Portia's Exclusive and Confidential Rules on True Friendship by Anna Hays Page B

normal kid who has been practicing the art of friendship since before kindergarten?
    I decide to be professional, stick my emotions in my back pocket, and stay on track with the case. Trying to remain cool, even though my internal thermometer is about to burst, I insist, “I need to make one stop first. Vera is counting on my help with the new shipment of lamp shades.”
    Misty sits down on the sidewalk, with her hands clasped over her head. “It’s me, isn’t it?”
    â€œNo Misty, Vera Alloway is truly waiting for me!”
    â€œWho is Vera? Can I meet her? I won’t be a bother.”
    â€œIt’ll just be for a minute.”
    Misty brightens like the morning sun. Her practical leather ready-for-rain-and-shine sandals are now solidly on the ground. “You actually mean you’re going to continue speaking to me even after I severely got you in trouble?”
    I remind her, “It’s for the case, Misty.”
    Embarrassed, she meekly responds, “Of course, the case. For sure, it’s for the case.”
    Finally picking up on the fact that I’m not feeling immensely talkative, Misty slows down the speed of her chatter. Silence passes between us until we get to the entrance of Trash and Treasures.

Chapter 10
    4:01 P.M.,
T RASH AND T REASURES
    I open the front door to Trash and Treasures and make my way past the overflowing shelves and racks of torn mink coats, pointy party shoes, worn-out suede jackets, saggy sofas, and chipped flower vases. Misty walks around with her head turning in all directions at once, soaking up the unusualness of Vera’s magnificent interior junk festival.
    Misty then gasps in astonishment as she scoops up something incredibly special. It’s a hat! It was sitting there all by itself, balancing between two racks of donated Halloween costumes. It’s got “girl detective” written allover it. She hands me this precious new discovery. I place it on my head. It fits perfectly. I declare, “This will be the hat that guides me through the rest of the case!”
    DESCRIPTION OF HAT: A plaid newsboy hat in all shades of pink with white, red, yellow, and a touch of brown.
    QUESTION: How did Misty know that I was looking for a new hat for the case?
    FRIENDSHIP RULE #2: True friends surprise you when you least expect it.
    Where is a mirror in this junk palace? I weed through piles of dated encyclopedias and used paperback dictionaries. I don’t find a single mirror, but I discover the lamp shade shipment untouched. I’ve got to find Vera to ask about the price tag of this stupendous chapeau and see if I can postpone my assistance with the lamp shades for another day. “Paging Vera Alloway? If you can hear me, please give me a sign.”
    Nothing.
    I go back to my hunt for a mirror. As I weave through this highly disorganized dust palace, I turn around, and there’s Vera holding an antique hand mirror with a tarnished silver frame and handle. She casually comments, “Nice hat.”
    OBSERVATION: Vera always knows what I’m thinking. She is a mind reader.
    She continues, “It’s yours,” and hands me the mirror, which looks like its previous owner was a pampered princess out of a colorful fairy tale.
    I take a long look at the hat. “I love it! It’s just what I need for my new case.”
    Then Misty pops up from behind a rolling rack of Hawaiian shirts. “Hi, Vera Alloway. I’m Misty Longfellow!”
    Vera extends her hand for a hearty shake. “So you’re the mysterious new girl in town.”
    Misty is all smiles. “Portia told you about me?”
    Vera rests her arm on the saddle of a lopsided gold-plated carousel horse and asks Misty, “How’s progress on the case?”
    Misty confesses, “It’s all my fault. Now we’ve got to find Sweet Sunshine, and then there’s Maxwell, who is definitely not doing well at all.”
    I step in.