An all-you-can-eat restaurant, a swinging country and western dance, and a mystery to solve for the Silver Star Dancers!

  Amid flowing chocolate and fizzing drinks, the clues come thick and fast. But will they track down the bank robber?

  Funny and full of surprises, Ravenous Rooster Stake-out is storytelling that fans of dancing and detecting will love.

  CURIOUS ABOUT LINE DANCING?

  FIND OUT MORE INSIDE!

  ALSO DISCOVER TOP TIPS FOR MAKING YOUR VERY OWN SPY KIT!

  Contents

  Meet the Silver Star Dancers

  Prologue

  CHAPTER ONE: The Ravenous Rooster

  CHAPTER TWO: Douglas Vipersnitch

  CHAPTER THREE: Six-Legged Chickens! Maybe?

  CHAPTER FOUR: Stake-out!

  CHAPTER FIVE: Rat!

  CHAPTER SIX: Why the Cowboy Cha-cha was Not the Wisest Choice

  CHAPTER SEVEN: The Worst Moment of My Life

  All About Line Dancing

  You Be the Detective!

  Meet the Author

  Meet the Illustrator

  Follow Penguin Random House

  For Cris, our butterfly. — SS

  For Max, Grace and Bella. Love, Lily. — LU

  Who’d have thought a few online videos would make us so famous? Now we put on shows all over the place — and mystery is never far behind. Why? Well … it’s a mystery.

  Meet the Silver Star Dancers

  Lulu: Yippeee! That’s ME — team leader of the Silver Stars. I make up the dances: Samba with sparkle! Rumba with rhythm! Polka with pizzazz! Am I sometimes a teeny bit over the top? Noooo! Never!

  Brio is manager of the Silver Stars. He books the gigs, and he knows the score. He’s also an eco-warrior, so make sure you don’t litter — you’ll live to regret it.

  Tina is our costume designer extraordinaire. Fluffy feathers? Sparkly sequins? Luscious lace? She can do it all! She does get tearful, so if you see her crying, don’t freak out. It’s almost like she enjoys it. Waaaaah!

  Mouse seems anxious and shy and pretends she prefers dancing in the back row — but don’t let her fool you! It’s only so she can spy on what’s happening backstage …

  Frankie is … well … frank. She tells it like it is. Embarrassing? Absolutely. She has a knack for getting into sticky situations. Maybe it’s something to do with her candy habit …

  Kenji: Is he really a ninja? Can he really turn invisible? Maybe. One thing’s for sure: he’s strong, quiet and wise, and if he doesn’t want you to see him, you won’t. Shhh …

  Yippy is the best puppy EVER with a super-powered nose to sniff out danger (and doggy snacks!). He has AWESOME language skills: ‘Yip!’ = ‘Yes!’, ‘Gruff!’ = ‘No!’, ‘Yapyapwoof!’ = ‘I just misbehaved, but please don’t send me to doggy school!’

  Ready to boogie? Great! Grab your dancing shoes — let’s go!

  Prologue

  The night we became famous, we were trees in our school production of Beauty and the Beast. Yes, trees! Not moving. Not speaking. Arms stretched out. We felt as low as the storm clouds that had been hanging around all day, ready to burst. And guess who was in the front row? The Prime Minister. Yes! Actually! (Beauty was some sort of relative.) Eeeek! Embarrassing! The PM’s right-hand man, Shane Berthal, sniggered. And then it happened. The storm broke. KABOOM! went the thunder. AAAHHH! went Beauty. The Beast ran offstage, the lights flickered and the sound system broke. There was a terrible silence.

  Outside, rain poured down. We stood there. Arms stretched out. And then someone’s phone went off. The ringtone was the tune of the can-can: a French dance, very energetic, where you link arms and throw your legs around. Ooo! Off we went! The audience loved us! They clapped and cheered and whistled, and the PM recorded EVERYTHING.

  When someone screamed: ‘The cash box! It’s gone!’ we just knew. Call it instinct. Shane Berthal is a criminal, I said. His umbrella’s dripping and there’s banana skin on his shoe. He’s sneaked outside in the rain and hidden the cash box in a rubbish skip. It’s obvious. Politicians are always dodgy. The PM laughed, a little too loudly. A string of silver stars, dislodged by the thunder, fell from above on to our heads. The PM posted a video … and the Silver Star Dance Detectives were born.

