Unleashed! (11 page)

Clem bolted from The Van, closely followed by Darcy and Bryce. Their frantic eyes scanned the park.

Mr Lark toppled out, trying to get his footing. At the same time Mio emerged from her hidey hole, still clutching the video camera. ‘There!’ she shrieked, pointing towards the alley.

Someone was running full bore away from the park. ‘This way!’ Clem shouted. She took off, Darcy close behind.

Mio detoured via Mr Lark and thrust the video into his hands, saying, ‘Mind this, please.’ Then she, too, raced off. Bryce did the same with his camera.

The thief ran down the street, Sugar tucked under his arm. The dog’s head jerked as he ran
and she yapped with fright. Past the warehouse he ran and out of view.

Clem slowed down as she neared the corner, aware that this was where Darcy had collided with the man last time. The others were hot on her heels.

The thief ducked into a narrow alley. His jacket ballooned from his body as he ran. He glanced around. It was too dark to see his face. Clem raced into the alley after him, wishing she had her bike. ‘Stop!’ she cried.

They ran past a row of rubbish bins, startling a tramp who was rummaging around inside. He dropped a bottle back into the bin, hitting his head on the way up and hollering, ‘Scoundrels!’

‘Sorry!’ called Clem.

The thief kept going, head down, legs pumping.

Clem wondered where he’d learnt to run so fast. She dug deep, finding a surge of power. The gap was closing. At the end of the alley the thief hesitated, enough for Clem to gain ground. She could hear Darcy’s pounding footsteps and the softer tread of Mio and Bryce further behind. Clem’s throat was dry and her chest ached.

The thief headed left, zig-zagged to miss some boxes, then turned left again.

Funny, thought Clem. I swear we’ve done a circle. We must be at the back of the tenements.

The air was rasping in her throat, burning, as though she’d swallowed dry ice. But she kept going.

So did the thief.

Crossing the laneway he leapt onto the pavement and crashed into a delivery lady. Trays flew through the air, their contents scattering on the ground. Cream buns and custard tarts swooshed across the pavement like ducks on a pond. Florentines and chocolate chip cookies shattered into a thousand crumbs. Cupcakes with pink icing, donuts and scones looped-the-loop then rolled down the street.

The woman tried to catch some but gave up and stood there, shaking her head.

Clem squelched through a vanilla slice, leaving custard footprints as she went, aware that it was such a waste.

On and on she ran. Now she could only hear Darcy behind her. Clem’s lungs felt scalded and her feet like lead. She didn’t know how much she had left. With every step her body was screaming at her to stop.

She thought of Sugar, the beagle and the chin and all the other dogs needing to be rescued and knew she couldn’t stop. She just couldn’t.

Sugar barked and tried to worm her way out of her captor’s tight hold. She caught the thief off-guard
and he nearly dropped her. He was forced to slow down to get a better grip.

‘Got you!’

With a flying leap Clem grabbed the thief’s jacket. He tried to push her off, but with his hands full of dog it was impossible. They were both spent. The thief doubled over, gulping for breath, Sugar tucked under his arm. Clem let go of the jacket and leaned against a wall, her chest heaving as she tried to suck in air. She looked at the bent figure and knew that if he ran now she would lose him. She had nothing left.

Sugar whined.

Darcy staggered up to them, his face ember red. His fringe was stuck to his forehead and sweat trickled into his eyes, making him blink.

Clem tried to speak, but it was impossible. All she could do was breathe. It was the hardest she had ever run in her life. She pushed off the wall and tottered towards the boy. She had to get to Sugar. But as she did so, something weird happened. Something totally unexpected.

The thief raised his head. He pulled off his hood. Tong!

‘So, you’re the thief!’

‘Yes. I not thief.’

Clem snapped. ‘You either are or you aren’t. Well?’

Tong bowed his head and held out Sugar, black string dangling from her collar. He placed her in Clem’s outstretched arms, and despite the sweat and the pain and the burning in his feet, he smiled. Then he bowed his head slightly, lowered his eyes, and joined his hands together at chest height. ‘I not thief, Clem.’

Clem gasped. ‘You know me?’

‘Phái.’
Tong smiled and bowed again. ‘Darcy, too.’

It was Darcy’s turn to look shocked. ‘But how?’

Tong laughed. In heavily accented English he said, ‘It long story.’

‘Can you tell us? In English?’

‘Yes. Understand plenty. Speak no good. Little bit.’ He threw back his head and shoulders. ‘I learn.’

