Homer lunged for the telephone. It was the old-fashioned kind that plugged into the wall. And instead of buttons, it had a round dial with finger holes. Gripping the receiver, he stuck his finger into one of the holes and dialed the first digit. It spun slowly. He dialed the second digit—this was going to take forever!

“Lord Mockingbird was spot on about those two,” Ajitabh said. He stormed over to the television, his golden robe billowing with his angry steps. “They are traitors to the cause. They should be ejected, rejected, expelled, banished, cast out forever from L.O.S.T.”

“I think I have the document for that,” Hercules said.

“By Jove, then do it!”

Hercules hurried to the closet and took out a briefcase. While he rummaged through its contents, Homer dialed the last digit of his home number. The dial spun. He wound his fingers in the twisted cord, waiting as the phone rang. On the television screen, Lorelei was still holding the book high for all reporters to see.

“Hello?” a voice answered.

“Mom,” Homer said. “Where’s Gwendolyn? Get Gwendolyn.”

“Why, hello, Homer,” Mrs. Pudding said chipperly. “Just a minute, sweetie. I have a pie in the oven.”

“Mom?” A clink sounded as she set down the phone and walked away. “Mom!” he yelled. “I need to talk to Gwendolyn!”

On the television, Lorelei was putting the book back into the grocery bag. “One week from today,” she told reporters, “I will return to this place to prove to the world that FOUND is the best treasure-hunting organization on the planet.” Then Lorelei made one final statement. She looked right into the camera lens. “If you want your map, Homer, you know where to find me. I’m saving a place for you in FOUND.” And with that, she turned and walked off through the throng of reporters, followed by Gertrude and Torch.

Homer wanted to yell at Lorelei, but yelling at a television screen seemed like a useless thing to do. So instead, he yelled into the phone. “Mom! I need to—”

“Homer W. Pudding, why ever are you hollering like that?” Mrs. Pudding asked as she picked up the receiver.

“Sorry,” Homer said. He took a long breath, trying to calm down. “It’s just that—”

“How are things at the Map of the Month Club? Are you having fun?”

“Fun?” Homer gritted his teeth. He hated lying, but unless the vow of secrecy was lifted to include parents and loved ones, he had no choice. “It’s really fun. Can I talk to Gwendolyn?”

“You want to talk to your sister?” She sounded surprised, as if he’d asked to talk to the refrigerator or the laundry hamper.

“Yeah.” He twisted the cord tighter. “Can you get her? Please?”

While Hercules continued to shuffle through his briefcase, Ajitabh, Zelda, and Dog watched Homer.

“She’s in her laboratory,” Mrs. Pudding said. “She told me not to disturb her until dinnertime. She’s doing a delicate stuffing.”

“Mom, I need to ask her something. It’s very important,” Homer said. He shook the receiver, as if that might get her attention.

“Homer, you sound very cranky. Did you get enough sleep last night? Have you eaten a wholesome breakfast? Did you put on clean underwear this morning? Oh dear, now your father’s hollering about something from the yard.” She paused. “Oh no, the goats are in the vegetable garden. I need to go. Call again tomorrow.”

“But—” The dial tone filled Homer’s ear. With a groan, he hung up.

“Homer, dear boy, what’s happened?” Ajitabh asked. “Are we to assume that Lorelei does indeed have Rumpold Smeller’s map?”

“I don’t know,” Homer said.

“Gertrude and Torch wouldn’t have defected unless they had good reason,” Zelda said. “They must truly believe that the girl has the map. Did you give it to her?”

“What?” Homer couldn’t believe the question. “No way. I’d never do that.”

Zelda raised her thick eyebrows. “Homer, you can tell us if you gave it to her. She is a cute girl. Boys do stupid things when they are in love. I have done many stupid things in the name of love.”

“What? I’m not in love. She’s not my girlfriend. I would never give her the map. Never!”

“Then why did she say you knew where to find her?” Ajitabh asked.

Homer looked away. He couldn’t answer that question. After he and Lorelei had defeated the evil Madame la Directeur in her lair, Lorelei had decided to claim the lair as her own. So she and Homer had made a gentleman’s agreement—Homer would keep the secret of the lair if Lorelei kept the secret of Dog’s treasure-smelling talent. With Madame la Directeur locked away in prison, Homer was the only one who knew where to find Lorelei.

“Here it is,” Hercules said, breaking the uncomfortable silence. He held up a piece of paper and read. “Bylaw Number Forty-Two-A, the Issue of Defection. If a sworn member of L.O.S.T. should choose to defect to a competing treasure-hunting organization, that member will be immediately banished from L.O.S.T. and under no circumstances be allowed to return. Form Seven-D, Official Banishment Form, must be filled out and filed in triplicate.”

“Then fill it out,” Ajitabh said, grabbing a pen off the nightstand. “Fill it out and banish those two collaborators.” Hercules took the pen and began to work on the forms.

