All afternoon, while Old Man Ratnose talked, I thought about Billy and the Gila monster. I wondered: Were they really going to steal food? What was in the wiggling sack they took from the dump?
And would I ever get to eat lunch?
At break time, Shirley slithered up to me. She blinked her big green eyes.
"Well?" she asked. "Have you found my brother yet?"
"Um ... hot on his trail," I answered. "Why, I've got all sorts of clues."
"Oh yeah? Like what?" Shirley frowned suspiciously.
I told her about Billy's trip to the dump with Herman, and about what Frenchy had overheard.
"So you see, I'll just slip out after the bell rings and catch them at the cafeteria," I said.
"But Billy wouldn't hang out with Herman." She turned icy blue and stamped her foot. "Stop wasting time on that Gila monster and find my brother!"
"Don't worry, I will." I hoped.
"Hmph!" she said. "You're as clueless as a duck in a disco! And there's only one period left!"
She tossed her head and pranced back to her desk.
I looked at the facts of the case. She had a point. Number 1, I hadn't found her brother yet, and time was running short. Number 2, I didn't have a clue how all my clues added up. And number 3, I would be spending the next two days in detention.
I was really making some progress. Any more of this progress, and I could consider a career as a bathroom monitor.
Last period dragged by. When the bell rang, all the other kids ran screaming out to the football field for a pep rally.
I thought maybe Ms. Glick wouldn't miss me too much if I skipped detention—just this once. I plunged into a knot of third graders and tried to blend in. With luck, I could make it to the cafeteria undiscovered.
I bent lower as the group swept past Room 5, past Room 4. Freedom was waiting up ahead. And the end of the case was so close, I could almost taste that stinkbug pie. I bent lower stiU as we rushed past the dreaded Room 3.
Almost there. And then I sensed kids changing direction.
I kept my head down and my feet flying—and ran headfirst into what felt like a brick wall. I rubbed my head and looked. It was a brick wall with big scaly feet and hangnails!
"Hello, Chester," said Ms. Click. "Nice of you to join us."
Nice of you to run off and join the zoo, I thought. But I didn't say that. The Beast of Room 3 clamped her jaw down on my coat collar and carried me into detention hall like an old sack lunch.
She dumped me behind a desk. I slumped in my seat. Now how would I get free to solve the case in time?
I looked around the room. The pride of the school surrounded me: A dim-witted toad named Willie. A loudmouthed mynah bird named Amy.
And the two Rat Sisters.
My, my.