Crowns and Codebreakers Read Online Free PDF Page A

Lowdog’s.’
    ‘Hey!’
    ‘Chill, bro, you know it was. It had an ace of spades on it – well sick.’
    Minnie had to shove her hands into her pockets to stop herself from jumping. Two suspects already!
    ‘Was that everyone? No market traders, or shop deliveries, or anything?’ Piotr asked.
    ‘That’s it, man,’ Lowdog said.
    ‘No, wait, there was some weird guy,’ the third boy said. ‘He took a whole load of photos of the graffiti in the alley, remember? He had that big, old skool camera.’
    ‘What did he look like?’ Piotr asked.
    ‘Old white guy, grey hair. Suit. Bow tie. I can show you.’ Lowdog pulled out his phone. ‘My boy Gnasherhere was doing some body popping. He does great robot arms.’
    Gnasher looked proud of the praise.
    ‘So I filmed it, yeah?’ Lowdog tapped his camera screen. ‘The old guy was in the background. It was a bit annoying really. He brings down the cool factor by about eighty per cent.’
    Lowdog showed Piotr the screen and the others crowded around. In the background of Gnasher’s electrified octopus impression was a tall, thin man with a chunky camera slung around his neck. He was examining the brickwork closely.
    ‘So was that everyone?’ Minnie asked.
    Lowdog nodded and put his phone away. ‘I reckon.’
    ‘Thanks,’ Piotr said.
    ‘Thanks, Michael ,’ Sylvie said.
    The two boys either side of Lowdog sniggered again.

Chapter Five
    Minnie stormed back to the salon, with Piotr trotting to keep up. ‘What’s wrong?’ he asked. ‘We’ve got suspects! This is good news.’
    ‘Sylvie!’ Minnie said. ‘She’s not taking this investigation seriously!’
    Behind them, Sylvie walked between Flora and Andrew, smiling at nothing.
    ‘Ignore her,’ Piotr said. ‘She doesn’t mean anything by it. It’s just how she is.’
    ‘Don’t take her side!’
    ‘There aren’t any sides,’ Piotr said. ‘We’re in this together.’
    It didn’t feel like they were in it together. It would be different if it were Sylvie’s gran who was scared. Then it would be taken seriously. But Minnie’s gran? Sylvie thought it was OK to muck about. Well, it wasn’t.
    Minnie turned her key and pushed the salon dooropen a bit too heavily. It thumped against the wall. Inside, she threw herself into the window seat and stared at Marsh Road as the others trooped in.
    It was Piotr who took charge. ‘We’ll start looking for our suspects and interviewing them first thing tomorrow, when everything’s open. There are quite a few dry cleaners in town. Minnie and I can visit them, see if any do Sunday deliveries maybe.’
    ‘I want to find the photographer,’ Andrew said.
    ‘How will you do that without knowing his name?’ Flora asked.
    ‘I’m not sure,’ Andrew replied. ‘But I’ve got a feeling I’ve seen him somewhere before. I’ll work it out. Especially if you help me.’
    Flora nodded, her cheeks turning pink. She was obviously pleased to be asked.
    ‘But that leaves me on my own looking for the window cleaner!’ Sylvie said in outrage. ‘I don’t want to be by myself. I want to look for the photographer!’
    Did Sylvie think she was too good for a window cleaner? Minnie felt a stab of something like spite. She put on her broadest, sweetest smile. ‘What a shame Andrew and Flora have already bagsied him. So you are on your own, whether you like it or not.’
    Sylvie folded her arms across her chest. Her eyes were angry slits in her face. ‘You can’t tell me what to do. I don’t even know if I believe the peanut boy needs our help. He might just be on holiday. You’re the only one who believes in juju magic, or whatever it’s called.’
    ‘Sylvie!’ Piotr warned.
    ‘It’s true!’ she insisted. ‘They’re stories she heard when she was little, not me. She can’t make me go looking for a window cleaner if I don’t want to.’
    ‘Fine. Then you’re not part of this gang!’ Minnie shouted.
    There was a stunned silence.
    Minnie bit her lip. Had she gone