Riddle Gully Secrets by Jen Banyard

a slapping sound and a gruff
ouch!
    â€˜It’s gone now,’ said a twangy voice.
    â€˜I never could stand bugs!’
    â€˜Listen, Curly-honey, it’s been a long day and the map says we have to be close.’
    â€˜I reckon we’re just about there, Pooky-doll.’
    â€˜I could kill a gin fizz and a bubble bath. Let’s come back tomorrow, nice and fresh. We’ll get through the last of this rock my way. An itty bitty stick of gelignite is all it’ll take.’

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
    Pollo, Will, Ash and Dan scrambled out of the Wallaby Cave onto the hillside. A breeze was now ruffling the treetops below and the sun had eased a little.
    Ash sniffed deeply. ‘I never thought fresh air could smell so good.’
    Pollo flapped her muddy clothes from her body. ‘I never thought sunshine could feel this good.’
    Will grabbed his backpack from under the ti-tree and rifled hopefully through its pockets. ‘I never thought I could be this hungry.’
    â€˜Who were those people down there?’ said Dan, hastily changing the subject. ‘Isn’t gelignite for blowing things up?’
    â€˜You got it,’ said Pollo .
    â€˜I hope they know what they’re doing,’ said Dan.
    Pollo snorted. ‘From the way they talked, not likely.
    â€˜Lucky we heard them before they heard us,’ said Will. ‘I guess this puts the kybosh on going back down there.’
    â€˜How did they get in?’ murmured Ash. ‘They didn’t come the same route as us. We’d have seen their tracks in that fine dirt.’
    â€˜A cave with two entrances?’ suggested Will.
    â€˜Two entrances and an old strongbox in between!’ said Pollo. ‘Will, that thing the mayor said yesterday about great riches lying in what history overlooks …’
    â€˜His new family motto!’ laughed Will.
    â€˜That’s the one – I’m thinking the strongbox could have something to do with that. It might explain why that dodgy-looking couple have come to Riddle Gully. Do you think it was them?’
    â€˜They sounded about the right age,’ said Will. ‘Older than us; younger than our parents.’
    â€˜They were calling each other weird names,’ said Dan.
    â€˜It’s Curly and Pooky,’ said Ash. ‘They’re the two who disturbed me at my favourite rock this morning. They didn’t mention gelignite then, though.’
    â€˜What did they look like, Ash?’ asked Pollo.
    Ash considered. ‘Curly’s big like a bear and hiswristwatch is huge. They have expensive-looking jewellery like you see in magazines. Pooky is blonde and has a pretty scarf.’
    Pollo’s eyes sparkled. ‘It
is
them! Mayor Bullock’s friends!’ She sat on a rock. ‘I knew they didn’t smell right.’
    â€˜Just what I thought this morning,’ said Ash. ‘Curly wore far too much aftershave. It gave me the sneezes. I only just got away before letting fly. I tried to sound like a whipbird.’
    â€˜Heck, that was brilliant!’ said Will. ‘Well, I mean … you know … cool thinking.’ He looked at the ground and blushed.
    â€˜Mayor Bullock’s no saint,’ said Pollo, ‘but I’m surprised he’s getting mixed up with explosives.’
    â€˜He might not know,’ said Will. ‘I mean, for him it wouldn’t make sense to blow things up – there wouldn’t be much left of the strongbox when they’d finished.’
    â€˜Perhaps Curly and Pooky don’t know just how close they are,’ said Ash.
    â€˜True,’ said Pollo. ‘Did you notice anything else, Ash?’
    â€˜Of course,’ said Ash calmly. ‘They were excited … like on Christmas morning when you’re going to open presents. And they had an old map – photocopied pages taped together. Curly was pleased because there was arock on the map named after a car, and he