Chapter 14

fourteen

DYLAN

“Look under the wagon,” Steve whispered. “It has to be here somewhere.”

I glanced over my shoulder before crawling under the barrier rope. “I’m not supposed to be here.”

“Don’t worry. No one can see you.”

Easy for Steve to say. He wasn’t the one scanning the bottom of a wagon covered in more than a hundred years of dirt and dust. I coughed as I pulled out my cell phone. The flashlight lit up the underside of the wagon, making it easier to see every last detail.

This was almost the craziest thing we’d done all night. But the top prize went to climbing over the glass balustrade that kept everyone away from the enormous Triceratops skeleton in the lobby.

If it weren’t for Luke’s quick thinking, we would’ve ended up on the ten o’clock news, surrounded by an avalanche of dinosaur bones and a very unhappy museum director.

“Hurry up,” Steve hissed. “We won’t be able to keep the other teams away for much longer. ”

“I’m going as fast as I can.” I slid farther under the wagon. Part of me was impressed with the workmanship that created the rough and rugged vehicle. The other part wanted to find the missing clue and get out of there fast.

A glimmer of white flashed against the dark, dented wood. I wiggled closer, shining the flashlight higher. Bingo! “I’ve found it.” Grabbing the piece of paper, I crawled backward. “Text everyone and tell them we’re on the move.”

“It’s too late.”

“What do you mean?” By the time I crawled clear of the wheels, three pairs of glittering red shoes were lined up beside Steve’s feet.

I dropped my head to my chest. The Wizard of Oz team had found us. But they hadn’t found the clue.

For the first time all night, I was thankful the sleeves of my coverall were too long. The cotton hung over my hands and, for a few minutes, would camouflage the small piece of paper I’d shoved under the stretchy wristband of my watch.

I clambered to my feet and wiped a cobweb off my face. “Hi.”

A woman I’d met earlier smiled. “Did you find the clue?”

“I thought I had, but it was an old receipt. The wheel of the wagon must have picked it up the last time it was outside.” After six years in the U.S. Army, countless private security operations, and growing up with two gay brothers, my ability to stretch the truth was outstanding. And one day, it’d get me into trouble.

The smile on the woman’s face dimmed. “Are you sure?”

“You can look if you like. It’s above the rear right-hand wheel. ”

The three women knelt on the wooden floor, staring under the wagon.

“I can’t see it,” one of the women said.

“It’s farther back. You might need to use a flashlight.”

I caught Steve’s gaze and nodded toward the far side of the room. Two seconds later, we were sprinting around the displays.

Before we ran into the main exhibition space, I grabbed Steve’s arm and pulled him to a stop. “Where’s the rest of our team?”

“They should be in the lobby.”

Luke was the first person we saw. We hurried across to him, checking over our shoulders for the other team. By the time we reached our brother, his friends had joined him.

“Quick,” I said to everyone. “Come with us.”

All six of The Jail House Grooms followed us into the nearest bathroom.

Steve checked under the cubicle doors. “Clear.”

“Are you sure you don’t work for the government?” I joked.

“I’ve watched too many TV programs. Where’s the clue?”

The team huddled around me as I read the slip of paper. “The first five words of Lewis Carroll’s Jabberwocky reveal Professor MacIntosh’s murderer. When you have your answer, stand in the middle of the planetarium and see what happens.”

Luke held out his cell phone. “I’ve got it. The first five words of the poem are, ‘Twas brillig, and the slithy’. What does that mean?”

“There aren’t any characters called Brillig or Slithy,” Steve said .

When no one else realized what they were looking at, I gave them a clue. “It’s an acronym.”

“What’s an acronym?” Steve asked.

Sometimes I couldn’t believe my brother spent five years at college. “It’s when the first letter of a word forms part of another word.”

“Twas Bats!” Luke yelled.

“Ssh!” Steve hissed. “We don’t want the other teams to hear the answer.”

While everyone congratulated Luke on his powers of deduction, I opened the bathroom door. Bats, Professor MacIntosh’s petite personal assistant, stood beside a large Grecian urn. If I had to choose a murderer, Bats would be the last person I’d pick. She had a good alibi and an even better reason why she wouldn’t have killed her boss. Or so I thought.

Instead of focusing on the redhead who’d fooled us, I studied the other people in the atrium.

“What are you looking at?” Steve asked.

“The Wizard of Oz team is heading toward the planetarium. Do you think they know who murdered Professor MacIntosh?”

“I doubt it. They’re probably looking for us.”

“We need to get there first,” Luke whispered.

For someone who didn’t want to wear striped coveralls, Luke had quickly dropped into super sleuth mode.

“What are you suggesting?” Steve asked.

“We run. They’re wearing high heels. We’re in sneakers. We can beat them to the planetarium.”

Everyone in our team nodded in agreement. Luke led the charge, followed closely by Steve. With more speed than finesse, our team raced across the lobby, stopping in the center of the planetarium before anyone knew what we were doing.

With eyes wide open, Luke spun in a slow circle, studying the rows of seats stacked one behind the other. “What now?”

Mr. Quirk, the person I’d decided was the most likely to be the murderer, walked toward us.

“May I help you…gentlemen.”

The sneer in his voice made me bristle.

Luke stepped forward. “We know who killed Professor MacIntosh.”

Mr. Quirk coughed delicately into his gloved hand. “Really?”

I frowned. Either the guy was a good actor or sarcasm came easily to him. If he thought being high-handed around Luke would make his job easier, he was in for a rude awakening.

“Yes. Really.” Luke’s chin rose a few degrees. “We’ve solved the final clue.”

“You have? How delightful.”

I handed my brother the piece of paper.

Luke cleared his throat. Most of the teams were making their way into the planetarium. “The first five words in Lewis Carroll’s Jabberwocky poem spell the murderer’s name.” He waited for a few seconds, controlling the anticipation in the room with the skill of a diplomat. “The person who murdered Professor MacIntosh is Bats.”

A gasp rang out from the crowd of super-sleuths.

Bats stepped forward. “It’s lies, all lies,” she shrieked.

I looked at our team. Half of Luke’s friends were in a state of shock, the other half was enjoying every minute of the spectacle we were creating .

Bats’ hand shook as she pointed to Luke. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. Show me your evidence.”

Instead of looking as bemused as Steve, Luke stood taller and took a deep breath. He wasn’t chosen as the lead role in three consecutive high school plays for nothing. If anyone could pull off a dramatic conclusion to tonight’s fundraiser, it was Luke.

As he launched into a dazzling performance, I proudly watched the admiration on the faces of the people around us. Even Mr. Quirk rubbed his hands together, no doubt waiting for his moment to shine in the volley of accusations being hurled around the room.

“Look at the other teams,” Steve whispered to me. “They’re loving every minute of this.”

“The organizers couldn’t have planned the ending any better if they’d tried.”

Luke concluded his speech by thrusting the final clue under Mr. Quirk’s long, pointy nose.

The audience clapped and cheered when Charlie Chaplin, dressed as a police officer, arrived center stage to arrest Bats.

Ten minutes later, Luke accepted the winning prize on behalf of our team. He waved the trophy high in the air before handing it to his teammates. It was a night no one would forget, least of all Luke. He looked happier than he had in a long time.

Now all we had to do was keep him smiling.