alert!”
“Oh, come on!” Ben exploded.
“Another one?” Griffin hissed.
“The Bartholomew kid,” Pitch confirmed. “Heading for the stairs.”
Griffin was so relieved that he almost forgot to sneeze the signal. All right — Darren was here for the money, Celia White for the story. Tony was the one.
The team watched as the gangling eighth grader — Art Blankenship’s nearest relative — worked his way through the line and stepped intothe metal detector. Griffin’s grip tightened on the cell phone camera in his pocket. But no alarm disturbed the elevator music in the lobby. Tony didn’t have the ring, either.
Griffin was devastated. Where had the plan gone wrong? Had he missed something?
And then the final red alert came over the walkie-talkie.
“It’s Dr. Evil!” Ben rasped. “And he’s got to have the merchandise! He’s the only one left!”
“Watch yourself!” added Pitch. “This is it!”
Griffin felt his entire body tighten in apprehension as the principal entered the courthouse.
I should have known it would come to this!
There had been reason to suspect the others, but Dr. Egan was his true enemy — the man who had targeted him from the beginning and banished him to Jail For Kids.
The principal looked restless and annoyed, and stared pointedly at the Blind Justice statue beyond the checkpoint. If there were any question as to why he’d come, he clutched a printout of the untraceable e-mail in his hand.
Frowning impatiently, he stepped into the metal detector. The alarm was high pitched and piercing.
The team converged from the four corners of the atrium, cell phones out, shutters at the ready.
“Take a step back, sir,” droned the security guard. “Put your keys, coins, and metal in the tray and try again.”
The principal reached into his pocket.
Griffin stiffened like a pointer. This was it! In another second, the ring would be right in the open! He brought up the camera and leaned into the checkpoint.
Too close.
“Griffin Bing?”
Dr. Egan exclaimed.
“Griffin Bing?”
echoed another voice behind them.
Griffin wheeled. An all-too-familiar compact figure stood on the exit side of the checkpoint. Judge Koretsky.
Trapped like an animal, Griffin did the only thing he could think of. He brought the cell phone to his ear and said, “Hello?”
Angrily, the principal waved the e-mail printout at him. “Is this your doing?”
“I’d be very interested to hear the answer to that.” Celia White, notebook in hand, leaned back over the divider.
Darren and Tony looked on from behind her, Darren with a self-satisfied smirk. There was nothing he enjoyed more than watching Griffin crash and burn.
At that moment, the walkie-talkie crackled to life with Ben’s anxious voice. “What’s happening, Griffin? Did it work?”
The answer to that, Griffin thought with a sinking heart, was a resounding no.
10
A t least this time, Griffin didn’t have to be hauled into court. He was already there.
He sat with his mother and Judge Koretsky in chambers, cringing under the evil eye that was coming in stereo.
“Why would you do such a crazy thing?” Mrs. Bing demanded.
“It was a sting operation,” Griffin tried to explain. “No one believes I didn’t steal the ring, so I have to flush out the person who did.” He turned accusing eyes on the judge. “And it worked perfectly! Why didn’t you search Dr. Egan when I told you to?”
Judge Koretsky’s reply was icy. “We don’t conduct unconstitutional searches on the say-so of a twelve-year-old.”
“But he had the ring!” Griffin insisted. “That’s what set off the metal detector!”
“That metal detector is set off fifty times a day by people who forget to remove their car keys or their cell phones.”
“But it
had
to be the ring!” Griffin struggled to convince her. “The other three suspects breezed through. Dr. Egan was the only one who beeped! He took the ring to frame me, and now he’s trying to sell
“Oh, come on!” Ben exploded.
“Another one?” Griffin hissed.
“The Bartholomew kid,” Pitch confirmed. “Heading for the stairs.”
Griffin was so relieved that he almost forgot to sneeze the signal. All right — Darren was here for the money, Celia White for the story. Tony was the one.
The team watched as the gangling eighth grader — Art Blankenship’s nearest relative — worked his way through the line and stepped intothe metal detector. Griffin’s grip tightened on the cell phone camera in his pocket. But no alarm disturbed the elevator music in the lobby. Tony didn’t have the ring, either.
Griffin was devastated. Where had the plan gone wrong? Had he missed something?
And then the final red alert came over the walkie-talkie.
“It’s Dr. Evil!” Ben rasped. “And he’s got to have the merchandise! He’s the only one left!”
“Watch yourself!” added Pitch. “This is it!”
Griffin felt his entire body tighten in apprehension as the principal entered the courthouse.
I should have known it would come to this!
There had been reason to suspect the others, but Dr. Egan was his true enemy — the man who had targeted him from the beginning and banished him to Jail For Kids.
The principal looked restless and annoyed, and stared pointedly at the Blind Justice statue beyond the checkpoint. If there were any question as to why he’d come, he clutched a printout of the untraceable e-mail in his hand.
Frowning impatiently, he stepped into the metal detector. The alarm was high pitched and piercing.
The team converged from the four corners of the atrium, cell phones out, shutters at the ready.
“Take a step back, sir,” droned the security guard. “Put your keys, coins, and metal in the tray and try again.”
The principal reached into his pocket.
Griffin stiffened like a pointer. This was it! In another second, the ring would be right in the open! He brought up the camera and leaned into the checkpoint.
Too close.
“Griffin Bing?”
Dr. Egan exclaimed.
“Griffin Bing?”
echoed another voice behind them.
Griffin wheeled. An all-too-familiar compact figure stood on the exit side of the checkpoint. Judge Koretsky.
Trapped like an animal, Griffin did the only thing he could think of. He brought the cell phone to his ear and said, “Hello?”
Angrily, the principal waved the e-mail printout at him. “Is this your doing?”
“I’d be very interested to hear the answer to that.” Celia White, notebook in hand, leaned back over the divider.
Darren and Tony looked on from behind her, Darren with a self-satisfied smirk. There was nothing he enjoyed more than watching Griffin crash and burn.
At that moment, the walkie-talkie crackled to life with Ben’s anxious voice. “What’s happening, Griffin? Did it work?”
The answer to that, Griffin thought with a sinking heart, was a resounding no.
10
A t least this time, Griffin didn’t have to be hauled into court. He was already there.
He sat with his mother and Judge Koretsky in chambers, cringing under the evil eye that was coming in stereo.
“Why would you do such a crazy thing?” Mrs. Bing demanded.
“It was a sting operation,” Griffin tried to explain. “No one believes I didn’t steal the ring, so I have to flush out the person who did.” He turned accusing eyes on the judge. “And it worked perfectly! Why didn’t you search Dr. Egan when I told you to?”
Judge Koretsky’s reply was icy. “We don’t conduct unconstitutional searches on the say-so of a twelve-year-old.”
“But he had the ring!” Griffin insisted. “That’s what set off the metal detector!”
“That metal detector is set off fifty times a day by people who forget to remove their car keys or their cell phones.”
“But it
had
to be the ring!” Griffin struggled to convince her. “The other three suspects breezed through. Dr. Egan was the only one who beeped! He took the ring to frame me, and now he’s trying to sell
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