Mrs Vanden Boom had been right about the food court having a scrumptious selection. Curtis and Max had sought out a dumpling bar while Carlos and some of the other lads went for Singapore’s famous chicken rice. Alfie’s decision to eat adventurously wasn’t a winning move, with the lad complaining that barbecued stingray had the texture of rubber and was far too fishy for his liking. Kensy, Autumn and Harper opted for laksa while the other girls were tempted by Mr Reffell’s choice of chilli crab.

  Afterwards, Romilly had taken the group for a walk along Orchard Road, hoping it would help them wind down. The last thing she needed was for the children to be up all night and yawning all day. A late shower of rain sent the party running for the underground walkways that led to the ION Orchard building – a colossus of retail shops with a residential tower above. There were malls and tunnels leading to many other areas in the precinct, giving visitors undercover access all the way to the Takashimaya Department store and beyond. Everything was open late and there were loads of people around.

  The children had also noticed several other groups of youngsters a similar age wandering around the precinct and wondered if they would meet them at the competition when it kicked off on Tuesday. The timing allowed participants the opportunity to arrive, acclimatise and see some sights before the two-day contest. The children were due to fly back to London on Thursday evening – giving them another free day following the event.

  Now it was Monday morning, and the Central London Free group was meeting at the hotel’s restaurant for breakfast at eight o’clock.

  ‘Did you talk to your mum and dad last night?’ Curtis asked Max as he packed his water bottle into his day pack. He’d phoned his parents from the airport as soon as they arrived, but he couldn’t remember seeing Max make a call.

  ‘Yeah – when you were in the bathroom before we went to dinner last night,’ Max said. He’d got hold of his mum as she’d just stepped out of their grandmother’s isolation room. There was nothing to report, and Anna had had another call coming in from Kensy so she had to go. Max looked at his watch. It was currently one in the morning in London, so he wouldn’t be able to contact his parents again until much later in the day. He hoped there would be some good news, about both Cordelia’s health and some progress on finding Sidney and who was actually responsible for the poisoning.

  ‘Is everything okay with them?’ Curtis asked.

  ‘Sure,’ Max said.

  ‘It’s just that my dad said your parents haven’t really been home at all and, well, you were staying with the MacGregors before we left,’ Curtis pressed.

  ‘How did you know that?’ Max asked.

  ‘You do remember that we are all training to be spies.’ Curtis gave his friend a wry grin.

  Max grinned back. ‘Look, I promise I’ll tell you everything when I can.’

  Curtis stared at the boy. ‘I know. But if you need me – for anything – just say the word. That’s what friends are for.’

  Max nodded and walked into the bathroom where he rubbed sunscreen on his face and neck. Mrs Vanden Boom had warned them to make sure they were well-covered in the stuff and wore a hat today. They were off to explore the island and she didn’t want anyone getting sunstroke before the competition tomorrow.

  ‘We’d better get going,’ Curtis called from the bedroom.

  Max grabbed his day pack and handed Curtis one of the two key cards sitting on the bench that ran under the television on the wall. They walked out into the hallway and were met by Carlos and Sachin. As they were heading for the lifts, Mr Nutting emerged from his room and joined them.

  ‘Did any of you boys read the paper this morning?’ the man asked.

  Everyone chorused ‘no’ except Curtis, who had accessed the Beacon online. He was working hard on deciphering the advertisements that were used to communicate with agents and thought he was onto something interesting. He had meant to show Max but they’d got distracted.

  ‘Why? Is there something we should know about?’ Max asked. He really hoped it wasn’t anything about an older Chinese man found dead in a ditch somewhere. Surely the Beacon wouldn’t print news about Sidney, even if he was found murdered, but the same couldn’t be said for all the other papers.

  ‘Did someone get caught chewing gum?’ Sachin said. ‘I thought that was about the worst thing people got up to in Singapore.’

  ‘No, apparently there’s been a spate of exotic animal thefts from the Jurong Bird Park and the Singapore Zoo. Although the article noted they’re playing it down and saying that there’s a possibility the creatures escaped. We’ll have to keep an eye out on our travels today,’ the man said, raising his eyebrows.

