The Case of the Missing Cats Read Online Free PDF Page B

hands behind his ears. Dirk surveyed the rooftops and, satisfied he had a route, leapt to the next building, and then the next in pursuit of the van.
    They followed the van through the London streets, further east along the River Thames. The smoke and loud banging noises that it produced made it easy to follow from some distance. But as they headed out of London, the buildings were lower and there were fewer of them. The landscape changed from the built-up narrow streets of London to a more sprawling, barren industrial area. A thin sheet of white cloud covered the sky. It was getting cold and Hollywished she had something warmer than her cardigan. She wrapped herself close to Dirk, hoping to steal some of his body heat, but found that his hard, scaly back was not actually very warm at all. And still the van rattled along the road.
    Dirk was making bigger leaps than he had in the city, jumping high into the air and then gliding down towards the next building.
    With a screech of the brakes, the van turned left off the main road and headed down a tree-lined dirt track to the riverside. Dirk’s descent took him on to a rooftop of an old disused church by the road. He came to a sudden halt.
    â€˜Why have we stopped?’ asked Holly.
    â€˜There aren’t any buildings down there,’ said Dirk, indicating where the van had gone.
    â€˜Can’t you use the trees?’
    â€˜No, I can’t. I’m a Mountain Dragon, not a Tree Dragon. Trees tend to bend or break when I land on them and there’s not enough cover to fly over.’
    â€˜But we can’t see what they’re doing,’ complained Holly.
    The van and the two men were obscured behind the small wooded area, overgrown through neglect, and they were well out of earshot.
    â€˜We’ll just have to wait until they move on again,’ replied Dirk. ‘I can’t risk being seen. I’ve told you what would happen.’
    â€˜That’s rubbish,’ said Holly.
    Dirk snarled, ‘It’s called being a detective, waiting for the right moment, staying out of sight. Sometimes you just have to be patient.’
    â€˜But we might miss something important!’ Holly exclaimed urgently.
    â€˜Have you got a better idea?’ snapped Dirk.
    â€˜I’ll go,’ said Holly.
    â€˜What?’
    â€˜I’m small. I’ll sneak up and see what they’re up to.’
    Dirk considered this. He didn’t really want this human any more involved than she already was, but it was true, she was small. And he had to admit that it would be useful to know what those two crooks were up to.
    â€˜All right,’ he said. ‘But stay out of sight.’
    â€˜I will.’
    â€˜And don’t let them hear you.’
    â€˜I won’t.’
    â€˜And be careful crossing the road.’
    â€˜Hurry up,’ snapped Holly impatiently. ‘They’re opening the van.’
    â€˜OK.’ Dirk surveyed the road. There was nothing coming. There was no one else around. He swooped down to the ground. Holly jumped off his back and he returned to the safety of the roof.
    He watched as Holly looked both ways then crossed the road. She ran up the path towards the van. He strained to see what the two men were doing, but it was no use. Dragon eyesight was good, but not good enough to see through the overgrown trees that swayed lightly in the cold evening breeze. Halfway down the track Holly turned, gave him the thumbs-up and then disappeared off the track into the trees.
    â€˜What am I doing letting a human kid help me?’ Dirk asked himself. ‘I must be going soft in the head.’

Chapter Eight

    Making her way through the undergrowth, Holly approached the van. Her heart beat fast. She felt scared, exhilarated. She could see the men more clearly now, but what with the crunching of the leaves and the snapping twigs beneath her feet it was extremely difficult to move quietly. Luckily the fat man called Reg was