4 her She’d steer for Diamond Jack’s Trail the hiking track began close to where the stranger had vanished It was haunted by the old bushranger but it wasn’t night time yet And digging into her waist under the rope was her trusty pen-torch She and Shorn Connery could sneak along the trail and cut the man off He hadn’t got rid of her that easily Pollo half-crouched at the head of the trail her hands on her knees gasping for air The rope around her waist was now so tight that she could barely breathe let alone chase anyone Shorn Connery glared up at her and curled back his top lip flashing teeth the colour of old apple cores Baa-aa-aah He lunged towards the young autumn weeds on the edge of the limestone path and Pollo winced Can you stop thinking about food for one second she wheezed shuffling after him picking furiously at the knot Aaarghhh She tossed her head back in frustration As she did she noticed not far above her small dark shapes darting back and forth between the trees Just what she needed Bats With summer on the way out the bats were on their way back to Riddle Gully It was all the more reason not to be out after sunset Her scalp prickled just thinking about their squashed grumpy faces their tiny pointed teeth their curly see-through ears They belonged in her vampire books not in the real 8
5 world And certainly not here with her now alone on Diamond Jack’s Trail with night closing in and a selfish greedy sheep weighing her down All at once the knot came loose Pollo unwound herself in a flurry and inhaled long and deep Shorn Connery galloped full speed back to the lupins in the cemetery the rope lead bouncing behind Pollo slowed her breathing as much as she could Very faintly off in the distance she could hear something two-legged pushing through the undergrowth It had to be him the stranger her key to the cadetship slipping away She peered down the track at the avenue of ghostly tree silhouettes Somehow it wasn’t twilight in there any longer Not even a little bit She shuffled forward She couldn’t see ten paces ahead She stopped and unclipped her pen-torch from her belt Fingers trembling she twisted it on The thin beam shone shyly for a moment faded flickered and died 9
6 CHAPTER TWO Friday 22 00 Pollo snapped shut her book Last Slayer IV The Dark Count and shoved it under her blankets breathing fast This was the best book of the series yet She couldn’t read it quickly enough though at the same time she could hardly bear it Something about the villain in this one Count von Alberecht the Slayer’s evil uncle really got to her She put the book on the bedside table It was shameful to admit but she was still a bit twitchy from before Luckily once she was out in the open again everything hadn’t been totally black like it was on Diamond Jack’s Trail And it wasn’t far home from the cemetery along the track that ran behind the back fences of the houses She reached across to her pen jar found her carrot and 10
7 took a big bite They said carrots helped you see at night She might still be out there if she hadn’t always eaten her three a day At the knock on her door Pollo jumped Her father poked his head into the room Not too late mate Two cats and a piglet are relying on you tomorrow They’ll want Pollo di Nozi not Pollo di Dozy Pollo smiled Just wrapping it up Dad Curses Of all the mornings to be needed at her dad’s clinic when the story that could change her life was out there on the loose Atta girl Her father crossed the room and scratched the top of her head as he would a friendly dog’s See you at brekkie then Nighty-night As soon as he’d gone Pollo pulled her laptop from under the bed As if she could sleep The front page of her new special edition was laid out on-screen All it was missing was its story She brought up her surveillance log and studied it What clue had she overlooked 17 35 Suspect barges into Sherri’s shop Long heavy coat SMUGGLER 18 45 Suspect arrives at cemetery Walks in circles RITUAL Metal case silver Approx 45 x 60 cm blinking light WHAT IS IN CASE Weapons Drugs Extraterrestrial communication device 19 25 Suspect runs off carrying case 11
