Pearlie the Spy Read online

  Contents

  1 The Ship Sails

  2 Alone

  3 Hazel’s Boyfriend

  4 The Beast

  5 Pearlie Makes Up Her Mind

  6 Spying on the Spy

  7 The Dress

  8 Pearlie’s Plan

  9 Catching a Spy

  10 Safe at Last

  I would like to thank Joe Sarib, Eric Lee, Norman Chin, Deborah Taylor and Rebecca French for all their help when I was researching ‘old’ Darwin. Also Alex Kersemakers from the Northern Territory Library.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or drawn from real-life events.

  The world is at war and it’s changing everything in Darwin. Pearlie’s best friend, Naoko, has been taken away and put in a prison camp because she’s Japanese. All Pearlie has left of her is their friendship scrapbook and Naoko’s tiny pet monkey, Tinto.

  Before Naoko left, she and Pearlie snuck into the house of a man called Mr Beake and photographed his equipment to prove he was a spy. While they were there, Pearlie dropped a bracelet with her name on it. Now Beake knows who she is . . .

  To make matters worse, Pearlie’s family is being evacuated and she’s had to leave her beloved animals with Old Man Lizard. But she can’t abandon Tinto. And when she is caught sneaking him onto the ship, she is forced to return back to shore where someone dangerous is waiting for her . . .

  ‘PEARLIE,’ the man said. He stepped towards her, holding up her bracelet and smiling nastily. His bright blue gaze cut through her like cold steel.

  Pearlie stumbled back. ‘It can’t be you,’ she breathed. ‘It can’t . . .’

  ‘So, you are the real Pearlie,’ Beake the spy said, narrowing his eyes. ‘Little girls shouldn’t lie to grown-ups, you know. That’s when they get punished.’

  Pearlie gasped. She wanted to run but it was as if her dress was made of lead. Beake reached for her and she told her legs to move, and at last they obeyed. But where could she run to? She couldn’t go to Old Man Lizard. He wouldn’t be strong enough to fight Beake. And if Beake found her there he might hurt her darling animals.

  So Pearlie spun on her heel and ran in the opposite direction. Away from Old Man Lizard’s shack, away from the ship and town, away from Mum and Dad.

  ‘Come back here you little wretch!’ she heard Beake yell.

  Pearlie darted through the bush. She had one hand holding onto Tinto in his pouch, making it hard to run fast. Behind her came the sound of Beake’s shoes pounding the ground. With each step he seemed to be getting closer and closer. I’ll never be able to beat him, she thought helplessly. And I’m running out of time to get back to the ship.

  She sped up at that thought, but it wasn’t enough. Beake lunged forward and grabbed her dress. Pearlie was swept off the ground, kicking and screaming.

  ‘I’m leaving on the ship,’ she yelled in desperation. ‘Mum and Dad are already on board. You’ll . . . you’ll never see me again, I promise. I won’t tell anyone. Please . . . let me go.’

  ‘I can’t risk that,’ Beake said, coldly. ‘You know too much.’

  Pearlie yelled as loudly as she could, ‘Help! Help me!’

  But Beake put his hand over her mouth and hauled her behind a thicket of bushes. Before she realised what was happening, his hands were around her throat and he was squeezing, tighter and tighter.

  Her breath. She couldn’t catch it. Her lungs felt like they were going to explode. Pearlie tore at his hands, trying to pull them away. Dark blotches floated in and out of her vision. The world was fading.

  Suddenly she felt instant relief. Beake’s grip loosened and she glimpsed him spinning away as if he’d been caught in a willy-willy.

  She collapsed to the ground, frantically gasping for air. It felt like she was breathing fire. She wheezed and swallowed and coughed.

  Gradually her breathing returned to normal and her lungs stopped burning.

  Pearlie looked around. Where was Beake? And where was Tinto? She could hear Tinto squealing and Beake screaming.

  ‘Please don’t hurt my monkey,’ she cried as she staggered to her feet and ran towards the commotion.

  Then she saw Beake stumbling through the scrub like a madman, his arms flailing about. Tinto was jumping all over him, biting and scratching the spy’s face and arms. Beake’s shirt was ripped and dirty and he seemed to have forgotten all about Pearlie. Soon he was cowering on the ground, his arms over his head saying, ‘Get it off me! Get it off me!’

