TOY TOWN - THE TESCO BAG CHRONICLES ( Part 5 - The Great Toytown Mystery)

Larry nervously waited for Ernest The Stout Policeman to arrive and waited and waited.

He needn't have bothered.

Ernest had already done what he was required to do and had made sure that Mr Mayor, The Bumbling Magician and Captain Brass ThePirate, all knew that the blogger 'Binkie Boggles' was actually Larry The Lamb.

It slowly dawned on Larry, that all didn't seem right. Why should Hamish The Highland Steer and Squaller The Seagull have a threatening Ernest visiting them? Who directed Ernest to them? All Ernest had to do was carry out a 'P' check on Larry The Lamb and come round to his house. Was he acting on 'his own initiative'; were his enquiries 'official'? Was this odd business just a way of 'neutralising' potential opposition in the Toytown Council? It was such a mystery.

Larry trotted off to the 'safe-house'. "De--nnis", he said , " This whole business doesn't ring true. I think the Maa-yor and others want to flush me out to go and hand in that Tesco Bag as lost property. If they seem so worried about the contents, is there something we have missed? I know what I am go--oing to do". Larry trotted off with the Tesco Bag without enlightening Dennis.

"Now let me assure you, yet again, Mr Lamb, that there have been no reports of a theft of papers and Toytown Police have better things to do than chase bloggers called 'Binkie Boggles'. There are no official reports that Ernest the Stout Policeman is in pursuit of you ."

Inspector Bloodhound of Toytown CID then sat down again in The Interview Room to listen to the rest of Larry's tale.

"From what you have told me I think the best thing for you to do is to keep the Tesco Bag and hand it into The Serious Economic Crimes Unit ar Arkville as soon as you can and I will send a report to them tomorrow morning. By the way, I enjoy following your 'blog'!". Larry left Toytown Fort and trotted home with the Tesco Bag.

"Larry, you've been gone ages." said Dennis. "Inspector Bloodhound has rung to say that he has checked again and that there is no uniformed police investigation trying to track you down and that you should not be worried about it."

"Oo--oh, De--ennis, " replied Larry, "It's all so confusing. I don't know who is telling the truth anymore. Take the Tesco Bag back to the 'safe -house' and I will make myself scarce for a bit, just in case Ernest does come round or we get a late-night visit from some Pirates".

When Dennis returned, he found the house in darkness and a scribbled note from Larry, sellotaped to his dog-bowl.

'Tell peepul I hav gon two weddins in Penrith and will be wiv my Herdewick Cousans and I mite be gon sum thyme. LARRY ' .

(To be continued)