  Yippeee!

  Here’s a tasty mystery

  Of a master of disguise,

  A rabid bird, an angry chef,

  And sausages, and fries.

  Want to nab the robber?

  Here’s a little clue:

  Beware, my friend, of chocolate sauce!

  Too much is bad for you.

  CHAPTER ONE:

  The Ravenous Rooster

  Yippeee! I’m so excited! The Silver Stars have just arrived for our dance gig at the Ravenous Rooster Buffet Restaurant.

  I love the Ravenous Rooster! It’s famous for its beautiful rooster ice sculptures and for Big Red, the huge mechanical rooster that flaps and crows when you push a button. But mostly it’s famous because it’s All You Can Eat, which means you get to help yourself to about a million different dishes, including dessert. I love dessert! There’s a CHOCOLATE FOUNTAIN you can dip marshmallows and strawberries into and a self-serve ice-cream machine that makes your ice cream all swirly, and rainbow jelly in little cups, as well as bowls of sprinkles and chocolate hail and candy and—

  ‘Lulu!’ says Brio. ‘You can’t eat anything till after we’ve danced. And your hat’s crooked. Focus!’

  Whoops! I straighten my hat. Tina has done a fabulous job with our costumes. We’re dressed in checked shirts and jeans, with shiny belt buckles and boots and all-American hats. Yeeha! I’m ready to party! What’s the hold-up?

  I look over at the restaurant manager, but he’s busy talking to a barefooted guy in a high-vis jacket who’s fiddling round with a screwdriver inside Big Red, the mechanical rooster. This could take a while. My stomach growls. Then it growls louder. Then really loud.

  Eek! Am I having some sort of emergency hunger attack? No, it’s Yippy, inside my handbag. He can smell sausages. I pat his head.

  ‘Shh, boy. You need to stay hidden! No dogs in the restaurant.’

  Mouse shuffles up to me. ‘Lulu,’ she says, ‘I’m a bit worried about the line dancing.’

  ‘But we’ve practised,’ I remind her. ‘The Catwalk Shuffle, Boot Scootin’ Boogie, the Cowboy Cha-cha … remember?’

  ‘It’s not the moves I’m worried about,’ says Mouse, ‘it’s staying in the line. Do you actually think we can?’

  ‘Of course,’ says Kenji.

  ‘No chance,’ says Frankie. She stretches out her hand towards a cream cake. Brio slaps her fingers.

  ‘The thing is,’ says Mouse, ‘we don’t have much space. So instead of having one long line of six, do you think we should have two lines of three, or maybe three lines of two? Or maybe even a line of two in the front, and four at the back, or just you at the front and five at the … Lu?’

  I can’t concentrate. All I can see is the chocolate fountain, dribbling deliciously in the distance.

  ‘Um,’ I say. ‘It will be okay, Mouse.’

  ‘But how many—’

  ‘One.’

  ‘One really long—’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘You don’t think—’

  ‘No.’ I’m so hungry, I might pass out. ‘Brio, can we please eat?’

  ‘No,’ says Brio.

  He tells us that if we dance too soon after dinner, our blood will leave our arm and leg muscles and go straight to our stomachs for digesting, and we will suffer from horrendous cramping, spasms, heartburn, brain failure, and maybe even death.

  ‘But I’m really hungry,’ I say.

  I look at the giant TV on the wall to distract myself — yes! A giant TV! — but there’s a cooking show on. Oof.

  Outside the Ravenous Rooster, a police car speeds past.

  ‘Looks like someone had a boogie after dinner,’ jokes Mouse.

  Brio glares.

  ‘I’m actually feeling quite snack-ish myself,’ says Tina.

  Another police car roars past.

  ‘Fine,’ frowns Brio, ‘but show some self-control.’

  ‘Yeeha!’ yells Frankie. ‘Let’s hog in!’

  We pile up our plates, but as we’re sitting down to begin, a newsflash comes up on the big TV. The bank robber Douglas Vipersnitch has escaped from prison. He’s on the run from police and believed to be hiding in the area!

  Tina’s eyes go wide. ‘This area?’

  ‘Holy fudgeballs!’ says Frankie.

  A tingle runs down my spine.

  ‘He might be here now,’ says Mouse. ‘Right here. Right now.’

