False Bottom (3 page)

Chapter 5

‘Lots of people around here wear navy jackets.' Christopher flipped through his sketchbook. ‘See. And some wear brown.'

The sketchbook was filled with lumpy, bumpy security guards, porters and aircrew.

‘What would you do with half a million dollars, Christopher?'

‘Spend it.'

‘But what if you were a bank robber?'

‘Hide it.'

‘Where?'

‘An unusual place. Or with lots of other money.'

‘Like the Bureau de Change in the passageway outside?'

The Bureau de Change was the place where people changed their money or cashed travellers cheques. Some wanted money for the country to which they were flying.

Christopher remembered something important.

‘Amy, have you still got our Singapore dollars?'

Amy checked her bum bag and nodded.

‘Mum sent more this time. Have you still got your e-ticket?'

Christopher felt in his pocket. It wasn't there.

‘It's okay. I put the ticket in here.' Christopher opened his sketchpad again. The e-ticket fluttered to the ground. The thin-faced woman with glasses walked past and picked it up. She bent over with difficulty, holding on to her hat.

‘Yours?'

‘Thanks.' Christopher stared after her as she moved away.

‘D'you reckon she's got a tummy-ache, Amy ?'

‘Lots of travellers have dodgy tummies. I saw her in the toilets a few minutes ago. She looked a bit white.'

Just then, Rainbow Wig walked past, just behind a baggy man carrying a guitar- shaped case. Amy stared after him. She knew his face. She'd seen it on a cover recently. That magazine in the rubbish bin. The one Wilhelmina had probably eaten by now. And the guitar was a clue. She'd seen him on television before. He was famous. And so was his little dog ,Bozo.'

‘Hey ,Christopher, it's The Mouth.'

‘What?'

‘You know. The pop star. With his dog Bozo. The one who plays with Bodyworks. Hair on My Head is his greatest hit. Got a gold record.'

‘The guy with the guitar case?' Christopher stared after him. ‘Would he be travelling with us? Don't famous people get special treatment? Don't they have to be protected from their fans? ‘

‘I'm a fan. D'you think he'd give me an autograph?'

‘If he's really The Mouth, he'd probably be travelling first class. Not with us in economy.'

Amy thought for a minute. ‘You know how we pay half price because we're under twelve?'

‘Well, Mum pays for us.'

‘Okay. You know what I mean. First class tickets cost heaps. Two first class tickets would be double heaps. A guitar takes up a lot of room. Would it fit in the overhead locker? Or where they hang the suit bags? Or would he have to buy a ticket for it?'

Christopher didn't have time to answer.

Rose bustled back.'Time to go through security.'

‘Thanks. We know what to do.' Amy fixed her backpack. .'What was missing from the plane?'

Rose looked worried. ‘A passenger. There were two pieces of luggage loaded ,and no Mr Gee.'

‘Who's he?'

‘That's what we're trying to find out. Never mind.'

Why did adults say ‘never mind'? The twins did mind. They liked to know what happened and why. Facts stuck in Amy's mindmap if they were interesting enough.

And a missing passenger to Singapore was of great interest.

This is an announcement for passengers flying to Singapore via Melbourne. There will be a slight delay. Please wait in the lounge.'

Amy groaned. ‘Why do we just have to lounge around? Something really bad must be wrong with the plane.'

‘Shh, I'm busy.' Christopher was sketching the man reading Flying Today. On the cover was the photo of a new plane. Christopher turned sideways to draw the man's head right, but the man moved.

‘D'you like planes, son?'

His eyes were watery blue. His left ear stuck out like a backwards letter G.

‘Here. Have a look.' He handed Christopher the magazine.

‘Thanks. Do you work with planes?'

The man nodded. ‘Used to.'

‘What do you do?' Amy asked. Amy always asked people that. Most people loved to talk about their jobs.

‘I used to look after planes,' said the man.'On the ground.'

‘Why did you stop?' asked Christopher, putting down his pencil.

‘Early retirement.'

‘Why?' asked Christopher. The photo on the cover of the magazine looked flat. He'd rather draw the real plane.

‘Shh,' said Amy, pushing her brother. ‘He's probably too old.'

