Leonie Skyforce-Clarke and the Mystery of the Green Case

By Elisa Nolf

Join 10-year-old Leonie and her brother Lionel on this funny, nail-biting, madcap adventure set in Sydney, Australia.

It all kicks off when they find an old, locked up green suitcase washed up at Tamarama Beach. What could be inside? The clues they discover send the pair on a thrilling caper – solving bizarre riddles, finding secret items, escaping from a tv-addicted nanny and steering clear of royally suspicious characters!

Leonie and Lionel find themselves entangled in an epic mystery that would challenge even the world’s greatest sleuths. But do they have what it takes to solve it, before time runs out?

"The best, most exciting mystery adventure I’ve ever read." - Ellie Jones

• Language: English
• Publisher: Elisa Nolf
• Release date: Dec 16, 2021
• ISBN: 9780645379204

Elisa Nolf

Elisa Nolf lives in Sydney, Australia and is passionate about writing fun, exciting and immersive stories that children can lose themselves in. She is the mother of a very ebullient two-year old.

Book preview

Leonie Skyforce-Clarke and the Mystery of the Green Case

Elisa Nolf

Copyright © 2021 Elisa Nolf

All rights reserved.

For Estelita

With huge thanks to Dylan, Lookee, KBear, Handels & BB.

Contents

Map of Key Places

Introduction

Chapter 1: THURSDAY MORNING

Chapter 2: THURSDAY AFTERNOON

Chapter 3: FRIDAY MORNING

Chapter 4: FRIDAY AFTERNOON

Chapter 5: FRIDAY LATE AFTERNOON

Chapter 6: FRIDAY EVENING

Chapter 7: SATURDAY

Chapter 8: SUNDAY MORNING

Chapter 9: SUNDAY AFTERNOON

Chapter 10: MONDAY MORNING

Chapter 11: TUESDAY MORNING

Chapter 12: TUESDAY AFTERNOON

Chapter 13: TUESDAY EVENING

Chapter 14: WEDNESDAY MORNING

Chapter 15: WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON

Chapter 16: WEDNESDAY LATE AFTERNOON

Chapter 17: WEDNESDAY EVENING

Chapter 18: WEDNESDAY NIGHT

Chapter 19: THURSDAY EARLY MORNING

Chapter 20: THURSDAY MORNING

Chapter 21: THURSDAY MID-MORNING

Chapter 22: THURSDAY EARLY AFTERNOON

Chapter 23: THURSDAY LATE AFTERNOON to EVENING

Chapter 24: ELLIE JONES - PART 1

Chapter 25: ELLIE JONES - PART 2

Chapter 26: EPILOGUE

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Map of Key Places

Introduction

Hi there, my name is Leonie. Leonie Skyforce-Clarke.

I’ve written down this strange story, a bit in the spirit of Sherlock Holmes. I wanted to capture some of the pretty wild events that happened to me and my brother Lionel this summer. I don’t know who will actually ever read this, but you know what they say - write it down and they will come.

Lionel: I’ve never heard anyone say that. Ever.

By way of introduction, I am 10 years old and my brother Lionel (as you just met above) is 9. We live in Australia in a beachside suburb of Sydney.

Our house is perched at the top of a hill overlooking Tamarama Beach. I know that must sound incredibly remote and rather romantic, but it’s not really. We basically live off a public walkway made up of what feels like a million wobbly, uneven concrete stairs that eventually lead down to the beach. The Tama Stairs as they’re called. So, while heading down to the beach isn’t too bad, getting back home can be a bit of a tricky business. That being said, Tamarama Beach is a real jewel, a narrow little cove filled with bright golden sand and dark glittery turquoise waters.

So, I guess you want to know a bit about me? Well, I’m an average height, have very light wispy hair and freckles that come out like crazy in the sun. When I’m not at school, I love swimming at the beach and reading mystery books at night. Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie are my favourites. I’m not sure if that gives you much of a picture of me, but there you go.

Lionel is super tall with light brown hair. He has autism which means his brain is wired a bit differently. To a lot of the world he can sometimes come off a bit strange and awkward, but we get on in our own way. During the holidays we tend to see a lot of each other. I know when to stay out of his way. It works.

