“A FAKE? BUT WHY?” GRACE ASKED. HER VOICE WAS SHAKING. There must be some explanation, she thought to herself.
“Maybe Jeeter figured that it would make us like him or something,” said Mai, sounding disappointed. “You know, because it made him the hero. I guess it was too good to be true.”
“How did he do it?” Grace asked.
“It wouldn’t be hard, Grace,” Fred said. “He probably just used his own camera and then uploaded the video to his computer.”
“But if he made the video, then the envelope with Stanley’s name on it and the note from my dad’s office must be fake, too!” Grace exclaimed.
“Note?” asked Fred, a confused look on his face. “What note?”
As Grace explained, Fred’s face turned red. “He was in your house?” he spat. “When I was talking to you?”
“Don’t forget that he saved my life too,” Grace added. “If he was just some evil bad guy, he wouldn’t have done that.”
“But Jeeter is the bad guy,” declared Fred. “It’s a no-brainer. We have to find out how deep this rabbit hole goes.”
“It seems like Jeeter’s fixated on Rick Stanley,” Mai said. “There’s got to be an explanation for that.”
“I think we should stake out Jeeter’s place,” Fred suggested. “He’s in this right up to his six-pack abs and buzz-cut hair, and we need to find out why!”
“It would have to be dark, for cover,” Grace said. “But there’s no way I can get out of curfew. You two will have to do it.”
“Too bad you can’t come, Grace. But…does this mean I’m in charge of the mission?” Fred asked. He leapt to his feet and started to pace back and forth, fingers tapping on his chin. “Okay,” he continued, “first thing we’ll need to do is—”
“If you think for one second I’m going to take orders from you, your brain damage is even worse than I thought!” Mai said. “There’s no way in this solar system, this galaxy, this entire universe—”
“Can’t you two get along for five minutes?” Grace grumbled. “I can just see it now: Jeeter’s whole neighbourhood will be standing there watching you two fight and you won’t even know it! They’ll probably have popcorn for the show. You’ve gotta stay undercover! Remember what that means?”
“Sorry, Grace,” Mai said.
“Fine,” Fred scowled. “Take all the fun out of it.” He sulked for twelve seconds exactly before he was back in planning mode, making suggestions for camouflage.
They sketched out Jeeter’s yard and worked out Mai and Fred’s positions. Finally, Grace declared that they were as ready as they’d ever be.
After lunch, Grace, Mai, and Fred returned to school. They were walking down the hall discussing their plans when they rounded a corner and ran smack into Jeeter.
“Hey, just the spies I was looking for,” Jeeter said, smiling. “What are you guys up to?”
Mouths hanging open, Grace, Mai, and Fred stared at him like he was a giant ogre about to chop them up for stew. Grace wanted to scratch his eyes out. Liar, she thought.
“What’s wrong?” Jeeter asked. His smile faded and he looked behind him as if to see if the terrified reception was for someone else.
“Well, for starters—” Fred growled, stepping forward.
“Nothing!” Grace grabbed Fred’s sleeve and hauled him backward. “We’re just talking about, um, maybe doing a stakeout of Stanley’s house this weekend.”
“Great idea,” Jeeter said. His eyes drifted to Mai’s still-frozen face. “Are you sure there’s nothing wrong?”
“Well, actually,” said Grace, “Fred’s walkie-talkie isn’t, um, working. Could he borrow yours ’til the weekend? You don’t need it, do you?”
“I guess not,” Jeeter said. “What’s he need it for?”
“We have to work on a school thing, and we’ll probably be up late. Mom won’t let me use the phone past nine.”
“All right,” he said reluctantly. He took his walkie-talkie from his pack and handed it to Fred.
“Well, we’ve got class,” Grace said. She started inching away from Jeeter, dragging the still-gaping Mai with her. “We’ll see you tomorrow to plan the weekend.”
Grace, Mai, and Fred continued down the corridor. Grace looked back over her shoulder just as they were about to turn a corner.
Jeeter was still standing in the same spot, staring at her.
Grace gasped. She raised her hand in a quick wave and scurried around the corner.
“Good thinking, Grace, getting me a walkie-talkie,” Fred said when they were out of earshot. “But mine’s probably at home. I would have found it eventually.”
“It wasn’t for you,” Mai replied, finally coming back to life. “She didn’t want Jeeter listening to us over the airwaves. Right, Grace?”
Grace nodded a silent confirmation.
“Oh, good detective work.” Fred smiled his approval. “So the stakeout is this weekend? Great! That’ll give me time to survey the area. You know, pick out the most strategic observation posts.”
Grace shook her head. “No. You’ve gotta go tonight!”