‘Some people thought so.' The man said. He looked sad and Amy felt sorry that she'd said that. She took off her glasses and polished them. It was something to do.

‘D'you know all about new planes?' asked Christopher, looking closely at the photo.

‘Know a bit about instruments. You need those for navigation, especially when going across the ocean. The INS is important.'

He sounded as if he knew what he was talking about.

‘What's the INS?' asked Amy as Christopher gave the magazine back to the man.

‘The Inertia Navigation System' The man said. He looked pleased at their interest.'What do you want to know about it?”

‘But what does it do?' asked Christopher. He wondered if he could see a real one to draw.

‘It means that a plane can fly free of any ground- based air traffic control. You can navigate without any aids. But you need the INS instrument.'

‘Does it cost much?' Christopher worried about money his and other people's.

‘About fifty thousand each.'

‘Wow! My pocket money doesn't go that far. What's the instrument look like?

‘A long tube. It's in the cockpit.'

Amy wondered why he was telling them all this.

‘Do they ever go wrong?' she asked. ‘And make the plane late?'

‘Had a few reports of electrical interference with them. But not proved yet.That's why laptop computers aren't allowed to be used during take-off or landing. Okay when cruising, but not at other times.'

‘So a plane could be delayed. Like our plane.'

‘Do they have many spare INS?”

‘Depends where you are. If it's a big airport, a couple of hours wait. At a smaller airport it might take a couple of days to get a replacement.'

‘This is a BIG airport.' said Amy thoughtfully. ‘And we've had to wait an hour already!'

‘Yes, if someone wanted to delay the plane, they could mess with the INS,' said Christopher excitedly.

‘ Hey, you don't know that's happened,' said the man.

‘But who would want to stop the plane for a while?'

‘That's the million dollar question.'

‘An announcement for passengers flying to Singapore on Flight Q9. Please proceed through security.'

Chapter 6

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Christopher felt eyes on him.

First came the security scanner. It was shaped like a door frame. Some people made it beep. Others didn't. Beyond the security control stretched an ocean of grey-blue carpet leading to gate lounges. They all had numbers.

‘Come on, Christopher!'

Three security officers stood around the scanner. They watched the line of passengers moving through. One stared at the security monitor. Another helped passengers put their hand luggage on the moving belt. The woman security officer just watched.

Christopher glanced around. Was a hidden security camera watching them too? Nervously he nibbled the fingernail of his little finger. Would his nail-biting habit be on the security camera for ever?

He looked up. Near the ceiling was a grey bubble. Was it a smoke detector? Or something else?

‘Come on, Christopher!' repeated Amy. ‘Put your bag on. And that pencil case.'

Amy dropped her backpack onto the moving belt. She noticed a porter wheeling an elderly man around but not through the scanner.

‘Why wasn't he checked?'

‘That wheelchair wouldn't fit through the frame,' said Christopher.

‘Couldn't he walk through?'

‘I don't know. But it was an official airport wheelchair.' Christopher had noticed the seat belt. Just then, The Mouth pushed past Amy. He flung his bag onto the moving belt. Then he placed his guitar-case more carefully.

‘Sorry, in a hurry,' he muttered.

Amy stared. Why should he be in a hurry to get on? Their plane couldn't leave until all passengers boarded. Ms Rainbow Wig did seem to be following him closely. Was she a fan?

Amy had thought that famous pop stars travelled with lots of helpers. Rainbow Wig was now in the line, pretending not to know him. The Mouth seemed alone and in a hurry.

‘Sir!'

When the security officer touched him on the shoulder. The Mouth jumped guiltily.

‘Please put all your bags on the belt. The camera bag, too.'

‘What about my film?' The Mouth looked around a lot as if expecting to see someone or something.

‘That will be quite safe, sir.'

Reluctantly The Mouth put his bag onto the moving belt.

‘Come on, Christopher.' Amy was determined to see inside The Mouth's luggage. With three pieces of hand luggage, he was over the limit. And he had a duty free bag too. That made four.

As the camera bag disappeared, Amy stepped over to the side and peered at the screen.

The public was not meant to be there, but she wanted to see her bag X- rayed on the monitor. She also wanted to check on The Mouth's bags ... from the inside.

Usually the security guard would have stopped her, but at that moment Christopher said loudly, ‘Look Amy. Skeletons!'

