Free Game Play by Hazel Edwards Page A

the front in about five minutes.’
    â€˜What colour is your car?’
    They didn’t seem to know anything about him.
    â€˜It’s a green Toyota. Number plate EJV 362.’
    He fumbled in his pocket for the car keys and a white slip fell out.

    That detail about the number plate seemed to reassure the women. But the twins weren’t so sure. Was he really their nephew? He didn’t seem to know their right names. And why was the original arrangement to leave the bag in the locker for him to collect? Another thing made Amy very suspicious. She nudged her twin. Why was the grand nephew taking out only the CAIRNS bag? Why didn’t he offer to take some of the others, too? What was inside that bag which he wanted so badly? It was very suspicious.
    Christopher picked up the white slip. It was a parking ticket. It was time and date stamped. ‘He won’t be able to get his car out without this.’
    â€˜But he’s coming back for us,’ said Mrs Gold and Silver. ‘To drop us at the hotel.’
    The twins weren’t so sure. They decided to follow him. To return the ticket of course. They followed him and the jewellery bag towards the carpark. He was moving quickly and they had to hurry to keep up.
    They might just have caught up with him if they’d called or ran full speed, but they tailed him instead. Just to see if he did intend coming back.
    â€˜Eleven minutes,’ warned Christopher checking the clock above the car-hire counter as they dashed past. ‘Then we’ll have to get back for Aunty Viv. She’ll chuck a mental if we’re not there. That’s five and a half minutes one way. If we don’t find out anything, five and a half minutes back, running!’
    â€˜And what if we do find out something?’ Amy protested. ‘Sara expects us back soon.’
    Christopher was getting bossy. Usually she made the ‘hurry up’ decisions.
    â€˜We’ll work that out when it happens.’
    Hurrying was the reason Amy fell in the mud of the salt marsh. Grand nephew Bruce strode across the marsh, heading for the carpark. Further out, beyond the ring road was a boardwalk across the mangrove swamp. Would he go that far? Looking up at the air traffic control tower to get their bearings, the twins followed. Luckily other people were walking towards the carpark too, so they didn’t stick out.
    But then Amy slipped. ‘Yuk. My new sneaker!’ Carefully she dragged her sneaker sole along the dry edge. Some mud oozed off. At that moment, grand nephew Bruce stopped, to change hands with the heavy bag and fumble in his pocket for the parking ticket. Luckily for the twins, he seemed to have forgotten where he left it.
    â€˜Turn around so he doesn’t see our faces,’ warned Christopher holding his nose. ‘Muddy sneakers will smell in the van later.’
    â€˜No worse than the animals. And it’s only one sneaker. It’s almost clean.’
    Christopher was always complaining about smelly feet. Usually hers. Amy sniffed. It wasn’t too bad. If they had time on the way back, she’d go in the chemist and squirt the free perfume near her sneaker.
    That would disguise the smell.
    â€˜Hey. Look. He’s moving again.’ Christopher suspected that he was not going to come back for the elderly ladies. And he was right!
    â€˜What sort of car did he say?’
    â€˜Green Toyota.’ Grand-nephew Bruce had stopped beside a mini.
    â€˜Number plate?’
    â€˜He said, EJV 362,’ remembered Amy.
    Christopher pointed. ‘ECP 123. That’s wrong, too. I think he just made up the number and the car.’
    â€˜What else has he made up?’ Amy was hopping and still scraping mess from her shoe. ‘What are we going to do about it? They gave him the bag. It’s not really our business.’
    â€˜But they did think he was their grand nephew. Didn’t they? Or were they just pretending?’
    The