Free The Gum Tree Gang and the Mystery at the Old Queenslander by Marie Seltenrych Page B

be a doorknob. She felt for the cold
thing again; sure enough, it was shaped
like a knob.
    Krystal held the knob firmly
and turned it. It seemed to move, or was
she imagining things. Her hand felt slippery with perspiration. She picked up the edge of
her shirt under her jacket and placed it
over the knob.
    With a creak the door opened
as Krystal turned the k nob, pushing against
the door with all her strength. She took a deep breath and pushed
again. The door opened a little more, and
soon there was just enough room for her to
squeeze through. Carefully, Krystal wriggled through the opening into the brisk night air. She
shivered momentarily, and looked around. It
seemed almost bright outside after being
inside the dark garage.
    To Krystal's right there was
a cottage, with three dimly lit windows.
She wondered where Matthew was, and quietly
asked the Lord to look after him. In front of her and towards her left were some sort of sheds
or outhouses. Her ears picked up a sound
unfamiliar to suburbia, the sound of a
horse neighing! The sound was coming from
the sheds. They must be stables, she thought. That meant they were probably in Burbank or Mount Cotton.
    A large patch of light
appeared on the verandah of the cottage. A
door was opened, and Morrie's shape could be clearly seen.
    Krystal quickly moved across
to the shadows of the stables.
    Morrie came hobbling along, a light bobbing
in his hand.
    Krystal moved inside the
door of one of the stables as he passed by.
She was so close to him she could hear him grunting and breathing heavily.
    He stopped a couple of
stalls away and she could hear him mumbling
as he did some chores. After about ten m inutes the light bobbed past again and Krystal relaxed
a little.
    It felt nice and warm inside
the stable and it had a friendly smell. It
reminded Krystal of her Uncle's farm in Taree, New South Wales. They had visited there a few years ago, and she had learned to ride a lovely
mare called Nudge.
    Krystal sat down on some
soft hay. It felt good to rest for a
moment. She wondered if this horse was friendly like Nudge. She wiggled into the hay. It was a bit prickly, but warm. She wondered what Kevin and
Tracey were doing. Were they still waiting
for her to return, sitting in the
attic?
    Krystal realised she was
very tired. It was too dark to see where
she was exactly. She decided to wait here until daybreak, then find help. She closed her eyes.
    ~~~~ Chapter Twenty-four ~~~~
    Who's Next
    Kevin and Tracey had waited
for a few minutes, staring at each other
and then at the trapdoor through which Krystal had disappeared. They didn't dare speak. They heard a car
drive off and voices quieten down.
    "I'll go," Kevin decided. He lifted the
trapdoor.
    Tracey's heart felt like it
fell to her tummy. She would soon be alone.
She didn't stop Kevin as he took his torch and dropped through the hole. She closed the trapdoor with trembling hands. This was terrible, more
terrible than anything she could have
imagined. First Matthew was gone, then
Krystal, now Kevin. "Oh, Lord, help!" She
bit her lip to stop herself from crying.
    Kevin crouched near the box
they used to get up into the attic from
this end. He couldn't see anyone. Maybe they had all left, he wondered, as he darted into the shadows of the verandah. No, there was a dark
coloured car in the bushes around the front
of the house.
    He must get help, he
determined, as he moved slowly along, his
eyes peeled!
    He wondered if Krystal was locked in
the car?
    Kevin's eyes scanned the
shiny metal. Suddenly there was a noise
behind him. He stopped. A sharp pain ran through his neck and shoulders. He felt like he was falling through a dark tunnel until everything
became black and still. Tracey listened carefully, her ear pressed to the
opening of the trapdoor. "Oh, Kevin, don't
get caught," she whispered. A dog howled in
the distance. Everything seemed too quiet,
eerie. It was like everyone who went through the trapdoor just dissolved.
    Tracey longed for