been sitting with Mr Smythe came in. My first instinct was to dive into the cubicle before they saw me, but then I remembered that neither of them knew me, so I stayed put, hoping I might hear something interesting.
‘I really don’t see why we can’t just ask old Joe Whittington if we can use our metal detectors on his land,’ Red Lips said. ‘Why should we have to fork out all this money to buy his cottage when we don’t know for sure that there’s a Roman settlement there anyway?’
‘Because if we find anything, it will legally belong to the owner of the house,’ the other woman said.
‘Oh.’ Red Lips opened her handbag, took out a bright red lipstick and smothered her lips with it. ‘Well, I think it’s a shame,’ she said. ‘Alan said the old guy’s lived there all his life. He won’t want to move at his age and I don’t think we should try and force him to.’ She blotted her now even redder lips with a tissue and pouted in the mirror. ‘I find all this Roman stuff boring anyway, don’t you? I wish Alan wasn’t so obsessed with it.’
‘I know, but Neil said there’s a lot of money in it. If we buy that cottage and there is a Roman settlement under the grounds we’ll be millionaires!’
‘Really? Well, I guess the old guy would be better off in a home. He’s getting a bit too old to take care of himself anyway,’ Red Lips replied with a giggle.
Then they both walked out, leaving me seething.
There was no way I was going to stand by and let them try to force Old Joe to move into an old folk’s home. No way at all! I had to think of a way to prove they were behind this evil plot and put a stop to their plans once and for all.
First, though, I had to figure out how to get home.
Chapter 11
The Diary
Sometimes, being an American in the UK can be useful. Especially if you’re lost. I stopped a friendly looking lady in the street and asked politely, ‘Excuse me, ma’am, but what town is this? I’ve been doing a bit of sight-seeing and my folks are coming to pick me up, but I’m not sure where I am.’
‘It’s Tilmouth, dear,’ she said. ‘You’re from America aren’t you? Are you on holiday?’
‘Yes ma’am. I’m over for the summer.’ I gave her a big smile. ‘Thank you.’ Then I carried on walking before she could start asking me lots of questions.
‘You’re welcome,’ she called after me. ‘I hope you enjoy your stay.’
Okay, now I had two options. I could phone Gran and ask her to pick me up, which meant trying to think of some explanation as to how I got here – and Gran’s not easy to fool. She’s so suspicious it makes me wonder what Dad got up to when he was young. Or, I could text Max and see if he could talk his Mum into taking a trip to Tilmouth, then just ‘happen’ to bump into them.
Make that three options, I thought, as I saw Mrs Brewson, one of Gran’s neighbours, walk out of a shop over the road, carrying two bulging shopping bags. I couldn’t believe my luck. Mrs Brewson and Gran didn’t really get on, but I was sure I could persuade her to give me a lift home.
I ran up to her. ‘Oh, Mrs Brewson, thank goodness I’ve bumped into you. I’ve lost my train ticket home and have no more money on me. I wonder if there’s any chance you could give me a lift?’ I smiled sweetly. ‘I hope it isn’t too much trouble. I could phone Gran and ask her, but I hate to bother her when she has one of her headaches.’
‘Of course I will, Amy. I’ve just got a couple more shops to visit, then we’ll be off.’ She held out the bags. ‘Perhaps you’ll be kind enough to carry these heavy bags for me?’
A couple more shops? Mrs Brewson went in almost every shop in town, and guess who had to carry everything? By the time we eventually got to the car, my arms felt like they were about to drop off. I’d just collapsed on the back seat and was rubbing my wrist to get the blood supply back when I felt my cellphone vibrate in my pocket. I took it
‘I really don’t see why we can’t just ask old Joe Whittington if we can use our metal detectors on his land,’ Red Lips said. ‘Why should we have to fork out all this money to buy his cottage when we don’t know for sure that there’s a Roman settlement there anyway?’
‘Because if we find anything, it will legally belong to the owner of the house,’ the other woman said.
‘Oh.’ Red Lips opened her handbag, took out a bright red lipstick and smothered her lips with it. ‘Well, I think it’s a shame,’ she said. ‘Alan said the old guy’s lived there all his life. He won’t want to move at his age and I don’t think we should try and force him to.’ She blotted her now even redder lips with a tissue and pouted in the mirror. ‘I find all this Roman stuff boring anyway, don’t you? I wish Alan wasn’t so obsessed with it.’
‘I know, but Neil said there’s a lot of money in it. If we buy that cottage and there is a Roman settlement under the grounds we’ll be millionaires!’
‘Really? Well, I guess the old guy would be better off in a home. He’s getting a bit too old to take care of himself anyway,’ Red Lips replied with a giggle.
Then they both walked out, leaving me seething.
There was no way I was going to stand by and let them try to force Old Joe to move into an old folk’s home. No way at all! I had to think of a way to prove they were behind this evil plot and put a stop to their plans once and for all.
First, though, I had to figure out how to get home.
Chapter 11
The Diary
Sometimes, being an American in the UK can be useful. Especially if you’re lost. I stopped a friendly looking lady in the street and asked politely, ‘Excuse me, ma’am, but what town is this? I’ve been doing a bit of sight-seeing and my folks are coming to pick me up, but I’m not sure where I am.’
‘It’s Tilmouth, dear,’ she said. ‘You’re from America aren’t you? Are you on holiday?’
‘Yes ma’am. I’m over for the summer.’ I gave her a big smile. ‘Thank you.’ Then I carried on walking before she could start asking me lots of questions.
‘You’re welcome,’ she called after me. ‘I hope you enjoy your stay.’
Okay, now I had two options. I could phone Gran and ask her to pick me up, which meant trying to think of some explanation as to how I got here – and Gran’s not easy to fool. She’s so suspicious it makes me wonder what Dad got up to when he was young. Or, I could text Max and see if he could talk his Mum into taking a trip to Tilmouth, then just ‘happen’ to bump into them.
Make that three options, I thought, as I saw Mrs Brewson, one of Gran’s neighbours, walk out of a shop over the road, carrying two bulging shopping bags. I couldn’t believe my luck. Mrs Brewson and Gran didn’t really get on, but I was sure I could persuade her to give me a lift home.
I ran up to her. ‘Oh, Mrs Brewson, thank goodness I’ve bumped into you. I’ve lost my train ticket home and have no more money on me. I wonder if there’s any chance you could give me a lift?’ I smiled sweetly. ‘I hope it isn’t too much trouble. I could phone Gran and ask her, but I hate to bother her when she has one of her headaches.’
‘Of course I will, Amy. I’ve just got a couple more shops to visit, then we’ll be off.’ She held out the bags. ‘Perhaps you’ll be kind enough to carry these heavy bags for me?’
A couple more shops? Mrs Brewson went in almost every shop in town, and guess who had to carry everything? By the time we eventually got to the car, my arms felt like they were about to drop off. I’d just collapsed on the back seat and was rubbing my wrist to get the blood supply back when I felt my cellphone vibrate in my pocket. I took it
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