Benworden (16 page)

“Just get it fixed and get on with it!” he replied with a red face and nostrils flaring.

“Righto,” Paul said nonchalantly while walking away with a smile that went from ear to ear. I think he knew he had struck a blow for the good guys.

After the meeting I headed over to the school. I knew Mr Neals would be there preparing work for our final exams but I didn't know how I could get to him without raising suspicion. I guess the full moon was working in my favour because on arrival at the school Miss James was coming out to get some fresh air and clear her head so I raced up to her and said, “Hi, Miss James. How are you going?”

She replied, “Good, Dylan, but what are you doing here? It's a student-free day, you know.”

I looked at her in a pleading manner and said, “Yes, I know, but there's something I need to speak to Mr Neals about.”

Miss James looked at me curiously and said, “He's pretty busy at the moment, Dylan. Is it anything that I can help you with?”

I could see that Miss James was keen to assist and I didn't want her to feel offended or left out so I said, “I wish you could but it's sort of a man's issue, if you know what I mean, and I really need his help.”

She nodded her head and smiled indulgently and said, “I understand. I'll see what I can do. No promises though. Ok?”

I told her I understood and she headed back inside.

Not long after Mr Neals appeared and said, “What's going on, mate?”

I asked him if there was anywhere we could speak in private and he took me to his classroom. When we got there I said, “I'm really sorry for hassling you when you have so much to do but there was something I needed to talk to you about and it couldn't wait.”

He could see I had concern written all over my face and he
said, “Come in, Dylan; shut the door. Is everything all right?”

I told him it was but things might change if he couldn't help me. He asked me to sit down and I walked across to a front desk and took a seat. Mr Neals pulled up his chair with the back of it facing me and then proceeded to mount it like a small horse. With his arms folded and resting on the top of the chair he said, “Now then, let's hear what's going on and see if we can get it sorted for you.”

I told him I didn't know where to start and that I had been asked by someone else to speak to him only on certain issues and sworn to secrecy on others. I went on to say that if the drilling continued in certain areas of the school grounds it may have devastating repercussions on some students. I held back telling him that I knew Paul was his friend. I believed he would begin to wonder where I got that information from and might even be offended that I knew so much about his private life.

Mr Neals was now sporting a concerned look on his face and I assured him that everything was ok to this point. He calmed a little and said, “Has this got anything to do with the stories I've heard about a secret club that is constantly a thorn in Mr Gowdy's side?”

I replied without hesitation, “Do you really want to know the answer to that question?”

Mr Neals' lip turned up at the side as if he was contemplating his answer. He then replied, “Probably not. It could cause me more grief than I really want or need.”

With that out the way I continued, “All I'm asking is that you trust me. I've never asked a favour of you before and I just hope you can help me this one time.” I stared at him with pleading eyes and he looked back at me with empathy.

“Ok, I know I'm sticking my neck out here but how can I help?” he said in an almost indecisive manner.

I knew I had placed him in a difficult position with my request but there was no other way. “Thanks Sir, you won't regret this,” I said.

He looked at me steely-eyed and replied, “I need to know what you're asking of me firsthand. There is no way that I'm going to help if this will endanger anyone. Do you understand?”

I immediately replied to subdue his concerns. “Yes Sir, I understand, and no Sir, it won't, it can't. In fact it'll do quite the opposite. Here's a map I've drawn up and honestly I'm still not sure if you can help. I know I'm talking in riddles but please be patient with me. I'm wondering if there is any way we can get the guy that is drilling around the school to stay outside these red zones.”

I unfolded the map on the desk where I was sitting and turned it so it was facing Mr Neals.

“There is something buried between the red lines that my friends and I hold precious. I know you don't have the authority to tell the guy from the drilling company what to do, but is there any way you can help?” I pleaded.

Without hesitation he replied, “I might have a little more pull than you give me credit for, Dylan,” he said leaning back and puffing his chest out like a proud rooster, with his hands now grasping either side of the chair's backrest. “As a matter of fact, the guy you're referring to from the drilling company actually owns it and is a very good friend of mine,” he said with a grin while raising his eyebrows as if to say, “What do you think of that?”

I put on my very best surprised face and replied, “You're
kidding me! No way!”

Mr Neals, now feeling quite proud of himself, said, “You'd be surprised who I know, son, and after the run in my friend Paul had with Mr Gowdy today we might have a chance of getting him to help us.”

When Mr Neals had said the words “we” and “us” I knew he was on our side. I made sure he knew how grateful I was and said, “Thank you so much Sir. You don't know what this means, not only to me but to others as well. If there's anything, any time I can do something for you, just let me know.”

He smiled and said, “Don't get too excited, it hasn't happened yet. But if it does my repayment will be good marks, Dylan; good marks to finish the year with...and they better be good.” His grin fell away and his brow ruffled as his eyebrows rose and he said, “But just remember this: I don't want to know what you're up to. I trust your judgement, Dylan, so don't let me down.”

“I won't Sir.” I got up out of my seat and walked towards the door. On reaching the corridor I poked my head back in the room. “Thanks again Mr Neals. I really appreciate your trust in me,” I said.

Still sitting on the chair as if he was contemplating what had just taken place he looked up and replied, “That's all right. Let's see how we go. I'll speak to you tomorrow.”

I turned and walked quickly up the corridor and broke into a sprint as soon as I got outside. I was in a hurry to get back to the others, not just to tell them the news but to find out how Bungles was holding up.

