Malice Read Free Page A

study.’
    I looked around wildly. ‘Why? Why on earth is someone spying on
me
? I don’t have anything that valuable, and anyway, why didn’t they just steal whatever it is they wanted when they were in here?’
    Ryan jumped off the desk that he’d been sitting on, his face lit up. ‘That means it must be something that’s not obvious. Something they couldn’t find.’
    â€˜Makes sense, dude,’ said Boges, warming to the idea. ‘But that doesn’t narrow it down enough.’
    â€˜Hang on,’ Cal said, ‘maybe it’s a documentthat they’re after, you know some valuable share certificate or bank document or something. Could be something in this huge pile.’
    I went to check the stack on the right-hand side of the computer and I suddenly stopped in my tracks. ‘Look! The Perdita folder … it’s gone! It was just there sitting on the top of the pile. You saw me put it there yesterday after I’d found it at the bottom! I even put this on top of it!’ I said, holding up a glass paperweight. I started racing round the room, even though I knew I hadn’t put the file anywhere else, searching desperately, pulling books out, throwing cushions and papers around, hurling drawers open, going through their contents.
    It was true. We looked everywhere, but the Perdita folder was nowhere to be found.
    â€˜They were after that information!’ I yelled. ‘My diary had been opened at the page where I mentioned the Perdita file! And I can’t believe I helped them find it. I made it easy for them. I could kick myself!’
    I grabbed up the spy pen and yelled at it. ‘OK, you thieving criminals! You listen to me. We’re onto you. We’re coming after you and I’m going to get my Perdita file back, so you’d better watch out!’
    â€˜Very impressive, Winter,’ said Boges. ‘But my bet is that nobody is even monitoring that bug anymore. They already got what they wanted. Save your breath.’
    â€˜Why were they after Perdita?’ Cal asked. ‘And we still haven’t found out who the Drowner is.’
    â€˜And are they related?’ Ryan asked. ‘Or just two different kinds of weird?’
    â€˜You mean you don’t know?’ asked Boges, as we all swung round to look at him. ‘The Drowner is besties with Perdita,’ he said, keeping a straight face. ‘We’re chasing down the perfect mystery couple!’
    Ryan punched his arm before I could. ‘OK, Mr Clever. Where do you reckon we start?’
    â€˜I’m thinking, I’m thinking. Give my brilliant brain a chance to work it out.’ He picked up the spy pen. ‘This is cheapskate stuff. You can buy it in electronic shops. They’re not really used by professionals—but I guess they didn’t want to risk putting in something better. Winter could have walked in on them while they were installing something more sophisticated.’
    â€˜They think they’re just dealing with a bunch of kids,’ said Ryan, ‘so they’re just using kiddie stuff?’
    â€˜I hate the thought that some thief was sneaking around my study,’ I said, shivering. ‘It gives me the creeps.’
    â€˜Well, the good news is their observation post would have to be very close by,’ Boges said. ‘This signal wouldn’t carry very far.’
    â€˜Continue please, Sherlock,’ I commanded, rallying from my shock and anger. ‘Where exactly are you heading with all this?’
    â€˜I’m heading … somewhere very local. They would just need a car … or a nearby shed.’
    â€˜So,’ I said, slowly, ‘we should search around my place?’
    Boges turned to me. ‘Noticed anything unusual in your street lately? Any cars that seem out of place?’
    â€˜Now you mention it,’ I said, slowly, ‘there has been a dodgy-looking van parked across the