‘Please try,’ said Clem, lowering herself to the ground, unable to trust her legs any longer. She beckoned for Tong to join her. He hesitated. Clem beckoned again. Still, Tong looked puzzled.

‘Come here.’ Clem patted the ground beside her. ‘Sit. It’s time we talked.’ Sugar licked Clem’s face and snuggled closer.

Tong sat down gingerly.

Just then Bryce and Mio arrived. Mio looked at Clem with raised eyebrows.

‘This is Tong,’ said Clem.

Before Clem could add any more Tong said, ‘Hello, Mio. Hello, Bryce. Happy to meet you. I Dang Van Tong. I tell you everything.’

And so, with a smattering of English and much gesturing, Tong explained that he had been watching them from the tenement roof, often creeping down to listen to their conversations.

‘I was right!’ said Mio, puffing with pride.

‘When you in van there much laughter. Much happy. Big happy.’ Tong lowered his eyes. His voice softened. ‘I like.’

‘Did you leave the flowers?’ asked Bryce.

‘Yes.’

‘And the turtle shell knot?’

‘Yes.’

‘And the crane?’

‘I want you like me.’

Clem hooked her hair behind her ears and wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. It came away dripping so she wiped it on her shirt. ‘If you’re not a thief why’d you steal Sugar?’

Tong smiled but did not answer.

Bryce pointed. ‘Sugar. The dog. Why’d you steal her?’

‘Yes.’ Tong hung his head. ‘I take dog to help you.’

Darcy snorted. ‘Some help you turned out to be! We’ve been trying to catch these thieves.’

Tong rested his hands in his lap. His voice was gentle but firm. ‘Yes. Steal dogs.’

Clem stared intently at Tong and asked, ‘You know about the stolen dogs?’

‘Yes.’ Tong smiled and ran his fingers through his cropped black hair. It spiked upwards in a swathe across his head. ‘Little dog with…what word?’ He gestured to show them.

‘Floppy ears,’ said Mio.

Clem sat up straighter. ‘The beagle!’ Her knee jiggled with excitement. ‘What about the beagle?’

Tong watched Clem’s lips as she spoke, then tried out the word. ‘Bea-gle. I see man with beagle.’

Clem shivered. She couldn’t believe they were so close. ‘Where?’

‘In park and street.’

‘When?’

‘Last night.’

‘Are you sure?’

‘Yes.’

Clem’s tummy did a loop-the-loop. ‘She’s alive!’

‘What about the paper crane?’ asked Mio, her eyes narrowing. ‘You could not have written the message.’

‘Yes. Auntie Kim-Ly write for me.’

‘What’s the note mean?’ Clem recited from memory:

‘The Emperor and his hound,

will not be found,

where the strays no longer play.

‘We worked out most of it except for the Emperor.’

‘The Emperor is dog with tail.’ Tong drew a circle in the air. ‘From Japan. Uncle Hai tell me.’

‘The Chin!’ Clem’s eyes sparkled as she said, ‘The Chin and the beagle will not be found at the animal shelter.’

Mio nodded. ‘In Japan Chins are like royalty. They are the dogs of the Imperial Palace. They don’t even call them “inu” which means dogs.’

Mio stopped, surprised at herself. She had just called her people ‘they’ as if she no longer belonged. She felt a tinge of sadness then a warm glow. She was part of this new country now, and it felt good.

‘But how’d you know they’re no longer at the animal shelter?’ asked Darcy as he took Sugar from Clem. Sugar settled against his chest, her pink tongue lolling out as she panted. ‘How much do you know about the dog-stealing?’

‘Me on roof. I see men with dog. Many dog. Big one. Small one. Many.’

Clem leaned closer and asked, ‘You actually saw them stealing the dogs?’

Tong said, ‘Yes,’ but at the same time he shook his head. ‘I see men take dog for walk.’

Clem frowned. ‘I’m confused. How’d you know they’re stealing them, then?’

‘I tell you. I see man with beagle. I see you angry at him, Clem. I hear you say you find her. I wait outside your house. Follow you to train.’

Mio nodded. ‘We saw you. On the other side of the platform.’

‘Train stop. I jump down. Run over track. Get in last box.’

‘You mean carriage,’ corrected Mio, then she whistled. ‘So that’s how you disappeared.’

‘I follow you to dog home. Run fast. I good at hiding. I quiet. I shadow. You find nothing. But I do. I know where beagle live.’

‘In that equipment shed.’

