Читать книгу Ibrahim Khan and the Mystery of the Roaring Lion - Farheen Khan - Страница 6

CHAPTER ONE

A New Case

“Ring, ring… Ring, ring”

“Hello?” Ibrahim answered.

“Ibrahim? Ibrahim Khan?” asked the low voice on the other end.

“Yeah, it’s me. Who’s calling?”

“Yusuf Ali, from school,” came the nervous reply. “I… I heard you do detective work.”

“That’s right,” replied Ibrahim. “A dollar a case if it’s just me or two if I’ll need the help of my assistant, Zayn.”

“I’ll give you five if you get started right away,” Yusuf offered.

“Wow, if you’re sure. Where would you like to meet?”

“My place,” Yusuf answered, “and hurry!”

After making a quick call to his cousin Zayn, Ibrahim ran to his room to change. Pulling on an orange t-shirt and jeans, he checked the time. It was 4:45, almost time for Asr prayer and Ibrahim knew he had to be home before Maghrib.

Ibrahim, Zayn and Yusuf were all in third grade together, but the Khan boys, as their teacher Mrs. Morris liked to call them, didn’t know Yusuf very well. He was the quietest boy in class, maybe even the school. No one had ever been to his house, but they all knew where he lived, the large grey brick house at the end of Stanley Lane. It was larger than the other houses in the neighbourhood and had a lot of great climbing trees. In the Autumn, when all the trees began shedding their colourful leaves, Yusuf’s house was the envy of all the neighbourhood kids.

As Ibrahim rode his old yellow bike towards Yusuf’s house, he could see Zayn waiting for him on his shiny red bike, at the end of the long driveway.

“Do you have rocket boosters on your bike?” Ibrahim yelled as he came closer. “How’d you get here so fast?”

“I can just pedal faster than you, that’s all,” Zayn shrugged.

“Don’t you think it’s a little suspicious you became a faster pedaller right after you got that new bike last Eid?” grumbled Ibrahim.

Zayn just laughed as he followed his cousin to the enormous front doors.

“Have you ever been to Yusuf’s house before?” asked Zayn.

“No, I don’t think anyone in our class has,” Ibrahim answered.

“It’s kind of a shame to have so many great climbing trees but no kids around to climb them,” Zayn commented. “Why do you think Yusuf doesn’t have anyone over?”

“I don’t know, maybe he’s just shy,” Ibrahim suggested.

“Yeah, maybe… ” answered Zayn. Neither boy noticed the dark pair of eyes peeking out of a nearby hedge.