Stolen Secrets (9 page)

Chapter 31

I looked in vacant rooms
before returning to the auditorium. Sleeping bags and pillows were piled in corners and near closets. It’s weird how something as normal as a school looks creepy in the dark.

The police officer introduced Max, the sniffer dog. Kids came forward to pet him, and I felt sorry for the poor thing. He looked at the officer with pleading eyes. If he could talk, the dog would have said, “If I can’t attack anyone or find anyone, can we get out of here?” He was a beautiful dog with piercing eyes and a shiny coat.

The officer said Max was three years old and at night went home with him to his family. Max was trained to sniff out seven kinds of drugs.

“There she is,” someone said, pointing at me.

Mrs. Genloe hurried over. Cammy stood with her arms crossed, whispering to some parents who looked at me like I had clubbed a baby seal.

“Ashley, where is Wally?” Mrs. Genloe said. Her voice was strained, and the wrinkles in her forehead were so deep I could have planted corn in them.

I glanced at Cammy and the group in the corner. Tracy motioned to me and shook her head.

“Uh, I was watching the police presentation, and when I looked down—”

“You lost him?” Mrs. Genloe said.

The whole auditorium grew quiet. Kids turned and looked at me. Even Max glared.

Someone banged on an outside door and kids screamed, some running for parent helpers, others huddling near the policeman. Max’s ears perked up, and he stood at attention.

Someone opened the door and Bryce walked in. He looked at me and frowned.

How was I going to find Wally?

Chapter 32

Ashley ran from the room,
and I thought she had lost it. I was shaking from the noises outside, plus some teacher was yelling at me for leaving the building. I was about to explain when Mrs. Genloe called for quiet and asked kids to clear the aisles. “We have a situation and we need your help.”

Before she could continue, Ashley rushed in holding a backpack over her head. She approached the police officer and said, “Max is a sniffer dog, right?”

The officer nodded, smiling. “He’ll find your friend. Get everybody seated and quiet.”

Ashley turned to the principal and the woman nodded. “Everybody listen!” Ashley said. “Wally slipped away. We’re going to have Max find him, but you have to sit down!”

It was a perfect idea. Almost as if Ashley and the policeman had planned it. The entire group hushed and sat with a whomp.

The cop knelt and held the backpack down to Max. The dog sniffed it from top to bottom, prancing in place like he couldn’t wait to get started. “Go get him,” the officer said as he unsnapped the leash.

Max shot up the aisle, ran to the top, turned right, and went straight to the spot where Ashley and Wally had been sitting. Kids streamed from their seats to see the dog at work. Ashley was right behind the officer, and a crowd of kids followed them.

I’d never be able to catch up that way, so I went up some stairs to the main hallway. Max passed me, panting, his tongue lolling to one side. He sniffed the floor, went down a hall, circled back, and continued toward the main office.

The officer jogged after him, and I joined the chase.

Chapter 33

When I heard Max bark,
my heart leaped. A pile of jackets and blankets lay by the front door near a coatrack. Max danced over the pile, whining, his tail wagging. He spun in a circle, looked back at the officer, raised a paw, and barked again. The coats moved and Wally giggled.

The cop snapped Max’s leash on with one hand and moved the coats with the other. “Good boy,” he said, stroking the dog.

Wally bounded out of the coats as the kids rushed up behind us. Everyone cheered. Wally said, “You found me!” and hugged me. I was so relieved I almost cried.

As we made our way back to the auditorium one of the parents said, “This is why middle schoolers shouldn’t be helping.”

I felt my face turning red.

Bryce came up and said, “Good idea.”

Mrs. Genloe assigned one of the parents to Wally, which was okay with me, except he kept scooting away and running to find me. Bryce went to his third-grade room to help set up for the movie while others went to the gym.

I heard a honk outside and pulled back a curtain. Cammy and Tracy ran to a bright red sports car, and it didn’t look like something a mom or dad would drive. Cammy spotted me, laughed, and shook her head, which made me want Max to take a bite out of crime—if you know what I mean.

Chapter 34

The next morning I woke up
from two hours of sleep and found that one of the third graders had had an accident in his sleeping bag. While one of the dads took him to the bathroom to change, I hung the sleeping bag on the chain-link fence outside to dry.

Parents who had volunteered for breakfast arrived with donuts, pancake mix, orange juice, and other stuff. I saw Duncan Swift’s dad and waved.

“Ready for the big game today?” Mr. Swift said. He seemed kind of young to be a father. His hair was spiked like Duncan’s, and he wore blazing white tennis shoes and tight jeans. He always yelled the loudest at games and came onto the floor at halftime to tell Duncan what he was doing wrong.

“I almost forgot,” I said.

He squinted and stopped. “Forgot Coronado, probably the biggest game of the year? Remember what those guys did to you last game?”

I nodded. “Yeah, I guess I am ready for some payback.”

“Payback is right. Tell your dad we’ll save a seat for him. Can’t wait to see you guys blow them out of that gym.”

Jeff Alexander struggled out of his car as his mom waved at me and carried some food into the school. Jeff had told me he wanted to spend the night with the kids like I was, but I guess he didn’t have the energy.

“How’d it go last night?” he said, making it to the sidewalk and leaning on the railing.

I told him what happened, and his jaw dropped. “Wish I could have been there for that.” He pushed his hat back, and I saw a little tuft of hair growing at the front of his scalp.

“Looks like your mane’s growing back in.”

He grinned. “I told Mom I was going to get a Mohawk once it all grew back. I think she’ll actually let me do it.”

“I wouldn’t put it past you,” I said.

“How about coming to my house tonight?” Jeff said. “Got some stuff I need to talk over. Maybe spend the night?”