  Now’s my chance, Pearlie thought. While Beake’s wounded and in pain, I might be able to get away.

  Pearlie whistled to Tinto, who gave Beake one more screech and jumped off. He scampered along the ground and leapt into Pearlie’s arms. Then Pearlie ran.

  She couldn’t hear Beake coming after her, but she could hear him yelling, ‘I’m going to get you, Pearlie Chan! I know where you live . . . I’ll find you . . . and your monkey.’

  His cries grew fainter and fainter until she’d left them far behind.

  Finally Pearlie stopped and leant against a tree. She hugged Tinto. ‘You saved my life again,’ she said, her voice raspy and hoarse. She hurt all over, especially her throat where Beake had tried to choke her, and bruises had already appeared on her arms and legs.

  Tinto put his head against Pearlie’s chest and snuggled in under her chin the way he always liked to be cuddled.

  ‘You’re a brave little man,’ she said, kissing the top of his head. ‘Now into the pouch you go. We still have to get to Old Man Lizard’s hut. And we have to go the long way around so we don’t meet up with Beake again.’

  Pearlie knew the area well. The fastest way was through the cemetery. And there’d be no time to stop for a chat once she got to Old Man Lizard’s house. She’d have to run like a wild goanna if she wanted to catch the ship before it left.

  Her heart stuttered at the thought. Imagine being left all alone. But of course that would never happen. Of course she would make it.

  She walked quickly, all the while talking to Tinto who sat cradled in her arms. ‘I’ll come back for you, I promise, Tinto,’ she said. ‘Then we’ll find Nao.’ She stroked the soft mane around his little face. ‘You’ll like living with Thomas Hardy. He might look and sound grumpy, but he’s really very nice. And you can play with Goliath. That’ll be fun, won’t it?’ Tears welled in Pearlie’s eyes at the thought of leaving her dear friend behind, but she brushed them away and quickened her pace.

  Pearlie made her way between the graves. The cemetery used to be a fun place where she and Nao often played. Today it smelled of death and loneliness.

  Titch picked up Pearlie’s scent before she could even see the shack and he began barking. When she appeared through the scrub he was wagging his tail.

  ‘Mr Hardy!’ she called when she was almost at the door. He wasn’t used to visitors and she didn’t want to alarm him.

  Old Man Lizard pulled back the heavy hessian cloth and stepped outside. Goliath appeared on one side of him, Rusty on the other. When they saw Pearlie they raced up to her and danced excitedly around her feet.

  ‘Hello, my darlings,’ she said, squatting down and giving them both a big hug. Rusty licked her face and Goliath jumped onto her lap.

  ‘Aren’t you meant to be on the ship?’ Thomas Hardy said.

  ‘I don’t have time to talk, Mr Hardy. I have to get back to the wharf. My mum and dad are waiting . . . I was trying to sneak Tinto on but I got caught. I have to leave him with you. Is that all right?’ Pearlie said, breathlessly.

  Old Man Lizard reached across and took Tinto from her. ‘You better hurry then,’ he said. His voice was urgent.

  Titch had begun barkin
g again. ‘Quiet down, Titch!’ he yelled.

  From behind the barking there came another sound, low and hollow.

  Pearlie looked at Thomas Hardy. Then she looked towards the wharf and her heart gave a lurch. She couldn’t see the ship from where she stood. What she could see was a plume of grey smoke, smoke from a ship’s funnel, rising above the trees.

  The low mournful sound of the ship’s horn came to her ears again.

  ‘Oh . . . no,’ she stuttered. Then she turned and ran, her breath sobbing in her throat. I’ll make it, I’ll make it, she breathed in time to each step.

  The harbour came into view through the trees. And then she saw it – the plume of smoke from the ship’s funnel moving slowly out to sea.

  ‘Wait!’ she screamed. ‘Please wait!’

  But it was too late.

  The Koolinda had sailed without her.

  THEY wouldn’t leave without me, Pearlie thought. They couldn’t. Mum and Dad would have gotten off the boat when they saw I wasn’t back. That’s what they would have done.

  She walked the dock from end to end as soldiers and husbands of the families who had gone on the ship slowly departed. She walked until the wharf was desolate and empty, until all that was left were a few seagulls and a stray black cat picking through old fish bones. Finally Pearlie realised with horror that Mum and Dad and Joey were on the boat.

