The Case of the Vanished Sea Dragon by Gareth P. Jones Page B

‘You experiment on animals.’
    â€˜Everyone experiments on animals,’ said the billionaire dismissively. ‘When NASA sends an astronaut into space or when a country sends a soldier off to war. When a politician tries out a new policy or a teacher tries a new lesson on his class. These are all animalexperiments. Only, the animal is man. Why should our furry friends be excluded just because they can’t sign a piece of paper?’
    â€˜I don’t care how cleverly you say it, you’re still hurting animals.’
    â€˜You’re too young to understand,’ said Mr Buchanan dismissively. ‘Now, I need to check that you haven’t taken anything from my laboratory. Empty your pockets.’
    Holly did so, hoping he wouldn’t notice the bulge in her coat pocket made by the book Mrs Klingerflim had given her.
    â€˜What’s that?’ he asked.
    â€˜It’s just a book,’ she replied casually.
    â€˜May I see it?’
    â€˜No.’
    â€˜Holly Bigsby,’ boomed her father, finally breaking his silence. ‘You have trespassed on Mr Buchanan’s property, you have insulted him. I can’t begin to tell you how … how disappointed I am in you. Do as you are told.’
    Holly pulled out the book and handed it to Mr Buchanan across the desk. ‘It’s just a stupid book about dragons, anyway,’ she muttered under her breath.
    He took it, but his gaze remained on her open palm.
    â€˜Your hand has healed remarkably quickly,’ he said.
    â€˜It wasn’t that bad after all,’ replied Holly, whipping it away quickly.
    â€˜Once again, I am sorry, Brant,’ said Mr Bigsby.
    â€˜Not at all, Malcolm. Weaver will drive you back.’
    Buchanan pressed a button and spoke through the intercom. ‘Weaver, prepare the car, Mr Bigsby and his daughter will be exiting through the back door.’
    â€˜Can I have my book back?’ said Holly, trying to sound casual, not wanting them to know how important it was.
    â€˜You’ll get your book back when you’ve learnt your lesson,’ replied her father.
    â€˜I’ll hang on to it if you like, Malcolm,’ offered Mr Buchanan, ‘I’ve always had a soft spot for mythical creatures.’
    He slipped it into the top drawer of his desk.
    â€˜Thank you,’ said Mr Bigsby.
    As the desk was made entirely of glass, Holly could see it easily enough but Buchanan locked the drawer and her dad took her hand and led her out of the room. She felt bad. She had promised Mrs Klingerflim she would look after it and now it had been confiscated.

Chapter Seventeen

    Archie felt himself picked up by the armpits and hauled to the end of the alleyway. He looked up to see a man in a collarless grey suit, with jet-black hair that looked as though it had been sprayed on. The man must have moved very quickly and quietly to have snuck up on him like that without being heard.
    Archie had been leaning against the wall outside the door, just out of sight of the camera, listening to the angry animal activists shouting slogans, eating jelly beans straight from his pocket, wondering how Holly was getting on.
    Now he had got to know her he felt bad about all the horrible things he had said to her over the pastfew months. He had started calling her names because she was new and it made his friends laugh, and Archie lived to make people laugh. Holly seemed so immune to his teasing, that he thought it didn’t bother her that much. If he had succeeded in following her home straight away he would probably have lost interest but, every time she lost him, it became more of a challenge.
    â€˜Oi, you can’t go picking up people and moving them,’ protested Archie.
    The man didn’t respond. He had his back to Archie, blocking the way to the alleyway.
    The door opened and Holly appeared with her dad behind her. The grey man marched towards them. ‘Mr Bigsby,’ he said,