But those Suits think we’re involved, so they’re not going to let up.They’ve already cost me my perfect attendance medal for the year—I’m not letting them ruin anything else.” Agatha’s eyes were dark and crazy looking. I’m just glad she was blaming them for making her skip school instead of me.
“It’s simple, okay?” Agatha hitched her bookbag up on her shoulder. “We do it one at a time, so if anything goes wrong, the other one can go for help. We keep the animal hybrid out of sight at all times. Once we’ve answered their questions, they’ll realize we don’t know anything and leave us alone, right?” Agatha looked like she’d convinced herself, at least.
I hoped she was right. I wasn’t willing to live under surveillance for the next thirty years because my crazy neighbor left a mutant bunny in my bed.
We crept up to the front of the building and peered in. Agatha swore under her breath. “That stupid man in the suit is still there, just waiting for us. Jerk,” she said. Not a big surprise, really. Once we’d ditched them at school, they had to figure we’d come back. After all, we do live there.
“Uh-oh. Trouble,” I said. A large black car had turned the corner up ahead and was driving slowly downthe street toward us. It looked a lot like the one that had shown up at school. Close enough that I wasn’t going to risk hanging around.
We were totally stuck. We couldn’t go inside and we couldn’t stay outside. There weren’t a lot of options. Those CIA/Vulcan/secret agent types sure know their stuff.
“Quick,” Agatha said, cracking the door. “Maybe we can sneak past.”
Right. The lobby is not that big. It’d be like sneaking past someone in the bathroom. They’re going to notice. But we were just about to sneak inside anyway when we heard it.
“You! Hey, you! Up here!”
Mr. Suit #2 looked up and around. “Who’s there?” he called suspiciously.
“Quick! There he goes! Over there! Come quick!” The voice sounded like it was coming from upstairs.
Mr. Suit #2 hesitated and then hurried up the stairs. I shot Agatha a surprised look. I didn’t know who that was, but the distraction was just what we’d needed.
“You know what to do!” Agatha said, pushing me toward Mrs. Simmons’ apartment.
I knocked lightly on the door, nervously eyeing the stairs.
Mrs. Simmons must have practically had her ear to the door, because she jerked it open immediately. “Jeffrey!”
“Mrs. Simmons! Hi, can I come in? Thanks.” I winked at Agatha as I pushed my way past Mrs. Simmons into the apartment and ducked out of sight. Agatha nodded and started rattling her keys.
“Boy, it’s good to be home!” she shouted, as Mr. Suit #2 came clattering down the stairs. Plan One in place. I peeked through the crack in the door.
“Excuse me, miss, I need to ask you a few questions.”
Agatha turned around with her most innocent face on. Good thing, too, because Mr. Suit #2 looked really ticked off.
“I don’t know what you’re trying to pull, but this is a serious situation.” Mr. Suit #2 didn’t look likesomeone you want to mess with. I sure hoped Agatha’s plan would work.
I scanned the hallway quickly as Mrs. Simmons closed the door. Funny, I didn’t see whoever had called him away. I frowned and looked down at the eyes glinting at me from inside the environmentally friendly grocery bag.
“Is that a present for me?” Mrs. Simmons stood in front of the door and pointed at the bag. Weird how this part of the plan hadn’t seemed quite so bad when we’d been talking about it. I must’ve been delusional.
“Uh, no, it’s my uh…project. But you can have the bag later, if you want,” I stammered, tucking the bag behind me. I could feel the jackalope peeking over the top. I just hoped its turban was still on tight.
“I’ll just take that for you. It’s for me, right? A present? A present because you didn’t find out where Professor Twitchell went?” Mrs. Simmons
“It’s simple, okay?” Agatha hitched her bookbag up on her shoulder. “We do it one at a time, so if anything goes wrong, the other one can go for help. We keep the animal hybrid out of sight at all times. Once we’ve answered their questions, they’ll realize we don’t know anything and leave us alone, right?” Agatha looked like she’d convinced herself, at least.
I hoped she was right. I wasn’t willing to live under surveillance for the next thirty years because my crazy neighbor left a mutant bunny in my bed.
We crept up to the front of the building and peered in. Agatha swore under her breath. “That stupid man in the suit is still there, just waiting for us. Jerk,” she said. Not a big surprise, really. Once we’d ditched them at school, they had to figure we’d come back. After all, we do live there.
“Uh-oh. Trouble,” I said. A large black car had turned the corner up ahead and was driving slowly downthe street toward us. It looked a lot like the one that had shown up at school. Close enough that I wasn’t going to risk hanging around.
We were totally stuck. We couldn’t go inside and we couldn’t stay outside. There weren’t a lot of options. Those CIA/Vulcan/secret agent types sure know their stuff.
“Quick,” Agatha said, cracking the door. “Maybe we can sneak past.”
Right. The lobby is not that big. It’d be like sneaking past someone in the bathroom. They’re going to notice. But we were just about to sneak inside anyway when we heard it.
“You! Hey, you! Up here!”
Mr. Suit #2 looked up and around. “Who’s there?” he called suspiciously.
“Quick! There he goes! Over there! Come quick!” The voice sounded like it was coming from upstairs.
Mr. Suit #2 hesitated and then hurried up the stairs. I shot Agatha a surprised look. I didn’t know who that was, but the distraction was just what we’d needed.
“You know what to do!” Agatha said, pushing me toward Mrs. Simmons’ apartment.
I knocked lightly on the door, nervously eyeing the stairs.
Mrs. Simmons must have practically had her ear to the door, because she jerked it open immediately. “Jeffrey!”
“Mrs. Simmons! Hi, can I come in? Thanks.” I winked at Agatha as I pushed my way past Mrs. Simmons into the apartment and ducked out of sight. Agatha nodded and started rattling her keys.
“Boy, it’s good to be home!” she shouted, as Mr. Suit #2 came clattering down the stairs. Plan One in place. I peeked through the crack in the door.
“Excuse me, miss, I need to ask you a few questions.”
Agatha turned around with her most innocent face on. Good thing, too, because Mr. Suit #2 looked really ticked off.
“I don’t know what you’re trying to pull, but this is a serious situation.” Mr. Suit #2 didn’t look likesomeone you want to mess with. I sure hoped Agatha’s plan would work.
I scanned the hallway quickly as Mrs. Simmons closed the door. Funny, I didn’t see whoever had called him away. I frowned and looked down at the eyes glinting at me from inside the environmentally friendly grocery bag.
“Is that a present for me?” Mrs. Simmons stood in front of the door and pointed at the bag. Weird how this part of the plan hadn’t seemed quite so bad when we’d been talking about it. I must’ve been delusional.
“Uh, no, it’s my uh…project. But you can have the bag later, if you want,” I stammered, tucking the bag behind me. I could feel the jackalope peeking over the top. I just hoped its turban was still on tight.
“I’ll just take that for you. It’s for me, right? A present? A present because you didn’t find out where Professor Twitchell went?” Mrs. Simmons
Similar Books
