Kelsey the Spy (22 page)

There's a scraping sound. Shouts. The rope is lifted. And when I see a blue curl over Frankie's black hair, I whoop for joy. He's safe!

A woman screams Frankie's name, and Leo appears with a woman who looks just like Frankie—same raven black hair and dark eyes. She rushes forward to Frankie, sobbing and laughing as she throws her arms around her son.

“Mom!” he cries, hugging her.

It gets crazy after that with more adults coming forward to help, but fortunately the danger is over. We're a strange parade of adults and kids as we wind back down the woodsy path to the festive booths. The Humane Society fund-raiser continues, with only a small group aware of how close this fun event came to becoming a tragedy.

Leo refuses to leave Frankie's side, and they go with the flow of concerned adults. I turn to Becca. “I guess we should get back to the Sparkler booth.”

“Not yet,” she says. “We need to go to my mom's booth.”

“Why?”

She frowns. “He's leaving.”

From her sad expression, I immediately know who she's talking about.

Bolo-Tie Man is Tortoise Tom—and he's come to take Albert away. All my happiness at Frankie's rescue fades away.

“You must be the kids who've been helping this fine tortoise,” Tortoise Toms greets us, smiling. “What an amazing creature! I haven't seen an Aldabra that old and in such great shape for years. You've done a wonderful job caring for him.”

“Not us,” I say softly. “His owner, Reggie, took great care of him.”

“But didn't keep him,” Becca's mother puts in, her expression critical. “Albert will be happy with Thomas.”

“That he will,” Thomas booms, the strings on his red bolo tie wiggling. “No worries about the tortoise. He'll get the best care possible. And as a bonus, he'll have the company of some lovely female Aldabra tortoises.”

But he won't be with his best friend
, I think sadly.

“You kids go say your good-byes,” Thomas tells us. “I'm in no hurry to leave. I'm going to check out the food booths. I heard there's some award-winning chili that sounds delicious.”

After he leaves, Becca and I walk over to the makeshift tortoise pen. Albert is beside a shallow tub of water. His head is tucked in like he's sleeping. I call his name and he doesn't move. Becca tries too, but still no response. So we call him together, and his wrinkly neck lifts toward us.

“Let's get closer to him,” Becca says, stepping over the gate.

We kneel next to Albert, stroking his neck and speaking to him softly. We say encouraging things, like how cool his new home will be and how popular he'll be with his new girlfriends. His black eyes study us, but they're like gray clouds darkening as the skies prepare to storm.

“So everything turned out great,” I tell Becca in a forced upbeat tone. “Frankie was rescued. Dad's cookies are a hit. And the mystery of my missing notebook is solved—Frankie explained why he took it.”

While we sit on each side of Albert, I tell Becca everything Frankie said. When I'm finished, her eyes practically pop out. “He did it to impress us?” She flips her ponytail over her shoulder. “Seriously, that's the craziest thing I've ever heard.”

“It worked though, because I am impressed. Not only did he come up with creative clues, but he was so stealth that I never suspected him.”

“But aren't you mad he stole your notebook? Now he knows your secrets—and one of mine.”

“No, he doesn't.” I say. “He didn't read our secrets so he doesn't know about your mo—”

“My mother,” she finishes, biting her lip.

“Yeah. Do you want to know her secret?” I ask as I gently stroke Albert.

“I've suspected something fishy was up with her. She's been acting weird lately, wearing perfume and fussing with her hair. She's dating someone, isn't she?”

I nod. “Are you okay with that?”

“As long as it's not another cowboy,” she says with a wry smile.

“It's not.” It feels weird to talk about my secrets. I'm so used to hiding them, but I want to be honest with Becca. So I tell her about seeing her mother kissing the sheriff, and she doesn't freak out.

“I guess that's not too bad,” she says, looking relieved. “I like the sheriff.”

We're quiet for a few minutes, and my thoughts drift back to Frankie.

“There's something else I have to tell you,” I say to Becca.

“Are
you
dating someone?” she teases.

“Me? No way.” I laugh. “But I told Frankie I'd vote for him to join the CCSC.”

“I thought you didn't want any new members.”

“True,” I admit. “The three of us are the perfect team, and I love our club the way it is. But Leo really wants Frankie to join.”

“Do you want me to vote him in?” Becca reaches into a food bin, picking up a carrot that she offers to Albert. He sniffs, then turns his head away.

I frown, not sure what to say. I don't want our club to change, but Frankie is clever, resourceful, and great with disguises. I sigh. “Vote for him,” I say.

Becca gets a thoughtful look on her face. “I have an idea about how to keep things the same and yet change too.”

“What?”

“We vote Frankie in as an associate member.”

“Associate?” I wrinkle my brow. “What does that mean?”

“Frankie joins our club, but you, me, and Leo are still the main members. The three of us will meet after school like we do now, but when we have a mystery to solve or go out looking for lost pets, our associate member can join us.”

I grin. “We'll change
and
stay the same. I love it!”

A short while later, Mrs. Morales, Hank, and Tortoise Tom return.

“Get your good-byes said?” Tom asks, wiping chili from his shirt and licking it off his finger.

Becca and I nod, stepping away from Albert.

It seems like so much is changing too fast. Albert is going away and I may never see him again. Leo doesn't sit alone at lunch anymore, and his new friend will join our club. The CCSC is changing, but with baby steps.

Change takes times to get used to, like sitting with the Sparklers and being temporarily part of their group. Friendships change too, rising and falling, then coming back together stronger than ever.

Next week I'll go back to sitting with Tori and Ann Marie at lunch. But my afternoons will be all about the CCSC with Becca, Leo, and sometimes Frankie.

