Atticus Claw Breaks the Law by Jennifer Gray Page B

purred weakly. Most criminals might make mistakes. But
he
never did. Inspector Cheddar didn’t stand a chance against him and Jimmy Magpie’s gang. He’d never solve the crimes. The Tofflys would call him mean names. People would laugh at him in the street. The Chief Inspector of Bigsworth would put him on traffic duty. Worst ofall, Michael would be disappointed and Callie would be sad.
    Mrs Tucker came in with a steaming cup of fish tea. ‘Here, this will put hairs on your chest,’ she beamed. ‘I always give it to Mr Tucker before he sets sail in case he meets a
you-know-what
.’
    Inspector Cheddar sniffed it suspiciously. His eyes watered.
    ‘Any chance of a biscuit?’ he asked.
    ‘I might have some plankton-and-cod cookies.’ Mrs Cheddar went off to look for them.
    Inspector Cheddar took a sip of tea. ‘YUK!’ he spluttered. He poured it out of the window.
    Atticus thought he heard a faint squawk but the children were giggling and he couldn’t be sure. Besides, his mind was on other things.
    ‘Don’t tell Mrs Tucker I did that,’ Inspector Cheddar whispered.
    Mrs Tucker came back with some green-looking biscuits. She eyed the empty cup. ‘You’ll be running around like one of those superheroes in a minute – Crabman, or whatever his name is,’ she said, looking pleased.
    Michael stifled a laugh.
    Callie pretended to cough.
    Inspector Cheddar sprang off the sofa. The fish tea seemed to have worked. Suddenly he
did
feel much better. ‘Thank you, kids. Thank you, Mrs Tucker. Thank you, Atticus.’
    ‘Where are you going?’ the children wanted to know.
    ‘I’m going back to the station.’ Inspector Cheddar stuck his cap on jauntily. ‘To catch a burglar.’
    ‘Good luck, Dad!’ Callie shouted after him.
    ‘Yeah, go get him, Dad!’ Michael yelled. He picked up Atticus lumpily and waved one of his paws towards Inspector Cheddar. ‘Atticus says good luck too!’
    The door slammed.
    Feeling miserable, Atticus meowed to get down.
    ‘What’s wrong, Atticus?’ Michael sounded concerned . ‘You normally love being picked up.’
    ‘Tummy-ache, probably.’ Mrs Tucker said briskly. ‘Now let’s get your reading done.’ She took the children into the kitchen.
    Atticus slunk upstairs. He wriggled under the bed, wondering what on earth he was going to do.

12
    ‘Chaka-chaka-chaka-chaka!’
    Thug and Slasher were having fun. Jimmy was out and they were trying on some of the stolen jewellery . The sunlight, which came in bright stripes through the wooden planks of the old pier, made the precious stones sparkle like fireworks.
    ‘What do you think?’ Thug chattered, parading up and down the metal beams with a bracelet over one wing. ‘Do emeralds suit me?’
    ‘Without a doubt, Thug,’ Slasher said. ‘They go with your plumage.’
    ‘I like you in rubies,’ Thug returned the compliment . ‘They suit your complexion.’
    ‘Nah … you’re just being polite.’ Slasher grinned. ‘You know what they say, Thug …’ He threw the ruby necklace carelessly on to the brimming nest and picked out a ring with his beak. ‘… Diamondsare a bird’s best friend.’
    ‘You crack me up, Slasher!’ Thug nearly fell off the beam with laughing .
    ‘CHAKA-CHAKA-CHAKA-CHAKA!’ There was a rush of wings.
    Thug froze.
    Slasher blinked nervously.
    It was Jimmy Magpie.
    ‘Jimmy!’ Slasher tried to hide the diamond ring under his wing. ‘We was just … er … checking things.’
    ‘Put the stuff back.’ Jimmy glared at the two magpies coldly. ‘Do you want the fuzz to see you?’
    ‘The fuzz?’ Thug repeated.
    ‘The cops. The heat. The bill.’
    Thug and Slasher looked blank.
    ‘The police, you idiots!’ Jimmy squawked. ‘They’re out on patrol. Looking for the burglar.’
    ‘The police!’ gasped Thug.
    ‘Yeah. I’ve been keeping an eye on them all day while you two have been playing at dressing up.’ His eyes glittered brightly. ‘Inspector Cheddar. He’s in charge.’
    ‘Cheddar?’