“Want to hang out again tomorrow?” Alexis asked when we got back to Starwood Park.
“Sure!”
I couldn’t wait to spend more time with Alexis. We’d had so much fun at the museum playing with all the dials and buttons.
As I walked back to my building, I thought about things we could do together. Did Alexis play soccer? Did he like animals? Would he like my guinea pig, Claude the Second?
“WAAAEEE! WAAAEEE!”
Not again! I ran down the cellar steps and knocked on the basement door.
“Anybody there?” I called.
Just like last time and the time before, the crying stopped. And the door was locked tight. Mr. Vaslov had made sure of that. I had to go home and leave the mystery for another day.
In the morning, Alexis came over right after breakfast. The first thing we did was feed Claude the Second.
“Look at that!” Alexis was impressed. “He stands up and squeaks for his food!”
“Do you have a pet?”
“I keep asking.” Alexis sighed. “And Dad keeps saying, ‘one day.’ Maybe he’d let me get a guinea pig. It stays in a cage and doesn’t run around like a cat.”
“Is that what you want?”
“Yes,” Alexis admitted. “I’d love a kitty.”
When we were done playing with Claude the Second, Alexis looked out the window.
“It’s sunny. Do you like soccer?” he asked.
I grabbed my ball, and Alexis grinned. He seemed just as happy as I was that we liked so many of the same things.
We went outside to the grassy area between buildings. Alexis played on a soccer team, and he knew practice drills. I didn’t even think about turning on my super speed. Using Zapato Power for sports was like cheating.
We kicked the soccer ball for over an hour. Then we sat on the steps of the storage cellar to rest. Mom saw us through the window and brought us a snack.
“This trip is turning out to be nice,” Alexis said with his mouth full of cookies. “I thought I’d hate it.”
“How come?” I asked.
Alexis hung his head. “My mom had an operation on Friday. My parents sent me here so my dad could spend more time at the hospital.”
Suddenly I felt like a sneaky snoop. If I had just waited, Alexis would have told me why he’d been crying on Friday. Now it was too late. I had to ask a question I already knew the answer to.
“Is your mom all right?”
Before Alexis could tell me, something got our attention.
The crier in the storage cellar was back. Who or what was it?
“WAAAEEE! WAAAEEE!”
“It sounds like a hungry animal,” Alexis said. “Once, our neighbor’s cat got stuck under my house. It cried just like that.”
If Alexis was right, this was an emergency! A job for a hero with super speed. ME!
“I’ll get Mr. Vaslov to unlock the door!”
“And I’ll get food,” Alexis said.
He went in one direction, and I went in the other.
Hmm…Mr. Vaslov wasn’t in his toolshed. Where should I look next? Maybe my Zapato Power hearing could help. I rubbed the buttons on my wristband and circled the buildings.
“Watch out for the dog poo!”
“Want to play jump rope?”
“If you don’t share, I’m going to tell Mamá!”
At first, all I heard was kids playing outside. Then I followed a voice that sounded like Mrs. Ramirez in 20G. She was on her doorstep, crying out to our neighbor Mrs. Tran in 21G. Something was wrong!
I stepped around the corner, so I could hear without being seen. With Zapato Power, listening in on other people was too easy.
“¡Mi gatita!” Mrs. Ramirez sniffled. “Where could she be?”
“Don’t worry,” Mrs. Tran said. “We’ll find your sweet kitty.”
So Alexis was right. We did have a hungry cat to rescue. If I could find Mr. Vaslov with the keys, I’d be a hero!
I ran around the buildings again. No sign of Mr. Vaslov. My super speed wasn’t helping! I was ready to try a phone. Then I heard Alexis call my name.
“Freddie! Come look!”
Alexis was standing by the open cellar door, waving. Mr. Vaslov was beside him.
“We solved the mystery!”