I glance up at Becca as she hugs Albert, the Carapace Chic scrunchie in her hair shimmery in silvery gray and tan like the Aldabra's shell.

I come beside Becca and wrap my arms around Albert too.

As I get ready for bed that night, I'm feeling pretty good. Frankie is safe, the Sparkler booth made more money than expected, Albert has a good home with Tortoise Tom, and the CCSC solved another mystery.

I'm pulling back my comforter when I hear a tap on my door. Mom comes in and hands me the phone. “It's Becca,” she says and closes the door behind her.

“Sorry for calling so late but this can't wait,” Becca says in an excited rush.

“What?” I sit on the edge of my bed.

“Frankie found him!” She practically screams so that I have to pull the phone away from my ear.

“Huh?” I'm not sure I heard right. “Frankie found who? Start at the beginning.”

Becca sucks in a deep breath. “Remember how Frankie found Reggie's agent and I left a message with her for Reggie?”

“Right. But Reggie never called back.”

“Well, Frankie wanted to prove he could solve a mystery, so he contacted a friend of his mother's—she used to work at a Hollywood talent agency. The friend tracked Reggie down to a remote desert location, and Reggie just called me!”

“Yay!” I do a little happy dance.

“I nearly fell over when I heard Reggie's voice on the phone,” Becca goes on excitedly.

“He explained everything and apologized for not contacting us sooner.”

“Why didn't he?” I think of Albert's sad dark eyes and how much he missed Reggie.

“He's been working in the desert without a cell signal. He hadn't gotten the message from his agent. Frankie's friend had to call several people just to get a message to him. When Reggie found out Tortoise Tom had Albert, he called him right away and they worked out a deal.”

“What kind of a deal?”

“Reggie's career is going strong so he plans to move to LA, but he can't keep Albert until he's settled. So Albert will stay with Tortoise Tom for a while and Reggie will pay expenses. Whenever Reggie gets time off, he'll drive up to visit. Reggie cried when he told me Albert is part of his family. He said once he gets him back, he'll never let him go again. Then he told me about the film he's making and said I could tell you and Leo about it,” Becca adds with a squeal. She says it's an Indiana Jones–type adventure but on the moon. The movie won't be out for a year, so Reggie has sworn us to secrecy.

That night I take my notebook of secrets out of the hidden drawer. I was reluctant to write it in again, but where else can I put down important secrets?

I flip to the last page and lift my pen, ready to write, when I see unfamiliar printing. Frankie's writing, I know immediately, and I remember him saying he gave me a secret of his own.

Secret 39. When I was a toddler, I was in diaper commercials and famous as “Rank Frank.” I did air freshener, mouthwash, and soap commercials, and even some about farting. Funny when you're a little kid, but embarrassing when you get older. By age eight, I wasn't cute anymore. No one would hire a kid known for being stinky. So we left LA and moved to Sun Flower. I liked being a normal kid and kept “Rank Frank” a secret. No one knows I was once famous—except you.

Frankie is Rank Frank! I remember those commercials because they made me giggle. But I never would have guessed Frankie was that little stink-bomb kid.

His secret is safe with me
, I think as I slip the notebook into the hidden drawer.

Then I climb into bed with a smile full of secrets.

- Chapter 26 -

Unmasked

The next morning Dad announces “Special Order Day,” which means we can all request our favorite breakfast and he'll make individual orders like our home is a fancy restaurant. I can't decide between frosted-flakes French toast or a fruit blast smoothie, so Dad makes me both.

By the time everyone has their special orders, it's practically lunch.

Kyle glances at the clock and jumps up from the table. “Got to go!”

He doesn't say where, but Mom and Dad nod like they understand and my brother dashes out of the room. I make an excuse to get up from the table and follow him to his bedroom, spying around a corner until he steps out into the hall.

And guess what's tucked under his arm?

A large white box.

I have a good idea where he's going, and I will
not
lose him this time.

As I hop on my bike, Kyle is already pedaling around the corner. He obeys all traffic rules as usual so it doesn't take long to catch up with him. With spinning wheels and pumping legs, I follow, staying back about a block so he won't spot me.

He stops for a red light—and even for a green light that is close to turning yellow. I duck behind a parked truck, peeking out until the light changes to green again. Then I look around for Kyle—but he's gone.

I want to scream in frustration until I realize it doesn't matter because I know he's going to the mini mall. If I hurry, maybe I can catch up with him.

But when I get to the mall, I don't see my brother or his bike anywhere.

I'm sure he went into a building—and I have a good idea which one.

Swallowing courage, I lock up my bike and stride over to the law office. The same witchy receptionist guards her legal lair. I walk right inside and storm past her to the hallway.

“Wait! Stop!” she calls but I ignore her.

I look up and down the hall, glancing inside two open doors and seeing only empty rooms. But the door at the end of the hall is closed. There's nowhere else for Kyle to go. He has to be in there.

Still, this is a lawyer's office—serious stuff happens behind these doors. How can I just burst in without an appointment? I hesitate for only a split-second before I hear the receptionist shouting. It's now or never.

So I reach out, twist the handle, and push the door open …

A woman wearing a pale-pink suit is bending over a briefcase on a table. Across from her is a tall teenage boy with light-brown hair. Is this the boy Talla was talking about? He looks
nothing
like Kyle.

So where's my brother?

Before the pink-suited lawyer can interrogate me, I whirl around. I run out of the law office so fast that humiliation can't catch up with me.

Breathing hard, I go back to my bike, ready to quit my search and go home.