Yodel-ay-eee-hoo! Yodel-ay-eee-hoo!” rang Agent Umber’s Picklephone®.

Umber had forgotten to set it on vibrate. And he had accidentally picked the yodeling ringtone.

How embarrassing.

Again.

Agent Umber unclipped his Picklephone® from the waistband of his AAA underwear.

“There he is!” yelled the large, angry man behind him.

Umber kept running as fast as his Santa boots would let him, and checked the ID on the incoming call.

No way! She was one of the very best agents in the whole AAA. Why was she calling?

Umber answered his Picklephone® . . . and accidentally also activated his new videophone option.

“Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep,” said Agent Hot Magenta.

Oops. Magenta popped up on the little Picklescreen®.

Umber answered very coolly, “And can’t tell where to find them.”

“Agent Umber,” said Agent Hot Magenta. “The AAA needs you. I need you.”

Umber tripped on a crack in the sidewalk and stumbled, spinning around in a circle.

Agent Hot Magenta said she needed him! She was so smart. She was so cool. She was so AAA.

Umber flapped his arms around to regain his balance and kept running.

“Of course you do,” answered Umber.

“Why are you spinning your videophone around?” said Hot Magenta. “Stop it. You are making me dizzy.”

“Stop that Santa!” yelled one of the moms in the crowd rolling after Umber.

“Did you just call me Santa?” said Agent Hot Magenta.

Umber held his Picklephone® close, filling the screen with his giant face.

“I said ‘I’m on the case like Santa!’ ” Umber yelled into his Picklephone®.

Umber jumped over a kid’s toy stroller on the sidewalk. He slid on a patch of ice.

“That makes no sense,” said the little video screen image of Agent Hot Magenta. “Where are you? And what is all of that red, white, and blue I’m seeing?”

“Rahr! Rahr! Rahr!” yelled the angry crowd chasing Umber.

Umber slipped, bounced off a tree, and kept running.

“In the middle . . . of . . . evasive . . . maneuvers . . . ,” Umber managed to huff out.

“Right,” said Agent Hot Magenta. “Meet me at the Secret Spot at eighteen hundred tonight. I’ve got a Code Ruby Red . . . if you can handle it.”

The Secret Spot? A Ruby Red? Umber was thrilled. “You can count on Agent Umber,” said Agent Umber.

“And Agent Umber?”

“Yes?”

“You better pick up your pace. Those elves are gaining on you.”

Umber looked over his shoulder to check the elves.

Which might explain why he never saw the open sewer main.

On her SpaceshipPhone® video Agent Hot Magenta saw another flash of red, white, and blue . . . gray sky . . . darkness . . . then nothing.