  ‘That sounds pretty bad on the scale of crimes here,’ Sachin said.

  ‘People pay big money for rare species,’ Curtis said. ‘It happens in Australia all the time. Not long ago they caught some gang in Sydney who were smuggling birds and lizards and even deadly snakes hidden in hollowed out hardback books. Half of them don’t survive the journey. It’s so cruel.’

  ‘What about in the US, where you can get a permit to keep tigers and other big cats? It should be banned,’ Carlos said. ‘I can understand the need for zoos – especially when they have breeding programs to help build up numbers – but still . . .’

  ‘Speaking of zoos,’ Mr Nutting said, having just read their itinerary for the day. ‘You’ll get to have a look for yourselves later. There’s a reception there tonight for all of the contestants and their chaperones. You’ll get a chance to do the River Safari before a barbecue dinner.’

  The organisers of the World STEM Championships had arranged a number of events for participants. Tomorrow night they were having a party at a private residence of one of the patrons of the Science Council and then on Wednesday there was a celebratory dinner at the ArtScience Museum following the competition.

  The boys arrived downstairs and spotted several of the girls occupying a long table that had been set up for the group in the far corner of the restaurant. Mrs Vanden Boom was already there, directing the children to the buffet while Mr Reffell had his nose in a guidebook. There was no sign of the MacGregors.

  ‘Good morning, all,’ Romilly said with a smile. She wondered if their illustrious history teacher was channelling anyone important today, dressed as he was in a taupe-coloured safari suit. She hoped he didn’t have a matching pith helmet – though she certainly wouldn’t have been surprised, given the man’s penchant for character dressing.

  Romilly was feeling much improved, having had a good night’s sleep, and decided that she wasn’t going to worry about Magoo and Tippie. They could do their own thing as far as she was concerned. She had enough help with Gordon and Monty and the children were an easy group. None of this lot was going to give her any cause for concern – especially not somewhere as safe as Singapore.

  She’d contemplated whether the team should be spending the day doing some practice for tomorrow’s event, but the children had worked so hard in the lead up to the Nationals, and without all of the equipment they had access to in the lab at school there really wasn’t much to be gained. She wanted them to have some fun and see some of Singapore – they weren’t going to be there for long and once the contest started it would be very busy. Singapore’s small size meant that it was possible to see a lot of sights in one day. Romilly had decided it would be easiest to take one of the red hop-on-hop-off buses to explore the city and downtown in the morning – they could spend a little bit of time at the destinations they desired and just take some pictures of the places they weren’t as keen on. Then they’d head back to the hotel for a rest in the afternoon before the organised event at the zoo in the evening.

  She hadn’t told the children what they’d be doing on Thursday, their free day after the competition, but, all things going to plan, she’d decided a day on Sentosa Island would be a just reward for their efforts. It offered beaches and a water park, among numerous other attractions, that would keep the team entertained. Her goal was to tire the children out before their long flight home and ensure that the trip finished on a high. They weren’t scheduled to fly until 11 pm so there was more than a full day to fill in.

  Romilly was keen for the children to get a good breakfast before they set off. In her experience they were always hungry and she really didn’t want to be stopping for snacks every five minutes. ‘Eat up, children. The buffet is spectacular,’ the woman said.

  ‘Yes, I can highly recommend the omelette station,’ Mr Reffell enthused. ‘I tried a little bit of sea urchin in mine – it was delicious.’

  ‘Gross,’ Alfie poked out his tongue. The boy had reneged on his vow to eat adventurously and was making a beeline for the pancakes.

  Kensy and Autumn filled their plates with a delicious selection of fruit and pastries and sat at the end of the table. There was still a distance between them. Neither girl had said anything more about their altercation the previous day, though Kensy knew she couldn’t let things go for too much longer. There was a strange feeling in her tummy and it wasn’t just the change of location. Max, Curtis and Carlos sat down in the chairs opposite.

