Peril at Granite Peak by Franklin W. Dixon Page B

know, it could’ve been Josie who locked him out there.”
    â€œJosie?” Chet echoed. “How do you figure?”
    â€œI’m just kidding, mostly,” I said. “It’s just that she seems really worried about losing her job. Maybe she thought all of Stanley’s complaining would make business even worse. Or something.”
    Joe snorted. “Bro, I think your brain’s already asleep, even if the rest of you isn’t.”
    â€œSleep.” Chet rolled over and yawned. “Yeah, that’s starting to sound good.”
    I had to agree. “Come on, Joe, let’s go back to our room.” Chet’s yawn was contagious, and my mouth stretched open so wide I was afraid my head would crack in two. “We can worry about all this in the morning.”
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    In the morning the storm was still going strong. The wind battered the windows, swirling the snow around so much itwas impossible to see more than a few feet. But the lodge was warm and cozy. Joe, Chet, and I got dressed and followed the enticing scents of coffee and bacon to the dining room.
    The Richmonds were sitting over near the kitchen door, making a racket as usual. The honeymooners were at a table for two near the entrance. They smiled at us as we passed before going back to making moony eyes at each other.
    Poppy was sitting by herself nearby, sipping coffee and typing on a laptop. When she spotted us, she shut the computer and waved us over.
    â€œSo what happened last night?” she demanded before we could say a word. “I can’t believe I slept through the whole thing!”
    Joe flopped into a chair and reached for the coffeepot in the middle of the table. “What have you heard so far?”
    â€œNot much,” she said. “I just got here. But one of the Richmond kids said someone almost got turned into a snowman last night, and the dog rescued him?” She grinned. “What’s the real story?”
    The honeymooners heard her and looked up, and Nate leaned closer. “That’s pretty much it, actually. Stanley Wright accidentally locked himself out in the blizzard, and by the time Cody’s dog tracked him down, he was half-frozen. Couldn’t have happened to a more deserving guy.”
    â€œNate!” his wife exclaimed, sounding horrified.
    â€œSorry.” Shooting us a sheepish look, Nate returned his attention to his own table.
    â€œWow.” Poppy turned to us. “Is all that true?”
    â€œYeah,” Joe said. “I happened to wake up around midnight and spotted Stanley through the window.” He shrugged. “Well, I didn’t know it was him at the time. But we ran down and got Cody and Blizz to get out there and take a look, and the rest is history.”
    Poppy looked impressed, and I could tell Joe was eating it up. “I can’t believe I missed the whole thing,” she said. “Sounds like I was the only one. I’m a pretty sound sleeper.” She leaned forward. “So was Stanley okay? How’d the Gallaghers react when they found out?”
    â€œHe seemed okay to me,” Chet said. “We haven’t seen him since—”
    â€œExcuse me,” Poppy said suddenly, cutting him off. “I just remembered I, um, have to go. Sorry.”
    She leaped to her feet, grabbed her laptop, and raced away, disappearing through the door leading into the side hallway, where the lodge’s small gift shop, public restrooms, and various other amenities were located. I stared after her in surprise.
    â€œThat was weird,” I said.
    Chet shrugged. “Maybe she really, really felt like shopping. Or needed to use the bathroom.”
    Joe rolled his eyes. “You really don’t know anything about girls, do you, dude?”
    â€œNever mind that.” I’d just noticed Josie rushing toward us, Toy Toy clutched in her arms. She must have come in from the lobby while we