  She looked through her tears out to sea. The ship was still in plain view. They’ll come back and get me. They have to come back.

  So she waited, hoping that it would turn around.

  But as the ship steamed towards the horizon, growing smaller and smaller, a wail came up from inside her.

  ‘Are you all right?’ Someone was at her side. Pearlie looked up. It was a sailor.

  ‘When will there be another?’ she sobbed in a daze.

  ‘Another?’

  ‘Boat,’ she said.

  ‘That’s the last,’ the sailor replied. ‘Hey, what are you still doing here? All women and children should’ve been on that ship.’

  ‘Please, sir, can you send a message so it’ll turn around and come back for me? My mum and dad forgot about me. I’ve got nobody left.’

  ‘Too late to turn the ship round, I’m afraid,’ the sailor said. ‘You better come with me.’ And with that he grabbed her arm.

  His rough hands suddenly reminded Pearlie of Beake. She pulled away, shaking her head. For all she knew, this man could be working with the spy. I can’t trust anyone, she thought. Only Old Man Lizard is my friend.

  ‘Leave me alone!’ she yelled at the sailor. Then she ran.

  When Old Man Lizard saw her coming, he didn’t say a word but stepped to one side to let her in.

  She sat down in the corner of the shack on a stool and held her head in her hands.

  ‘I’ll make you a herbal drink, something to calm you down,’ Thomas Hardy said and went outside to his vegetable garden to pick some plants.

  Tinto climbed onto her shoulder, trying to snuggle in under her chin. Goliath licked her hands, wagging his tail as if to say, ‘It’ll be all right, Pearlie. We’re here. We are your friends.’

  All the animals seemed to feel Pearlie’s sadness, even Santa. The cockatiel made loud squawking sounds as he sat on a special perch Old Man Lizard had made for him.

  The hut slowly filled with the scent of herbs. Thomas Hardy stirred a pot on the stove. He didn’t speak to Pearlie. She was glad. She didn’t want to talk. She touched her neck where Beake had tried to strangle her and winced from the pain.

  Old Man Lizard took a glass jar from the shelf and poured the pale amber liquid into it. He blew to cool it down and handed the jar to her.

  The tea was bitter, but he made her swallow it all, even the dregs at the bottom. She felt a wave of calm sweep through her, but despair sat in her stomach like a stone. ‘Why did Mum and Dad leave without me?’ she said at last, staring into the empty jar. The reflection of the flame from the kerosene lamp was dancing upon its surface.

  ‘They would have tried to get off, I’m sure of that,’ said Old Man Lizard. ‘But once they’re on board they wouldn’t have been allowed to . . . it’s government orders.’

  Pearlie looked at Old Man Lizard. ‘Oh, I wish I could send them a message to tell them I’m all right. They’ll be so worried.’

  ‘We’ll think of something,’ he said. ‘You can stay here for a bit until you get things sorted. I don’t have a bed, but you can sleep on the floor over there. I can give you one of my blankets.

  She thought of telling Old Man Lizard about Beake. But what could he do? He was too old to fight a spy. She looked at Rusty and Goliath curled up at her feet. No, I can’t let Beake know about my pets. I have to keep them safe and the only way to do that is by leaving.

  ‘Thank you, but I can stay with my friend in town,’ she lied.

  ‘Well, you know where I live,’ Old Man Lizard said.

  Pearlie nodded.

  They sat watching Tinto playing with Goliath. The little dog lay on his back while Tinto pounced on top of him. The herbal drink had chased away the sick feeling in her stomach and Pearlie began to feel better. She thought of places to hide – perhaps Nao’s or Reddy’s would be safe.

  Then she had an idea.

  Hazel! At the thought of her smiley face, Pearlie’s heart warmed instantly.

  ‘I better go, Mr Hardy,’ she said, picking up Tinto and putting him in his pouch. ‘Thanks for the tea.’

  Old Man Lizard held Goliath and Rusty while Pearlie strode to the door. ‘Come back if you need anything,’ he said.

  Pearlie went around to the back of the Don Hotel where Hazel had told her she rented a small room. She opened the back door and walked down the dark corridor.