  ‘There’s that article I was telling you about, boys.’ Gordon Nutting dropped a copy of The Straits Times beside Curtis. The poaching was front-page news, with pictures of the missing birds and some of the staff from the park.

  Carlos glanced over and did a double take. He asked Curtis to pass him the paper so he could take a closer look.

  ‘Hey, Autumn, does your dad have a twin?’ he asked, holding the page up for her.

  Autumn shook her head. ‘No, why?’

  ‘Um, this guy here,’ he pointed. ‘Apart from the fact that he’s bald, he looks just like your dad, don’t you think?’

  Kensy glanced at the picture and then at her friend.

  ‘He looks nothing like my dad,’ Autumn said, rolling her eyes.

  Kensy frowned. Carlos was right that there was something familiar about the man.

  ‘It says he’s the general manager of the bird park. Maybe you’ve got some long-lost uncle,’ Carlos quipped.

  ‘I can assure you, I don’t,’ Autumn retorted.

  But Kensy saw the strange look on her friend’s face and sensed that Autumn didn’t believe a word that had just come out of her own mouth. Something was up, and Kensy was more determined than ever to find out exactly what it was.

  The red bus tour, yellow line, would take the group down Orchard Road past miles of glitzy shopping centres, the historic Raffles hotel and all the way to the Singapore Flyer – the huge ferris wheel on the water’s edge.

  The tourists who didn’t speak English simply used their headsets to listen to the regular tour, while the driver and Mr Reffell had struck up an instant rapport, both being history buffs. The latter had even taken over the driver’s commentary, and was regaling the passengers with a potted history of Singapore. Most of the tourists seemed delighted, as he was providing all manner of odd titbits that weren’t part of the usual narrative.

  ‘See the lovely Anderson Bridge over there? When the Japanese occupied the island during the Second World War it was used for rather macabre purposes, displaying the severed heads of spies as a clear warning from their enemies. Just ghastly,’ Mr Reffell said without a hint of irony.

  Kensy blanched, thinking about Sidney and where he could be.

  ‘Perhaps you could tone down the gory facts, please, Monty.’ Romilly raised her left eyebrow.

  ‘Oh yes, of course,’ the man said with a grimace, realising such facts probably weren’t the most appropriate information to share.

  There was some debate about a ride on the Singapore Flyer, but the driver talked them out of it, saying that the Gardens by the Bay were a better option on their limited schedule. Though not everyone agreed, with groans of disappointment from several students who would have much preferred a lazy rotation on the giant ferris wheel to schlepping about in the hot sun.

  Located at the rear of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel, the Gardens by the Bay consisted of several precincts – mostly outside – and was spread over 250 acres.

  ‘That sounds like a lot of walking to me,’ Carlos complained when Mr Reffell guided them through the gates and began spruiking what he knew.

  Romilly had been surprised to see the MacGregors standing at the front entrance. She’d left a message for them at the hotel reception and they’d caught a taxi downtown to meet the group.

  ‘I think we’ll head to the orchids first,’ Romilly said. Her words were met by a volley of groans.

  ‘Oh, come on, Rom – I think the children would much prefer to take a look at the Supertree Observatory. There’s a treetop walkway too.’ Magoo pointed at the strange-looking metal trees that dotted the park.

  His suggestion was met with a chorus of yeses. At least they got to climb something.

  ‘Why don’t you go and take a look at the orchids if that’s what you really want to see,’ Magoo suggested, but Romilly shook her head. She wasn’t going to let him take the children to all the fun things and be known as Mrs Boring.

  There were several other groups of children wandering about – some in uniform, which made the students from Central London Free glad they hadn’t been made to wear theirs. Lots of the kids smiled and waved, but one party, identified by the Finnish flags on their backpacks, was intently focused. An especially tall boy was watching his team and eyeing the onlookers with a smug grin. It looked as if they’d brought crates of construction materials into the gardens with them and they were now involved in some sort of challenge to build miniature versions of the supertrees and balance weights on their branches.

  ‘Is that one of the activities we’re going to have to do?’ Alfie asked.

