The bus ride took no time at all and soon the children were being herded into the lifts.

  ‘Man, you really need a shower, Alfie.’ Dante fanned his hand across his face. The boys had taken one lift while the girls had gone for another opposite.

  ‘I don’t think he’s alone,’ Mr Nutting said. ‘You all stink.’

  Fortunately the bell tinged to indicate their arrival at the 19th floor. The doors opened and the boys spilled out.

  ‘I’d wait for the next one if I was you,’ Max said to a man and woman who were just about to step in. Then he realised that could have been interpreted as something else, which was far more embarrassing.

  On the floor below, the girls bade one another goodnight and began to turn in.

  ‘So what did you hear?’ Autumn asked Kensy as soon as they were in their room.

  Kensy launched into the story of her great escape from Mr Koh’s bathroom, then listening to him talking to the police.

  ‘He said that they think Heston Fong might have had something to do with the robberies. He didn’t turn up for work today and they haven’t been able to find him,’ the girl said.

  Autumn felt sick. Her mother had said that her father was fine, but maybe the woman was lying because she didn’t want Autumn to worry.

  ‘The police said there was no sign of any forced entry at his house and his passport was missing. They think he might have skipped the country. But I don’t think that’s true,’ Kensy said, biting her lip.

  Autumn wished she knew how to contact her mother.

  ‘Did they mention anything about Cameron Lu or Honesto Huang?’ Autumn asked.

  ‘No, but maybe Heston Fong, I mean your father, has been working for them – undercover – trying to bust things open from inside. He’s in the perfect job to provide information.’

  Autumn tapped her finger against her cheek. ‘So is Sedgewick Koh.’

  Kensy thought for a moment. ‘I know. I’ve been thinking about that. I heard him on the phone before the maid came to tell him the police were downstairs. He said “the jaguars will be available tomorrow”. What’s that supposed to mean?’

  Autumn shook her head.

  ‘We need to talk to Max and Curtis,’ Kensy said, grabbing the key card from the bench.

  ‘Where are you going?’ Autumn asked. ‘Mrs Vanden Boom will be here to check on us any minute.’

  There was a knock on the door.

  Autumn raced into the bathroom and Kensy jumped into bed, pulling the covers up to her chin.

  ‘Lights out, girls,’ the teacher called, before opening the door. She had armed herself with key cards for all of the girls’ rooms in case of emergency (and for the benefit of making sure that her charges were exactly where they were meant to be).

  ‘Just brushing my teeth,’ Autumn called from the bathroom.

  Kensy yawned. ‘Ah, goodnight, Mrs Vanden Boom.’

  ‘Goodnight, girls. Sleep well,’ the woman said, and closed the door.

  As soon as she was gone, Kensy jumped out of bed and Autumn raced from the bathroom.

  They waited ten minutes before heading up to the floor above, where their lift opened to reveal Mr Nutting in his gym clothes. Fortunately, he had his back to them, facing a lift that had just arrived, but the girls still pressed themselves against the shiny elevator walls until he disappeared. Then they quickly dashed out.

  Kensy knocked on Max and Curtis’s door, hoping they weren’t already asleep. She could have called their room first to be sure, but never mind that now.

  Curtis answered, dressed in his pyjamas.

  ‘We need to talk,’ Kensy said, before she and Autumn hurried inside.

  ‘So let me get this straight – you think Sedgewick Koh might be behind the thefts?’ Max said.

  Autumn nodded.

  ‘But I don’t understand why. Just because Kensy heard him say something about jaguars being available tomorrow? It doesn’t really mean anything. Maybe they’re available for some photographs at the zoo, or some publicity thing,’ Max said.

  Autumn bit down on her thumbnail then mumbled. ‘There’s something else but I’m not supposed to say.’

  Kensy looked at her friend. She thought Autumn was about to tell the boys about Heston Fong.

  Curtis sat on the side of his bed with Kensy next to him and Max opposite. Autumn was pacing the floor.

  ‘My mother was there tonight at Mr Koh’s,’ the girl blurted as she spun around to face her friends.

  ‘What?’ The other three recoiled in unison.

