But help is at hand…

Sniffsniffsniff went Wizzie.

Up hill and down dale he went, all over the Tracboat, his feathery tail waving away like a brown and cream flag. Over seats, past computer terminals – even disappearing into the Food Hill where the trains that serve the Tracboat’s delicious meals come from.

(He came out pretty quick though, chased by a VERY cross steam engine going woop-woop-WOOOOOOP!)

Not there then!

Dot was worried. She knew Wizzie had a fantastic sense of smell – he could find his way to an abandoned crisp (and gobble it down!) 50 metres away across the park – But Lucia the Tracboat was a new world for him. Could he really find the Tzone card…? She needn’t have worried. Suddenly Wiz stopped next to a jacket, which had been slung over one of the cinema-like chairs in front of a computer screen.

He let out three very short barks: BarkbarkBARK! Then he nudged the jacket with his nose.

“Here’s your Tzonecard!” he said to Walpurgis, smiling up at the TricTrucTrackers and Dot and Fromage.

“Extraordinaire!” murmured Mr Mouse’s cousin. “I can only say, Weezie my frien’, that I am glad the cats in my home town of Toulouse cannot sniff ze way you do!”

But the TricTrucTrackers weren’t listening. They all had their eyes fixed on Walpurgis, who had plunged his hand into the jacket – first one pocket, then another. Nothing.

“Oh no!” said Dot to herself.

Wiz knew what she was saying. “Don’t worry, Dot” he said, with a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel wink and a roll of the tongue. “The Tzonecard is in there all right!”

And it was!

Suddenly, Walpurgis gave a shout of triumph. He had unzipped one of those silly pockets you have on the arm of some jackets – pretty well useless, I think they are. And worse than that, if you put something in there, you always forget that you’ve done it!

“The Tzonecard!” said Walpurgis. “Now we can get going! But - ” he looked round the little circle of his TricTrucTracker team “I think SOMEONE has some apologies to make!”

Dot was surprised to see Hombellyton – the very TricTrucTracker who’d given Walpurgis their leader a hard time about losing the Tzonecard - turning pink.

Only, it wasn’t just his face with his spoon-shaped beak – it was all of him, slowly coming up from his webbed paws, over his furry chest, even creeping up his arms, till he wasn’t stripey brown and gold any more – his fur was pink all over.

It was rather pretty actually, Dot thought.

But poor Hombellyton clearly didn’t think so!

“SO embarrassed” he said. “My dear Walpurgis… gave you a hard time… left it in my jacket… my fault all along… ”

“Never mind!” said Walpurgis. “Kiss beaks!”

And they did – one to one side, once to the other, then a tap-rap-tap in the middle.

After that, Hombellyton started going back to his normal, not-embarrassed and not-ashamed colour. But this time from the head down. It was weird but very interesting to watch.

Walpurgis leant down and gave Wiz a pat on the head. “Well DONE, Wizard!” he said. “Now we can find our way into TZ66, and get – we hope – closer to finding out where your friend Mr Mouse has been taken. But first - ” he brought a silver whistle out of one of the many pockets on a little belt round his tummy, and blew.

There was an answering “Toot-toot!” from inside the Food Hill, and in a moment out came another little train – a silver one, this time, towing a wagon with a doggy bowl on it.

Dot gasped. It was just like Wizzy’s at home! How did they know that?

It was obvious Wiz wasn’t bothering about that mystery – as soon as the little train stopped, he’d jumped up and was snacking away. He looked up for a moment and grinned. “Thanks Walpurgis!” he said. “Doggydos de Luxe Best Boy Treat Meal! My fave!”

“Think nothing of it!” said Walpurgis. “You’ve saved the day for us!”

He turned to his companions, holding up the Tzonecard.

“Shall we?” he said.

“Without doubt!” they all said together, like singers in harmony.

Walpurgis walked back to the Tracmapper. He put the card down in the middle of the strange blobby green “keyboard” and pushed gently.

It disappeared inside the blobbiness, glowing a deep blue colour as it did so.

Lucia the Tracboat gave a little shudder.

They were off - off to Nascarbalone Trinth’s TZ66!