Sewer Mayhem Read online

  ‘I will have you know that Milbury isn’t any more unsafe than other neighbourhoods,’ Jacob said, glaring at Colleen. ‘We’ve been a bit unlucky here lately, but that’s all made up for by a great community spirit, where everybody helps each other.’

  Colleen arched an eyebrow at him and opened her mouth to say something.

  ‘Perhaps you live in a nice safe neighbourhood in Leeds, with tree lined streets and detached houses, but you can’t compare that to York,’ Jacob continued. ‘It’s like apples and oranges.’

  Colleen giggled and patted his arm. ‘I can see that you’re a real advocate for York and for this neighbourhood of Milbury. I didn’t mean it in such a bad way. I love living here.’

  They had reached the playground and Colleen waved her hand at him. ‘Have a good day.’

  Jacob watched her go. He didn’t like her very much. Far too chatty. And as for Milbury being an unsafe place to live, she had no idea what she was talking about! There were far worse neighbourhoods in York.

  He crossed the playground himself and opened the door to the school. Then it hit him. There had been another break-in. He needed to get to the bottom of this later. That might take his mind off his blasted failed test.

  * * *

  What on earth was he doing there? Emily watched from a distance as Jacob sat on his bum on the cobbled stones, staring at the brick wall of the alleyway, notebook in hand. He didn’t notice her coming closer and she looked over his shoulder to find out what he was looking at.

  ‘Oh, Emily, there you are,’ Jacob said, no doubt becoming aware of her presence because of her breathing down his neck.

  Emily sat down next to him. ‘What are you doing?’

  ‘Can you see that little crack in the wall?’ He pointed at the red bricks and Emily bent forward. ‘A little jumping spider has made his lair there. He waits until unsuspecting insects come by, then jumps them.’

  ‘Right.’ Emily gave a little shudder. Spiders were not her thing.

  ‘And here,’ Jacob continued, ‘you can see some tiny little grasshoppers clinging to the wall, searching for prey.’ Jacob looked at Emily over his reading glasses, his eyes glittering. ‘Isn’t it interesting how a square foot of seemingly barren brick wall can be so full of life?’

  Emily watched as Jacob scribbled something in his notebook. What was the matter with him? He’d always been a bit gaga about bugs, but something was wrong here.

  ‘And this, this is a type of outdoor daddy longlegs, who normally prefers a luscious green garden, so I don’t know what it’s doing in this barren wasteland of an alleyway. It must be like a desert to him.’ Jacob bent forward to study this new bug, his face a mere two inches away from its long legs.

  ‘Jacob,’ Emily said. ‘Weren’t you expecting the results of your tricycle test today?’

  Jacob stopped scribbling and his shoulders slumped. ‘I don’t want to talk about it.’

  ‘Why not?’ Emily grabbed him by the arm. ‘What happened?’

  ‘It failed.’

  Jacob looked at his notebook. He sighed deeply, then closed it and put it in his pocket. ‘And I don’t know what to do now.’

  Emily stared at Jacob. She had never seen him like this. It was as if all life had drained out of him. ‘A solution will come to you. Just take a step back and let it percolate in your brain for a bit.’

  ‘How can I step back? My mother isn’t getting any younger and I don’t want another one of the adults to pass away before I’ve found out what happened to Robbie.’ He looked at Emily, his face serious. ‘Whatever happened, my mother needs closure. And so do Dave and Peggy, and your mother, for that matter.’

  Emily nodded. ‘I guess you’re right.’ Her mother had never told Emily anything about the disappearance of her little brother and had always pretended nothing was wrong when Emily and her siblings were growing up. But Emily knew that deep down her mother was a disturbed woman.

  Emily watched as Jacob twirled the pen between his fingers. She needed to distract him. Get him to think about something else for a while. Staring at bugs all by himself wasn’t going to do him any good. Perhaps Aunt Peggy knew how she could cheer him up. Perhaps Aunt Peggy could even help her. She had a soft spot for Jacob after all.

  Emily smiled. ‘Did I tell you yet that Uncle Dave came into Posh Nosh this afternoon and told Aunt Peggy that the mysterious object in the sewer was a blob of fat? You should have seen Aunt Peggy’s face when he asked her if she sometimes pours fat down the drain. I thought she was going to explode.’