Mum is a cardiothoracic surgeon. She literally cuts people’s chests open with a mini chainsaw for a living. That actually has nothing to do with this story but I think that’s a pretty nutty thing to do every day.

Dad isn’t half so interesting. He’s a lawyer in town. He’s always, always on his phone. It drives Lionel and me quite mad.

Given Mum and Dad are so busy, we usually have a nanny around to make sure we eat and stay alive and all that. Beatriz was selected by Mum to join us in time for the summer holidays. Somehow Mum got it into her head that Beatriz could teach us Spanish. I don’t know if Mum is going a bit off her rocker or what though, because Beatriz literally knows less Spanish than I do.

Lionel: And believe me, that’s saying something.

Lionel and I haven’t said anything to Mum about it because the last thing we want during the holidays is Spanish lessons, and Beatriz is a very low-key nanny. And by low-key I mean we’d probably have to walk in with severed limbs to get her to stop watching TV. But you know what? That suits both of us just fine.

Chapter 1: THURSDAY MORNING

It all started one of those really hot, blindingly bright summer mornings. The kind that marks the beginning of the Aussie summer and (best of all), the school holidays!

It was just after 9am and looking down at Tamarama Beach from my balcony actually made my eyes hurt. It was so glaringly bright. I could see bronzed groups of people making their way down to the sand, their bright towels trailing behind them. I could also see families (grandparents mainly) rushing down to stake out the shady white pergolas that were dotted around the grassy area behind the beach. As I looked into the cloudless blue sky I saw the beginnings of a plane starting some skywriting.

I took in a deep breath. The early sunshine, the warm breeze, the freedom of not having to go to school for six whole weeks - it felt like magic.

I walked out of my room directly across to Lionel’s room. I knocked on his door and heard a faint mumble from inside. I popped my head in - Lionel was lying in bed but was (very surprisingly) awake.

Lionel, I asked, what do you reckon about a bit of exploring on the rocks before the tide gets too high and the day gets too hot?

It really is 50/50 whether Lionel will ever come when I invite him to do stuff. Sometimes he needs peace and quiet and most of the time he’s just not that interested in joining my schemes and plans. But sometimes, sometimes he’s keen.

Lionel: It’s not really 50/50. I attend around 2 out of 5 invitations.

Maybe? Lionel said looking up at me, unconvinced.

Great!

How long will we be? he asked.

Half an hour tops - tide is coming in soon.

Lionel sat up in bed and sighed loudly. Do we have to take Beatriz with us?

"Nah, we’ll just tell her we’ll play where she can see us. She’s probably watching TV now anyway and she hates going up or down those stairs like anything."

As Lionel started to get up, I walked back to my room and yelled out to Beatriz who was in the living room, Beatriz! We're going down to the beach, but we’ll be where you can see us!

After hearing a faint ‘OK’ from Beatriz, I then waited outside for Lionel to get ready. He met me at our front door and we walked out of our house. We bounced down the million Tama Stairs until we hit a small park, crossed a narrow road and ran down to the beach.

Lionel: It’s actually 146 steps, not a million.

I love doing a bit of beachcombing around Tamarama. I don’t quite know what it is about it to be honest with you. I just love finding washed up bits and bobs and imagining their backstory. We generally beachcomb under the northern cliffs right under the Tamarama Surf Life Saving Club. You can only do it during certain parts of the day because once the tide comes in you can easily get washed out to sea and then slammed back onto the rocks. Not good.

Lionel and I have found quite a few interesting treasures while exploring out on the rocks. An old belt buckle, frisbees, goggles, sunnies, half a (possibly shark-eaten?) flipper. Okay, okay, so not really treasures in the traditional sense. But you know. Of some interest.

Lionel: Yes, perhaps to someone who has been lost at sea for a few years and kind of lost their mind as well.

We started jumping across the rocks making our way under the cliffs. As I looked out onto the endless blue sea, I could only see a few surfers and a kayak in the water. A large oil tanker hovered far away on the horizon. I closed my eyes for a brief moment, enjoying the sound of the crashing waves and the salty spray hitting my face.

And then, just a few metres away from me in the water, I saw it. A dark green