Gargoylz Get Up to Mischief (8 page)

They zoomed off home.

Max burst through his back door into the kitchen and dropped his bag on the floor. There was someone at the table. He activated his spy radar: dark brown hair, red jumper, potato peeler in hand. It was Mrs Joanne Black, codename: Mum.

“I’m starving!” gasped Max, clutching his stomach. He grabbed a packet of biscuits, ran into the hall and made for the stairs. “Can I have one?” he yelled over his shoulder.

“You can have one and one only,” called Mum. “I don’t want you spoiling your dinner. And don’t leave your bag down here for me to fall over. Come back and take it up to your bedroom.”

Max had reached the top of the stairs. He looked at the packet of biscuits and sighed. He’d have to get his school bag or his mother would keep on nagging. With a clever spin, he was back down in the kitchen before she could say tidy up. He swung his bag over his shoulder, raced upstairs and flung it on the bed.

Then he sat on the floor, ready to eat his biscuit.

“Mum just doesn’t understand a boy’s stomach,” he groaned as he pulled out one chocolate digestive. “This will disappear into the empty void. I could eat the whole packet and still have room for dinner – except peas. There’d be no room for peas.”

“Greetingz!” came a voice from his bag. “What are peas?”

Max whipped round. Something was clambering out of his bag. His spy radar homed in: monkey face, pointy ears, cheeky smile. It was Toby, codename: Gargoyle Friend.

“Toby!” Max exclaimed. “Awesome. We can play all evening.”

“Is that a cookie?” asked the gargoyle, scrambling over and sniffing the packet.

“Yes,” said Max. “These are chocolate digestives. They’re delicious. Try one.”

He handed Toby the biscuits. Mum had said he could only have one. That didn’t mean Toby couldn’t have one as well.

Max finished his and dived under his bed. “I’ve got something to show you,” he called. At last he reappeared, empty-handed, his hair standing even more on end than usual. “Well, I will have when I find it. It’s my remote-control car. I thought it was under the bed but there are only spiders there.” He rummaged in a box of action figures, then threw all the shoes out of his wardrobe. He emptied a drawer onto a mountain of socks and underpants. “Got it!” he cried at last, holding out a shiny sports car. “You can have first go. You just switch it on and—”

He gawped. Toby’s monkey face was covered in chocolate and the empty biscuit packet was scrunched up in his paw. He was smiling blissfully.

“You’ve eaten the lot!” Max gasped. “Mum’ll think it was me. I’m going to be in big trouble.”

Toby looked worried. “Sorry, Max,” he said. “I couldn’t help myself. You were right. They’re delicious.”

Max jumped to his feet. “I’ve had a brainwave!” he said. “I’ll sneak the packet downstairs and put it in the cupboard. Hopefully, Mum will think my sister Jessica has eaten them all! Stay here. It won’t take me long to carry out my new secret mission.”

Agent Max Black crept down the stairs and along the hall. The television was on and he could see Enemy Agents Mum and Jessica watching it. They were no match for a superspy like him. He sneaked past unseen and opened the kitchen door, making sure that it didn’t creak. Then he skidded across to the cupboard. He reached up to put the empty packet back on the shelf.

“Max!” His mum was right behind him. He hadn’t heard her. She must be wearing her special Enemy Agent Stealth Slippers. “What are you doing?” She saw the empty packet in his hand. “Have you eaten all the biscuits?”

“No!” said Max truthfully. “I only had one like you said.”

“And I suppose the fairies had the rest,” sighed his mother. “You’d better eat all your dinner.”

“I will!”

“I’m giving you extra peas,” she went on. “Now go up to the bathroom and wash your hands before you eat.”

Max escaped.

He wasn’t going to bother to wash his hands. They weren’t that dirty. He’d only made one mud pie at lunch time. Instead he dashed up to see Toby again.

“I’ve got to have my dinner now,” he told him. “You must stay here until I get back. And no more trouble!”

“I’ll be good,” said Toby, looking around the room. “Lots for me to do.”

“Max!” shouted his mum. “Dinner’s on the table.”

Mum doled out the apple crumble and handed it round. Max poured custard over it and tucked in. It was his favourite pudding.

Plop!
A large drop of water splashed into his bowl. Then another.

Dad leaped to his feet. “We’ve got a leak!” he cried, pointing up at the ceiling, where a damp patch was spreading.

“Did you forget to turn the tap off, Max?” demanded Mum.

Max shook his head, but he had a nasty feeling he might know who did . . .

“Don’t worry,” he yelled as he charged down the hall. “I’ll see to it.”

He took the stairs two at a time and flung the bathroom door open. His jaw dropped in horror. The basin taps were full on and the plug was in. A bubbly pink waterfall was pouring all over the floor. Toby had discovered Jessica’s bubble bath. Max squelched across the room and turned the taps off.

“Toby!” he hissed.

There was no answer and no sign of his gargoyle friend.

“What have you been doing?” cried Mum. Max turned round. Mum and Dad were standing behind him, looking in horror at the flood.

“I didn’t do it!” exclaimed Max. “I didn’t even wash my hands!”

“You always try to wriggle out of it,” said Dad crossly as Mum threw towels down to soak up the water. “I’ve had enough of your pranks, Max. Go to your room. No more apple crumble and no TV tonight.”

Max thought about it. He was sorry not to be finishing his pudding but he had a much more important mission: Find Toby. Who knew what other mischief the gargoyle was going to get up to?

He rushed into his bedroom. He looked under his bed and in his cupboard and rummaged through the pile of underpants. No gargoylz.

“Time to find clues, Agent Black.” he said to himself.

He went back to the bathroom, tiptoeing in case his parents heard. No Toby there. But on the landing carpet he saw a line of small bubbly pawprints. “Excellent,” he muttered. “I have a lead.” The prints trailed across to Jessica’s room. He leaned over the banister and listened. His family
was
still eating crumble. The coast was clear. He followed the prints.