you’re made of. Darcy and I’ll keep watch.’

Bryce bent down to inspect the lock and announced, ‘It’s a dead bolt. A five pin tumbler.’

Clem whispered, ‘Is that good?’

‘Yup.’ Bryce stood, pulled out his keys and unscrewed the metal tubing then upended the pick and the torque wrench. But his hands were slippery and he dropped them. ‘Oh, fudge!’ he hissed and bent down to pick them up, wiping his hands on his shorts another couple of times. Clem and Darcy looked up and down the street. Grabbing the pick Bryce inserted it into the lock, saying, ‘First, I’m gonna try raking.’ He pushed the pick to the back of the lock with one hand while holding the plug with the torque wrench in the other. ‘It’s a good way of shifting some of the pins.’

‘What are pins?’ asked Darcy.

‘The moving bits inside the lock. There’s five pairs of pins in this lock.’

‘How do you know?’

‘’Cause they’re the most common.’ Bryce pulled the pick out quickly, at the same time turning the torque wrench. Nothing happened. A thin film of sweat formed on his top lip. ‘Better try again.’

Clem moved closer to check out how he was going, then urged him, ‘Hurry!’

‘I’m going as fast as I can,’ snapped Bryce.

‘Sorry,’ said Clem, screwing up her nose. ‘I’m a bit edgy. That’s all.’

‘Well, riding me isn’t going to make me go any faster.’

Darcy was starting to feel edgy, too. He wrapped the camera cord round his wrist, then unwrapped it.

Again, Bryce pushed the pick to the back of the lock and positioned the torque wrench. Again, he pulled the pick out quickly and turned the wrench. ‘Shoot!’

‘What’s up?’ asked Clem.

‘Lost your touch?’ asked Darcy with a slight smirk.

Bryce spat on the ground, then shrugged. ‘Truth is, I’ve watched this heaps of times but never actually done it myself.’

Clem moaned but Darcy lost his temper. ‘So, you’re all talk, is that it?’

Bryce’s nostrils flared. A muscle jerked in his cheek. For a third time he bent to the task.

On the rooftop Mio and Tong were wondering what the hold-up could be.

‘Bingo! That’s one pair taken care of.’ Carefully, Bryce placed the torque wrench into the keyhole again and turned the plug. Keeping exactly the right pressure on the plug he inserted the pick and felt for the remaining pins, all the while listening to the lock. As each pin moved into the right position he heard a slight
click.
Bryce smiled then moved to the next one. ‘Only two to go,’ he said. ‘Phew.’

But just as Bryce began to work on the fourth pin Darcy jumped. ‘Someone’s coming!’

‘Oh, my God!’ squeaked Clem.

About a block away a woman was striding in their direction.

Bryce glanced up. His stomach flop-flipped. His face glowed with sweat. Even from a distance it’d be obvious what he was up to. His heart hammered and his hands shook at the realisation that he was risking everything by doing this.

The woman slowed down as she neared The Van, checking it out as she went past. She stopped and peered inside.

Clem scowled, ESP-ing her to go away.

From the rooftop Mio was doing the same thing.

In the event of another misdemeanour I shall have no hesitation in sending you to a juvenile detention centre.
The judge’s words echoed in Bryce’s head. Now, his whole body started to tremble.

The woman continued on, walking backwards for a few steps as she inspected the rear of The Van, then turning and proceeding in the kids’ direction.

‘Get ’er away,’ hissed Bryce. He straightened up and hid the tools behind his back, then leaned against the doorframe, grateful for its support.

Clem bolted up to the woman, saying, ‘Stop!’ She held up her hand. ‘Please, stop.’ Close up, Clem could see that she was quite young and of a slight build. She wore gym shorts, a sports top and running shoes.

The woman stopped. ‘What’s the matter?’ she asked, peering suspiciously at Darcy and Bryce. ‘Those two giving you grief?’

‘Oh, no. No!’ Clem cursed herself for not having thought of a reason to ask her to stop, then gave a wry smile. ‘Um, can you lend me some money?’

The woman scowled but she patted her pocket and felt inside. ‘Don’t have any,’ she said, muttering, ‘Serve me right for exercising in the wrong sort of neighbourhood!’ But as the woman went to leave Clem grabbed her arm and swung
her around so that her back was to the boys. ‘Hey!’

‘Um? What, what about some gum?’

‘Gum?’ The woman pulled her arm away, looking at Clem as though she was a piece of gum stuck to her shoe, and sighed. ‘Guess I can spare a piece of gum.’ While the woman checked her pockets Clem signalled to the boys to keep going.

Darcy whispered to Bryce, ‘How much more time do you need?’

‘Seconds.’ Bryce gulped. ‘Hopefully…’

‘I’ll stand in front of you. Do it!’ Darcy plonked himself in front of Bryce, leaning against the wall as if nothing was happening.

Bryce hesitated, gripped with a terror he’d never known before. Even his time on the streets wasn’t as scary as this. Now, he had so much more to lose.

‘You can do it,’ whispered Darcy. ‘You’re the only one who can.’

Still Bryce hesitated.

Darcy gave Bryce’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. ‘The Freewheelers are nothing without you. We need you, Bryce.’

Bryce turned back to the lock, swallowed, and bent to the task.

‘You wouldn’t have a, um, a tissue, would you?’ Clem ah-chooed into her cupped hands. ‘I’ve got a dreadful cold coming on.’

‘Get lost.’ The woman went to sidestep past Clem. ‘I’m over this.’

‘Ah, ahhh, ahhhhchoooo!’ With the choo Clem planted herself twenty centimetres from the woman’s face, clutching at her nose. ‘Yuck! Major snot.’

The woman recoiled, her face twisted with disgust as she snapped, ‘I don’t know what your game is, kid, but I’m not waiting to find out.’

‘Blease.’ Clem stood there with her hand blocking her nose, pressing so hard that her words came out all funny. ‘By dose. Dissue. Bretty blease.’

‘Oh, all right!’

Clem looked over the woman’s shoulder at Darcy and Bryce.

‘Almost there,’ Bryce was saying. As the last pair of pins fell into place he rotated the plug then stood up. ‘It’s open.’

Darcy signalled
Okay
to Clem.

She nodded, then started running back to the boys, calling, ‘Thanks, lady.’

The woman scratched her head, jogged a few steps, then launched into a full-on sprint. As Clem watched her run back towards the park she laughed, then she returned to the boys.

‘Good one, Clem.’

‘Good one, Bryce.’

‘Let’s do this,’ said Darcy. ‘Ready?’ He stood with one hand on the doorknob and one holding the camera.

Clem pressed behind him. ‘Ready.’

‘Lead the way,’ said Bryce.