Star League 5 Read Free

can’t quite see. I can tell it’s a man, but his face is covered in shadows.
    â€˜How annoying!’ says Aunt Petunia crossly. ‘That wretched monkey made me look bad in front of my audience when he wouldn’t wear my collar. And look at this!’ she says, stretching out one arm. ‘He got fur all over my favourite sweater. Yuck! I hate animals, all of them!’
    I can’t believe that this is the sweet little oldlady I was talking to just a moment ago!
    â€˜Don’t worry, Aunt Petunia,’ says the man in a deep voice. ‘Soon our plan will be in effect. Then we won’t have to deal with any more disobedient animals.’ I try to lean in closer to get a glimpse of his face when someone taps me on the shoulder.
    â€˜There you are!’
    I spin around to find that it’s only Jay with the others behind him.
    â€˜Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,’ he says. ‘What are you doing here?’
    I quickly put my finger to my lips, but it’s too late. I hear footsteps and Aunt Petunia flings the door open.
    â€˜Hello, sweeties! How lovely to see you all again so soon. And you’ve brought your darling monkey too!’ She smiles, but I’m not falling for it this time.
    â€˜Drop the nice act, Aunt Petunia,’ I say, pushing past her. ‘Who were you talking to just then?’
    The others gasp. ‘Leigh, my sensors indicatethat you are being 92 per cent more rude than is acceptable,’ says Sam.
    â€˜You should apologise!’ hisses Roger. But I’m too busy searching Aunt Petunia’s room for the other person to worry about apologies.
    Suddenly Sweetpea the gorilla is by my side, looming over me. His cold eyes glare into mine. I gulp. A gorilla that size is not someone you want to mess with.
    â€˜I don’t know what you’re talking about, dear,’ Aunt Petunia smiles. ‘There’s nobody else here. Sometimes I talk to myself. You start to get a bit batty in your old age.’
    â€˜It’s a convincing act, but I heard what you said about hating animals,’ I say. Then an idea strikes me. ‘You’ve got something to do with the missing animals, haven’t you?’
    â€˜Missing animals?’ asks Aunt Petunia with a puzzled frown. ‘Whatever are you talking about, sweetie?’
    Jay steps up and whispers in my ear. ‘Uh, actually, Leigh, that’s why we came to find you. We’ve got a lead in the case.’
    â€˜What?’
    Asuka pulls me aside so Aunt Petunia can’t overhear what we’re saying. ‘We’ve just had a report come in that a prize iguana has been stolen from someone’s home.’
    â€˜It couldn’t have been Aunt Petunia. She was here the whole time,’ says Connor.
    â€˜But she was talking to someone in here,’ I say in frustration. ‘Whoever she’s working with could have done it.’ I turn back to the old lady. ‘Who’s your partner in crime, Aunt Petunia?’
    â€˜I promise there’s nobody else in here besides me and Sweetpea,’ says Aunt Petunia. ‘See for yourselves!’
    I search the room from top to bottom, but finally I have to admit she’s right.
    â€˜You have to believe me,’ I say to the others.‘Chu heard it too. Tell them, Chu!’
    â€˜Leigh’s telling the truth. Aunt Petunia is definitely up to something!’ he says.
    I smile in satisfaction. The others will have to believe me now. But then I see the confused looks on their faces and I remember that they can’t understand a word Chu is saying.
    â€˜It’s okay, dear, we all make mistakes sometimes,’ says Aunt Petunia kindly. The others nod in agreement, which makes me so frustrated I want to scream.
    Instead I push past them and head for the door. ‘Fine. Let’s go check out the stolen iguana and get to the bottom of this!’
    â€˜And then we can expose Aunt Petunia for the