The Final Mission

  ‘Now you’re just pulling my leg,’ said Fin.

  ‘Oh no,’ said Loretta. ‘For years the Giant Potato that looks like a giant poo has been the greatest tourist attraction in town, but you’ve motorised it.’

  ‘Yeah, but the CWA will make me change it back,’ said Fin.

  ‘Oh no,’ said Loretta. ‘They’re marketing it. They’re going to sell adventure experiences. Tourists can be taken for rides around town in the Giant Potato that looks like a poo. People are going to travel from all around the world to do that.’

  Pumpkin started barking wildly and they all turned to see what he was excited about. Professor Maynard’s battered hatchback pulled up at the gates of the gardens.

  ‘She’s here!’ said April.

  Mum got out of the passenger seat. She was wearing a lovely white dress and carrying a bouquet of garish bright dahlias, fresh from Dad’s garden. Joe stepped forward and took her arm, and they started walking down the aisle towards Dad.

  ‘Doesn’t Mum look lovely?’ said Loretta, clapping her hands with delight.

  ‘You are so superficial,’ said April.

  ‘Everyone is superficial,’ said Loretta. ‘I’m just not ashamed to admit it.’

  Professor Maynard followed a few paces behind Mum. She was acting as bridesmaid and bodyguard in case any Kolektiv agents turned up.

  ‘Are you okay, Dad?’ Joe asked.

  ‘Yes,’ said Dad. And amazingly, he looked it. For once Dad was not shaking, quivering or even weeping silently.

  ‘You’re not nervous?’ asked Fin.

  ‘Because most people would be nervous about marrying a deadly international super spy,’ said April. ‘Especially after she’d tricked and misled you for years and years.’

  ‘No,’ said Dad, he sounded surprised himself. ‘This just seems right.’

  The wedding proceeded as normal. Well, as normal as a wedding officiated by a Cat Lady in a town full of oddballs could. When it got to the bit where the Cat Lady says, ‘If anyone knows of any reason why this marriage should not proceed, speak now or forever hold your peace.’ Mum turned and gave such a sweeping glare of hostility to the entire crowd, that several people took a step back. If anyone had been going to speak, they certainly got the message that Mum would kill them with her bare hands, or perhaps by stuffing her bridal bouquet down their oesophagus, so no one spoke up. In just a few short minutes Mum and Dad were married.

  ‘This is wonderful,’ said Loretta. ‘Everything is ending happily ever after.’ She grabbed Joe’s hand and gave it a squeeze. For once he didn’t flinch. He smiled and squeezed her hand back.

  ‘Oh no, you’re all part of the family now,’ said Professor Maynard. ‘This isn’t the end. This is just the beginning.’

  R. A. Spratt is the author of The Peski Kids, Friday Barnes and The Adventures of Nanny Piggins. In her previous life she was a television writer. Unlike the Peski kids, R. A. Spratt never fights with her brother, but only because he moved to Tokyo to get away from her. R. A. lives in Bowral, NSW, where she has three chickens, five goldfish and a dog. She also has a husband and two daughters.

  For more information, visit raspratt.com

  Books by R. A. Spratt

  The Adventures of Nanny Piggins

  Nanny Piggins and the Wicked Plan

  Nanny Piggins and the Runaway Lion

  Nanny Piggins and the Accidental Blast-Off

  Nanny Piggins and the Rival Ringmaster

  Nanny Piggins and the Pursuit of Justice

  Nanny Piggins and the Daring Rescue

  Nanny Piggins and the Race to Power

  The Nanny Piggins Guide to Conquering Christmas

  Friday Barnes: Girl Detective

  Friday Barnes: Under Suspicion

  Friday Barnes: Big Trouble

  Friday Barnes: No Rules

  Friday Barnes: The Plot Thickens

  Friday Barnes: Danger Ahead

  Friday Barnes: Bitter Enemies

  Friday Barnes: Never Fear

  The Peski Kids: The Mystery of the Squashed Cockroach

  The Peski Kids: Bear in the Woods

  The Peski Kids: Stuck in the Mud

  The Peski Kids: Near Extinction

  The Peski Kids: The Final Mission

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  Penguin Random House Australia is part of the Penguin Random House group of companies whose addresses can be found at global.penguinrandomhouse.com.

  First published by Puffin Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House Australia Pty Ltd, in 2020

  Text copyright © R. A. Spratt 2020

  The moral right of the author has been asserted.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, published, performed in public or communicated to the public in any form or by any means without prior written permission from Penguin Random House Australia Pty Ltd or its authorised licensees.

  Cover illustrations by Erica Salcedo

  Cover design by Tasha Dixon © Penguin Random House Australia Pty Ltd

  Internal design by Midland Typesetters © Penguin Random House Australia Pty Ltd

  ISBN 9781760147662

  penguin.com.au

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