Free Matty and Bill for Keeps by Elizabeth Fensham Page B

with our Associate Member.’
    Bill knew Matty meant Crispin. But he really did not want Crispin to be part of this. He wondered why he felt this way. It wasn’t that he didn’t like Crispin or was jealous. No, he and Crispin were good friends now. Gradually Bill realised why he felt like he did: despite knowing Troy was making a clean break by doing his computer course, he was still worried his father could weaken and give in to one of Maggot’s harebrained schemes. It would be embarrassing to talk about that in front of Crispin.
    When Crispin spoke about his father it was obvious he was proud of him – he was a scientist who had lots of colourful ideas, but somehow he didn’t come to ruin. Unlike Crispin’s father, usually everything to do with Bill’s dad ended up in a mess. Only a few weeks back, Troy was stupid enough to think he could make some easy money by receiving and hiding stolen goods. Bill and Matty had foiled the whole plot and they were the ones who had forced Troy to go up to Sydney to make a new start. Crispin knew a bit of the story, but Bill didn’t want him knowing all the details.
    With his eye firmly on the future, Bill had enjoyed talking hopefully about his dad’s computer studies. Maggot’s reappearance was dragging up all the misery and worry again. Bill realised that this wasn’t very fair on his father who almost certainly didn’t know about Maggot’s plans. But this didn’t change the fact that Bill would have to talk in front of Crispin about his father’s weaknesses: that Troy could be influenced by bad company and that he was attracted to so-called easy ways of making money.
    While these thoughts were going through Bill’s head, Mat was looking closely at him. ‘Three sets of brains are better for a tough case like this one,’ she said. ‘Every family has its secrets, Bill.’
    Bill realised Mat understood his reluctance. He nodded. ‘I’ll give Crispin a call.’
    An hour later, the three club members were sitting in the attic. This time, Matty had brought along some of her mum’s choc-chip biscuits and a bottle of her dad’s ginger beer because she knew Bill needed cheering up.
    â€˜I call this meeting to attention,’ said Mat, taking a large bite of biscuit. ‘We have evidence of criminal activity being planned that will affect some or all of us.’
    â€˜Are you just making this up, Matty?’ asked Crispin. ‘Because it’s a wet Saturday and there’s nothing much to do?’
    â€˜She’s for real,’ said Bill miserably, ‘although I wish she wasn’t.’
    â€˜Do tell!’ said Crispin.
    â€˜A so-called friend of my father’s is trying to make contact with him,’ said Bill sadly. ‘His name is Maggot and he’s a criminal. He’s got some scheme he’s cooking up and he’s determined to get my dad involved.’ Bill outlined the details of the telephone conversation.
    â€˜Sounds like a thoroughly nasty type,’ commented Crispin. ‘Reminds me of my second cousin once removed, Rupert de Floriette.’
    â€˜Tell us,’ said Mat.
    â€˜Well, Rupe was always in trouble. He was expelled from kindergarten at the age of four. When he was five, he was caught stealing the Christmas presents for the orphans and poor children from under the church Christmas tree, and when he was seven he persuaded my father (who was also seven) to borrow my grandfather’s Daimler motor car and take it for a drive in the nearby village.’
    â€˜You’re kidding me,’ said Bill.
    â€˜It was quite late at night. They took turns driving the big, old car, barely able to look over the steering wheel. They might have got away with it, but when it was my father’s turn, he nearly ran over the local policeman who was taking a last stroll around the village, checking on things, before he went