  Kenji nods. ‘There’s trouble brewing,’ he says. ‘Big trouble.’

  Yessss!

  CHAPTER TWO:

  Douglas Vipersnitch

  Brio looks at us over his salad. (Salad? In a buffet restaurant? That boy is so weird.)

  ‘Douglas Vipersnitch is a master of disguise,’ he says, his voice dropping to a whisper. ‘That’s why he’s so hard to catch. He keeps changing the way he looks.’

  ‘It’s true,’ agrees Frankie. ‘I remember when he robbed that bank. He was dressed as an old lady, with the gun hidden in his umbrella. But by the time the police started looking for the old lady, he was disguised as a window washer. He’s always one step ahead.’ She spoons up some custard.

  ‘Frankie,’ I say, ‘are you eating dessert first?’

  ‘You

bet,’ says Frankie.

  ‘I’m very disappointed in you,’ says Brio.

  Same! She should have told me! Then I would have done it too!

  ‘So how did they catch him?’ asks Tina.

  ‘Ah,’ says Mouse. ‘They had two small clues. Clue number one: Douglas Vipersnitch is a chewing-gum addict. They followed the trail of spat-out gum.’

  ‘Serves him right for being so disgusting,’ says Brio, ‘and for littering.’

  ‘You can’t blame someone for liking gum,’ says Frankie. She burps. There’s a smear of whipped cream on her forehead. ‘Is it just me, or is it hot in here?’

  She’s right, it is hot.

  ‘Clue number two,’ says Mouse. ‘Douglas Vipersnitch often goes barefoot. He finds wearing shoes uncomfortable because he has an extra toe on his left foot.’

  ‘An extra toe!’ I say. ‘That’s so cool!’

  ‘An extra stomach would be more useful right now,’ sighs Frankie.

  I agree. I’m actually quite stressed about my dinner. I didn’t think it through. I’ve ended up with spaghetti, chicken nuggets, curry, gravy, cucumber and tomato sauce. It tastes kind of unusual. Why do I never plan things out? Why? Oh whhhhy?

  Mouse must have read my mind, because she whispers: ‘Yippy.’

  Genius! I put my plate under the table. The handbag wriggles and gulps, and when I bring the plate back up, it’s empty. Yeeha!

  Then the manager looks right at me. My blood freezes. Eeek! Has he seen Yippy? Is he going to kick us out of the restaurant for bringing a dog? But he just taps his watch and nods towards the dance floor: it’s time for our first number. I remind everyone that there will be a break between each dance, to give the diners time to refill their plates.

  ‘And to give us time to refill our plates,’ says Frankie.

  Mouse was right that there’s not much space for dancing. Our line is a little squished. We have to take care not to bump into the guy in the high-vis jacket who’s fixing Big Red, but our line dance is a hit! The diners clap and cheer.

  ‘Yeeha!’ says Frankie. ‘Time for seconds!’

  I’m more thirsty than hungry right now. It’s boiling hot in here! Luckily, there’s a self-serve fizzy drink machine. I love bubbles! And you can mix as many flavours as you want! Kenji peers into my glass and frowns.

  ‘Sometimes, simple is best,’ he says.

  He’s so boring. I’m just adding the last few cubes of ice (whoops! Overflow!) when I see a big grey glob of chewing gum stuck to the underside of the drink machine.

  ‘Ewww!’ I cry. ‘Who would do that?’

  ‘Oh no!’ cries Tina. ‘What if it’s him? What if it’s … Douglas Vipersnitch?’

  ‘Just a coincidence,’ says Mouse quickly. She pushes her glasses further up her nose.

  All around us, diners are taking off their jackets and jumpers. When I look through the little window into the kitchen, I see that even the chefs are pulling off their white chefs’ hats and aprons. They’re fanning themselves with tea-towels. Even the ice sculpture is melting! Drops of water are dripping off the rooster’s beak onto the floor. I look more closely. Someone has walked through the puddle and left faint footprints. Tina gasps. She clutches my hand. I think she’s going to blow. Sure enough: ‘Waaaaah!’ she cries.

  I can’t blame her for panicking. It’s plain enough to see: there is an extra toe on the left foot. Douglas Vipersnitch is here!

  CHAPTER THREE:

  Six-Legged Chickens! Maybe?

