Ghost of a Chance Read Online Free

and a largish Italian lady with a tired-looking face stepped out onto the pavement.
    ‘Well, well, you kids hungry?’ she beamed. ‘I’ve just turned the cookers on. Got some groups coming through later this morning.’ She winked at E.D. Gabby groaned as the others followed E.D. into the shop.
    ‘You can’t be serious,’ she whispered, shaking her head slowly and glaring at E.D.’s back.
    ‘Welcome to Intrepid Point,’ the woman said, ushering them all to seats by the counter. A man appeared at the doorway. ‘Angelo, can you check that I turned all the cookers on?’ she called. ‘It’s so nice to have visitors.’
    ‘Will do, Mira,’ he said, grinning and tying on an apron. He turned back to the kitchen.
    ‘You don’t often get tourists?’ Hannah asked.
    ‘Oh, we used to get a lot more of them, but the summer season is just starting. You’re the first we’ve seen for a while.’
    ‘It is a bit of an out of the way spot,’ Angus said, looking at the faded notices on the window.
    Mira sighed and sat down. Covering her mouth with a handkerchief, she started coughing. The children watched, amazed, as her face change from red to blue. She waved a handin the air as if to say not to worry. Just as Hannah was about to venture through the open doorway to find Mira’s husband, Mira’s coughing fit finally stopped.
    ‘Spiacente, sorry,’ she finally gasped, her eyes streaked with tears. ‘I’m not a very well person.’
    Angelo appeared at the doorway. ‘So what have you discovered about Intrepid Point so far?’ he asked.
    Mira started coughing again, leaning forward and gasping for breath. It took a few moments for the fit to pass.
    Finally Hannah spoke. ‘Well, I went down to the lighthouse this morning. And I also saw some small boats that might take us over to the island. It doesn’t look that far away.’ The room fell silent. Mira wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and sighed.
    ‘No, no,’ she said, finally. ‘You don’t want to be bothering yourself with those places.’ She shook her head. ‘Nothing good will come of it, nothing at all.’ She started rocking gently in her chair. Gabby frowned, suddenly feeling uncomfortable, and started to stand up.
    ‘Let’s get going,’ Ling said, also standing. ‘I didn’t tell Aunt Susie when we’d be returning.’
    ‘Yes,’ Mira said, struggling to her feet. Suddenly she looked even more tired. Her brief delight at hearing E.D. speak Italian had quickly vanished. Now she stood there, pale and stooped, leaning on the chair in front of her. ‘You all come back another time, okay? We’ll cook you up something yummy, yes?’ She held out a small fridge magnet to E.D.
    ‘Quello sarebbe piacevole, grazie,’ E.D. said, nodding. Gabby stared at him in wonder. She had no idea that he could speak Italian so well.
    An elderly man who was standing outside the small town hall on the other side of the road, gave the children a friendly wave. He had just set up a board on the sidewalk. ‘Intrepid Point Historical Society’ it read.
    ‘Let’s have a look,’ Ling said, turning left and heading across the road. ‘You never know what we’ll find.’
    ‘You girls can do that,’ E.D. said, gazing out onto the beach. A group of older kids appeared to be arguing with someone down near the boats. ‘Come on, Angus. Let’s go check out what’s going on down there.’ Gabby watched as the boys walked away and crossed through a vacant block.
    ‘I’ll go with them,’ she said. ‘Hey, Angus! Wait up.’
    ‘We’ll meet you back at Spray Cottage for lunch,’ Ling called. She hooked her arm in Hannah’s and walked over to the old building.
    ‘Nice to see some young’uns in the centre,’ the kindly old man said, as the two girls quietly entered the stale-smelling museum. The small space was filled with tables and bookshelves covered with old notes and artefacts. Ling smiled at him. ‘I imagine you’ll want to read about shipwrecks and buried