The Case of the Vanished Sea Dragon Read Online Free Page A

splash of blood.
    â€˜Does it hurt?’ Mr Buchanan asked Holly.
    â€˜A little, yes,’ she replied.
    â€˜Pain helps us understand our limits. Only by experiencing such extremes can we learn more about ourselves.’
    â€˜Is that why you hurt innocent animals?’ said Holly angrily.
    Mr Buchanan smiled and picked up Willow, who was purring by his feet. ‘I believe animals are far more intelligent than we give them credit for,’ he said. ‘See your cat, for instance. She didn’t cut herself on the broken glass.’
    â€˜Holly, follow me to the kitchen,’ said Big Hair. ‘Mind you don’t drip on the floor on the way. And apologise to Mr Buchanan.’
    â€˜There’s no need,’ said the billionaire. ‘I require a moment alone with your husband anyway.’
    In the kitchen, Big Hair found the first-aid kit and bound Holly’s hand roughly. The cut was bleeding quite a lot and any responsible parent would have rushed her straight to hospital but, for once, Holly was glad of the neglect, knowing that the wound would heal in her sleep. Self-healing skin was another of the dragon powers she had gained from Dirk’s green blood.
    â€˜Now, stay out of trouble,’ said Big Hair. ‘This could make a big difference to us.’
    â€˜Dad shouldn’t work for a man who hurts animals,’ said Holly stubbornly.
    â€˜Your father needs to work,’ she replied.
    Big Hair busied herself in the kitchen. Holly went into the hall. She could hear the low murmuring from the front room. She wondered what they were talking about.
    Still holding Willow in her arms she crept back to the door and, ever so gently, eased it open. She dropped Willow, who trotted into the room.
    Using the door as cover, Holly slid in after her,pushed herself against the wall and vanished from sight, turning exactly the same floral pattern as the wallpaper.
    Dad shut the door and joined Mr Buchanan at the table.
    â€˜It’s just the cat,’ he said.
    â€˜She’s persistent, I’ll give her that,’ said Mr Buchanan, feeding a mini fishcake to Willow. ‘What’s her name?’
    â€˜Err …’ Her dad thought for a moment. ‘Pillow? Something like that. She’s my daughter’s really. It’s company for her, you know.’
    â€˜Children need company,’ replied Mr Buchanan, scooping up Willow and carrying her to the door. ‘She’s very strong-willed, isn’t she?’
    â€˜The cat?’
    â€˜Your daughter.’
    â€˜Oh yes. She takes after her mother.’
    Holly concentrated hard on remaining still. She had never heard her dad say this before. As Mr Buchanan opened the door to let Willow out, his eyes flickered to the patch of wall where she was hiding. She closed her eyes. She heard him drop Willow in the hall and shut the door again.
    â€˜Anyway, back to the matter in hand,’ said Mr Buchanan.
    Holly opened one eye to see him walk back across the room, but he didn’t sit down. Instead he put his palms outstretched on the table and leant over her father.
    â€˜Can you help me, Malcolm?’ he said, fixing him with a firm gaze.
    â€˜I’m sorry. I honestly can’t see how I can. I lost my job. The other lot deal with it now.’
    â€˜Yes, but we both know how these things work. Little will have changed. They haven’t scrapped the AOG project. All I need is the location.’
    Holly felt her heartbeat quicken. The AOG project was a secret government scheme. AOG stood for Acts of God and referred to weapons designed to create natural disasters. She knew this because she had helped Dirk Dilly stop a rebel group of dragons known as the Kinghorns from using an earthquake creator called the QC3000 from being stolen and used to wipe out half of Europe.
    â€˜No one will get hurt?’ asked her dad nervously.
    â€˜Not one person,’ replied Mr Buchanan.
    â€˜And my future will be