DETECTIVE STORY4

The central pylon of the memorial is made of Pentelic marble， and individual statues are carved from Lasa marble and gilt bronze.” Said the tour guide， stroking his red beard.

We walked up to the palace， and stopped as the tour guide， Mr. John Duma， told us about about Buckingham Palace. He said，　“Buckingham Palace， is the London residence of the British sovereign， Queen Elizabeth II. The palace is situated within the borough of Westminster.

The palace takes its name from the house built cira.1705 for John Sheffield， Duke of Buckingham. It was bought in 1762 by George III for his wife， Queen Charlotte， and became known as the ‘Queen’s House’。 Ladies and gentlemen， let us wait patiently here until the soldier parade arrives.”

We were as excited as ever， and bouncing up and down. I checked my watch， it was 10:25.am， just as the tour guide said we’d have to wait about another ten minutes before the ‘changing of the guards’ parade started. Cleve leaned over and whispered into my ear， “Hmm， I’d love to know what the place looks like from the inside… what do you think， Lily?”

Margaret walked behind Cleve. She looked annoyed， “Of course， we can’t go in there， it’s the Queen’s Palace; for the queen’s sake! you can’t just barge in without permission.” Her words struck Cleve like a slap in the face.

He stormed within， as he looked at Margaret and glared furiously， but said nothing. I put my arm around Margaret， pinching her gently; so， for the next ten minutes， we remained silent. Finally， a great fanfare of trumpets sounded in the distance， the parade with hundreds， no thousands， of black busby hatted， red suited soldiers came marching along. Like ants， they strutted， all looking dead serious as they made their way past where we were standing.

When they stopped the sergeant at arms barked out orders and a guard stamped his foot and called out something in answer to the Sergeant and immediately marched forward. He stomped his hobnailed boots with each step. His body remained stiff and upright as he shouldered his rifle and his other arm swung back and forth in rhythm to his marching.　　

The soldier faced the guard he was about to relieve， passed him and then took his pace in the pillbox， where he stood to attention and would remain for the rest of his watch on duty. The guards’ faces were blank， their eyes cold and without mercy， and their lips pressed tightly shut.

By now everyone was ‘oohing’ and ‘aahing’ loudly - even I was impressed by the sight， and snapped a photo of the of the soldiers who had now stopped and were standing to attention in front of large group of tourists and some twenty or thirty reporters， who seemed to have popped out of nowhere.

We watched for a while as cameras flashed from behind us. It was now about 10:50 am， so， our tour group made its way to the tour bus and we all clambered on. The bus started up， its engine whirred， and we pulled away from the kerb.

The next stop was London’s most famous museum， the Museum of Natural History， which took about twenty minutes to get there. finally， we arrived and stepped off the bus. We craned our necks to see the massive building before us. There were cafes， food stores and gift shops next the museum on the streets.

Margaret， Lucy and I headed into a food store and bought some hot chocolate with whipped cream on the top. Meanwhile Cleve， being brainy as usual， went into the gift shop next door and bought a guidebook that said， History of Old London， which cost three Euros， and a notebook for fifty P which were all going to be gifts.

After we’d all gathered together， Cleve set down his hot drink and notebook， to open up the guidebook. He flipped through the pages and at last found an inscription that said， “The British Museum of Natural History is the largest natural history museum in Europe. Originally created as part of the British Museum in 1753， it was separated from the main building in 1881 and officially made independent in 1963.”


The guidebook went on to say， the museum was a Victorian building located in South Kensington and was shaped like a medieval cathedral. Cleve carried on reading to us， “London， the capital of Great Britain， is also one of the world's capitals of finance， fashion， arts and entertainment.”

He said， the city had a recorded history that went back to Roman times and touched the lives of such important political figures as， William the Conqueror， Thomas à Becket， Queen Elizabeth I， as well as William Shakespeare， John Milton， and many other authors who helped create one of the world's great bodies of literature.

He read on， and on， about London， about how it was formerly the heart of a vast empire. How London was also a centre of the Industrial Revolution from around 1750， and was a showcase for both the material progress and all the social ills it created. And about how， in the twentieth century the city had rebuilt and renewed itself following the devastation of World War II， to form a new identity as a post-imperial， multi-ethnic metropolis. We couldn’t shut him up!

By now， we were entering the bone-fossil gallery and Cleve was reading out more blurb， until we pointed to the great dinosaur bones held up by a massive metal frame kind-of-thing. We stopped at a dinosaur that I didn’t immediately recognize. That’s when Cleve began to read out again， “Tyrannosaurus Rex was a large， predatory dinosaur.

