A Web of Lies Read online

  CONTENTS

  TITLE PAGE

  DEDICATION

  DOUBLE TROUBLE

  FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES

  KING OF THE SWINGERS

  THE GHOST VILLAGE

  BANDIT COUNTRY

  THE TREASURE TRAIL

  LOST IN THE JUNGLE

  OPEN SESAME

  BACK FROM THE DEAD

  CAUGHT IN A WEB

  EXTRACT FROM ‘A BRUSH WITH DANGER’

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  COPYRIGHT

  It was a fine spring morning when Wily Fox walked out of New York’s JFK airport and got into a yellow taxicab.

  “The Sheep residence, please,” he said to the driver.

  “You sure about that, buddy?” the taxi driver replied. “You know the old lady’s a recluse. She don’t open her door to nobody.”

  Wily smiled. “It’s OK. I’ve got someone on the inside.”

  The taxi driver shrugged and drove off. After a few minutes he glanced up at his rear-view mirror.

  “Hey, I know you,” he said.

  Wily grew tense. He didn’t like being recognized. As the world’s greatest detective, it was his job to stay in the shadows.

  “Yeah, you’re that Fox guy. I’ve seen your picture in the papers.”

  Wily thought about his recent cases. The fiendish forger and the perfume plot. Would they have been in the US press? There was that time when the president had lost her address book containing the names of every single American spy and Wily had helped her to find it. (It had been wedged under her desk to stop it wobbling.) But that had been top secret.

  “Yeah,” the taxi driver went on, “you’re that singer, Finlay Fox. Go on, give us a tune.”

  Wily relaxed. “Sorry, that’s not me, I’m afraid.”

  “Really?” said the taxi driver. “Well, you look just like him. He’s like your double. Or you’re his double.”

  Wily smiled. He didn’t believe in doubles. Everyone was unique – if you knew what to look for.

  Wily rapped hard on the large oak door of the Sheep residence. The building itself was old and grand, but it was gloomy, with cracked windows and ivy creeping up every wall. The young sheep who answered the door started talking before Wily even had a chance to introduce himself.

  “I don’t know how he’s done it. He’s the double of my brother!” she blurted out.

  “What? Who’s a double?” said Wily, confused.

  “Sorry – where are my manners,” said the sheep. “Come inside, and I’ll tell you everything.”

  Wily followed the sheep through a huge entrance hall, down a long corridor and into an enormous sitting room. There were cracks in the ceiling and the furniture looked old and threadbare.

  The sheep offered Wily a faded armchair.

  “I’ll start from the beginning,” she said, sitting down opposite him. “First of all, I’m Sally Sheep. I take it you received my email.”

  “Yes, I came right away. It sounded urgent,” said Wily.

  “It is urgent,” said Sally. “My grandmother – Sheila Sheep – is one of the wealthiest animals in America. My parents died when I was young and she brought me up, along with my twin brother, Simon.”

  Wily nodded. “I’ve done my homework.”

  “Of course,” said Sally. “So you’ll also know that two years ago, my brother left home to go on a scientific trip to Peru. He went to the Amazon to study the nine-legged tree spider, one of the rarest creatures in the world. But here’s something you won’t know. Two months ago, we lost all contact with him. There were no phone calls, no emails, nothing. For the first few weeks, we assumed he was ill and that’s why he couldn’t write. Another month passed, and we started to panic. We were about to contact the US embassy in Peru when…”

  “He called you?” asked Wily.

  “He came back,” said Sally. “Only it’s not him. It’s an impostor.”

  “Right,” said Wily. “Then why did you let him in?”

  “I didn’t,” said Sally. “The butler did. And he took him straight to my grandmother’s room. She’s very old. Very sick. She hasn’t been outside for more than a decade. And she always adored Simon. So she wants to believe it’s him. It looks just like him, but I know it isn’t.”

  “What makes you so sure?” asked Wily.

  “He’s my twin,” said Sally. “We’ve always been able to read each other’s minds.

  But from this animal I get … nothing. That’s why I called you! I don’t want to confront him until we know what he’s done with my brother.”

  “But this sheep looks like Simon?” said Wily.

  “That’s the thing,” said Sally. “He’s the spitting image. He’s even wearing the watch that my grandmother gave him for his eighteenth birthday.”

  “Hmm,” said Wily, “the two sheep must have met, then. And the impostor must have stolen the watch. And he’s presumably come here because he wants your grandmother’s money.”

  “Of course,” huffed Sally, “but I don’t care about that. All I want to know is what he’s done with my brother. He’s alive – I can sense it! Find him, Mr Fox, before it’s too late.”

  “OK. Describe Simon to me. What are his distinguishing features?” said Wily.

  “He has a black patch of wool on his ear,” said Sally. “He’s allergic to nuts and he has a zig-zag scar on his left hand.”

  “That’s a good start,” said Wily. “And now I should meet this impostor. Is he here?”

  Sally shook her head. “He’s out shopping, spending money with my grandmother’s credit cards, no doubt. But it’s the Millionaire’s Ball tonight. He’ll be there, along with all the richest animals in New York.”

  “Can you get me an invite?” asked Wily.