  It’s so hot in the Ravenous Rooster that even as we stare at Douglas Vipersnitch’s watery footprints, they begin to evaporate. First there are six toes on the left foot, then five, then four, then three … then they’re gone.

  ‘Did we imagine it?’ says Mouse.

  ‘No way!’ I say. ‘Absolutely not! Impossible … Yeah, I think we did.’

  ‘We didn’t,’ says Brio. He wipes the sweat from his forehead. ‘It’s like a desert in here! I’m going to ask the manager to turn off the heater.’

  ‘No!’ I say. ‘I think he saw Yippy. I don’t want to get told off.’

  ‘Let’s find the air conditioning and do it ourselves,’ suggests Kenji.

  I turn towards him to tell him what a good idea this is, but he’s not there.

  He’s on the other side of the restaurant, beckoning from a doorway marked ‘No Entry’. How does he do that?

  Off we sneak. My tummy feels a bit fizzy from all the drink, but I do my best to ignore it. It’s not long before we find ourselves in the basement. It’s spooky! Freezers hum, pipes gurgle, dials click. And there are other sounds we can’t figure out: scraping and thumping and weird animal noises. Scritch! Bang! Ellp. Scritch! Bang! Ellp.

  ‘What is that?’ whispers Mouse.

  ‘I know what it is!’ I whisper. ‘It’s a giant mutant crocodile that Douglas Vipersnitch found in the sewers and let loose in the basement!’

  Kenji gives me one of his looks.

  ‘Well, it might be,’ I say, forgetting to whisper.

  ‘Shh!’ hisses Brio.

  ‘Ooooooo! I know! The ex-manager of the Ravenous Rooster was really old but wanted to live forever, so he used one of the big freezers down here to get himself cryogenically frozen — that’s a thing, trust me — but there was a power cut and he started to thaw, and now he’s trying to get out of the freezer!’

  Mouse clutches my hand. Kenji shakes his head.

  ‘Okay, I’ve got it this time! The Ravenous Rooster is breeding genetically modified chickens with six legs so they can feed more people. But nobody likes the idea of six-legged chickens, so they have to hide them in the basement! And by the sound of it, there are heaps. Yes! Yes?’

  ‘Put a sock in it, Lu,’ says Brio.

  Rude! And unfair too, because even Brio could never have guessed what is just around the corner. We stop. We stare. We can’t believe our eyes! There’s a guy tied to a chair with a rope! His arms and legs are strung together and his mouth is gagged! He’s scraping and rocking the chair over the floor as he tries to get free, bumping his head against a dial marked ‘HEAT’.

  ‘Ellp!’ he cries through the gag. ‘Ellp!’

  We rush to untie him. Oh, the poor man! He’s shaking! He takes some long, deep breaths.

  ‘I’d only just arrived to fix Big Red,’ he explains, ‘when someone jumped me from behind. They stole my high-vis jacket and my toolbox, then dragged me down here and tied me up. No idea who.’

  ‘We know exactly who,’ I say. ‘The notorious criminal Douglas Vipersnitch! He’s upstairs right now in your high-vis jacket, pretending to fix Big Red.’

  ‘We can catch him if we hurry!’ cries Kenji. But before we go, he turns the air con back down to cool. I have to hand it to that boy. He might not have much imagination when it comes to mutant crocodiles, frozen restaurant ex-managers or six-legged chickens, but he can sure keep a clear head in a crisis.

  We race back upstairs. I can’t wait! The Silver Stars are going to catch Douglas Vipersnitch! We’re going to be heroes! We enter the restaurant at the same time as two police officers. They’re looking all around.

  ‘Over here!’ I yell. We run past the dripping ice sculpture, the buffet, the tables of diners, right up to Big Red the mechanical rooster.

  There’s a big glob of wet gum stuck to one of Big Red’s wings. But Douglas Vipersnitch has disappeared.

  CHAPTER FOUR:

  Stake-out!

  ‘Don’t worry, kids,’ one of the police officers says. ‘Douglas Vipersnitch won’t get far. The Ravenous Rooster is surrounded. It’s a stake-out.’

  ‘I’ve had enough steak,’ says Tina. ‘But I could probably do another sausage.’

  ‘Ooo yeah! Great idea! With some fries!’ I say.

  Sadly, I’m only halfway through my plate before it’s time for our next dance.

 

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