Chapter 1

"Bets, do hurry up," Pip said impatiently from the door of the playroom. "We'll have to hurry to meet Fatty's train now." He sighed as his younger sister rummaged through her ribbon box.

"But I need to find my other blue ribbon," replied his younger sister. "Mummy says it's proper to dress nicely when you're meeting someone."

"But it's Fatty!" exclaimed Pip with exasperation. "We've met him a hundred times at the station." Bets continued her search unperturbed and Pip, rolling his eyes, turned and went downstairs to wait in the kitchen.

"Pip, it's nearly 11.30," said Mrs Hilton. "I thought you and Bets were meeting Fatty this morning?"

"We are," groaned Pip. "Only Bets has decided she needs two blue ribbons in her hair, and of course, she can't find the other one. Why she needs them when we're only going to meet Fatty, I'm sure I don't know."

Mrs Hilton smiled as Bets came into the kitchen with both ribbons tied neatly into bows. "You look very nice, Bets. Perfect for meeting a friend off the train. As for you, Pip," – she cast a look at the boy – "you might like to tuck in your shirt before you set off."

Pip was already halfway out of the Hilton's front door and quickly did his mother's bidding on the front path. Bets followed him out of the garden gate and they set off towards the Peterswood train station to meet their friend Fatty, who was coming home for the summer holidays. Along with their friends Larry and Daisy and Fatty's dog Buster, they formed the Five Find-Outers and Dog who were responsible for solving many interesting and exciting mysteries in the Peterswood area, much to the dismay of local policeman, Mr Goon.

"I hope we shan't be late," said Pip anxiously, looking at his watch. "The train is so crowded, it's often hard to spot people on the platform unless you get a good space. I hope Larry and Daisy are already there."

They hurried into the station just as the train pulled in. The platform was already crowded with people meeting the train and others waiting to catch it.

"Blow!" said Pip. "There's no room to stand. Fatty doesn't know we're meeting him and if he doesn't see us, he may slip out and go straight home."

"There's Larry and Daisy," said Bets, pointing. They pushed through the crowd of passengers, porters and other people until they reached where Larry was standing on a station bench trying to spot Fatty.

"I say, you don't think he would be in disguise trying to trick us, do you?" asked Daisy.

"No," replied Pip. "Not unless he was doing it for his own fun. Fatty doesn't know we're actually meeting him. His mother said she couldn't reach the school before he left. She was going to be out collecting things for the church fete and that's why she asked us if we might like to meet him, go to our house and she would collect him from there."

"He might be in disguise for his own fun, you know," said Larry from his position on the bench. "I'll bet he's collected some more disguises this term and is itching to try them out in public." He searched the platform again, looking for anyone roughly the same size as Fatty. The train was now pulling out and the crowd was starting to thin as people began moving out of the station. Pip joined Larry on the bench.

"We should have met him at his house," sighed Daisy.

"But he would have had his trunk to carry by himself and then nobody at home to let him in," said Bets worriedly. "I do hope he hasn't slipped by."

The sound of a barking dog suddenly filled the air and the Find-Outers immediately thought of Buster. However, it was a shaggy brown mongrel that dashed along the platform and up to the group of children. Bets immediately reached out to pat the dog.

"Careful, Bets," warned Pip. "He may not be as friendly as old Buster."

The dog's lolling tongue and wagging tail seemed to indicate a friendly dog and Bets began to pat the dog's head. There was an angry shout behind them.

"Timmy! Bad dog, going to strangers!" A boy with short curly hair had run up to them and pulled the dog away from Bets. "I expect you called him over, didn't you?"

"No," said Bets, frightened by the angry note in the stranger's voice. "He came to us."

"Timmy wouldn't do that," said the boy. "He knows better, don't you, Timmy?"

"Wuff!" replied the dog and wagged his tail.

"Gosh! It's like he really knows what you're saying," said Larry in admiration, holding out a hand to the dog.

"Of course he does," replied the boy. "And only me, so leave him alone!"

"I say, look here . . ." began Pip. An older boy joined them and spoke to the curly-haired boy with the bossy air of the eldest in charge. "Come on, George. We've found Timmy, now buck up and come along."

George scowled. "All right, Julian. Come on, Timmy."

"What a perfectly beastly fellow," said Daisy as they watched the two boys join another boy and a girl and leave the station.

"I've never seen them before," said Pip. "I'm sure they aren't from Peterswood. Perhaps they're staying with relatives."

"I do hope we won't see them again," said Bets. "Horrid strangers!"

Little did they know they would be seeing quite a bit of the Five Strangers!