  ‘I can imagine that,’ Jacob said with a bit of a smile.

  Emily got up. ‘Let’s get out of here. I will treat you to a cup of tea at the Pickled Onion Café.’

  They walked to Woolaston Road and crossed to the other side.

  ‘Did you hear about Spencer’s shop being burgled last night?’ Emily said. ‘Nothing was taken, apparently.’

  ‘Yes, I heard,’ Jacob said. ‘What did Peggy say about it?’

  ‘Well, the shop owners are worried. Makes sense, of course. Patrizia actually came into Posh Nosh to ask if other shop owners were perhaps taking extra measures to prevent being burgled.’ They dodged a woman with an extra wide pram. ‘Don’t you think it’s weird that there are suddenly so many burglaries?’

  ‘It is indeed a bit odd, these burglaries,’ Jacob said. ‘Specially as the only one where stuff was actually taken was the burglary of Field’s Watches & Clocks. Was that actually a real burglary or was it an opportunistic “grabbing” as the door was unlocked?’

  They were about to enter the Pickled Onion Café, when a voice came from behind them.

  ‘Hey, Emily.’ She turned around to see the cute waiter from Sant’Ambrogio’s looking at her and she felt her cheeks getting hot.

  ‘I love the hoody you are wearing today,’ he said and touched her arm.

  Emily looked down at her hoody, the pocket of which bulged with the two forms of Trevor and Mike.

  ‘It’s just an old one,’ she said, smiling at the waiter.

  ‘The colour is lovely,’ he said. ‘That bright blue brings out your eyes. You should wear colour more often.’

  ‘Perhaps I will.’

  Next to her Jacob cleared his throat. ‘If I may interrupt, I’ve been meaning to ask you if Lorenzo was the only one of the staff that went missing for a while last Friday night.’

  ‘Oh… er…’ The waiter’s eyes flitted from Jacob to Emily and back. ‘Now that you mention it… I think Samuela was absent for a bit as well.’

  ‘What?!’ Emily crossed her arms and glared at the waiter. A hot surge of anger went through her. ‘That can’t be true.’

  The waiter looked at Emily, his eyes wide. ‘She was. I remember it because it was our busiest time.’ He feigned looking at his watch. ‘Umm… I’ve got to go, I’m already late.’ He turned on his heel and walked off as fast as he could.

  ‘You scared him off,’ Jacob said with a smile.

  Emily turned to him. ‘Don’t even.’ She poked a finger in his chest. ‘How dare you make Sam a suspect for Nate’s murder? She didn’t do it!’

  ‘I never said she did. But perhaps it’s an idea to ask Sam about it right away?’

  Emily made a beeline for Sant’Ambrogio’s, Jacob following behind her. ‘This is a misunderstanding,’ she said over her shoulder.

  ‘I hope it is.’

  ‘And don’t think I’m going to buy you a cup of tea any more. You lost your chance there.’

  * * *

  The front door to the restaurant was open and Jacob and Emily walked in. She had a face like thunder.

  Sam was busy setting the tables and didn’t seem at all happy to see them.

  ‘I’m really busy right now,’ she said, straitening a chair. ‘We’re opening very soon.’

  ‘This will only take a minute,’ Jacob said. ‘Can we sit down somewhere?’

  Sam indicated a table in the corner that hadn’t been set yet. She took a seat herself and looked down
at her hands.

  ‘Can I ask you if you left the restaurant at all last Friday night?’ Jacob said.

  ‘Why do you ask? I didn’t have anything to do with Nate’s death.’ Sam’s brown eyes flashed and Emily looked daggers at Jacob.

  ‘Of course you didn’t,’ Jacob said. ‘We’d simply like to know if you were in the restaurant all evening.’

  ‘Yes, I was… er…’ Sam wrinkled her brow. ‘That is to say, I went down to the wine cellar to get a special bottle of wine a guest had ordered and it took me some time to find it.’

  ‘How long?’

  ‘About ten minutes.’

  ‘Good to hear,’ Jacob said. ‘What about your brother Lorenzo? Did you notice him being away from the restaurant that evening?’

  Sam looked down at her hands again. ‘Er… I don’t know… I…’ She sighed. ‘Why is this important?’

