Norah McClintock presents...

Robyn Hunter Mysteries

Nothing to Lose

Robyn’s shocked when she reads that a group of illegal immigrants has been found dead in a shipping container at the harbour. Then Robyn finds out that Nick is trying to help a girl who escaped from the shipping container, and she finds herself dragged into danger along with the girl while a gang is hot on their tail.

Scholastic Canada Ltd.
ISBN 978-0-439-95231-6 PBK
224 pages
Ages 12 and up
5 x 7 ¾”

Excerpt

Nick disappeared from sight for a moment. When he came back, he put something on the counter. The man went to the cash register and Nick paid him. The man put Nick’s purchase in a small bag. As he handed the bag to Nick, he reached for something under the counter. Nick shifted his position so that he was blocking the man from view, but I was pretty sure that the man was giving Nick whatever he had taken from under the counter.

As Nick turned away from the man, I saw him put something in his pocket. I started to get a sick feeling in my stomach. I didn’t know what Nick was up to, but it was clear he was doing something that he didn’t want me to know about. I wondered if it had anything to do with the way he had reacted when Stan Rogers had showed up at my father’s place. Despite what Nick had said, I was pretty sure that he hadn’t just seen Stan around. Nick knew him. Maybe he had even had a run-in with him, which would explain the disapproving way Stan had looked at Nick. Had Nick been in trouble since the last time I’d seen him?

I also wondered what, if anything, my father knew, and whether he had a reason he hadn’t told me for wanting me to stay at Henri’s. I waited impatiently for the light to change. Maybe Nick didn’t want to talk about whatever was going on. Maybe forcing him to talk was going to ruin the whole day. But I didn’t care about that anymore. I wanted answers.

Nick came out of the store and walked back to the corner. A steady stream of cars whizzed by him while he waited for the light to change. He looked across the street and when he spotted me waiting on the other side, he smiled and raised a hand to wave. People gathered around him — other pedestrians, waiting for the light to change. I saw a couple of them frown as a tall, blond-haired guy suddenly started to shove his way through them toward the curb. Some people are so rude, I thought. Then, just like that, it happened.

I gasped. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

Nick lurched forward. I couldn’t figure out why. What was he doing? Then I saw the startled look on his face. I saw him turn his head even as he was staggering forward, struggling to regain his balance, his arms pinwheeling frantically in the air. Then I heard someone — me — shout “Look out!” because now he was falling out in the street. I heard the squeal of brakes. Then — ohmygod! I wanted to close my eyes — I didn’t want to see what was happening — but I couldn’t look away. Nick turned his head. He saw the same thing I saw — a car was almost on top of him. Then came the impact. I heard a sickening thud. Nick flew up onto the hood of the car just as the car rocked to a stop. When he rolled back down again, I heard the bang, bang, bang of a chain reaction as another car crashed into the first car, then a third car hit the second one and another one hit that car. Traffic stopped in all directions. People crowded into the street. I ran toward Nick.

When I reached him, he wasn’t moving.