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"Jack! You're to go to the park and no where else! Understand?"

"Yes Mum!" Jack ran out the front gate and pounded down the pathway towards the park at the end on the street. He had been looking forward to this weekend for weeks. It was the annual kite flying competition and he knew that this year the trophy would be his.

"Hey Jack! Over here!" He was glad his friends had got there early. They had gotten the best position where the wind blew through the hardest.

"Oh cool. Yours is wicked." His friends openly admired his kite and he couldn't blame them. It was a violently bright purple with a huge green and red snake coiled on it, and a long, green and red tail that made a faint whipping noise as the wind tossed it around. It had taken him nearly the entire summer to make but it was worth it.

'Attention! Attention, please! Would all registered flyers please get into position and be ready to release your kites in 1 minute!'

"Quick Mike," Mike took the head of the kite and prepared to run on the starters' gun. With a good strong run, good release and a bit of luck the trophy was as good as his.

BANG!

Mike was off and Jack meticulously watched the string unwind from the reel to prevent snags or tangles. It was off and flying high, the wind tossing it from side to side as it soared to touch the clouds. He tightened the string to keep control and turned around so that the kites' tail could flutter and show itself off.

"Hey Jack, they're coming this way." Mike and his friends were watching the stocky adult with the dreaded clipboard weaving between the flyers. He judged their flight ability, appearance, colours, workmanship and the ability of the flyer to control his contraption. But Jack wasn't worried; he was ready for anything.

"Whoa Jack, watch out!"

While he had been watching the judges' approach, he had failed to notice that another kite had come dangerously close to his. He dodged to the left and moved it away, but the other kite followed. He trailed the string down to the flyer and noticed a young girl who was struggling against the wind.

"Oh no, go away, go away!" He stepped back pulling his kite further away but a sudden gust of wind blew the two together.

"Jack, Jack! You're tangled! Move to the right!"

"No, move to the left!"

"Are you crazy? Go forward again!"

His friends yelled frantic suggestions which lead to Jack doing a modified 2-step on the field. Jack could feel an increased tension pulling his string, and a glance at the young girl proved she was attempting to yank her kite free.

"Mike, go and stop her pulling. She's gonna break the line! Oh, please, please please, don't let this happen." But the line went slack anyway. The other kite fell to the ground as his purple snake kept rising. It was gone.

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"I don't care what you have to do, find him or this case is screwed." Nick Pulvini slammed the receiver back down in frustration. The biggest case in his professional career and the primary witness had disappeared.