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feeling this is going to be embarrassing.”

5
A Job for the Department
    The policeman outside was nice, but obviously thought they were messing about. He took Demerara’s card and chuckled.
    “Where did you get this? It’s a pretty good imitation of one of our passes—except for the paw mark.”
    “Kindly swipe it at once and let us in!” an angry voice mewed from inside the pet carrier.
    The young policeman raised his eyebrows, automatically thinking Lily must have said it.
    Turning red as a brick, she said, “Er—please.”
    “Oh, all right, if it will make you go away.” The policeman swiped Demerara’s card and his face immediately changed. “Oh—it says here—I’d better take you to the sergeant.”
    The three kids made faces of surprise at each other. The young policeman was actually leading them into the MI6 building. They followed him across a long polished floor to a desk, where they were handed over to another, older policeman.
    He looked at the card, and at them. “Oh, yes, this lot are on the priority list. Come on.”
    It was like some mad dream. Oz asked, “Are you—are you sure we’re the right people?”
    “Course I am—not many people bring their pets in here.”
    “Pets!” hissed Demerara. “How DARE he? Do I look like someone’s PET?”
    “Sorry, ma’am.” The second policeman was amazingly unsurprised by a talking cat. He took them to an elevator, and then to an office, where there was a man in a gray suit drinking coffee.
    “Something for your department, sir,” the policemen said.
    “Yes,” the man in the suit said calmly, “the desk called me. Thank you, Sergeant; I’ll take it from here.”
    Oz and Lily caught sight of each other’s stunned faces: why did everyone seem to be expecting them? It seemed that the show-off cat had been telling the truth; she really was working for the government.
    The man in the suit said, “This way, please.”
    He took them to another lift, which he worked with a key. It whisked them right up to the top floor. The man in the suit knocked on a door opposite the lift.
    A woman’s voice said, “Come in.”
    Oz was nearest the door, so he opened it, and the three of them walked into another very white and tidy office, with walls of filing cabinets and a large computer.
    The woman was about Emily Spoffard’s age, wearing a smart navy suit. She looked up from her desk, smiling. “Hello, Demerara.”
    “Hello,” said Demerara. “Let me out, someone.”
    Oz put down the pet carrier (which was a relief; the cat was no lightweight, and the smell of the body glitter was making him dizzy) and Demerara trotted out onto the carpet.
    “Lovely glitter,” the woman said kindly.
    “Thank you, B62. As you can see, I’ve brought the children.”
    B62 looked at them. “You said they were triplets.”
    “The rat who works for me made a mistake—but I managed to draft in this witch, Caydon Campbell.”
    B62 pressed a few keys on her computer. “Oh yes, that’s all in order.”
    “I’m not a witch,” Caydon said.
    “Of course you are. You’re in the system.”
    “That’s the first I’ve heard of it!”
    Demerara absently licked her paw, then spat crossly. “Ugh—I forgot! Is J ready for us?”
    “Go right in.” B62 stood up to open a polished wooden door. “They’re here, sir.”
    Oz, Lily and Caydon walked into a grand office dominated by a big antique desk. The whole thing was so peculiar, they had to keep glancing at each other to remind themselves this was not a dream.
    A tall man with gray hair stood in the window with his back to them, reading a file.
    “Well, Demerara—you’ve put us through a lot of trouble. You’d better be right about this emergency.”
    “Of course I’m right!” The glittery cat was indignant. “Here are my three helpers.”
    He turned round to face them. “Hello. My name is J. Please sit down.”
    There were three chairs in front of the desk. Oz, Lily and Caydon sat down while Demerara made a