It stood on two powerful hind legs， and had a muscular body and tail. Its arms， compared to the size of its body， were tiny， it was one of the last land-based dinosaurs to live.” We all just stood there looking at the great skeleton; it was massive!

He read out， “T-Rex was pretty unlucky， roamed the earth for about a 100 million years until its extinction， about 66 million years ago.” He said that Tyrannosaurus Rex， meant ‘Tyrant Lizard’， and was a cannibal by nature “Hm， I thought to myself， not really surprising to discover.” T. Rex didn’t mind eating its own kind!” This incredible fact must have been true because there were T. Rex bones found with deep gashes in them.

We walked past rows of dinosaur fossils， and saw ancient paintings， curios， artefacts and lots more other interesting things. It was lunch time by the time finished and got out of the museum.

We went to a nearest cafe， ordered sausages， mash potatoes and baked beans， which we ate quickly， swallowing down mouthfuls of it. After lunch we each bought a little postcard with a picture of Elizabeth II on it， then we went to the shop next door to buy fizzy drinks.

After lunch we returned and wandered deeper into the Museum， having sipped and finished our drinks before we went in. We saw a huge exhibition devoted to the Romans. We all liked the Roman baths and showers exhibit. We liked the animals， too.

The real live animal section in the museum was amazing. It had a king cobra， tarantulas， arctic hares and a small arctic fox. We surveyed everywhere in the museum until closing time. At 4:30pm we made our way back to the tour bus and headed back to our hotel; we were tired but very satisfied.

It was a short ride back to the hotel. When we got there， I checked my watch and it was 4:58 pm! “Oh no! I cried out， Mum gave strict instructions for us to be back by 5pm on the dot”

So， we bustled our way into the elevator， got out on our floor and quickly hurried down the corridor. I swiped the key-card in the door and we all piled in.　We’d barely stepped into the room， when we heard the grandfather clock in the lounge room chime five times. It sounded just like Big Ben.

“Phew， exclaimed Margaret， we just made it in time!”

No sooner had she said this， when mum stepped into the room behind us. She was smiling when she saw we were home and on time， and plonked a tray stacked with buns， muffins， cakes， and a big jug of orange juice on the kitchen counter.
“Well， you all certainly managed to get back in time for some ‘goodies’， she said approvingly.”　

Cleve was still stuffing a jam donut into his mouth as mum spoke， and I was enjoying the last mouthful of the chocolate and walnut cheesecake I had just whoofed down. Cleve and I looked like two startled pigs who had been caught with our hands in the cookie jar. We tried not to look guilty， and swallowed what we were eating whole all in one gulp.

After we’d finished eating the last of the cakes we’d stuffed into our mouths， I asked mum if we should change our clothes before going out to dinner. She checked her WeChat， then let out an exasperated sigh. “Yes， you can honey. your father went to the University to drop off a report， but got stuck in a traffic jam. So， now you can all take a shower and have a quick nap before you change!”

It took half an hour for all of us to have a quick shower， then we sat and ate bananas while we watched a movie and waited for dad to get back and take us out to dinner.

After a LONG time of mooching around the hotel room， we heard the doorbell ring and dashed off to change our clothes. Dad had finally made it back home， and it took about ten minutes for us to get to the ‘Dodo Amigo Restaurant and Coffee House’， where we had dinner.

Dad ordered a steak with vegetables， mum had the fish of the day with a shrimp salad， while Margaret， Cleve， Lucy and I ordered sausages and mashed potatoes with gravy， which we ate with relish.　After dinner dad drove us to Hyde Park to have a look around， and then at 8.20pm we headed back to the hotel where we watched some movies and then went to bed.

The next morning， I was rudely awakened by Cleve， who was reading the guide book out loud; he was reading about the when Tate and the National Art galleries were first established， and why. But， it was too early in the morning and the rest of us told him to shut up. Margaret was so annoyed that she hit him full in the face with her pillow. Lucy woke up in the bed next to me， and in a muffled sleepy voice said， “Wh-wh-what?” as she yawned and rubbed sleep from her eyes.

For the next 30 minutes， we politely accused Cleve of disturbing our rest. However， as grumpy as we were we quickly got out of bed， got dressed and went downstairs to the hotel restaurant and ate pancakes with lashings of maple syrup on top. Just as we finished， mum stumbled downstairs and joined us as she mumbled， “Kids， your dad and I are really tired after staying up all night finishing off another thirty-two-page report.

