Chapter 25

“I can work with that.”

It was dawn by the time Daisy and Dez revived from the paralyzing effects of the chalkboard eraser. Spencer had slept only the littlest bit when Earl was standing guard. Spencer had thought up a dozen rescue plans, but none of them ended well in his mind. He wasn’t giving up on the others, but right now, something else was of greater importance.

The Manualis Custodem had to be protected. Mr. Clean would send people to look for it. And the first spot they’d check would be . . .

“Daisy and I have to go back to Welcher,” Spencer announced when everyone was sitting upright.

Dez sighed heavily. “Fine,” he said. “I’ll do it.”

Spencer looked at him curiously. “Do what?”

“I’ll fly you chumps back to Welcher,” he said, flexing his muscles.

“Welcher’s in Idaho,” Daisy said. “We’re in Colorado.”

“You don’t think I can do it?” Dez asked, his pride insulted.

“Do you know how many miles that is?” Spencer asked.

“Does it matter?” Dez said. “I’ve got these babies.” He unfurled his big wings with such force that the rush of air caused Earl’s cowboy hat to blow back.

“Now, it’s fine and dandy if y’all want to go flying,” said Earl. “But driving makes a bit more sense to me.” He reached in the pocket of his pajamas and pulled out the key to Bernard’s garbage truck. Spencer recognized it by the mess of key chains that the garbologist had collected from his dumpster dives: a lucky rabbit’s foot, a couple of smashed tourist pennies, a stress ball, a tiny flip-flop sandal, and something that looked like a turtle shell.

“How did you get that?” Spencer asked. Bernard was very protective of his garbage truck.

“That odd fellow handed me the key just before he stepped through the portal,” said Earl. “Told me that if things went south, I should drive the truck down to Texas and leave her abandoned.”

Spencer grinned. “We’re not taking her down to Texas.” He held out his hand, beckoning for the key.

Earl laughed, his handlebar mustache curling up. “I ain’t letting you drive, kid,” he said. “How old are you, anyway?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Spencer said. “That’s a Glopified garbage truck. It was made to be driven by kids.” Technically, the Aurans who created and drove the garbage trucks weren’t kids. They were over three hundred years old. But they looked like kids, and so Spencer assumed there were Glopified safeguards that would allow him to drive the truck without trouble.

Earl just tilted his head, an expression of fatherly worry on his face. “I’ll see you back to Welcher myself. Least I can do after what you young’uns have been through.”

Spencer shook his head. Earl couldn’t go to Welcher. They had worked too hard to keep the Manualis Custodem a secret, even from Penny and Bernard. It wouldn’t be safe to let Earl find out about it.

“Thanks, but we have to go alone,” Spencer said to Earl. “There’s something in Welcher that we have to take care of. Daisy and I will send word as soon as we get something figured out. Until then, you and Dez should stay here.”

Dez reached out and smacked Spencer on the back of the head. It hurt a bit more than usual because of his hardened fingers. “You’re not leaving me behind, Doofus. You need me.”

“I’m sorry,” Spencer said. “There’s something in Welcher you shouldn’t know about. Something that could put you in a lot of danger.”

“I don’t care,” said Dez. “I don’t know why you’re being all secretive. But if you leave me behind, I’ll go straight to the BEM!”

Why did he always do that? Spencer gritted his teeth in utter frustration. The worst part was that he totally believed Dez’s threat. Spencer’s anger built until he couldn’t control it anymore.

“Fine, Dez!” he yelled. “Have it your way. But it’s not my fault if you end the world!”

Earl was still standing there, the key to Big Bertha dangling in his hand. Spencer took a deep, calming breath, ran a hand through his white hair, and turned to the janitor cowboy.

“You really shouldn’t come,” Spencer said. “You’ve probably got a wife and kids, and they need you to come home.” He was thinking of his own dad’s mysterious two-year disappearance. He wouldn’t bring that on another family.