  Sally nodded. “You can be my guest. Meet me in the lobby of the Empire State Building at eight p.m. sharp.”

  “I’ll be there,” said Wily. As he stood up, he added, “Mind if I have a look around on my way out?”

  “Go ahead,” said Sally, “but don’t go near my grandmother’s room. She can’t find out that I’ve hired you.”

  Wily thanked her and walked back towards the huge entrance hall. He glanced up the large staircase and saw a row of bedroom doors. He climbed the stairs.

  The first room he went in belonged to Sally. Wily glanced around and immediately noticed an unusual statue on her bedside table. It was a carved wooden monkey grinning from ear to ear.

  On the bottom was engraved:

  Wily put the statue down, but then he saw something glinting in the monkey’s eye. He tugged it with his finger and a tiny microphone attached to a wire came out.

  Looks like this monkey has bugs, Wily thought. Now why would Simon want to listen in on his sister’s conversations?

  He put the microphone in his pocket, glanced around the room again and left.

  Wily quickly searched the other rooms on the landing – two bathrooms, a guest bedroom and a small study – then he found what looked like Simon’s room.

  It was very tidy. A row of clean suits in the wardrobe, neatly folded shirts in the drawers. In the bedside table, Wily found Simon’s passport. Wily checked the watermark on the back cover. It was genuine. This meant one of two things: that the real Simon had returned and Sally was wrong. Or that his passport had been stolen from the real Simon, along with the watch.

  Wily looked at the mirror on the wall above Simon’s bed. He stared at his reflection and thought about the case.

  Let’s assume that Sally is right and that Simon is a crook, Wily said to himself. He’s conjured up a plan to get Sheila Sheep’s money. That explains why, but it doesn’t explain how. How has the fake Simon managed to make himself look exactly like the real Simon, so that passport officials and even his ow
n grandmother think he’s the real thing?

  Wily took a step closer. The mirror suddenly shattered with an ear-splitting crash. Glass splinters exploded across the room.

  Wily ducked and spun round as he heard the door shut. He dashed out on to the landing, but no one was there. He ran back into the room and looked at the space where the mirror had been. A poison dart was lodged in the wall and green liquid dripped from its tip.

  Wily grabbed the dart and carefully pulled it out.

  “Another gift from the Amazon,” he growled. “I wonder what Albert will make of this.”

  Albert Mole worked behind the scenes, helping Wily on all his cases. Whenever the detective needed a gadget or information, Albert was ready with it. This time Albert had set up their temporary headquarters in the Statue of Liberty’s torch. Right now he was sitting behind a desk, surrounded by computer screens, staring at the poison dart.

  “And you didn’t see who fired this?” he asked.

  Wily shook his head. “They left nothing. No footprints, no fingerprints.”

  “Well, it’s poison all right,” said Albert. “From the purple-bottomed tree frog. You only get them in a very small area of the Amazon.”

  “No one else knows I’m here,” said Wily, “which suggests Simon is a fake. The real Simon had no reason to kill me and then run away.”

  “True,” said Albert. “We need to take a closer look at him. Give me your phone.” Wily handed it over. “I’m transferring the latest face-mapping app on to your hard drive,” Albert explained. “And a DNA analyzer. Remember how to use them?”

  Wily nodded.

  “There – you’re good to go,” said Albert.

  Wily arrived at the Empire State Building dressed in his smartest suit. He could see Sally waiting in the lobby. She was wearing a bright red dress and extremely high heels.

  “Are you ready?” she asked.

  Wily nodded. They stepped into a lift and Sally pushed the button for the top floor.

  “What’s the plan?” she asked, as they rocketed upwards.

  Wily took out his phone.

  “You’re going to phone for help?” Sally asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “I’ve got a photo of your brother on here,” said Wily. “And tonight I’m going to take a photo of the impostor and run it against face-mapping technology. Find out if he’s the real deal.”

  “He isn’t. I’ve told you,” Sally protested.

  “We still need to prove it,” said Wily. “I also need this. Excuse me.”

  He leaned forwards, grabbed a strand of wool from Sally’s neck and pulled it out with a…

  “Er … ow?” said Sally, looking confused.

  Wily pushed it against the screen of his phone until he heard a beep.

  “As you’re his twin,” he explained, “your wool will be very similar to Simon’s. I just need to get some of his wool to compare it with.”

  The lift doors opened and Wily and Sally stepped out into a large ballroom. Wily was nearly blinded by the bright lights and shiny jewellery.

  Then a big woolly face appeared in front of them. “My darling sister!” it grinned. “I didn’t realize you were coming! Who’s your charming companion?”

  “Hello, Simon. This is Wily.”

  Wily couldn’t believe his eyes – the sheep really was the spitting image of Simon. Wily was expecting a good disguise, but this was uncanny. The eyes, the ears, the soft fleece, the scar on his hand – the impostor had become Simon.

  Wily had to think fast. “Pleased to meet you,” he said. “Mind if I take a photo of you and your beautiful sister?”

  “Go ahead,” said Simon. He put his arm round Sally as the detective snapped away. Then Wily pressed a button and a green bar passed across the screen of his phone. The name “Simon Sheep” appeared.

