Hello, and welcome to bedtime stories with me ARA. Okay. Well, last time on the podcast, Constable pike had to release April and Finn because there was no proof that they had killed animous in Karen's cockroach, but it was revealed while they were at the police station. That there'd been a spate of cockroach killings, six racing cockroaches had died just that week. So it's all very mysterious. So let's start the next chapter. Chapter 16 at home. Here we go. Dad was not in the garden and he was not hiding from imaginary assassins. When Constable pie had tried calling him, dad did not answer the phone because he was busy. The electronic bug detector he had ordered on the internet had arrived in the post and he was put in it to use. Dad was on his hands and knees under the desk, in his office, running the detector along the wall, it led up like a department store on Christmas Eve. There was definitely an electromagnetic signal coming from the spot that corresponded with the drill hole on the outside of the house, there was only one way to figure out what it was. Dad picked up the chainsaw. He had ordered on the internet and pulled the start cord. The chainsaw screamed to life. Dad stepped forward and started to hack a hole in the dry wall. 30 seconds later, he was holding a tiny electronic device. In his hand, it was the size of a medicine capsule, but the scanner clearly showed it was emitting a C D M a signal, the type the military used to send information. Dad dabbed his forehead with his handkerchief. He didn't know what to do. Someone was listening to him here in his own home. He'd been found. Dad got to his feet and set the scanner on the bookcase should call professor Maynard, but he had no contact details for her. Just then the scanner's L E D light display lit up again. Dad picked the scanner up and ran it along the bookshelf. All the bars flashed. There was an electromagnetic device there as well. Dad tried the window frame. The scanner lit up again. Then door, another device. He kept searching methodically, making his way through the whole house. By the time he'd finished with the scanner and the chainsaw, there was a pile of 136 tiny electronic emitters sitting in a bowl on his kitchen table. They were all different sizes and shapes. Some were tiny capsule licenses. Others were larger boxes with pinhole cameras. Dad sat on a stool trembling. He didn't know what to do. He was overwhelmed with a feeling of terrible dread. He had to do something, but what, and how could he do something when he couldn't stop shaking? Eventually dad dug deep and found the courage to stand up. He picked up the bowl full of electronic bugs and tipped them into the blender. After three minutes on the pulse setting, there were no more electronic signals being emitted. All three pesky kids were dejected as they trudged up their driveway that afternoon. The second day of school had gone even worse than the first word had soon spread about the debacle at the good times cafe, no one had spoken to April or Finn all day, Joe, on the other hand had the opposite problem. Now that he had the reputation of a lawn Bo master girls that have been following him around, staring at him with Moony eyes and giggling. What did you do? April asked Joe. Huh? So Joe at lunchtime, I was cornered by a group of year 10 girls demanding to know where you were explained April. Did you tell one of them? They were fat asked Finn girls hate that everyone hates that said April Sumo, wrestlers. Don't said fin, okay, everyone. Except Sumo wrestlers said April. And I haven't noticed any female Sumo wrestlers enrolled at car high school. Maybe they don't go out much because they're sensitive to the sunset fin. So you say there's a pasty pale female Sumer wrestler hidden somewhere in the school. And Joe has gone out of his way to insult her last April. Well, we all know Joe, isn't very good at making conversations at Finn. Shut up said Joe point proven said, fin, Joe shoved Finn. He didn't push him hard, but Finn was in the middle of taking a step. So it was enough to make him overbalance into a Garve Bush. Hey said Finn. He told you to shut up smirked, April Finn scrambled after them. Oh, thank goodness your hair cried. Dad bursting out of the front door. He looked frazzled. His hair was combed, which was actually pretty standard for dad, but his jump, it was inside out and he was wearing mismatched shoes. So he looked even more stressed than usual. Pumpkin barked, excitedly and rushed forward. He loved a biting dad. What's the problem as April. Have you been attacked by a pasty female Sumo wrestler too. The Japanese are after us as well. Exclaimed dad, or the more recent haste quick children. Grab your bags. We're going dad ducked back into the house and returned a second later with four suitcases. He threw one each to the children going, whereas Joe, I'm not gonna tell you said dad, as he tried to wrestle pumpkin away from his tr of cuff, if you don't know, they can't torture it out of you. Come on, dad picked up his own bag and started hurrying around the side of the house. The children looked at each other. What's got into hair, asked fin who knows that April too much exposure to cockroach spray probably. Well, we better follow him, said Joe, walking off in the direction. Dad had disappeared. As they turned around the side of the house. They could see dad at the far end of the garden, making his way towards the big garden shed. Oh, he's not gonna make us do gardening. Is he asked fin I didn't sign up for that. As they drew near her, they could hear dad rattling about on the other side of the shed's big double door. What's he doing last April? Just then the bolt lock slid open and both doors swung out, revealing a state of the art helicopter. Wow. Said, Joe hop in, said, dad, wait a second, said April, do you even know how to fly? This of course said, dad, I'm a graduate from a up Samoan online flying academy online said fin, but have you flown an actual helicopter before? I've flown hundreds of hours on the simulator said, dad, I know what I'm doing. He kicked out the chalks from, in front of the wheels. But where did he get? It asked Joe. He didn't know much about helicopters, but they must be very expensive. Oh, I built it said, dad, you can get kits online. It's just an internal combustion engine attached to a rotor and an anti talk rotor. It wasn't hard, but where are we going? Last April dad looked about nervously. I can't tell you. He said the walls have ears. This is ridiculous. At April turning on her heel and heading back towards the house. I'm gonna get a snack. Come back, cry, dad. Our lives are in danger. Two, right? April called over her shoulder. We're doomed. If we get in that death trap with you. Sorry dad said Finn slapping his father on the shoulder. I'm sure when I get know you better, I'll love you. Like, well like a father, but even then, I'm not getting in that thing with you. Finn followed April back to the house, leaving only Joe with dad. But we're in terrible danger here said dad pleading with Joe. He leaned forward and whispered, I found bugs in the house. Didn't know how to respond. Hundreds of them whispered dad checking over his shoulder in case one of the bushes was listening in. But I thought you had the, how sprayed for that said Joe. Now dad was confused. No, the other type of bugs, he said realizing what Joe meant, the listening ones. Oh right. Said Joe thinking his dad was by me, but not liking to say so to his face. I'm sure you're right. But this helicopter thing is just too crazy. I think we'd rather take our chances with the bugs, the crawly ones and the listening ones. Sorry. Joe started walking back to the house too. Dad hesitated. Every fiber of his body was screaming at him to jump in the helicopter and get out of there. But deep down in his soul, another voice was talking to him too. A voice telling him that he must not abandon his kids. Dad started to shake. He was so frightened, but he couldn't do it. He couldn't leave his children. True. He'd only just met them and he didn't particularly like them yet, but they looked like their mother and he had loved their mother dearly. So now he felt something he had never felt before the instinct to protect. It was the same way he felt. When he saw newly hatched ducklings, he felt teary and emotional dad slumped. He was gonna have to be brave. He hated being brave. He swung the doors shut and rebolted the shed. Then headed back across the garden. Perhaps one of the children would make him a snack to the end. That's it for now until next week. Goodbye.