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Authors: Jennifer Gray
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much more devious.’
‘What?’ Slasher and Thug gawped at him.
‘I think he’s gonna frame us for the burglaries. Then, when Inspector Cheddar thinks the criminals are safely behind bars, he’s going to walk into that antiques fair and steal Lady Toffly’s tiara from under his nose.’ He shrugged. ‘That’s what I’d do, anyway, if I were him.’
‘I don’t want to go to jail!’ Fat tears rolled down Thug’s cheeks. His body shook with sobs.
‘Don’t worry, Thug,’ Jimmy said kindly. ‘It won’t come to that.’ He took a deep breath and let out a satisfied sigh. ‘Thanks to me, you won’t be going to jail. Nor will Slasher …’
‘Thanks, Boss!’ Slasher sounded relieved.
‘… and most importantly, nor will I.’ Jimmy sat back comfortably against the nest and folded his wings. ‘Atticus Claw, on the other hand, can look forward to a life sentence at Her Majesty’s pleasure.’
Thug and Slasher looked at him, puzzled. ‘But how, Boss?’
‘We’re going to give that cat a taste of his own medicine.’ Jimmy smiled cruelly. ‘We’re going to turn the tables on him.’ He leaned forward and spread his wings around the two magpies, gathering them close. His voice fell to a whisper. ‘It’s not
him
who’s gonna frame
us
, boys. It’s
us
who are gonna frame
him
!’
13
When the children had finished tea and gone upstairs for their baths, Atticus went out for a walk. He wanted to think about things.
After a while he found himself wandering along the beachfront past the shops. The weather had turned much warmer and quite a few families were sitting on the wall, eating ice creams. A boy was examining pebbles on the sand while a little girl paddled in the waves.
He made his way along the promenade towards the beach huts. To get there, he had to pass the pier. Luckily a small fairground had sprung up at one end of the car park since his last visit to the seaside. Atticus was glad. He didn’t like the blaring music but at least it made it less likely the magpies would see him. The last thing he wanted right now was tobump into Jimmy and his gang. He skirted the fairground and sneaked past the end of the pier, threading his way round the back of some parked cars.
There was no sign of the magpies.
When he got to the beach huts he bumped into Mimi, the pretty Burmese.
‘There you are!’ she said. ‘I was beginning to think you’d never come!’
Atticus hung his head. ‘Sorry,’ he said gruffly. Secretly, though, he was pleased to see her. ‘You haven’t really been waiting for me all this time, have you?’
‘Of course not,’ Mimi said shortly. ‘I like coming down here to watch the children.’ She began to clean her whiskers with a delicate front paw. ‘Sometimes it gets a bit lonely at home. Aisha, my owner, doesn’t have any kids. And she’s out a lot of the time at work.’
‘What does she do?’ Atticus asked.
‘She’s a florist.’ Mimi told him proudly. ‘She owns a beautiful shop on the High Street. She has to get up really early to go to the market in Bigsworth to collect the flowers to make into bouquets; then in the evenings she delivers them in the van.’ Mimisighed. ‘I’d never leave her, of course, but sometimes I think it would be fun to belong to a family.’
Atticus said nothing.
‘Busy week?’ Mimi asked, looking at him sideways .
‘Fairly,’ Atticus said non-commitally.
‘Did you know we were burgled the other night?’
‘I … er …’ Atticus felt his whiskers burn.
‘Someone stole Aisha’s best necklace,’ Mimi went on. ‘She was very upset. Her mother gave it to her. It’s made of emeralds.’
Atticus’s good ear drooped.
‘It happened while I was here …’ Mimi paused … ‘waiting for
you
.’
Atticus tried to look away but Mimi’s golden eyes bored into his. ‘You stole it, didn’t you?’
Atticus sighed. Yes,’ he said heavily. ‘I did.’
Mimi stared out to sea. ‘Do you want to tell me why?’ she
‘What?’ Slasher and Thug gawped at him.
‘I think he’s gonna frame us for the burglaries. Then, when Inspector Cheddar thinks the criminals are safely behind bars, he’s going to walk into that antiques fair and steal Lady Toffly’s tiara from under his nose.’ He shrugged. ‘That’s what I’d do, anyway, if I were him.’
‘I don’t want to go to jail!’ Fat tears rolled down Thug’s cheeks. His body shook with sobs.
‘Don’t worry, Thug,’ Jimmy said kindly. ‘It won’t come to that.’ He took a deep breath and let out a satisfied sigh. ‘Thanks to me, you won’t be going to jail. Nor will Slasher …’
‘Thanks, Boss!’ Slasher sounded relieved.
‘… and most importantly, nor will I.’ Jimmy sat back comfortably against the nest and folded his wings. ‘Atticus Claw, on the other hand, can look forward to a life sentence at Her Majesty’s pleasure.’
Thug and Slasher looked at him, puzzled. ‘But how, Boss?’
‘We’re going to give that cat a taste of his own medicine.’ Jimmy smiled cruelly. ‘We’re going to turn the tables on him.’ He leaned forward and spread his wings around the two magpies, gathering them close. His voice fell to a whisper. ‘It’s not
him
who’s gonna frame
us
, boys. It’s
us
who are gonna frame
him
!’
13
When the children had finished tea and gone upstairs for their baths, Atticus went out for a walk. He wanted to think about things.
After a while he found himself wandering along the beachfront past the shops. The weather had turned much warmer and quite a few families were sitting on the wall, eating ice creams. A boy was examining pebbles on the sand while a little girl paddled in the waves.
He made his way along the promenade towards the beach huts. To get there, he had to pass the pier. Luckily a small fairground had sprung up at one end of the car park since his last visit to the seaside. Atticus was glad. He didn’t like the blaring music but at least it made it less likely the magpies would see him. The last thing he wanted right now was tobump into Jimmy and his gang. He skirted the fairground and sneaked past the end of the pier, threading his way round the back of some parked cars.
There was no sign of the magpies.
When he got to the beach huts he bumped into Mimi, the pretty Burmese.
‘There you are!’ she said. ‘I was beginning to think you’d never come!’
Atticus hung his head. ‘Sorry,’ he said gruffly. Secretly, though, he was pleased to see her. ‘You haven’t really been waiting for me all this time, have you?’
‘Of course not,’ Mimi said shortly. ‘I like coming down here to watch the children.’ She began to clean her whiskers with a delicate front paw. ‘Sometimes it gets a bit lonely at home. Aisha, my owner, doesn’t have any kids. And she’s out a lot of the time at work.’
‘What does she do?’ Atticus asked.
‘She’s a florist.’ Mimi told him proudly. ‘She owns a beautiful shop on the High Street. She has to get up really early to go to the market in Bigsworth to collect the flowers to make into bouquets; then in the evenings she delivers them in the van.’ Mimisighed. ‘I’d never leave her, of course, but sometimes I think it would be fun to belong to a family.’
Atticus said nothing.
‘Busy week?’ Mimi asked, looking at him sideways .
‘Fairly,’ Atticus said non-commitally.
‘Did you know we were burgled the other night?’
‘I … er …’ Atticus felt his whiskers burn.
‘Someone stole Aisha’s best necklace,’ Mimi went on. ‘She was very upset. Her mother gave it to her. It’s made of emeralds.’
Atticus’s good ear drooped.
‘It happened while I was here …’ Mimi paused … ‘waiting for
you
.’
Atticus tried to look away but Mimi’s golden eyes bored into his. ‘You stole it, didn’t you?’
Atticus sighed. Yes,’ he said heavily. ‘I did.’
Mimi stared out to sea. ‘Do you want to tell me why?’ she
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