Kelsey the Spy (20 page)

This is the hard part. It was easy to suspect Erik since he isn't a close friend and he had M-O-M: motive, opportunity, and means. But the guilty person is someone close to one of my CCSC friends. I clench my hands together. “The ransomer is—”

“Ransomer is not a real word,” Leo interrupts.

“It is for us,” Becca argues. “Shush! Let her finish.”

“I studied my clues and realized a connection between a photo on my ransom note and a suspect. Also there was an odd smell from the ransom note, and I knew who was guilty.” I look directly at Leo and drop the bomb from my lips. “Frankie.”

“Absolutely not.” Leo glares. “Frankie had no reason to steal your notebook.”

“He's the only one who could have,” I say sadly.

“You've never liked him and are being totally unfair!” Leo's face reddens with outrage. “You have no proof.”

“The glue on the ransom note has a weird smell—like hair spray and mouthwash. The same smell that came from the glue on Frankie's desk. It's probably some special glue for actors. And one of the magazine photos used for the ransom note had a theater mask symbol on the back—the same symbol I saw backstage.”

“Frankie did not steal your notebook!” Leo glares at me like I'm his worse enemy. “It could have been anyone in the drama club.”

“He did it out of revenge,” I insist. “I didn't vote for him to join our club so he stole my notebook.”

“He did
not!
” Leo shouts so loudly that a family passing us stops to stare.

Becca lowers her voice. “Kelsey could be right.”

“Not you too! I'm not going to listen to your lies!” Leo throws up his hands, then storms past the cookie table and out of the booth.

I jump up to go after him but Becca pulls me back into the chair. “He needs time to cool off.”

“Leo hates me,” I say with an aching heart.

“No, he doesn't, but he won't believe you without proof.”

“I don't know how to prove it, but I'm sure Frankie is guilty. He had opportunity—hanging out with Leo let him know what we were doing. Means—he could easily find out my locker combination. And revenge for keeping him out of the club is a strong motive.”

“All guesses—not proof,” Becca says, and she's right.

But how do I find proof?
I puzzle over that. The glue smell and mask photo are good clues but not enough to convince Leo. It would be more convincing if I could find a copy of
InbeTWEEN
magazine in Frankie's possession—especially if there are cutout words and pictures. But where would he keep it? His home? Locker? Backstage office?

Before I can come up with a plan, customers lured by the sweet scent of ChipTastics arrive. While Becca takes tickets, I hand out the cookie bags. Some customers remember Dad from when he worked at Café Belmond. A petite young woman with angel designs on her jacket says she used to stop by Café Belmond for Dad's croissants. “Your father is a culinary genius!” she raves, then buys
ten
bags of cookies.

We're super busy until Chloe shows up with the decorations and face paints.

Chloe decorates the booth, then takes over the ticket-collecting so Becca can paint faces. While I hand out cookies, I keep looking through the sea of faces, hoping to see Leo.

Finally, when sales slow down (probably because the animal fashion show has started), I push away from the table and tell Becca I'm going to look for Leo.

“He's probably at the drama club booth,” she says.

I nod grimly. “With Frankie.”

But when I get there, I only find Mrs. Ross and some actors in jungle animal costumes. No Frankie or Leo.

“Excuse me, Mrs. Ross.” I tap her shoulder.

The teacher's long snake-like braid whips around as she turns toward me. “I'm kind of busy here, Kelsey.”

“I'm looking for Frankie and Leo,” I say quickly.

“They were here about an hour ago. They talked for a while, then suddenly Frankie took off running. He left so fast that he dropped his cap.” She gestures to a table where I see a familiar green cap. “Leo ran after him, and that's the last I saw of them.”

Alarm shivers through me. “You don't know where they are?”

She shakes her head. “I've tried calling Frankie's cell, but he doesn't answer. The actors are performing in twenty minutes, and I need Frankie's help with the costumes.”

“I'll go look for them,” I say.

“Thanks, dear. When you see Frankie, tell him to hurry back. It's almost time for our first performance. Oh, and give him this.” She hands me the green cap.

Turning the cap over in my hands, I get a bad feeling. I've never seen Frankie without this hat. Holding it tight, I start searching for the boys.

I start at the entrance and go through aisles, peering in every booth. When I pass the Wild Oaks Sanctuary booth, I see a group of parents with their kids admiring and snapping photos of Albert. The tortoise lifts his head, as if trying to be friendly, but his eyes are sad. I want to go over and comfort him, but I have to find the boys.

Weaving through the crowded aisles, I swivel my head back and forth, searching.

No sign of Frankie or Leo anywhere.

Could they be in the boys' restroom? But going there could be awkward. Still, it's the only place I haven't checked. I wait outside, watching two guys go in and a father with a small son exit. When the two guys come out moments later, I'm sure no one is inside—unless Frankie and Leo went in there to talk privately.

I bite my lip and wonder,
One little peek can't hurt … Right?

I glance around to make sure no one is watching, then cautiously open the door. “Uh … Frankie? Leo? Are you here?”

A deep adult voice calls back, “No!”

I slam the door fast and run away.

With my hands on my hips, I look around all the booths, growing worried. Where are those boys? I remember Leo saying he wanted to show Frankie his smelling robot. Of course. With renewed hope, I head for the parking lot. It's so crowded that some cars are parked on the dirt. I go up and down the rows of vehicles, looking into every vehicle.