  ‘Why didn’t you say something?’ Kensy demanded. ‘Did you tell her we saw your father?’

  Max and Curtis frowned at the girls, then at each other.

  ‘What are you talking about?’ Curtis asked.

  ‘Heston Fong is Autumn’s father. Carlos was right about the resemblance,’ Kensy said. ‘We worked it out last night. Well, Autumn did. And I think I saw something bad happen, but I wasn’t sure and now the police have said he’s missing.’

  The boys were stunned to hear it.

  ‘So your parents are undercover?’ Curtis said.

  Autumn nodded. ‘They’ve been gone for months. In the past I’ve coped really well when they’ve been away but this time . . . I don’t know. I just haven’t, and now I might have jeopardised everything.’

  Max slid off the bed and walked over to her, putting his arm around her shoulder.

  ‘It’s perfectly understandable that you’re worried,’ Max said.

  Autumn nodded.

  ‘Who is your mother pretending to be?’ the boy asked.

  ‘She’s working as a maid. She didn’t tell me, but I suspect it’s about the animal trafficking and that Mr Koh is under investigation. I’m not supposed to say anything, and I wouldn’t have, except Kensy told me what the police said about Heston Fong – that they can’t find him and we wondered if he might have been helping the smugglers from the inside. If that’s true, he’s put himself in grave danger to try and find the real bad guys. I’m so worried about him. If the baddies know he’s been playing them . . .’

  ‘We need to talk to Dad. This is too big for us to handle on our own,’ Max said, and opened his laptop. He logged in and initiated the call. It was almost 2.30 in the afternoon in London so he thought there was a good chance his father would be at his desk.

  ‘Max,’ Ed said when he accepted the call. ‘Is everything okay?’

  The boy quickly filled his father in on what they knew about Irene and Fletcher Lee, and their suspicions about Sedgewick Koh.

  ‘So much for the Lees being undercover,’ Ed said. ‘Sedgewick Koh is a highly respected member of the community, but yes, we think he’s been aiding and abetting the traffickers via his contacts at the zoos and the bird park. We’re not sure how many people are on his payroll, but the network is extensive and may have even infiltrated the police force at some level. Trouble is, we still have no hard evidence on him – we don’t know how he’s doing his business.’

  ‘But why would he?’ Curtis said. ‘The man lives in a mansion – surely he doesn’t need the money.’

  Kensy clicked her fingers. ‘Miss Polly – his bird – she said he was a loser then something about chips. Tonight he was cross with her for telling everyone he had no money. Is he a gambler?’

  Ed nodded. ‘He’s been on a losing streak for more than a year. We think he’s trading wildlife to pay his gambling debts, but up until now we’ve not had any idea who he’s selling to and how he’s getting the animals out of the country. Though with Huang on the scene, it’s likely there’s a link.’

  ‘What about Sidney?’ Max asked. ‘Is there any news?’

  ‘They think they’ve pinpointed his location to a compound near the Malaysian border – an abandoned fort. Fitz, Song and Rupert are planning to make a move tomorrow. They’ve intercepted chatter from Huang that he’s going to be out in the afternoon. We’re not sure where he’s off to, but it’s a solid window.’

  ‘Are you sure that’s where they are?’’ Kensy said.

  ‘Well, we hope so,’ Ed said. ‘Why? Is there something else?’

  Kensy wasn’t sure, but there was a thought scratching around in her mind. ‘Dad, the other night when I saw Heston Fong – I mean Fletcher Lee – with the police officers, well, just afterwards I heard two of them saying they were glad they didn’t have to make the delivery. They were talking about somewhere called Blakang Mati and Serapong. I meant to look them up and see what they are, but we’ve been really busy and I couldn’t be one hundred per cent sure that they’d taken Mr Lee.’

  ‘Blakang Mati is the original name of the island that’s now Sentosa,’ Max said without any hesitation. ‘And Fort Serapong sits right in the middle of some thick jungle on the island. I was reading The Straits Times the other day and saw something about it being off limits to the public these days as it’s part of a private company that’s taken over the area.’