  Romilly had been wondering the same thing. She hadn’t received any information pre-empting their tasks. She hoped she hadn’t missed anything. It had been a very hectic few days getting everything organised in time.

  ‘No, I’m sure they’re just doing their own training,’ the woman replied.

  ‘We are training because we will be the winners,’ the tall boy said loudly.

  A few of the students from Central London Free muttered that perhaps they should have been working on their skills instead of sightseeing, but Mr MacGregor assured the children that no one would have a head start and they’d only find out their tasks during the competition. Besides it was far too hot to be undertaking challenges outside. Carlos rolled his eyes at the kid and thought he had a very high opinion of himself.

  While the teachers would happily have roamed the gardens for hours, the children were soon over it. The heat and humidity were making everyone a little tetchy and Romilly decided it was time to get back on the bus, which wound its way uptown past a mix of historic buildings and sights, including the famous Merlion – a mythical creature with a lion’s head and a mermaid’s body. Standing proudly on the edge of the river, it was a symbol of the city.

  Unfortunately, the new bus was different to the one they’d taken earlier and this driver wasn’t remotely interested in Monty’s history lessons, telling the man in no uncertain terms that if he touched the microphone again he’d have to leave the vehicle.

  They passed the area known as Boat Quay and the beautiful old St Andrew’s Cathedral before Mrs Vanden Boom decided they would alight at Clarke Quay, on the edge of the Singapore River. The area housed a huge variety of restaurants and shops in restored warehouses, all painted in pretty gelato colours. The Asian Civilisations Museum was nearby too. The children voted unanimously not to visit, much to Monty’s disappointment.

  ‘I’m hungry,’ Alfie whined.

  ‘You’re always hungry,’ Romilly shook her head.

  ‘I am too, Alfie,’ Gordon Nutting said with a nod. ‘It’s got to be nearing lunchtime.’

  Romilly had hoped they’d make it to the Botanic Gardens first, but it was almost midday and she had to confess her own stomach was grumbling a little too.

  ‘I need to find a restaurant that won’t break the bank,’ the woman said. ‘Mr Nutting, perhaps you’d like to assist me on that mission and, Mr Reffell, you can wander with the children.’

  Monty wrinkled his nose, having already plotted his escape to the museum. There were some Chinese ceramics he was desperate to see.

  ‘What would you like Mrs MacGregor and me to do?’ Magoo asked.

  Romilly was surprised by the question. ‘That’s up to you. Perhaps you’d like to help Mr Reffell.’

  Tippie shook her head. ‘Actually, Magoo, I really wanted to have a quick look at the Asian Civilisations Museum if we could. I’ve heard there’s a lovely new porcelain exhibit.’

  ‘I could accompany you, Mrs MacGregor,’ Monty Reffell offered. ‘And Mr MacGregor could keep an eye on the children.’

  ‘No, it’s fine. I’ll go with Tippie. The children need you,’ Magoo replied, much to Monty’s disappointment.

  Kensy glanced at her brother and raised her brows. The MacGregors were supposed to be there to keep an eye on them, but it was clear the couple had other ideas. Max grinned back at her, obviously on the same wavelength.

  Romilly gathered the children around her and pointed out the area they were allowed to roam freely until she found a lunch spot. ‘We’re going to meet back here in forty-five minutes, so that’s plenty of time to explore and do some shopping. Do remember that whatever you buy you have to carry, and we’ve still got another stop at the Botanic Gardens after lunch.’

  ‘Not more gardens,’ Sachin mumbled.

  ‘Yes, more gardens,’ Mr Reffell said. ‘And just wait until you see the splendid houses on Nassim Road en route. The old Singapore black and whites are really something to behold. Not to mention the beautiful shop-houses on Emerald Hill Road. I must see if we can take a walk later – we were almost there last night.’

  ‘Seriously,’ Carlos whispered. ‘Reff needs to remember who his audience is – we’re kids, not old-age pensioners. I’m glad the competition starts tomorrow. I don’t think I could take another day of orchids and architecture.’