our arch-enemy is in the building.’ He mopped his
brow before tapping a few buttons on the control panel. He zoomed in on a shadowy
figure making its way along one of the museum corridors. ‘Exhibit A,’ he
said. ‘There’s our man!’
Lara felt a chill.
I’ve
encountered him several times. I even have a bullet lodged in my side from an
earlier meeting. And a bullet-holed
ear!
She looked round at her pups and the children.
My priority is to
keep you guys safe
,
she thought.
But hang on
… Lara
looked round the room again. She poked her head under the table.
Not there
either
. Lara sniffed the air.
Even his smell is absent.
‘Where’s Ollie?’ she woofed to Star and Spud. Lara’s heart
rate increased as she realized the youngest member of the Cook family was missing.
His coat was abandoned on a chair. Lara picked it up and woofed for attention. The
room fell silent and all eyes fell on the family pet.
Ollie’s coat
,
she thought, jabbing a paw.
But no Ollie. Anyone got any ideas?
‘That’s Master
Oliver’s coat,’ observed Professor Cortex. ‘So what,
GM451?’
It’s not
about the coat
, thought Lara, jabbing her paw harder.
It’s about
the owner!
‘Where’s Ollie?’ said
Sophie, scanning the room for her baby brother. The next five seconds of silence
seemed an awful lot longer. All eyes followed Lara’s gaze.
CCTV top row, third from left!
The sixth second brought a stifled gasp
from Sophie. ‘He’s wandered off.’ The grainy screen showed a black
and white image of a little boy strolling through the Second World War exhibition.
He was on a direct collision course with Mr Big.
12. Buying Time
‘It’s vitally important
that nobody panics,’ panicked Professor Cortex, reaching for his heart pills
and struggling with the childproof cap. ‘A clear mind is a sharp mind,’
he stammered, pulling the cap off so hard that forty-five pills leapt from the tub
and scattered across the room. ‘Don’t eat them!’ he yelled,
falling on to all fours and sweeping the pills up with his hand.
‘Everything’s under control.’
Lara looked around. She was the
world’s first-ever qualified Spy Dog.
Trained for missions. Primed for
danger
,
she thought.
But that was so long ago! If ever I needed to
remember my training, it’s now!
Ben and Sophie were making for the door.
Lara stood tall and blocked their escape. She held her paw out, ordering them to
stop.
‘We need to
rescue Ollie,’ gasped Sophie. ‘What if he bumps into that evil
man?’
‘And it’s all my
fault,’ wailed Ben. ‘It was me who bugged your meeting and found out
your plan.’
Was it indeed?
thought Lara,
shooing the children back into their seats.
We will rescue Ollie, but we need a
plan.
‘What shall we do, Mum?’
yapped Star.
Lara took a deep breath.
The
professor’s right about staying calm
, she thought as she watched him
scuttling under a table in search of his pills.
He’s already lost the
plot. I have to keep Sophie and Ben safe. And we need to get to Ollie before he
bumps into the ultimate bogeyman
. The retired Spy Dog glanced at the bank
of CCTV screens again. Ollie was skipping along a dimly lit corridor. Mr Big was on
screen 18, limping slowly and purposefully towards the Egyptian Room. Lara noticed
he had a small computer in his hand.
Presumably he has the layout downloaded and
is following a path. Think, Lara, think!
‘What shall we do, Mum?’
yapped Star again impatiently. ‘Ollie’s on a collision course with
someone you wouldn’t want to bump into down a dark alley.’
Thanks for
reminding me
, thought Lara. ‘Spud,’ she barked. ‘Log on
to the central computer and find a floor plan of the building. Beam it on to the big
screen so we can all see.’
‘Already on it, Ma,’ replied
the puppy, tapping at a computer screen with a pencil, his tail wagging
uncontrollably.
brow before tapping a few buttons on the control panel. He zoomed in on a shadowy
figure making its way along one of the museum corridors. ‘Exhibit A,’ he
said. ‘There’s our man!’
Lara felt a chill.
I’ve
encountered him several times. I even have a bullet lodged in my side from an
earlier meeting. And a bullet-holed
ear!
She looked round at her pups and the children.
My priority is to
keep you guys safe
,
she thought.
But hang on
… Lara
looked round the room again. She poked her head under the table.
Not there
either
. Lara sniffed the air.
Even his smell is absent.
‘Where’s Ollie?’ she woofed to Star and Spud. Lara’s heart
rate increased as she realized the youngest member of the Cook family was missing.
His coat was abandoned on a chair. Lara picked it up and woofed for attention. The
room fell silent and all eyes fell on the family pet.
Ollie’s coat
,
she thought, jabbing a paw.
But no Ollie. Anyone got any ideas?
‘That’s Master
Oliver’s coat,’ observed Professor Cortex. ‘So what,
GM451?’
It’s not
about the coat
, thought Lara, jabbing her paw harder.
It’s about
the owner!
‘Where’s Ollie?’ said
Sophie, scanning the room for her baby brother. The next five seconds of silence
seemed an awful lot longer. All eyes followed Lara’s gaze.
CCTV top row, third from left!
The sixth second brought a stifled gasp
from Sophie. ‘He’s wandered off.’ The grainy screen showed a black
and white image of a little boy strolling through the Second World War exhibition.
He was on a direct collision course with Mr Big.
12. Buying Time
‘It’s vitally important
that nobody panics,’ panicked Professor Cortex, reaching for his heart pills
and struggling with the childproof cap. ‘A clear mind is a sharp mind,’
he stammered, pulling the cap off so hard that forty-five pills leapt from the tub
and scattered across the room. ‘Don’t eat them!’ he yelled,
falling on to all fours and sweeping the pills up with his hand.
‘Everything’s under control.’
Lara looked around. She was the
world’s first-ever qualified Spy Dog.
Trained for missions. Primed for
danger
,
she thought.
But that was so long ago! If ever I needed to
remember my training, it’s now!
Ben and Sophie were making for the door.
Lara stood tall and blocked their escape. She held her paw out, ordering them to
stop.
‘We need to
rescue Ollie,’ gasped Sophie. ‘What if he bumps into that evil
man?’
‘And it’s all my
fault,’ wailed Ben. ‘It was me who bugged your meeting and found out
your plan.’
Was it indeed?
thought Lara,
shooing the children back into their seats.
We will rescue Ollie, but we need a
plan.
‘What shall we do, Mum?’
yapped Star.
Lara took a deep breath.
The
professor’s right about staying calm
, she thought as she watched him
scuttling under a table in search of his pills.
He’s already lost the
plot. I have to keep Sophie and Ben safe. And we need to get to Ollie before he
bumps into the ultimate bogeyman
. The retired Spy Dog glanced at the bank
of CCTV screens again. Ollie was skipping along a dimly lit corridor. Mr Big was on
screen 18, limping slowly and purposefully towards the Egyptian Room. Lara noticed
he had a small computer in his hand.
Presumably he has the layout downloaded and
is following a path. Think, Lara, think!
‘What shall we do, Mum?’
yapped Star again impatiently. ‘Ollie’s on a collision course with
someone you wouldn’t want to bump into down a dark alley.’
Thanks for
reminding me
, thought Lara. ‘Spud,’ she barked. ‘Log on
to the central computer and find a floor plan of the building. Beam it on to the big
screen so we can all see.’
‘Already on it, Ma,’ replied
the puppy, tapping at a computer screen with a pencil, his tail wagging
uncontrollably.
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