“Actually,” Earl said, “I’m single.” He tipped his hat to no one in particular.

“Don’t you have a dog?” Daisy asked.

“Nope.”

“What kind of cowboy doesn’t have a dog?” Spencer asked.

“What about a cat?” Daisy asked.

“Nope,” Earl said again. “Just a goldfish.”

“Okay. I can work with that,” Spencer muttered. “Think of your goldfish, Earl. Who’s going to give her little flakes of food if you die?”

“Actually,” said Earl, “I’ve been trying to get her to go belly-up for about a month now. Them little flakes are getting expensive.”

Spencer was getting frustrated. “I’m not letting you come with us!” he insisted. There was too much at stake with the Manualis Custodem.

“Then I guess you’ll have to lock me up,” Earl said with a big grin.

Spencer shrugged. “You asked for it.” His hand flashed to his janitorial belt, drawing the Glopified rake that had held him prisoner only hours ago. Mimicking the Sweeper’s actions, Spencer thrust the rake, handle first, right at Earl’s feet.

The swift bars closed around him, causing Earl to jolt in surprise. The key to Big Bertha flung from his grasp, landing with a clink just out of reach.

“Whoa!” Dez said, clapping his hands in approval. “Where’d you get that?”

“Picked it up in the BEM lab,” Spencer said as he retrieved Big Bertha’s key chain from the floor.

“Hey, partner!” Earl said, a hint of nervousness in his voice. He grabbed the bars and shook them, rattling his cage hopelessly. “Y’all come and let me out, now.”

Daisy stepped forward to help him, but Spencer grabbed her elbow. “Come on, Daisy,” he said, drawing her toward the door of the janitorial closet. “We’ve got to get on the road.”

“Hey!” Earl shouted. Now there was panic in his voice. “What about me? This is treason!”

“It’s for the best,” Spencer said, pausing at the doorway. “School will start in a few hours. Somebody will find you. All they have to do is reach through the bars and twist the rake handle.”

“I can’t let them find me like this!” Earl said. “I’m in my pajamas!”

Spencer nodded. “You look fine.”

Then the three kids were moving down the hallway of Viewmont Elementary School. The dawn light hadn’t spread enough to illuminate the building, but Spencer could see a glow to the east.

“Why are we going back to Welcher?” Daisy finally asked.

Spencer glanced at Dez. He didn’t want to say it, but the Sweeper kid was bound to find out eventually. “Mr. Clean is looking for the Manualis Custodem. We’ve got to protect it.”

“You talked to Mr. Clean?” Daisy asked. “How’d you get away?”

Spencer felt uncomfortable talking about it. “He let me go.”

“I knew you couldn’t fight your way out of there,” Dez said.

“He told me that I was free to take you guys with me,” Spencer explained. “As long as we don’t try to rescue the others, he won’t hurt them.”

“So what are we going to do?” Daisy asked.

“Rescue the others,” answered Spencer. “After we get back to Welcher and hide the Manualis.”

“You keep saying that fancy word,” Dez grumbled. “Are you trying to sound smart? ’Cause you just sound like a nerd.”

“The Manualis Custodem is a really important book,” Daisy said. “And it sounds like Mr. Clean will do anything to get it.”

“Like letting Spencer go?” Dez said.

Spencer stopped in the middle of the hallway. His heart was pounding, and he knew that Dez could be right for once.

“That’s what I would do,” Dez went on. “Capture you, tell you what I want, and then let you go. You’ll run straight to it.”

Spencer pressed his hands to his face, angry and embarrassed that he’d missed the obvious. And worse, that Dez had pointed it out.

“This doesn’t change anything,” Spencer said. “The Manualis Custodem is sitting out in the open. We’ll just have to make sure that nobody follows us.”

“That might be kind of tricky,” Daisy said. She pointed out the window to the parking lot.

Big Bertha, the garbage truck, was parked exactly where Bernard had left it. But surrounding the big vehicle were half a dozen Pluggers.