Still no Leo or Frankie.

Could they have returned to the drama club booth? I start back but stop when I hear a shout. I turn and there's Leo, running toward me.

“
Leo!
” I'm so happy to see him that I throw my arms around him—until I realize that I'm hugging a
boy.
I jump back. My face burns hot with embarrassment.

Leo's face is red too, but probably because he's been running.

“Have you seen Frankie?” he asks me in a rush.

“I was going to ask you the same thing.”

Leo's blond hair is mussed, sweat drips from his forehead, and there's dirt on his black slacks. “I've lost Frankie.”

“What happened?” I ask.

“He wanted to know why I was angry at you and Becca, so I told him the truth.” Leo's shoulders slump. “I expected him to get angry and say you were wrong—but he didn't. Instead he looked scared and then ran from me … like a guilty person. I chased after him through the aisles, but when he headed up for the bluff path, I lost him. I must have hiked the trails for an hour, calling his name and looking everywhere. But there are too many trails, and I couldn't see much through the dense trees. Finally, I turned around and came here.”

“Why the parking lot?” I ask, glancing around.

“Mom's car is here.” He walks to a cream-colored Sorento and pulls a key from his pocket.

“You can't drive,” I say.

“Actually I can, but I'm beneath the age limit and a car can't go where I'm going.” He pops open the car trunk. “Frankie is somewhere in those trees, and FRODO will lead me to him.”

- Chapter 23 -

Follow That Smell!

“Will this help?” I show Leo the green cap Mrs. Ross gave me.

“Frankie's hat! Thanks. His scent will be strong on this.' Leo tucks it and FRODO under his arm and hurries toward the hill.

“Wait!” I grab him by the arm.

He shakes me off. “I have to find Frankie.”

“Not alone. I'm going with you.”

“But you don't even like him.”

“I don't dislike him—I just don't trust him. Besides, he's your friend and I want to help you find him.” I glance back at the colorful tents and crowds. “We should let someone know where we're going in case we get lost.”

“It's impossible to get lost with FRODO to guide us.”

The parking lot rises below the park and a path leads high into hills, mostly to walking trails leading to a cliff overlooking the river.

“What will you do with Frankie's cap?” I hurry to keep in step with Leo as he heads up the hill where weeds and trees thicken into eerie shadows.

“FRODO will follow the scent, starting from where I lost Frankie's trail.”

“Why not wait for Frankie to return on his own?”

“He should have come back by now. Frankie knew the drama group was going to perform soon. He wouldn't have abandoned them.”

“You never know how someone will react when they're upset,” I point out. “I'm sorry I was right about him.”

“Why would he steal your notebook?” Leo pauses to catch his breath. “It's illogical. He told me he likes you.”

“Even though I wouldn't vote him into our club?”

“He doesn't know. I hoped you'd change your mind so I only told him the requirements for new members.”

“Oh.” Now I really feel guilty. “I guess we'll find out his motive when we find him.”

“
If
we find him.” Leo worries as we climb a trail into shadowed trees. “I have a bad feeling.”

To hear Leo say this shoots a jolt of fear through me. Leo operates on facts, not emotions. And I get a bad feeling too.

We follow the main path, which is well traveled and smooth. Just as I spot the fork in the path he told me about, I hear the sound of footsteps pounding behind us. Leo hears it too, because he stops, hope rising on his face.

“Frankie?” he calls as he whirls around.

Wrong, I think, seeing Becca approach. She's out of breath, her face reddened from running.

“I saw you running up here and hurried to catch up. What's going on?” Becca bends over slightly, resting with her arms balanced on her knees. “I wasn't sure I could catch up with you. I want to help look for Frankie.”

“Great,” Leo says. Then he lifts his hand in the CCSC signal.

Becca and I make the hand signal too, and then we bump fists. I smile at my club mates. Solving mysteries is better with friends.

Leo leads the way, slowing only when we reach a fork in the path. Three trails branch out—right, left, and straight ahead for the cliffs. But the narrow cliff trail looks like it was made for animals, not humans, and disappears into rising boulders. Unfortunately, this is the trail Leo takes. We follow, ducking under prickly branches and climbing rough boulders, until we reach a plateau of rock.

“This is where I lost him,” Leo says.

He sets FRODO down, clicks buttons on the remote, then presses the green cap to FRODO's sensors (which look like eyeballs).

A colored button flashes green and an arrow points straight ahead—where there's no path. When I look closer, I see trampled grass and a broken branch.

“Follow FRODO,” Leo says.

And we do.

We wind through trees, turning right and left, and pushing away thick bushes. We're so high now that I can hear the rush from the river far below the cliffs. Kids are warned to stay away from Sun River and told that if the undercurrents don't drag you down, the chilly water will freeze you to death.

“He has to be up ahead,” Leo says, pointing to dense trees. “Unless he doubled back, he must be beyond those trees.”

The ground dips and drops into rocky crevices, so we have to crawl part of the way. My hands are scraped when we get through the rocky path and stand beneath the towering trees.

“So where is he?” Becca frowns.

“Not here.” I shrug, looking around.

“I don't understand.” Leo presses a button on his remote. “FRODO's indicators say that Frankie is
here
. The arrow points ahead to the cliff. We're on the cliff, but he's nowhere in sight. There's no way else for Frankie to go.”

“But there is,” I say as fear slices through me.

And I point to the cliff.