Davina Dupree Puzzles a Pirate Read online

  Mrs Fairchild also gave us the grave news that after the Seven Sea’s police came to collect Mr Snap in their flashy speedboat last night, he confessed to everything, including taking the poor Duke of Westchester hostage so that he could come to Ni Island with us and put his nasty, money making plan into action. Apparently Mr Snap had been sneaking over to the island for years, buying Kapatoos from the pirates to breed and sell and building up his shady business without the Duke having any idea that this was going on on his island. But after running out of money to barter with, Mr Snap came up with the cunning plan to take us “rich kids” over so he could steal from us in order to pay the pirates. He got a job with the Duke of Westchester by pretending to be a butler after hearing the Duke’s old one had retired due to back problems, and it was him who robbed Lottie and Erica’s tent when we were out doing project work, he told the police that Mr Fossil was so engrossed in his hunt for Kapatoos that he didn’t notice Mr Snap slipping away for a while. Thankfully, Mr Snap’s foul plan failed at the last minute, which I think jolly well serves him right.com!

  The Superintendant who phoned Mrs Fairchild to give her the news, said Mr Snap had confessed to pushing the Duke into his own, well stocked pantry and locking the door the day before we were due to arrive, and that they were just on the way to let him out. Mrs Fairchild was very upset to hear this but said, ‘Oh well, at least he won’t have starved!’

  Mr Fossil, who has been practically living in Mr Snap’s old tent with Captain Bones so he can study the Kapatoo birds, has started writing up a report on them that he says he will submit to the National Geography Magazine, the most famous of its kind in the country. He’s hoping his report will trigger help from scientists and bird lovers, who, with any luck, will club together to research and look after these amazing birds so that they’ll never be treated badly again. He says they’re an endangered species, and need special care so that they don’t go extinct.

  Mrs Fairchild asked Captain Bones to lend each first year their own Kapatoo bird to care for until we leave the island on the 18th January. Arabella and I have ours in our tent with us at the moment and Thorny seems to rather like them. The good news is that as we can’t take Thorny off the island because Coniches are also an endangered species, Captain Bones has offered to take care of him after we leave and I know he’ll do a good job because he’s so kind to his birds. But for the next three days, Thorny can carry on living with us!

  The funniest thing happened when Arabella and I got back to our tent after the assembly. I noticed that the voicemail light on my waterproof mobile phone was flashing, so I immediately pressed the green button and listened to the message, wondering who on earth it could be. The voice of our extremely strict science teacher, Mrs Bunsen, blasted into my ear, saying:

  Good day Davina,

  I hope you are enjoying your school trip. I’m contacting each first year girl in Sapphires, Rubies and Emeralds to let them know about a science experiment we’ll be conducting in a fortnight’s time. I shall be leading all of you through a network of underground tunnels that stretch from the school’s cellars to Little Pineham’s beach, where the experiment will take place. Bertie the gardener tells me that the tunnels were dug by smugglers in the olden days, but that they haven’t been used for years. No doubt the weather will still be chilly then so please make sure you have suitable wellies and a rainproof hooded coat. I’ll be providing the safety goggles and anti-explosive aprons.

  See you soon,

  Mrs Bunsen

  Oh goody, Diary! Another adventure to look forward to...