  ‘I knew I should have just asked you,’ Kensy said.

  ‘Would Huang be bold enough to set up his operation in the middle of Sentosa?’ Curtis asked. ‘Isn’t it super popular with tourists?’

  Max nodded.

  ‘The other day, on the boat, those men said they were dropping off at the Serapong reef,’ Autumn said, quickly filling Ed in on the sighting of the albino pangolin.

  ‘I’ll get word to Song and they can check it out. But for now, children, I need you to attend your event as planned and do absolutely nothing else. We have things in hand. If Fletcher Lee is missing, we’ll find him. And I’m afraid, kids – that’s an order,’ Ed said.

  The children looked at one another and then back to Ed, all of them nodding even though it was the last thing they wanted to do.

  ‘Good morning, contestants, ladies and gentlemen, and esteemed guests.’ Kiki Chua’s voice boomed across the auditorium. ‘Before we begin today’s finale, let’s have another look at our leaderboard.’

  The giant screens were populated with a list of teams ordered from first to fortieth. Many countries were tied and not a huge number of points separated first from last.

  ‘Currently in the lead, we have the team from India!’ There was a rousing round of applause and some whoops and cheers. ‘In second place is Finland, and only half a point behind them is the United Kingdom!’ The two teams did their best to out-cheer each other, but it was the team from Singapore in fourth place that really brought the house down.

  Mrs Vanden Boom, Mr Nutting and Mr Reffell had all given the team a rev up on the bus trip to the convention centre, but it hadn’t made much difference to Kensy, Max, Curtis and Autumn. Just knowing that there was an operation to free Sidney this afternoon, among all the other mysteries, had increased their anxiety levels tenfold.

  ‘I don’t want to be here today,’ Autumn whispered. She’d lain awake half the night, worrying about her father.

  ‘Me either,’ Kensy mumbled. The girls had even thought about feigning tummy upsets so they could get out of the competition and look for Autumn’s dad, but then the team would have had to forfeit, so their consciences got the better of them – that and Ed’s words that things were in hand. It wasn’t that they didn’t believe him, it was just they wanted desperately to help.

  ‘Did anyone see that Ferrari on the concourse?’ Dante whispered as the announcer continued on her mission to name each team before the competition began.

  Carlos nodded. ‘I’d love to get a look inside the motor show this afternoon. I saw on the telly this morning that there’s a new Jaguar being unveiled – a supercar with some pretty mad features. It’s happening at three thirty. Surely Mrs Vanden Boom will let us take a quick look around before we have to go back to the hotel. This will be finished by then.’

  Max nudged Curtis.

  ‘Did you hear that?’ he said. ‘I bet that’s what Mr Koh was talking about – the jaguars are going to be here at the car show. Probably photo ops.’

  Curtis nodded. ‘Maybe that’s not all – what if someone has other plans for them too?’

  ‘We’ve got to get in there after the competition,’ Max said.

  Further conversation was thwarted with the announcement of the first challenge of the day – to build a paper plane capable of flying thirty metres carrying a cargo of two hundred grams. It sounded simple enough, but there was nothing easy about this one at all.

  Despite having other things on their minds, Kensy, Max, Curtis and Autumn had all made significant contributions to their team’s success throughout the day. They forgot about everything else for a little while as they focused on the bubble contest – probably the most fun thing so far – in which teams had to concoct a bubble liquid (from scratch) then create a blower fashioned from a selection of wires with different tensile strengths to see who could produce the largest bubbles. These had to last for more than twenty seconds in order to be properly measured and included in the team’s tally.

  At lunchtime, the scores had shuffled all over the place again – with Central London Free on top. There was a buzz among the team, who were increasingly determined to win. They wouldn’t know the final outcome from the last three activities until the presentation that evening though, and going on how things had chopped and changed it really was anyone’s race.

  In the afternoon, there had been a mapping exercise, which Max found a snack, followed by the daily quiz, which set pulses racing, and another super tricky maths problem. The final challenge was to create a circuit with enough power to run three light bulbs – no batteries allowed.