“I didn’t give her the map,” Homer said. “She’s either lying or someone else gave it to her.” He grabbed the phone and dialed again. The phone rang and rang. Just when he was about to give up, someone answered. “Squeak, is that you?”

“Hi, Homer.”

“Squeak, go to Gwendolyn’s laboratory. Tell her I need to talk to her. Please.”

“Uh-uh,” Squeak said. “It’s scary out there.” Homer couldn’t argue with that. Squeak was only five years old. Gwendolyn’s laboratory was like something from a Frankenstein movie, complete with skulls hanging from the ceiling and eyeballs in glass jars.

“Squeak,” Homer said, “did anyone come to the house yesterday? Anyone… weird?”

“Mom says I can’t have a pet rat,” Squeak said. “I want a pet rat.”

Homer took a deep breath and squeezed the receiver. “Did you meet a girl with a pet rat? Did she come to the house?”

“The rat climbed up my arm,” Squeak said. “It tickled.” Then Squeak started to hum the theme song from his favorite cartoon.

“Did the girl with the rat talk to Gwendolyn? Squeak, stop singing and listen to me. Did the girl talk to Gwendolyn?”

But Squeak wasn’t listening anymore. He muttered something about a butterfly on the windowsill, then hung up. Homer groaned. His brother’s attention span was about as long as a bee’s stinger. Homer turned to face the others, who were waiting with expectant expressions. “She was there,” he said. “Lorelei came to my house.”

“But how the devil did she get the map?” Ajitabh asked. “Surely you hid it in a secure location.”

“Uh, yeah, it was in a good place.” Homer pushed his bangs from his eyes. Looking back, he realized that a loose floorboard beneath his bed probably wasn’t the most secure location. But he didn’t own a safe or a vault. And he’d wanted to keep it close. “Gwendolyn was looking for her birthday present. She must have found the reptile book, and then she gave it to Lorelei.” He clenched his fists. “Gwendolyn had no right to do that! That book belonged to me! If she thinks I’m getting her a sweet-sixteen present after what she’s done—”

“Hey!” Hercules interrupted. He pulled a piece of paper from Dog’s mouth. Then he wagged a finger at Dog. “Do not eat the official documents.” He held the paper by its corner. “There’s dog slobber all over this. I’ll have to do it again.”

Ajitabh paced the room, his hands behind his back. “It is evident that Lorelei filched the map. But a piece of this puzzle doesn’t quite fit. How did she know you had the map? I thought only Zelda and I knew.”

“I don’t know how she found out,” Homer said.

Ajitabh stopped pacing and stared out the window. “I know what you’re thinking, Homer. You want to recover the map. You want to go after her.”

“Yes,” Homer said.

“As your mentor and your friend, I forbid it,” Ajitabh said sternly. Hercules looked up from his scribbling, a stunned expression on his face. Dog took the opportunity to snatch another piece of paper. “I absolutely forbid it.”

Homer sank onto the bed. “But it’s mine.”

“She told us not to interfere,” Zelda said. She wrapped her cape tightly around her shoulders, her head a mere inch from the ceiling. “She threatened to reveal L.O.S.T.”

“But she also said for me to come find her.”

Ajitabh folded his arms. “The reason we’ve kept L.O.S.T. a secret is to protect our quests so that those with unsavory motives don’t get wind of them, so that we can uncover treasures and get them to their proper places without the risk of others stealing them. If our identities were to be revealed, then there would be no L.O.S.T.”

“But if Lorelei finds the treasure, she’ll keep everything for herself.”

“The map is gone, Homer. You must accept that and move on.”

Homer darted to his feet. “I can’t accept that! I promised my uncle I would find Rumpold’s treasure.” It was the last promise he’d made to his beloved uncle Drake. And he’d made it during Drake’s final visit to the goat farm. Now Drake was gone. All Homer had were memories and that promise. “My uncle died because of Rumpold’s map!”

Once again, silence descended. Homer’s whole body felt shaky. Zelda reached out and touched his arm. “I know your heart is breaking,” she said. “Heartbreak so early in the morning is a tragedy indeed. But do not despair. You will learn to live with it. My heart has been broken countless times.”

“This is a dark day for L.O.S.T.,” Ajitabh said as he headed toward the door. “I will change into my travel clothes and pack my bag. It’s best to get you back to Milkydale as soon as possible.” And with that, he opened the door and left.

“We must stand united,” Zelda told Homer. “Your uncle would have wanted it that way.” Then she also left the room, closing the door behind her.

Homer frowned. Sure, his uncle would have wanted the members of L.O.S.T. to stand united. But what about the promise he’d made to his uncle?

Dog sat at Homer’s feet, whining for attention. Homer slid to the floor and wrapped his arms around Dog’s neck. Everything had fallen apart. The map that held his dreams and aspirations was gone. The girl who had once been his friend had deceived him again. Having lost its president, two other members, and a famous treasure map, L.O.S.T. stood on the verge of collapse.