  There were rooms on either side. Which one was Hazel’s? Pearlie wondered. She knocked on the first door and Hazel opened it. Her eyebrows shot up high.

  ‘What happened, honey? I thought you were leaving today,’ she said, surprised. ‘Wow! You look a right mess!’

  ‘I was too late,’ Pearlie said. ‘The boat . . .’ She swallowed the tears that threatened to come.

  ‘Oh, sweetie, you better come in.’ Hazel sat Pearlie down on the bed. She poured water from a jug into a washbasin, dipped a cloth into it and gently wiped away Pearlie’s tears.

  The room was small. A single bed was pushed up hard against the window. There was a dressing table with an oval mirror and a wardrobe crammed up next to it. Oh, peanuts, Pearlie thought. Will there be enough room for Tinto and me to stay?

  As Hazel washed Pearlie’s neck she stopped and looked closely. ‘What are these marks?’

  Pearlie took a deep breath. Then out came a storm of words. ‘A bad man tried to hurt me when I was taking Tinto to Old Man Lizard because the soldiers wouldn’t let him on board. Then the bad man chased me and tried to strangle me. I got away because Tinto bit him. That’s why I didn’t make it to the boat on time.’

  Hazel looked confused, but she touched Pearlie’s shoulder and said, ‘You missed the boat?’

  Pearlie nodded. ‘My mum and dad left without me and I don’t have anywhere to go.’

  ‘Don’t worry, hon,’ Hazel said. ‘Come down to the kitchen and I’ll fix you a Vegemite sandwich. When I’m upset about anything at all, that always does the trick. Puts energy right back in your bones.’

  Hazel led the way down the hall to the communal kitchen. She took half a loaf of bread out of a bread tin marked ‘Hazel’s Stuff’ and sliced two pieces, spreading each slice with a thin layer of Vegemite. ‘You know you can’t find Vegemite anywhere these days. The army’s bought up the whole supply. I guess soldiers need their vitamins so they can fight.’ She poured a glass of homemade lemonade and pushed it across the table to Pearlie. ‘There, eat up.’

  Pearlie didn’t realise how hungry she was until she took her first bite. She hadn’t eaten anything since early morning and now it was late afternoon. The saltiness of the Vegemite gave her an appetite and she f
inished both pieces in minutes.

  ‘Hey! One was mine!’ laughed Hazel.

  ‘Whoops, sorry,’ said Pearlie, blushing.

  Tinto climbed out of his pouch and jumped onto Hazel’s shoulder. ‘Aww, you’re hungry too,’ she said, giving Tinto a crust. As he took tiny bites, crumbs cascaded down Hazel’s dress. ‘So what are you going to do now?’ Hazel asked, brushing the crumbs away.

  Pearlie gulped a mouthful of lemonade. ‘I . . . I was wondering, well, if I could stay with you a while, Hazel?’

  Hazel thought for a moment.

  ‘It wouldn’t be for very long, just until I can find my mum and dad –’

  Hazel shrugged and smiled. ‘I guess that’d be all right. But sometimes, hon, you gotta disappear cos I got this new boyfriend. Well, I’ve known him for a while but we’ve just started dating and I know he won’t like it if I got a room mate. You understand, don’t you?’

  ‘Oh, I’ll be quiet. I’ll just sit in the corner and read a book. I won’t bother you, I swear,’ Pearlie said.

  Hazel blushed. ‘No, well you see, honey. When a boyfriend comes over to see his girl, they like to be alone, you know . . . and sometimes he stays.’

  Pearlie thought about Frank and his girlfriend, Eleni, and how they would kiss whenever they watched a picture at the Star Theatre. She and Naoko would giggle at them and wonder why they came to the theatre if they didn’t even watch the picture. She figured that Hazel and her boyfriend wanted to do the same.

  ‘Don’t worry,’ said Pearlie. ‘Tinto and me, we’ll disappear whenever you want us to.’

  ‘That’s settled then,’ Hazel said. ‘Now, where has that little monkey got to?’

  They found Tinto back in Hazel’s room, perched on the dressing table. To Pearlie’s horror he was playing with a box of face make-up, pouring the powder over himself and getting most of it onto the floor.

  ‘No Tinto!’ Pearlie cried, rushing forward. She tried to grab the meddling monkey before he could do any more damage. But he was too quick and scrambled up on top of the wardrobe.