For a second, the guard looked sideways at them. The Mouth's baggage went through, un-examined.

Since Christopher had a very loud voice, Amy said, ‘Shhhh.'

One screen was black-and-white. The other monitor was coloured, but not quite like a TV screen at home.

‘Why is that blue?' Christopher pointed to the blue smudges on the suitcase outline displayed on the screen.

‘Something inorganic. All non-carbon-based,' replied the guard, returning his eyes to the screen. ‘Changes according to the density. Less dense, then more colour. Things like paper and cotton are orange.'

‘What is green?'

‘Orange or green is for vegetable or plant matter. Brown is carbon-based.'

Amy was puzzled. She had seen the round, black shape in The Mouth's guitar-case, even if the guard missed it. What could that be? Did it move slightly? Or was that just the jerk of the belt? Was it alive? Was he smuggling something?

‘What's that?' Christopher pointed to a doll-like shape in the outline of Amy's backpack.

‘Vegetable matter.'

Amy didn't like to tell the guard that it was Edwina, her teddy. ‘Cool' ten- year- old sleuths don't usually carry stuffed teddies in their bags. But her Edwina had been all over the world.

Strangely, the mysterious shape in The Mouth's bag was about the same shape. Did he have an Edwina, too? Or was it alive?

Edwina was stuffed with cotton wool because Aunty Viv repaired her after a Wilhelmina snack attack. So there were no weapons or drugs inside Edwina. And she wasn't smuggling anything inside a toy, but others might be.

Christopher had an important question. ‘Excuse me. What colour for money? If someone was trying to smuggle money out of the country.'

‘That's illegal. You're only allowed to take out a certain amount of Australian money.'

‘And the colour on the screen? Would it show up as vegetable? Or would there be some metal?'

‘Depends on how dense it was. How much of it. Now move away, this is a restricted area. You shouldn't be looking this side. You might distract our guard.'

The warning came too late. The Mouth's guitar case had already slipped through!

A young mother with lots of luggage struggled to the scanner. She was carrying a baby capsule, holding a grumpy toddler and followed by another child.

‘Put the baby capsule through, madam,' instructed the guard. He didn't see the baby inside. He thought the capsule was empty.

Looking worried, the mother put the baby capsule on the belt. She unloaded her airline bags ,too. Her other children ran ahead through the security doorway. The mother turned just as Christopher walked back. He looked sideways at the capsule...

‘Hey! Stop the belt! The baby's inside the capsule!' yelled Christopher.

‘What!'

The guard moved very fast. So did Amy and Christopher. Together they pulled the capsule from the moving belt. The felt ribbons has just started to drag across the baby's face.

It started to scream.

‘I'm so sorry, madam. The baby should be all right. The rays will not have hurt her in that short time. It only reached her feet.'The guard looked shocked, but the mother just calmly accepted the capsule and baby. ‘Are you sure you're all right?'

‘ Yes, thanks. I'll have to go. The others are running wild, as usual.'

She followed her other children through the metal detector doorway.

Christopher and Amy gave each other the thumbs up sign.

‘Fast work.'

‘I wonder what the baby would have looked like on the monitor?'

‘A skeleton. The bones show. We've had skulls through here,' the guard said.

‘Whose skull?' The twins spoke together.

The guard smiled. ‘Some medical doctor. He was giving a talk. It was one of his teaching aids.'

‘Would a dog's bones show? After all the excitement, Amy was sorry she hadn't seen the screen baby. It might have looked like the bump in

The Mouth's luggage. That might have been a clue.

‘Thanks, you two. Now off you go and get your plane.' The security guard looked glad to get rid of them. ‘Amazing. You both wear glasses,

I have perfect eyesight, and I miss the baby! Amazing!'

‘Nothing wrong with wearing glasses!' muttered Christopher.

The Mouth had hurried through the security doorway, followed by Rainbow Wig and the thin-faced woman with the glasses and the big hat. It didn't beep for any of them.

‘This way please, madam. Go through the metal detector, please.'

Amy liked being called madam. She stepped up the ramp and into the weapons detector doorway. It wasn't really a door because there were no walls. She stepped through.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Startled, Amy looked up.