Spiral Read Free

Scotland.”
    Chester was impressed. “Really? You can tell that?”
    Will laughed. “No,” he admitted.
    “You dipstick,” Chester said.
    “Maybe, but I’m a faster dipstick than you,” Will replied, breaking into a run again.
    “We’ll see about that!” Chester shouted at Will’s back. He was hard on Will’s heels as they thundered around a bend in the muddy path, only to come face-to-face with a man holding a shotgun.
    “Good afternoon,” the man said as Will slid to an abrupt halt, Chester bumping into him. The shotgun was broken over the man’s arm — the correct way to carry the weapon when not in use — so neither of the boys felt any particular alarm. To their eyes, the man looked ancient, his wrinkled skin burned a dark brown by the sun, and his sparse hair almost as white as Will’s.
    “You must be the Commander’s guests?” the man said. He was referring to Drake’s father, and Will realized right away that this had to be Old Wilkie, the groundsman employed on the estate.
    Will nodded slowly, not quite sure how he should respond. “And you must be . . . er . . . Mr. Wilkie?”
    “That’s the one, but please call me Old Wilkie. Everyone does,” the man said. “And this is my granddaughter, Stephanie.”
    “Steph,” a girl’s voice corrected him as she stepped into view. She was around fifteen or sixteen, and had striking red hair and a pale complexion dusted with freckles. She looked both boys up and down with a somewhat disdainful glance, but said nothing more, adjusting the brace of dead pheasants hanging from her arm as if they were more interesting to her.
    Old Wilkie was regarding the girl with a look of pride. “Stephanie comes to stay for the odd weekend. She goes to school at Benenden, you know. The Commander is a real gentleman — he’s always taken care of the school fees —”
    “Gramps!” Stephanie said sharply, spinning around on her slim legs and strolling away in the opposite direction.
    Old Wilkie leaned toward the boys conspiratorially. “Now she’s a teenager, she says life in the country is dull, and just wants to be in London, shopping and seeing her friends. She wasn’t always that way — she used to love it here when she was little. Anyway, by all accounts, London and the south are in such a mess, she’s better off up here until it all blows —”
    Out of sight, Stephanie shouted, “Gramps, you coming or what?”
    Old Wilkie straightened up. “Are you and the rest of the party staying with the Commander for long?”
    Will and Chester exchanged glances. Drake had specifically warned them not to give the man any information about themselves.
    “We’re not sure yet,” Will replied.
    “Well, if you’re serious about doing some training — commando style — you might be interested in the Tree Walk,” Old Wilkie said.
    “What’s that?” Will asked.
    “Starts there.” Old Wilkie pointed at a ladder on a metal frame built around the trunk of a massive pine, then raised his finger to the branches up above, where the boys could see something running among the trees.
    “It’s an assault course I built for the Commander way back,” Old Wilkie said. “10 Para down in Aldershot copied my idea, but mine’s bigger and better. I keep it in working order even though the Commander hasn’t used it in years.” Old Wilkie smiled at the boys. “Stephanie can get around it like greased lightning. You should challenge her — see if you can beat her time.”
    “Sounds fun,” Will said.
    “Yes, we should do that,” Chester chimed in unconvincingly, as his eyes followed the metal track, which zigzagged through the tree canopies.
    “Well, gentlemen, I’d better be getting on. I hope that we come across each other again,” Old Wilkie said. He began to whistle to himself as he strolled off after Stephanie.
    “You’re not getting me up there,” Chester said, then smiled. “Not unless Steph wants a race. She’s really nice, isn’t she?” He pursed