  The faces were an exact match.

  “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must mingle,” said Simon. “I haven’t seen most of these animals since I got back from Peru.”

  “Hang on, we’ve got a bit tangled,” said Wily. The button on his sleeve had got caught up with the wool on Simon’s arm.

  “Don’t worry, always happening. Time I had a shear,” said Simon with a smile. He pulled his arm free and sauntered off.

  Wily looked down and removed the coil of wool from under his button. He held the wool against his phone screen until he heard a beep. A message appeared:

  Wily turned to Sally, who was staring furiously at her brother as he drifted round the room, chatting to everyone.

  “I don’t understand it,” said Wily. “The DNA scan says it’s really him.”

  “B-but, it isn’t … it isn’t,” stammered Sally.

  “I believe you,” Wily said, “but how has he managed it? That’s the fascinating question. Don’t worry – I’ll find the answer.”

  Wily watched Simon for the rest of the evening, as the sheep chatted and danced and ate. Simon talked about his trip to the Amazon and the spiders he had been studying. He didn’t do or say anything suspicious.

  Wily moved on to the balcony to consider his next move. He could see Simon drinking orange juice and eating a sandwich.

  “Peanut butter! My favourite!” he heard the sheep exclaim.

  Wily looked down at the city far below. There were skyscrapers on all sides and, in the distance, the sea. Had the investigation reached a dead end? He needed to prove that Simon wasn’t Simon, but so far he couldn’t.

  However he knew one thing for certain. Animals with nothing to hide don’t try to kill you. And Simon – or someone close to him – had tried to shoot Wily with a poisoned dart.

  Then Wily’s eyebrows shot up with delight. “Peanut butter!” he cried out.

  He was about to turn round, when he felt a pair of strong hands on his back.

  They pushed him off the balcony and down he fell.

  As Wily plummeted from the top of the Empire State Building, he had time to reflect. Literally. In the windows of the skyscraper, he could see the reflection of a fox. A fox that looked shocked and scared.

  Come on, Wily, he said to himself, you need to save yourself. THINK!

  As he tumbled, every few milliseconds, his reflection vanished. Instead, he’d get a glimpse of desks and chairs. Which could mean only one thing – some of the windows were open.

  That gave Wily an idea. The next time his reflection vanished, he stuck out his arm. His paw found a ledge, but it slipped out of his grasp.

  A split second later, he tried again – and missed again.

  The ground was getting closer and closer. Wily had one more chance. Maybe.

  Windows and reflections … windows and reflections.

  Suddenly there was a gap. Wily did a kung-fu kick – as he stuck out his leg, his foot got tangled in an office blind. He was jerked upside down and left dangling ten floors up, staring at the ground below. Then Wily heard the blind crinkle and give way.

  He quickly flipped himself up, scrambled up the blind and hopped on to the window ledge.

  Wily found himself in an office bathroom. Opposite him was a sink and a mirror. In the mirror he could see his reflection again. Only this time it was grinning.

  Half an hour later, Wily was sitting in Albert’s HQ. He was still feeling a bit shaky after his near-death experience. He was staring at one of Albert’s computer screens, on a video call with a very cross sheep.

  “Where did you go?” asked Sally. “I’m that close to giving you the push.”

  “I think your so-called brother already did that,” said Wily. He quickly explained what had happened. “It was either him or someone working for him,” he said. “Though I can’t prove that right now. And I can’t prove he’s not Simon, either.”

  “I promise you he isn’t…” said Sally.

  “I know he isn’t,” said Wily. “You said he had a nut allergy.”

  “He does. We both do,” said Sally.

  “Well, I saw Simon eating a peanut butter sandwich earlier. He even said it
was his favourite. The impostor has changed his outside, but he hasn’t changed his inside.”

  “So that does prove it!” Sally exclaimed, looking excited.

  “It’s not enough by itself. We need more evidence. I’ve got to find your brother.”

  “But … but … he could be anywhere. Where are you going to start?”

  “Peru,” said Wily. “Where he was seen last. And as the fake Simon stole his passport, I suspect he’s still there.”

  “But that could take forever. Can’t you force this impostor to talk? Make him tell you where Simon is? They could be starving him, torturing him…”

  Wily shook his head. “If the impostor thinks we’re on to him, then he can just make one phone call and your brother is…” Wily trailed off, not wanting to scare Sally. “We have to tread carefully,” he finished.

  “This is terrible,” Sally said. “If we act too quickly, they may kill him. But if we act too slowly, he may die.”

  “The fake Simon won’t kill your brother unless he has to,” said Wily. “But you’re right – we have to act fast. Your brother is in the hands of a ruthless villain. So I must leave straight away.”

  “OK,” said Sally.

  “There’s just one thing I need you to do,” Wily said.

  “Name it,” said Sally.

  “Ask the fake Simon if he’s seen the fox you went to the ball with. Tell him I’ve vanished without trace. That way, the impostor will think he’s killed me. And he won’t follow me to Peru.”

  “OK.”

  “And from now on, don’t try to contact me. I found a bug in your room earlier…”

  “W-what?” Sally stammered, looking around. “Does that mean he can hear—”