Your dad has come down with a dose of the flu， so we’ll probably need to stay in London for another day or two so he can rest up. In the meantime， you guys are free to continue with the tour today on your own. Here’s twenty Euros so you can all buy lunch. We want you back here at the hotel by four in the afternoon. Margaret， here’s my mobile phone; if you have any problems just call dad.

After mom said that， we headed off to to see Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. We walked for miles looking around at all the sights， with Lucy and Cleve taking heaps of photos. Time seemed to slip by and before long it was time for us to catch the bus back to the hotel.


Dad was feeling horrid and unwell. He had a fever and was sneezing and tired and his bones ached. He needed to stay in bed for another day， so we did pretty much the same thing again. After getting up and getting dressed， we went downstairs and had an enormous breakfast， before headed off to catch the tour bus again and do the last of our exploring before we headed down to Bath.

Today， we went for a boat trip up the Themes River and got to see London from a very different perspective. It was interesting and absolutely wonderful. When we got back home in the early afternoon， dad was up and walking about. He still looked and sounded fluey， and his eyes were red and puffy. He sounded husky and sneezed a lot. In spite of this he was in good spirits because he felt he was improving.

Mum had been busy too， and she had booked tickets for us all on the fast train， from Paddington station to Bath station. She’d even organized a taxi to get us and our luggage from the hotel to the Paddington station. The fast train was due to leave at 6 o’clock and arrive in Bath at 7.15pm. Then， a taxi was going to take us from the station to the house dad had rented for us. The agent had kindly arranged for us to pick up the keys from our next-door neighbour， Mrs Gordon.

HW for Mon 11 Oct 21 Just write about what the kids do to amuse themselves on the trip down on the train. Lucy listened to classical music on her iPod and Margaret and I each watched a movie on our iPads. Cleve was busy listening to talk about the history of Bath on the radio while reading a guide book and writing down notes for later.
After thanking the kind agent， we boarded the train as soon as possible， fearing we may have unwelcome company if we stayed much longer. As we sat comfortably on our seats in our first-class cabin， Lucy plugged-in her headphones， and used her new iPod to listen to classical music – she was listening to， ‘Must I see the Elves’， by Vladimir Putz.　Margaret and I watched a terrific movie on our iPad， a murder mystery by Agatha Christie.　Cleve， on the other hand， kept trying to switch the radio onto Bath Info Channel， until in the end， he finally gave up and decided to take a nap instead.
However， just as I was getting drowsy and ready to nod off， I heard a lousy voice close beside me. It said， “Look who’s here， then…。 a foreign girl， isn’t she ridiculous!? She’s totally disgusting looking.”
I sat up immediately and glared at the speaker for a moment. The girl， who looked to be about 13-years-old， had limp blonde hair and icy blue eyes， was standing beside me and sneering evilly. Next to the mean girl， stood an identical girl， picking the pink nail polish off her nails. Margaret looked up from the iPad and was surprised to see these two strange girls in our private cabin.　　　
“Just what the heck do you think you are doing in here.” Exclaimed Margaret angrily. She was well aware of what they were doing and what they had just said to me， and she was not having it! Get out immediately or I’ll have you and your scrawny friend thrown off the train! If you every show your cheeky faces around here again you’ll be very sorry – now GET OUT!”
There was no mistaking what Margaret meant or what she might do if they didn’t buzz off right then and there. I felt all warm inside after hearing Margaret chase those girls away. They sure looked scared as they rushed out the door as it slammed shut behind them.
After the unpleasant run-in with the evil twin sisters， we shut the door and it firmly. Cleve was still asleep， and Margaret and I watched the rest of our movie on our iPad. Lucy was resting back and moving her toes in time to the music she was listening too. I could almost hear the music， but it wasn't loud enough for me to hear the tune fully.
We eventually arrived at Bath Spa station， gathered all our belongings and loaded them into the hire car dad had arranged for us， and then drove over to our house on the other side of the city. When we arrived， we walked up the steps onto the front porch and admired our beautiful， pale blue rented house. When I checked my watch， it was four in the morning!
The dawn chorus had already begun and the early birds were singing and chirping happily as they swooped down on lawns all over the city to try and catch breakfast; fat juicy worms， tasty mosquitos， slow， and other delicious bugs. Just then I thought to myself， “Hmm， I guess the early bird DOES catch the worm!” Now it makes a lot more sense to me than it did before.
Dad opened the door and we all bundled in and carried our luggage and boxes and cartons into the house. Once we got everything inside， we all decided to have a look around and see what the place looked like on the inside. When you opened the front door there was a hallway that led down to the back area of the house.
Mum was making her way to the end of the hallway and when she opened the door， we saw that it led into the kitchen. “I’m parched， said mum， I’m going to put the kettle on…anyone else for a cuppa?”
“Aww yeah， said dad， “I’d love a cup of tea right now， dear.”
“What about you， birds?” She said to us with a big smile on her face.
I called out and asked， “Is there any juice in the fridge? I’d love some orange juice or apple juice if there’s any， mum.”
“Me too，” said the others.
Margaret was still thinking about it， and then decided she’d prefer a cup of tea. So， with that mum put the kettle on and we could hear her opening the fridge door and opening the cupboards as she tried to find where the plates， bowls， glasses， cups and cutlery were kept.
Cleve had plonked himself down in one of the big comfy chairs in the loungeroom， but he was already nodding off to sleep by the time mum had brought in the drinks for us all. Mum came in from the dining room next to the lounge， so the kitchen must also connect to the dining room.
Once we had all had a drink it was time to go upstairs and sort out our bedrooms， get unpacked， then find the bathroom and brush our teeth and get ready for bed. We were all well and truly tired out and looking forward to getting some sleep before doing anything else.
Case 1: The sign of murder
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
The afternoon was a rush of activity. First， we got out of bed， checked that everything was in place， and changed into clean clothes before going downstairs for afternoon tea. Margaret and I planned to go to the shop down the street and buy a detective’s casebook folder to keep our notes， evidence， reports and other information. Unfortunately， the other kids were still in holiday mode; they were slouching around， and we doubted they were ready to start doing any detective work just yet.

