Undercover Goose - book 6

Part 7 - Jump Starting

We sprinted across the road to Silverwood School with Dunc flying behind us. It was so cold the snow was squeaking under our boots and the wind made it seem even more frigid. Silverwood resembled a mediaeval castle complete with turrets, battlements and embrasure like windows. It had once been a public school but the student population had declined and the Ottawa District School Board had sold it to Dr Zhang. And, he had been persuaded to use the ground floor as a private school which he also financed.

I didn't know many students at Silverwood School. I had moved to Ottawa four months before, just long enough to make two friends, Licia Hu and Miguel Griego, and two enemies Clif Boswell, also known as Boz and his sidekick, Austin Healey, aka Ozzie. 

The school parking lot was deserted except for Dr Zhang's snow covered, old station wagon and a pickup truck clearing snow. We entered through the loading dock door and found Denny cleaning up his workshop. 

 'Strewth! You just missed the excitement . . . Wait a mo . . . why did you guys suddenly show up?'

'We saw Murga and the Bunglers come out of the school,' Licia said, 'and we were worried about you. What happened.'

'Well, I'm okay . . . thanks. The police were here asking about that abandoned bus on the 416 with its tires shot out. Oddly, they seem to think I might know something about it . . . I lied.  And then Murga walked in through the electric bookcase, cool as a cucumber. I was just about to blow my top when the blooming Bungler guys from the bus showed up. Because of the cops, they pretended they didn't know who I was, and I pretended I didn't recognize them. 

 Then, just when I was wondering what else could go wrong, Beryl arrives, with her pet goose and your dog.'

'Objection!' Dunc interjected. 'Ahm nobody's pet. Ah'm an undercover goose working for the Time Agency . . . and Ah'm Ziff's bodyguard.'

'I do apologize for the misunderstanding,' Denny said. 'I didn't know you could talk . . . Anyway, Beryl's Uzi went off and the Bunglers cell phones blew up. I threw them all out before they wrecked the place.  Hey . . . don't tell Lee Zhang about this. If His Supreme Modesty found out Murga was still using the electric bookcase, he would flip his wig.'

'You mean all that long hair is really a wig?' I asked.

Denny laughed, 'No. It is a figure of speech. His long hair and beard are part of his persona . . . Just be sure you don't tell him, eh?'

We left Denny sweeping glass into a dustpan and went outside where the pickup was pushing snow around the parking lot. It stopped in front of us and Jeremy rolled down the window. Jeremy was helping his uncle with alterations to the apartments, where I lived, while moonlighting with snow clearing contractors.

'Hey, Ziff. 'D'you know who owns that wreck, eh?' Jeremy waved toward Dr Zhang's station wagon, almost invisible under a mound of snow. 'My friend here, Shawn, got the plowing contract and it's in the way.'

'Be careful what you call a wreck,' I replied. 'That's Dr Zhang's favourite set of wheels.'

'Good. Would you get him to move it so we can get the job done?'

'Okay,' I said. 'Denny should have the keys.'

I ran back into the school and asked Denny to move Dr Zhang's wagon.

'I'm up to my blooming yin yang right now,' Denny sighed. 'I've been trying to find time to take it to the junk yard. Look, here's the keys and the vehicle permit. Lee Zhang's signed the vehicle transfer. Ask the plow driver if he would take it to the scrap yard on Richmond road. I already called them, so they are expecting someone to bring it in. They will pay him $150 for it.'

'Denny's busy right now,' I panted when I got back. 'But he says you could make $150 if you would take it to the scrap yard.' Shawn and Jeremy agreed so I gave them the keys and the vehicle permit.