First published in Great Britain by HarperCollins Childrenâs Books in 2019
Published in this ebook edition in 2019
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Text copyright © Tibor Jones 2019
Cover design copyright © HarperCollinsPublishers 2019
Cover illustration by Alba Filella
Tibor Jones asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
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Source ISBN: 9780008211899
Ebook Edition © March 2019 ISBN: 9780008211905
Version: 2018-12-12
âThat film was crazy!â says Liam with satisfaction as we step out of the Odeon.
The evening air is pleasantly warm and there are still hordes of people milling around in Leicester Square. We navigate through them. Liam turns his phone back on, while I fish out the last scraps of popcorn from my box. Weâve just seen the latest crime thriller â Midnight Delivery â and canât wait to point out all its plot holes.
âI knew it was the window cleaner,â I say. âHe was far too nosy. And as for the detective â he was soooo slow.â I laugh. âBrianna wouldâve had a field day! Why did she say she couldnât come?â Liam is my best friend, but Brianna is a close second. The three of us hang out together a lot.
âOh ⦠I think she had homework,â he says.
I chuckle. âThat figures. One full day left of the holidays and sheâs finally getting round to it.â Liam and I always get our schoolwork done at the start of the holidays, but Brianna likes to leave it until the last possible minute. I once saw her writing in an exercise book while she was walking down the street to school.
Liamâs too busy looking at something on his phone to reply, so I wander over to a bin and dump my empty popcorn box. On a pavement board close by is a poster, with the words LORD MAYORâS FIREWORKS! in big letters at the top. I scan the details. The extravaganza â with âover 15,000 fireworks!â â will take place beside the Thames, on Sunday.
âIsnât September a bit early for the Lord Mayorâs fireworks?â I say as Liam comes over. âDonât they usually do them in November â around Guy Fawkes Night?â I think some more. âAnd Iâm sure theyâre usually on a Saturday.â
He doesnât answer my question, but says, âCheck this out,â and he holds out his phone, so I can see the screen. Itâs a news alert:
BREAKING NEWS: Murder at British Museum
I stare at the red letters for a moment, feeling a familiar excitement. Itâs been five weeks since I solved the case of the red slime that had polluted Londonâs water supply, and Iâm itching to get going again. Things have been too quiet with no cases to solve, so I havenât been enjoying my summer holidays as much as usual.
I take his phone and click on the link. Thereâs not much information to go on yet:
A member of staff has been stabbed to death shortly after closing time this evening at the British Museum. Police have yet to release the name of the staff member, who is believed to be an attendant who may have disturbed an intruder. A museum exhibit is said to be missing from a display case.
I feel a surge of happiness. âFinally, an actual case!â I catch Liamâs eye as I hand back his phone. âCome on â we need to investigate!â
He scrutinises me. âAgatha, tell me youâre not actually pleased that someoneâs been murdered â¦?â
My cheeks turn red; hopefully he wonât have noticed. âOf course not.â I study my nails: currently black with silver stars. Iâm especially pleased with the stars, which have come out just right.
âAnyway,â he continues, âitâs a murder investigation â you wonât be able to just wander in there.â
This is the type of challenge I live for. âOf course I will. âNo Case Too Oddâ, remember?â I say, reciting the Oddlow Agencyâs motto. Iâd got sick of people making fun of my surname, Oddlow (Oddly ⦠Oddball ⦠Oddbod ⦠Odd Socks â¦) so Iâd decided to put a positive spin on it.