Free Matty and Bill for Keeps by Elizabeth Fensham Page A

everything about Maggot, including his way of speaking. What did ‘How’s it?’ really mean? Bill was sure it did not mean, ‘I really want to know how you are.’ Maggot couldn’t care less about Bill, his mum or his dad. The last time Troy had come out of jail, Maggot had been very happy getting him involved in another illegal activity. Mind you, Troy was the weak one who had rung Maggot first, but you’d think a true friend would say, ‘You’ve been given a second chance at life. Don’t wreck it.’ No, Maggot’s shifty, dishonest way of living was never going to change. And that word ‘mate’? Bill was not Maggot’s mate. Not ever.
    â€˜Alright,’ answered Bill. He was cross with himself for bothering to answer. Why couldn’t he have thought of something cold to say, something that would warn Maggot away?
    â€˜Troy about?’ asked Maggot.
    â€˜No,’ said Bill. This was dangerous. He must not give away his father’s whereabouts.
    â€˜Just out for the moment?’ asked Maggot.
    â€˜Can’t say,’ said Bill.
    â€˜Sounds like he’s not around at all,’ said Maggot more forcefully.
    â€˜Can’t say,’ said Bill again. He wished he could be quick thinking, but all he could do was stall the questions.
    â€˜You’re not being very friendly to an old chum of your dad’s, are you?’ said Maggot.
    Silence.
    â€˜I know you’re still listening, mate. I want you to pass on to your dad my kind regards. Tell him I’m feeling a bit hurt. He owes me one for letting me down with our last project. Things went a bit wrong from my end, too. But I have another project for us both. All above board.’
    Silence.
    â€˜If you don’t tell him, mate, I’ll track him down myself. I had his mobile number on one of my phones, but it’s not working at the moment. Sooner or later, I’ll get to my address book. You can be sure of that. Have a good one.’
    Maggot hung up. Bill wished that much earlier in the conversation he’d been the one to hang up. The hanging up bit gave Maggot a kind of power. He’d had the last say. Once again, Maggot’s way of saying goodbye, ‘Have a good one’, made Bill cringe; they were meaningless words – or at least, they did not mean that you truly wished good things for the person you were speaking to.
    Bill felt dirtied by the whole business. And he was scared. How possible was it to track down someone who was interstate? Could Maggot get to his dad? Would his dad still be so weak as to easily fall in with Maggot’s plans? How would his mum cope, knowing that crook wanted to contact Troy again? No, his mum must not be worried by this. Bill knew he would have to deal with Maggot on his own. Or sort of on his own. Matty needed to be in on this, too.
    Bill ran straight across to Mat’s place. She was in her bedroom, a book open in front of her on her desk, and she was making strange gestures with her fingers. ‘What on earth are you doing?’ asked Bill.
    â€˜Learning sign language,’ explained Mat. She held up fingers from both hands. ‘See, this means, “Do you need help?”’
    â€˜Well, that’s why I’m here,’ he said. ‘I need help.’
    â€˜For real?’
    â€˜Yes. In one word – Maggot,’ said Bill.
    â€˜You’re kidding,’ said Mat. ‘He’s making trouble again?’
    Bill nodded.
    â€˜Serious stuff,’ said Mat. She looked out at the rain falling steadily. ‘Too cold and wet for the Think Tank. We’ll have to meet in the attic.’
    â€˜Can’t we just talk here?’ asked Bill.
    â€˜We need to be absolutely private,’ said Mat. ‘Even the most innocent person who wandered in here and heard us might endanger our plans.’
    â€˜Can we go up there now, then?’ asked Bill.
    â€˜First we have to make contact