Charlie Bone and the Blue Boa. Jenny Nimmo

Чтение книги онлайн.

      An owl swooped over the roof of number nine Filbert Street. It hovered above a running mouse and then perched on a branch beside Charlie Bone’s window. The owl hooted, but Charlie slept on.

      Across the road, at number twelve, Benjamin Brown was already awake. He opened his curtains to look at the owl and saw three figures emerge from the door of number nine. In the pale street light their faces were a blur of shadows, but Benjamin would have known them anywhere. They were Charlie Bone’s great-aunts, Lucretia, Eustacia and Venetia Yewbeam. As the three women tiptoed furtively down the steps, one of them suddenly looked up at Benjamin. He shrank behind the curtain and watched them hurry away up the road. They wore black hooded coats and their heads tilted towards each other like conspirators.

      It was half past four in the morning. Why were the Yewbeam sisters out so early? Had they been in Charlie’s house all night? They’ve been hatching some nasty plot, thought Benjamin.

      If only Charlie hadn’t inherited such a strange talent. And if only his great-aunts hadn’t got to know about it, perhaps he’d have been safe. But when your ancestor is a magician and a king, your relations are bound to expect something of you. ‘Poor Charlie,’ Benjamin murmured.

      Benjamin’s big yellow dog, Runner Bean, whined sympathetically from the bed. Benjamin wondered if he’d guessed what was going to happen to him. Probably. Mr and Mrs Brown had spent the last two days cleaning the house and packing. Dogs always know something is up when people start packing.

      ‘Breakfast, Benjamin!’ Mrs Brown called from the kitchen.

      Mr Brown could be heard singing in the shower.

      Benjamin and Runner Bean went downstairs. Three bowls of porridge sat on the kitchen table. Benjamin tucked in. His mother was frying sausages and tomatoes and he was glad to see that she hadn’t forgotten his dog. Runner Bean’s bowl was already full of chopped sausage.

      Mr Brown arrived still singing and still in his dressing- gown. Mrs Brown was already dressed. She wore a neat grey suit and her straight straw-coloured hair was cut very short. She wore no jewellery.

      Benjamin’s parents were private detectives and they tried to look as inconspicuous as possible. Sometimes, they wore a false moustache or a wig to disguise themselves. It was usually only Mr Brown who wore the false moustaches, but on one occasion (an occasion Benjamin would like to forget), Mrs Brown had also found it necessary to wear one.

      Benjamin’s mother swapped his now empty bowl for a full plate and said, ‘You’d better take Runner across to Charlie as soon as you’ve cleaned your teeth. We’ll be off in half an hour.’

      ‘Yes, Mum.’ Benjamin scoffed down the rest of his breakfast and ran back upstairs. He didn’t tell his mother that Charlie hadn’t actually agreed to look after Runner Bean.

      The Browns’ bathroom overlooked Filbert Street and while Benjamin was brushing his teeth, he saw a tall man in a long black coat walk down the steps of number nine. Benjamin stopped brushing and stared. What on earth was going on in Charlie’s house?

      The tall man was Paton Yewbeam, Charlie’s great-uncle. He was wearing dark glasses and carried a white stick. Benjamin assumed the dark glasses had something to do with Paton’s unfortunate talent for exploding lights. Paton never appeared in daylight, if he could help it, but this was an extraordinary time to be going out, even for him. He walked up to a midnight blue car, opened the boot and carefully placed the wand (for that’s what it was) right at the back.

      Before Benjamin had even rinsed his toothbrush, Charlie’s uncle had driven off. He went in the opposite direction to his sisters, Benjamin noted. This wasn’t surprising as Paton and his sisters were sworn enemies.

      ‘You’d better go over to Charlie’s,’ Mrs Brown called from the kitchen. Benjamin packed his pyjamas and toothbrush and went downstairs.

      Runner Bean’s tail hung dejectedly. His ears СКАЧАТЬ