Big Change for Stuart (19 page)

Stuart unfolded the
Beech Road Guardian
and looked at the huge headline that took up the whole of the front page:

Stuart turned to the back page. There was a small photo of Clifford, brilliantly spot-lit and holding the ace of spades in one hand and a confused-looking guinea pig in the other.

Stuart suddenly had the feeling that someone was watching him, and he looked up to see April peering anxiously through the kitchen window. He got up and opened the back door.

‘I didn't want to ring the bell and disturb you,' she said, ‘so I climbed over the back fence. How are you feeling?'

‘OK,' he said. ‘I was just wondering how a guinea pig can partially disappear.'

‘It was supposed to be hidden in one of Clifford's
sleeves,
but it poked its head out through the cuff and started squeaking really loudly. Did you read my letter?'

Stuart nodded. ‘I had exactly the same idea about the dog,' he said. ‘We can go into the next illusion and get him back. As soon as we can.'

April grimaced. ‘We won't be going anywhere unless we tell my sisters what's going on. They've got the key.'

Reluctantly, Stuart nodded. ‘So when do you want to do it?' he asked.

There was a tiny tap on the window, and they both looked up. May and June were staring in at them, their expressions identically stony.

‘How about right now?' asked April.

STUART WENT OUTSIDE
. ‘OK,' he said to April's sisters. ‘Get us into your dad's shed again, and we'll tell you everything.'

Both girls folded their arms. ‘Truth first,' said one of them, ‘then shed.'

Stuart folded his arms as well. ‘Shed first,' he said, ‘then truth.'

There was silence for a moment while they all glared at each other, and then there was an exasperated sigh from April.

‘For goodness' sake,' she said, ‘you all look
ridiculous
. Let's go to the café near the builder's yard and talk about it there. We can pool our pocket money.'

‘But …' Stuart glanced at May and June and
then
turned and whispered in April's ear, ‘
But what if we tell them and then they still won't give us the keys?
'

April rolled her eyes. ‘They're not a criminal gang,' she hissed, ‘they're my sisters. They're just
nosy
.'

‘We're
not
nosy,' screeched one of them. ‘That's really, really insulting, isn't it, June? I feel really, really insulted by that description.'

‘As editor of Beeton's leading local newspaper,' said June pompously, ‘it would be surprising if I
wasn't
curious about unusual and interesting occurrences taking place in the area.'

April jerked her head at Stuart to indicate that she needed a word with him, and he followed her to the end of the garden.

‘Look,' she said quietly, ‘you don't have to
like
my sisters, you just have to
tolerate
them. That's what I do. So shall we go?'

Stuart hesitated, and then his stomach rumbled so loudly that even April heard it.

‘What you need,' she said firmly, ‘is a fry-up.'

*

At the café, Stuart had the sausage-bacon-double-egg-beans-fried-bread-all-day-breakfast special, which he ate with great concentration and in silence.

‘OK,' he said to April, mopping his plate with the remains of the bread. ‘I'm ready.'

‘I have
never
seen anyone eat that fast,' remarked one of her sisters, looking revolted.

‘Apart from one mouthful of cereal that's the first thing I've eaten since yesterday breakfast,' said Stuart indignantly.

‘Well, don't blame me if you get indigestion.'

‘I wasn't going to.'

‘All right, all
right
,' said April, clapping her hands as if she were a teacher. ‘Let's get started.'

She looked at Stuart expectantly, and he glanced over his shoulder to check that no one else in the café was listening.

‘OK,' he said quietly. ‘How it all started in the first place was that, right at the beginning of the summer holidays, I found eight coins and a note belonging to my great-uncle Tony saying that I should try and find his workshop. I started following clues, and
then
April helped me, but we discovered that they weren't just ordinary clues, they were magic clues – not guinea pigs out of hats, or handkerchiefs changing colour, but
real
magic, and—'

‘There's no such thing as magic,' interrupted one of April's sisters firmly.

‘There is, actually,' replied Stuart.

‘No there isn't.'

‘Shut
up
, June,' said April.

‘Don't tell me to shut up!'

‘You asked Stuart for an explanation and then you contradicted him after about five words.'

‘Yes, but there's no need to be so rude. Don't forget that I'm the eldest.'

‘Oh, don't start that again.'

‘Yes, don't start that again!' wailed May, turning on June. ‘I'm sick of being called the youngest just because I was born about ten minutes after April. And anyway, Mum says that actually means
I'm
the eldest, because I kicked you two out first and stayed till I was ready.'