Mr Neals had worked late the previous night so he decided after our chat that he would knock off for the day. I found out
later that he went straight around to Paul's place to speak to him about what I'd asked for.

Paul said, “That's a bit of an odd request coming from you, isn't it mate?” And Mr Neals told him he had his reasons but had promised someone that he would keep it secret. Paul was a good friend and told Mr Neals that he was only too happy to help him in any way he could. Mr Neals thanked him, but said he didn't want Paul to get into trouble over this especially from Old Gowdy. Paul replied, “I don't think he'll be hassling me too much, especially after today's run in. But if he does I'll tell him that due to safe work practices he won't be allowed near the drilling site. That'll keep him at bay!”

They both chuckled at the thought of Mr Gowdy's face if that were to happen.

“Thanks mate,” said Mr Neals.

“Too easy,” replied Paul, as he plucked a couple of coldies from the fridge.

17

T
HE
R
ESCUE

I
had done my job and found everything we needed and Gerry had taken Harry and Sean to help with the heavier equipment. As soon as they dropped it off Roo was gone in a flash down the tunnel and shifting debris like a man possessed. He had let us know that the collapse hadn't been as bad as we first thought and stayed in radio contact throughout the day.

After Gerry dropped Harry and Sean back at Benworden, she returned to the tunnel entrance. With Bungles and Roo missing from the boarding house we had to devise an elaborate plan to cover for them, and although the one we came up with was complicated it was the most plausible, provided everything fell into place.

It all began with Brian pretending he was going to his room to rest before dinner. However, he actually went to Roo's room to grab clothing and then to Bungles' room to do the same. Once he had taken what he needed, he raced down the corridor to my room and took the elevator to Gerry's where Carla was waiting for him. “Hurry up and get changed into Bungles' gear so I can do my thing,” she said.

Brian replied, “I don't think so. Not while you're standing there!”

Carla grabbed a chair and went into the bathroom with it and closed the door. Once Brian had changed, he went in and sat on the chair while Carla went to work on his face.

An hour had passed when Carla said, “Well, what do you think?”

Brian got up and looked in the mirror. His face had gone through a complete transformation and he could have easily been mistaken for Bungles' twin brother.

“Perfect,” he replied, as he continued to sit there finding it hard to come to terms with his new appearance. He was soon awoken from his hypnosis by a firm slap to the back of the head, and then Carla shoved him in the side and said, “Come on, there's no time to waste. You need to get to the end of the tunnel and then back here as quickly as possible.”

Brian jumped in the elevator and headed down. He could hear the whirring of the bobcat in the next room but he had to keep moving; there wasn't any time to stop and see how the rescue was progressing. Once he was in the tunnel he jumped on the mule and zoomed along as fast as he could, knowing Gerry would be waiting at the other end to drive him back to the boarding house again.

Meanwhile, back at Benworden, Sean was working on a pair of Roo's shoes to give them elevation and at the same time Kate was with Carla in Gerry's room getting the same treatment that Brian had just been through. One Bungles had now turned into three.

Once Kate was ready she took the elevator to my room and I took her to Bungles' room. By this time Brian had returned to Benworden looking very much like Bungles and after signing in, he headed for the stairs but found himself confronted by Isabel. It seems that everyone had become so busy with other things that they had forgotten to keep Isabel under surveillance. As she approached Brian – assuming it was Bungles – she confronted him and said, “You still owe me an apology for
what you did to me yesterday you know! Anyway, where are you going in such a hurry?”

Brian thought quickly and pointed to the stairs and he made sure he kept his head tilted down and his mouth covered by the back of his hand. Isabel's curiosity had got the better of her and she began bending her neck to try to get a glimpse of Brian's face. She was just about to take a step forward to get a better view when Brian realised he was running out of time. He also knew that if he stayed there much longer Isabel would work out there was something different about Bungles, so before she could, he pretended to trip and grabbed both her shoulders with his hands and almost dragged her to the floor.

Isabel was horrified and said, “Get your greasy hands off me! No wonder you get into so much trouble you clumsy moron!”

Then she swung around and marched off.

Brian raced up the stairs and grabbed the shoes that Sean had been working on.

“Just be careful with those, mate, they're a bit wobbly when you walk in them,” Sean said as he handed them over to Brian.

“No worries. Thanks for that,” Brian replied as he was rushing out the door.

Once he was in the corridor he came straight up to my room and then took the elevator back down to Gerry's Carla was waiting for him with her hands on her hips and said, “Where the heck have you been? We're running out of time!”

Brian replied, “Long story. No time to explain. Can we just get on with it?”

Carla threw Roo's clothing at him and said, “Fine. Just hurry
up while I get the makeup ready!”

Brian slipped into Roo's clothing and then put the elevated shoes on that he had just got from Sean.

Carla called out from the bathroom, “Are you ready yet?” When Brian walked in Carla looked him up and down and said, “That's amazing! I think I like you taller.”

Brian replied, “Who's holding up who now?” He plopped himself down in the chair as if to say “Get on with it.”

Carla worked tirelessly, first scrubbing off the original Bungles makeup and then reapplying the new Roo look. Once again Brian was asked what he thought and once again he was amazed by the transformation. Yes, so amazed he couldn't drag himself away from the mirror and he received another smack to the back of the head.