‘You go to old man.’

‘Mr Lark.’

‘You come out. Mio leave. Clem, Darcy and Bryce go back to dog home. I follow. Man chase you. I make big mistake. You see me.’ He hung his head. ‘Big stupid.’

Clem laughed but inside she was thinking, This boy’s nice, very nice.

‘Next day I no come. English lesson.’ He grimaced, making Bryce laugh. ‘English no good.’

‘That’s when we found the beagle,’ explained Clem.

‘I leave flower.’ Tong gave a half-smile. ‘Vase bad one. Sorry. I find.’

‘But how do you know ikebana?’ asked Mio.

‘Japanese lady teach Auntie Kim-Ly, Uncle Hai. Many year ago.’ Tong dropped his gaze. He thought of his aunt and uncle, of the voyage they took. A perilous voyage in a leaky boat, attacked by pirates, then stranded and forgotten. Although he wasn’t born then their journey was engraved in his heart. His voice could barely be heard as he whispered, ‘In detention centre.’ To himself he added, ‘The centre with “Hành trinh tim tù dó” engraved on the exit gate…“Journey to Freedom”.’

‘Sorry.’ Clem wasn’t quite sure why but the word slipped from her mouth.

Bryce sang,
‘On the day the wall came down, they threw the locks onto the ground. And with glasses high we raised a cry, for freedom had arrived.’

Seconds ticked past.

Finally, Tong took up his tale again. ‘After flower I listen. You say you go to old man house. You on bike. I go back to roof. See many thing. Bad thing. You go big long time. I talk to Auntie. She write. I put crane in car.’

‘You mean in The Van,’ Bryce said, then asked, ‘But why the mystery? Why not just come up and tell us?’

Tong stared into the distance, searching for the correct words. ‘Me no sure. Maybe wrong.’ He wrinkled his nose. ‘Maybe you think me big fat lie. Maybe bad man find crane, read message, no good.’

Mio crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes narrowing as she asked, ‘But how did you know that the dogs were gone?’

‘Yes.’ Tong played with the zip on his jacket. ‘I top of big building. See everything—man with chin, man with beagle. He open door of big house…’ Tong dropped the zipper and raised his arm to demonstrate, ‘…big one, very old. Go in.’

‘You mean the warehouse? With broken windows?’

‘Yes. Ware-house.’

Clem twisted to face Darcy, saying, ‘See? I told you that door’s important. They’re using the warehouse!’

Darcy ignored her but snapped his fingers as he remembered something. ‘That’s the day we chased you.’

‘Yes.’

‘And nearly caught you.’

‘Yes.’ Tong let his hands fall in his lap. This time he didn’t look down. ‘I see man come out warehouse with big dog. Like silver.’ He held his hand out to show how high.

‘The Weimaraner!’

‘Yes. Car drive up. Woman get out. Give money. Many money.’ Tong gestured handing over note after note. ‘Woman put dog in car. Drive away. I see many time.’

Clem waved her hands excitedly. ‘We were right! They’re stealing dogs and selling them.’ Her brow furrowed. ‘But what’s the pound got to do with it?’

No-one answered.

‘Must be a lot of money in it,’ said Mio. ‘That man nearly stabbed Clem.’

‘Man bad.’

Darcy found his voice. ‘We have to stop him. And all his friends.’

‘Phái.
Yes.’

‘But how?’

Just then Sugar stepped out of Darcy’s lap and walked over to Tong. She sniffed his white trainers, then looked up, her tail wagging. Tong held out his hand, palm down. Again, Sugar sniffed and looked up. Tong’s hand hovered in the air. He made little clicking sounds with his tongue and waggled his fingers.

Clem watched the gentle way he talked to Sugar, the slow and soothing movements. She watched Sugar lick Tong’s outstretched hand over and over again. Clem thrust out her own hand. She rested it on Tong’s. She looked around the group,
her eyes flashing, and in a strong voice she said, ‘Freewheelers.’

Tong flinched. He waited, head bowed, eyes lowered. But he did not remove his hand.

No-one moved. Tong shut his eyes. He was good at waiting.

Bryce was the first to break. He placed his hand on top of Clem’s, saying, ‘Freewheelers.’

Two more hands joined the pile.

‘Freewheelers.’

‘Freewheelers.’

‘Hành trình tìm t
.’
The words hung in the air. A tear trickled down Tong’s cheek but he didn’t wipe it away. And then with a voice barely a whisper he added, ‘Freedom!’