Game Play by Hazel Edwards

thing.’
    Amy shook her head. ‘That doesn’t make sense. He didn’t want to get caught. He just wanted to look as if he was carrying the real things for any buyers, like athletes.’
    â€˜Then why did he try to give me the newspaper just before he was searched at Customs?’
    â€˜Scared of being caught? A warning by another seller like the soccer player?’
    â€˜But why did he give them to me? The pills were still rolled up inside. I might have had a look.’ Amy was still puzzled.
    â€˜He took a risk. But he didn’t want to be caught with them on him.’
    Christopher hadn’t worked it out yet.
    Gloria said, ‘But they weren’t the real steroids. We couldn’t have charged him for them.’
    Christopher pushed back his glasses ... thinking time again.
    â€˜But they did look real. Perhaps he was so worried that they might be found by Customs and thought to be real.’ said Amy.
    â€˜Our tests are very thorough.’ said Gloria.
    â€˜Or he didn’t know,’ Christopher suggested quickly. ‘What if all along he thought they were the real thing?
    â€˜You mean someone was playing a trick on him?’ Gloria looked thoughtful. ‘Maybe he found out while waiting in the queue?’
    â€˜He had two lots. The ones in the rolled newspaper which are sucrose fakes which he was passing off as real. And the ones in the vitamin containers which were animal steroids passing as human.’
    â€˜I did have a real one then!’ Amy was surprised.
    Gloria continued. ‘Since ‘91, anabolic steroids have been listed as a prohibited import. But we’ve got a problem. Customs can only seize imported steroids ... Locally made ones are beyond their powers.’
    â€˜Were Mr Muscles’ pills made locally?’ How could they be if he was on an international flight from Singapore?’
    â€˜Good point, Amy.’
    Gloria looked pleased. ‘But it’s been a productive day. We found 100 kilos of steroids with street value of 2.5 million somewhere else.’
    â€˜Where?’ asked Aunty Viv.
    â€˜In the suitcase of the soccer player in the pretend track suit?’ guessed Amy.
    â€˜Right.’ Gloria explained. ‘There were false linings in the suitcases. 1500 ampoules of anabolic steroids were hidden.’
    â€˜What’s that worth?’
    â€˜The street value is $300,000.’
    â€˜Wow!’ said the twins.
    â€˜How did you find out?’
    â€˜Christopher’s comment about the uniform being different. Andthe suitcase was SO heavy. That was a clue. Actually the suitcase was so well made that Customs are keeping it. They’re going to use it as a teaching aid for training their officers.’
    â€˜What will happen to the smugglers? To grand- nephew Bruce, the soccer player and Mr Muscles?’
    â€˜Did you catch Mr Muscles, too?’ asked Christopher.
    Gloria nodded. ‘As soon as we’d tested that pill Amy had. We knew he was guilty, too. They’ll be fined. At least three times the street value of the steroids, if they’d been able to sell them.’
    â€˜That’s fair,’ agreed Christopher.
    â€˜That’s $900,000,’ Amy worked out.
    â€˜And the fake soccer player won’t be playing in the InternationalGames. He just pretended to belong. Then he could get through Customs with the group. He had the wrong colour navy track pants. And his socks didn’t match.’
    Christopher flicked back through his sketches. ‘See.’
    â€˜I still don’t understand why Mr Muscles dropped that rolled newspaper in the bin. Was he trying to get rid of it? Or was he trying to pass it to someone else?’
    â€˜By then, Mr Muscles wasn’t sure what he was doing. He’d been searched by Customs but they missed the paper because of the fuss about the runaway. He was looking for customers amongst the athletes.
    And the soccer player spoke to him