CHAPTER 2

“Are you sure Max isn’t still in the library somewhere?” asked Ethan. He had seen the cat once and knew it was pitch-black. A cat that color could easily get lost in the shadowy corners of the old library.

Mrs. Applegate shook her head. “I’ve looked everywhere. And I shook his can of tuna treats. He always comes running for his tuna treats.” She held up the plastic container.

“Then I found a hole in the window screen. It’s the window Max likes to sit in. So … oh, I just know he got out. We have to find him!” Her lip started to tremble.

“We’ll help you look for him,” Devin said sweetly. “We’ll look right now.”

Ethan nodded. “We can split up. Maybe Devin and I can go one way, and …”

“Mrs. Applegate and I can go the other,” Gianna bravely volunteered. “We’ll meet back here.”

Ethan shot her a relieved smile. The truth was, Mrs. Applegate scared him a little. He was happy to partner with Devin and head off in the other direction.

“Maybe Max is in the alley behind the library,” he said to Devin. “Follow me.”

They searched opposite sides of the alleyway, behind dumpsters and under wooden pallets. When they reached the back door of the library, Ethan looked up at the window. Sure enough, there was a gaping hole in the screen.

“Do you think Max did that?” he asked Devin. “Does he have claws?”

Devin gazed up. “I don’t know,” she said. “That’s a really big hole, though.”

What Ethan really wanted to ask was, “Do you think Max will use those claws on us if we try to catch him?”

He didn’t ask, because he didn’t want his eight-year-old sister to think he was scared of cats.

But cats are kind of like Zubat, he admitted to himself. They’re tough to catch, especially when they don’t want to be caught.

After circling the entire block and a few more alleys, Ethan and Devin came up dry. They hadn’t caught a cat, but Ethan had managed to catch a Raticate and two Rattata. He suddenly wondered if there were any real rats in those alleyways.

As soon as Devin and Mrs. Applegate rounded the corner in front of the library, Ethan could tell that they hadn’t found Max, either.

“What am I going to do?” wailed Mrs. Applegate. “He’s never been outside on his own before!”

Dottie must have seen Mrs. Applegate wringing her hands, because she came out of her shop, wiping her own hands on her apron. “What’s wrong, honey?” she asked the librarian, as if she were talking to a child who’d dropped her doughnut.

“Max is missing!” said Mrs. Applegate. Tears started to trickle down her wrinkled cheeks.

“Oh, dear,” said Dottie. “Don’t cry, now. We’ll find him. In fact, did you know you have a group of kid detectives right here in your midst?”

Uh-oh, thought Ethan. He had the sinking feeling that Dottie was about to volunteer him and his friends for something.

“Really?” said Mrs. Applegate, dabbing at her eyes.

“Oh, yes,” said Dottie. “These kids helped me solve a mystery at my bakery just a couple weeks ago. I bet they’ll be able to find Max in no time.” She winked at Ethan, then patted Mrs. Applegate’s shoulder. “You show them a picture of your cat, and then let them do their thing.”

“Yes!” said Devin. “If you have a picture, I can make lost cat posters. I’m good at that.”

Ethan wished she hadn’t spoken up so quickly, but he had to agree, she was a great poster maker. When Mrs. Applegate hurried into the library to find a photo, he pulled Devin and Gianna into a huddle. “Do we really want to do this?” he asked. “Mrs. Applegate hasn’t exactly been friendly to us. She won’t even let us train Pokémon at her gym!”

Gianna must have already thought of that, because she said, “Maybe if we do this for her, she’ll be a little nicer to us. Don’t you think?”

Devin scrunched up her freckled nose. “How can you two think about Pokémon at a time like this? Max is lost—he’s all alone out there. We have to find him!”

Gianna looked just as guilty as Ethan suddenly felt. “You’re right, Devin,” she said. “We should help Mrs. Applegate and Max. Because it’s the right thing to do.”

Ethan sighed. “So I guess we’re doing this, then?”

When Devin and Gianna nodded, he held out his hand, palm down. “Team Mystic?”

They put their hands on top of his and said, together, “Team Mystic!”

Let the Mystery of the Missing Cat begin, thought Ethan.

But when Mrs. Applegate hurried out of the library and showed them a faded photo, Ethan groaned inside. It was a terrible photograph.

Her black cat was barely visible against a navy blue sofa. It was like trying to see a Metapod against a bright green bush. But I guess it’s all we have to work with, he told himself.

As Devin stared at the photo, she chewed her bottom lip. Then she gave Mrs. Applegate a bright smile and said, “We’ll make a bunch of posters—a hundred of them. We’ll put them all over town, on every PokéStop—er, I mean, on signs and stuff.”

Ethan held his breath, wondering if Mrs. Applegate would lecture them about playing Pokémon GO. But she didn’t.

“Thank you, dear,” she said, patting Devin’s arm. “I’m going to keep looking now. I won’t sleep until my boy is back home with me.”

As she walked away, her shoulders sagging, Ethan felt a pang of sympathy. We have to bring Max home, he decided. As soon as possible.