  Yasmina had taken charge on this one and she and Inez and Carlos were doing a great job, until Sachin realised that their oranges and lemons – a vital part of their design – were missing.

  ‘Hey, someone’s taken our fruit!’ the boy yelled. The official assigned to their team frowned and told the children to have a proper look around before they made any accusations. But, after searching the cupboards and the floor and anywhere else within the vicinity of their lab, there was no doubt that someone had removed them.

  ‘There!’ Sachin pointed at Lars. ‘What are all those weird bulges in his pants?’

  ‘Sachin, that’s a bit personal, mate.’ Max gave him a nudge.

  ‘What? No – take a proper look!’ Sachin said, his ears turning pink. He hadn’t meant anything rude.

  The children turned to see Lars shifting uncomfortably from one leg to the other, his hands clamped to the back of his pants.

  ‘What are you looking at me for? I don’t have anything!’ he spat.

  But from the way he was wiggling and wriggling, there was clearly something amiss.

  The official attached to the UK team hurried over to consult with his colleague in charge of the Finnish group.

  ‘You’re a cheat, Lars!’ Dante yelled.

  ‘I am not!’ the boy yelled back, his face turning red.

  But for someone who was clearly very smart he wasn’t terribly clever. The official approached Kiki Chua, and seconds later she asked everyone to stop what they were doing and raise their arms in the air. She made it sound as if it was a game, but it wasn’t. There was a rumble and a thud, followed by another thud and another and another as Central London Free’s missing citrus rolled out from Lar’s trouser legs and all over the floor.

  Amid the gasps and gahs, the judges quickly made the decision to disqualify Finland from the final round. Lars’s team turned on him like a pack of arctic wolves.

  ‘But it was your idea, Kristin,’ the boy yelled, then burst into tears. ‘You said you would be my girlfriend if I did what you asked.’

  For a moment Max almost felt sorry for the silly kid.

  With their missing goods restored, Yasmina and the Central London Free team finished just in time, powering up all three light bulbs with ease. But they still had no idea what the judges thought of their task.

  The competition was declared over, Kiki Chua announcing that she couldn’t wait to find out the results at the presentation that evening.

  ‘Unless we failed that maths challenge, we should at least beat the Fins,’ Carlos said to Sachin as the children were herded towards the exit.

  A long line of buses was queued up outside the convention centre. Romilly had yet to spot their vehicle. ‘Wait here, children, and I’ll see if he’s parked further along,’ the woman said.

  ‘Phwoar, look at that beast.’ Dante pointed at a yellow Lamborghini that had just turned into the driveway.

  Kensy and Max looked up and glimpsed the driver and passenger.

  ‘Oh my gosh. It’s them!’ Kensy whispered, but Autumn and Curtis had already seen the car too – with Honesto Huang and Cameron Lu inside.

  ‘Do you think that van is with them?’ Curtis nodded at the vehicle that was following behind. Clearly something was going down.

  Max turned to Gordon Nutting, who had just received an encrypted message on his phone that scared the life out of him.

  ‘Sir, I’ve forgotten my blazer,’ Max said. ‘I left it in the auditorium.’ The boy knew full well that the garment was in his backpack, but he needed an excuse to go back inside.

  ‘Me too,’ Autumn said. ‘I left my lab coat. I’d better go and get it – Mrs Vanden Boom won’t be happy.’

  ‘No!’ Gordon snapped at the children, then turned to Monty Reffell, who was standing a few metres away. ‘Monty, can you tell Romilly that something urgent has come up and I’ll make my way to the hotel in a little while?’

  Monty Reffell wondered what the other man was talking about, but Gordon had charged off. The children saw their chance.

  ‘Mr Reffell, we have to go with him,’ Kensy said. ‘We left some things inside.’

  Kensy, Max, Autumn and Curtis raced after the PE teacher, who had no idea they were following him.

  Romilly had just arrived back at the group as their bus pulled up. Monty Reffell explained what Gordon and the children had said.

  ‘Really?’ the woman raised her eyebrows. ‘And Gordon took the children with him?’

  Monty nodded. He hadn’t paid much attention, having been distracted reading The Straits Times on his phone.