  ‘Never mind about that.’ Emily patted Sam’s hand and got up. ‘You’ve been a great help.’

  She gave Jacob a glare and they walked towards the door. Here they were nearly run over by Gianni who came storming in from the street.

  ‘Not you two again,’ he said, throwing his hands in the air. ‘Get out of my way. Why are there always people here?’

  Outside on the street, Emily hit Jacob’s arm with her fist. ‘Happy now?’

  He smiled at her.

  ‘I told you Sam didn’t kill Nate,’ Emily continued. ‘She could never have made it to the shop and back in ten minutes.’

  ‘I know,’ Jacob said. ‘She knows something, though, and it might very well have to do with Nate’s murder.’

  Emily sighed. ‘Yes, I agree. Something is not right.’

  ‘Will you treat me to a cuppa now?’

  ‘Alright, but just because you insist.’

  As they turned into Woolaston Road, Jacob noticed Colleen loitering in the alleyway behind the restaurant.

  ‘What is she doing there?’ he said and pointed her out to Emily.

  ‘Waiting for someone perhaps?’

  ‘But who? I thought she didn’t know anyone in Milbury.’

  ‘She came into Posh Nosh earlier and asked some weird questions about the restaurant.’

  Jacob arched an eyebrow at her. ‘Weird questions?’

  ‘Yeah, who owned it and how long it had been running, that sort of thing.’

  ‘Hmm… that’s a bit odd.’

  ‘Isn’t it? I don’t trust her.’

  ‘Neither do I.’

  * * *

  Paddy

  Our first night in the old building was a bit of a nightmare. We were all jumpy and nervous that the Three Bambini had followed us, so we took it in turn to keep an eye on the hole in the wall. But even when it was our turn to sleep, none of us actually slept much. Every little sound or creak had us jumping up, ready to defend ourselves.

  It was getting light by the time it was my turn for the watch. I settled myself on the windowsill and watched as Gus, Leo and Vinnie finally dropped off, exhausted as they were.

  After a while the two-leggeds outside started to appear and Vinnie woke up.

  ‘Any sign of trouble?’ he said looking up at me. His whiskers were a bit rumpled and he looked frazzled after a broken night’s sleep.

  I shook my head. ‘No, all’s quiet.’

  Vinnie stretched, accidently kicking Leo, who sat up with a snort.

  ‘What’s happening…?’ he said, looking about him as if expecting to find Victor looming over him.

  ‘Nothing,’ I said. ‘Go back to sleep.’

  ‘Can’t,’ Leo said. ‘I’m hungry.’ He started sniffing around the room, looking for scraps.

  Gus woke up as well and scratched his fur. ‘I’d better check on my treasure.’ He waddled off to a small side room that apparently had been used as a kitchen once. ‘I’m not sure if it’s safe just sitting in the corner.’

  We heard him rummaging about, muttering to himself.

  ‘There’s no food here,’ Leo said, after having gone through the room twice. He looked at the hole in the wall, his whiskers drooping. ‘Maybe if we’re very quiet and sneak down to the sewers, we can find some food before Victor sees us.’

  ‘I have a better idea,’ Vinnie said. He pointed at the back room from where before we had found a way outside. ‘There’s lots to eat outside in the car park.’

  ‘Outside?’ Leo stared at Vinnie, his eyes wide. ‘I’ve never been outside in my life.’

  ‘Never?’ I said. I couldn’t imagine not having felt the sun on my fur or breathing in the fresh air. ‘Then how did you get here from Hull?’

  ‘There’s a whole network of connecting sewers all the way down to Hull.’ Leo shrugged. ‘No need to go outside.’ It sounded logical, but it seemed claustrophobic to me.

  ‘Well, I’m going outside to get us something to eat,’ Vinnie said. ‘You can come with me or not.’

  Leo debated for a second, watching Vinnie’s retreating tail. ‘Is there really lots of food outside?’

  I nodded and Leo followed Vinnie into the back room.

  I looked at the hole in the wall some more. Probably best to keep watching it, even during the day, as we didn’t want the Mob to find our new digs. I was still angry at Victor for threatening my family. How on earth had he ever found out where they lived? And scaring Gus and Leo away from their own home. Ridiculous! We had to find a way to get the Three Bambini out of the sewer.

