Operation Eiffel Tower Read Online Free Page A

tunelessly.
    Eventually, a long while later, he fell asleep.

Chapter 7
    The next morning, when Jack got up, Ruby was waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs. She was rocking a pink toy pram back and forth. Occasionally she shoved so hard that the pram teetered on its side.
    It was a good job the doll was reined in so tight, Jack thought.
    ‘Jack!’ she said.
    ‘Ruby,’ he said.
    ‘I’ve got something to show you. Look!’ Ruby held out a piece of paper.
    Jack looked.
    The paper was about the same size as a banknote. Ruby had coloured it pink and purple, with a lady’s head on one side. With a blue felt-tip she had drawn the number ‘20’. Jack flipped the paper over. On the other side was a drawing of a man with folds of curly hair. Ruby had copied the £20 note from Mum’s purse.
    ‘Why have you drawn a twenty-pound note?’ he asked.
    ‘It is a twenty-pound note! We can put it in the Paris fund. To make Mum and Dad happy.’
    ‘Is it meant to be a forgery?’
    ‘What’s a forgery?’ Ruby asked.
    ‘A copy.’ Jack grinned. Ruby really was trying very hard. ‘But this won’t fool anyone,’ he said.
    ‘Yes, yes it will,’ Ruby said. ‘I spent ages colouring it in!’ She stamped her foot and the pram shuddered at her side.
    ‘No, Ruby, it won’t. It’s a lovely picture, but it just won’t work.’
    ‘How do you know? You don’t know, do you?’ Ruby’s eyes were glistening with tears of anger.
    Jack hated it when anyone cried. ‘OK, listen. How about we go to the corner shop and try to buy something with it? If it works, then you can make more. If it doesn’t, then we’ll know.’
    ‘Yes, OK,’ Ruby said. ‘Come on.’
    Ruby led the way. The shop was just a few doors down. Jack had been in there about a million times – but never with a forged note. As he walked, his skin began to feel a bit prickly. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. What if Mrs Khalid called the police? What if they went to prison? Mum and Dad would be properly furious then. They’d probably blame each other and row all night long.
    By the time they reached the shop, Jack felt as though his heart was pounding in his throat.
    Ruby hoisted the pram up the step and through the door. Jack followed slowly. It was cool inside. Rows of shelves stretched off towards the back, each one piled high with tins and packets and boxes. There was a freezer near the front with ice creams in it, and next to that a shelf full of magazines and newspapers. The shop always smelled of bread and floor cleaner, even though it wasn’t a bakery.
    Mrs Khalid was crouching in the centre aisle. She was taking tins out of a cardboard box, stamping them with the price gun and then lining them up on the shelf. She smiled as Jack and Ruby came in. Her smile made Jack feel instantly worse.
    ‘Hello!’ Ruby beamed at Mrs Khalid.
    ‘Morning, Ruby,’ Mrs Khalid said. ‘Taking baby for a walk?’
    Ruby nodded seriously. ‘She needs the fresh air. It’s not good for a baby to be cooped up all day.’
    Mrs Khalid chuckled. ‘Is that so?’
    ‘Can I have a go on the price thingy?’ Ruby asked, leaving the pram near the front of the shop.
    ‘Certainly. Here, put the price on these.’ Mrs Khalid held out a tin. ‘It’s Polish. For our new Polish section. It’s cabbage, I think. I will be cooking it for my old parents, perhaps with a bit of cumin for flavour. It will make a nice change for them, don’t you think? It’s one pound twenty-nine. See? It’s all set up – just squeeze the trigger and there’s the label.’
    Jack felt his face flush. He liked Mrs Khalid and now they were trying to pass dodgy money off on her. He swallowed and his throat felt dry.
    Ruby squeezed the gun and laughed as the label shot out. She slapped it on the tin. It looked crooked from where Jack stood, but Ruby seemed happy as she put it on the shelf.
    Mrs Khalid stood up and grinned. ‘Now, what can I get for you two today?’
    Ruby paused.
    Jack frowned.