In fact， Cleve got super bored and went upstairs to study a bit more about the history of Bath; Lucy soon followed him， but she was probably going to have a tea party with her dolls. Margaret and I quickly asked mum if we could go to the shops buy a book. She said， “yes， of course， but don’t be long.”　We dashed out of the house and ran down the street to the shop.
We burst in through the front door of the shop， and immediately zoomed in on their file and notebook area， selected crime casebook with evidence paper， alibi paper subject file，　paid for it， and went back home. When we got home， I heard mum say， “Everyone， listen up! In 15 minutes， we’re going to the local swimming pool. So， everyone， pack your swimsuit and a towel， and let’s get going!”

We all disappeared upstairs as fast as we could， packed our stuff and were downstairs and ready to go in a flash! We were all looking forward to going out for a swim at the baths in Bath!

It took more than twenty-five minutes to get to the local swimming baths. We got stuck in a long traffic jam and waited there impatiently until it cleared. Finally， after we made our way into the baths， we stepped into the steaming hot swimming centre， and gasped at the size of the big pool and the sight of the huge number of children playing and shrieking there.

Mum put down her gym bag， laid out her towel on a seat as she said， “Kids， you might want to change first…。 now be careful， and have fun!” We three girls rushed into the changing room， gossiping about our swimsuits. I pulled off my shirt， and pulled on my tight， long-length swimsuit. I heard a voice from the next stall， a familiar， annoying girl’s voice!

The voice said， “Yuck， this place is the worst swimming pool in the whole world!” It was that horrid girl， Nancy Anderson! Why was she here?? I asked myself， feeling irritated!”　　

The annoying girl came out of the stall， and suddenly we were face-to-face! She gave me a dirty look， as she blurted out， “What are YOU doing here??” This， she exclaimed in a piercing， high pitched annoying voice.

“What am I doing here? What are YOU doing here?! I demanded.

“Our family is on holiday here. What’s it to you?! Nancy quipped rudely. “What are YOU doing here? “She insisted.

“Huh， none of your bee’s wax， Anderson.” I replied， not telling her. I had no intention of giving that girl the satisfaction of knowing my business.
We just looked at each other， not saying a word. It was clear that she didn’t like me and， I can tell you， the feeling was mutual – I couldn’t stand her; what a horrid， beastly creature! With that， I turned on my heel and walked away from her as quickly as I could. Just being in her presence made by skin crawl.

When I got back mum was handing out ice creams to the others. When she saw me， she called out， “Oh， there you are darling… I was wondering where you’d gotten to. Anyhow， it doesn’t matter， you’re here now. Would you like a strawberry or a chocolate ice cream， Lily? There’s only two left…。”

“I’ll have the chocolate one， thanks， mum.” I said， my eyes lighting up at the thought of something sweet and nice – especially after having just run into that nasty girl. I took my ice cream and gave it a good licking because it was already starting to go soft， and I didn’t want to lose any of it. “Hmm，” I muttered as the sweet， cold chocolate ice cream filled my mouth.