  Sitting in the light that shone through the only window of the building that wasn’t boarded up, I realised that I didn’t actually mind being away from the sewers. Not that I would ever admit that to the others, of course. Specially as we were ousted in such an unpleasant manner.

  But unlike Leo, I loved being outside. On Milbury Hill, I spent most of my time outside, hanging around with Vinnie and my second-cousin Pete. I sighed and wondered how everyone was doing on the hill.

  Something clattered down in the little kitchen. My muscles tensed. Was there a way into the sewer from the kitchen as well? Was Gus being attacked?

  ‘I’m okay!’ Gus yelled. ‘Just bumped into some old crockery.’

  I rolled my eyes and relaxed, staring out of the window, looking at the two-leggeds being in a hurry. One thing we should be thankful for was that Daisy hadn’t been with us when the Mob had descended on us. My gut told me they might not have let her go that easily. I jumped as Gus materialised beside me.

  ‘I’ve found a new hiding place for my treasure,’ he said. ‘Come and help me move it.’

  We made our way to the kitchen and I watched as he grabbed an armful of jewellery and started moving it to the cupboard under the sink.

  ‘The door is a bit crooked,’ Gus said, swinging the door on its one good hinge. ‘But at least it closes off the cupboard and hides my treasure.’

  ‘As long as it makes you happy,’ I said, noticing the ring that he had put on his tail.

  Just as we were moving the last of Gus’ treasure, Vinnie and Leo came back with breakfast.

  ‘Amazing,’ Leo said. He eyes glittered. ‘Look what we found! And there’s lots more outside!’ He opened a paper bag full of chips. Vinnie was dragging a half-eaten slice of pizza. We gathered round and started eating.

  ‘Sounds like you had a good time outside?’ I said to Leo, munching my way through part of the pizza.

  He bobbed his head up and down, whiskers bouncing. ‘Loved it! So much food. I will go again right after breakfast!’ He dived into the pile of chips he had gathered in front of him.

  While we ate I tried to keep an eye on the hole in the wall. Then I remembered the question I’d been wanting to ask ever since we met Victor in the sewers the day before.

  I looked at Gus and Leo. ‘There doesn’t seem to be much love lost between you guys and your cousins from Hull.’

  Gus shook his head. The earrings he had put around his ears jingled. ‘That’s always been the case. Victor’s always had it in for us, even when we were little.’

  ‘It’s b
ecause Uncle Bruno, the Three Bambini’s dad, was secretly in love with our mum, Lunetta,’ Leo said through a mouthful of chips. ‘But she didn’t want him, so he eventually chose her sister Auntie Gabriella as a mate. But as Gus and I have turned out so much better, Victor’s jealous of us. Specially as Uncle Bruno constantly reminded them that he’d rather have us for sons.’

  ‘And besides that, Uncle Bruno’s a bit of a muddle himself,’ Gus said. ‘His father Antonio is the head of the Hull Mob. He favours his younger son Gino, whose mate is a full-blood Italian rat, something that’s very important to Grandpa Tony. Gino and his sons are now second-in-command of the Hull Mob.’

  ‘But I thought Victor said that his mum was rich, because she chose Bruno as a mate?’ My head spun a bit. I thought my family was a complex jumble of cousins and second-cousins, but it was nothing compared to Gus and Leo’s.

  ‘Pfft, he just said that to make us mad,’ Gus said. ‘Look at me.’ He turned his head to show off his earrings. ‘Don’t you think I’m richer than Victor? He’s wearing paper clips!’

  I looked at Gus. ‘Perhaps.’

  ‘Last we heard Bruno had a serious falling out with his father and moved north to set up his own territory,’ Vinnie said. ‘He took his sons with him, even though he doesn’t think of them very highly. Apparently they made Beverly their home base.’

  ‘Are the Three Bambini your cousins as well?’ I said, wondering how Vinnie fitted into all of this.

  ‘They are my second-cousins, just like Gus and Leo are actually my second-cousins. They like my side of the family even less, as we have a long tradition of choosing whatever mate comes along, whether Italian or not.’

  ‘Funny though that you look the most Italian of us all,’ Leo said, eying Vinnie’s dark brown fur and large muscles.

  ‘Isn’t it?’ Vinnie preened a bit, stroking the fur on his chest. ‘No idea where that came from.’