“Phil, it’s me. Colette.”
“Who’s licking me?”
“It’s not a who. It’s a what. It’s Sandy, my dog.” Colette switched on her flashlight.
“You almost gave me a heart attack.”
There was Nestor laughing his head off. “I knew it was a dog the whole time.”
“You’re so lame, Nestor.” My eyes adjusted so I could finally see. “This dog’s as big as a horse. What breed is it?”
“She’s a Great Dane.”
“I never saw such a big dog in my life,” Nestor said.
“Really? You don’t have these in New York City?”
“I don’t know about that. We usually have apartment-size dogs,” Nestor answered.
“Listen, I can’t stay too long. My parents will wonder where I am. Come with me to the garage to get the bikes.”
The garage had a regular door and a bay door. The bikes were in good shape. One blue. One black. Clean. Air in the tires. Well taken care of. Even had locks attached. We hid them in the bushes and went back into the house.
We explained to Colette that our phones were dead. We pulled our chargers out of our suitcases, and she showed us where the outlets were.
“I know y’all are tired, but please don’t sleep in any of the beds upstairs. My grandmother is a neatfreak, and she’ll know if someone was up there. I’ll get some blankets and pillows, but y’all have to sleep down here on the floor or the couch. Remember, no lights. I get up at 6:00a.m. to go to school. I’ll call you to wake y’all up. Leave right away before the sun comes up. I made a map so y’all know how to get to your aunt’s house and over to the French Quarter. There’s a place about five minutes away that serves breakfast. Just don’t run into my father, whatever y’all do. He’ll recognize y’all and ask questions.”
“But we only saw him once.”
“Yes, but he’s a detective for a reason.” Colette got us what we needed and gave us a key to the house. “Don’t lose this. If y’all need me, text, but I can’t answer in class.”
“Thanks. You’re sticking your neck out, and you don’t even know us,” I said.
“A good mystery is hard to resist. It’s in the blood. Just make sure to fold up the blankets and pillows and put them in the chest in the beige guest room upstairs. Hide your suitcases in the closet up there.”
“Why?” Nestor asked.
“If my dad comes by to check on things, I don’t want him tripping on evidence proving my grandparents have surprise house guests. Put the bathroom in order, too. Believe me, he’ll notice.”
“You’re a lot like your dad. You think of everything.” I was impressed by Colette. We were the same age, yet her mind worked in a way that noticed details about everything. She knew how to make a plan and cover her tracks.
“Good night. Good luck. I’ll catch up with you tomorrow.”
Our phones barely had enough charge for us to call home. Yeah, we lied, and I have to say, we were very convincing. Bad reception. Dead zones. Elderly, confused relatives. Brain cancer. Sightseeing.
We got over that hurdle.
I texted Jasmine and Kwan Min: Having a great time. See u at school.
Nestor texted Holly and Kwan Min: Have a lot to tell. See u soon.
We charged the phones, this time overnight.
We sat in the dark and talked about Colette.
“It’s like she’s already a detective,” Nestor said. “I’d hate to be a criminal if she’s chasing after me.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean. She’s learned a lot from her father. She probably just watches and listens and picks up his habits. I wonder if he knows.”
“That’s like you learning how to cook by watching your father.”
“Yeah. You know what I just realized? We become like the people around us.”
“You mean, the smarter you get, the smarter I get?”
“Something like that,” I answered. “And the smarter you get, the smarter I get.”
“Too much pressure.” Nestor laughed.