Nine Doors (7 page)

She nodded.

“Your father's very worried about you,” he said. “You're going to have some explaining to do.” Bebi's face went pale. I got the feeling she'd rather be kidnapped again than have to face her dad. She squeezed my hand. I was worried I'd never get to see her again once her dad found out what happened.

“This is all my fault, Officer.” The voice surprised us. We turned around to see Marjorie walking down the hall.

She was big and tall and very pale, but she wasn't old. Thirty-five or forty, maybe. She had this quivery smile on her face.

“I shouldn't have kept the girl so long,” she said. “I haven't been feeling well. The kids were helping me.”

The officer winked. “Maybe you'd like to tell her dad that. He might not be so hard on her then.”

I could feel how nervous that made Marjorie. “Sure,” she said. She cleared her throat. “There's one more thing too. Would you mind driving me to the hospital on your way back? I think it's time I saw somebody about...my condition.”

She rubbed her hands together and swallowed. “You might like to talk to me about a few things too,” she said.

“No problem,” the cop said. “We can chat in the car after we drop Bebi off. Now, why don't you boys run along home?”

I turned to Bebi. “See you tomorrow?” I said hopefully.

Her face still looked scared, but her eyes lit up a bit. “Yeah,” she said. “That would be nice.”

The cop tapped his foot. I got the feeling he didn't trust teenage boys any more than her father did. I gave Bebi's hand another squeeze, and then Richard and I headed down the stairs.

“Boys?” We turned back around. Marjorie was rubbing her fingers together as if she was trying to get something sticky off them.

My heart started thumping. I didn't know what she was going to say. It's weird. She was the one who kidnapped us but I still felt guilty. Marjorie was going to be in a lot of trouble all because we got bored
one day and decided to play some stupid game. I wanted to apologize to her but I didn't know where to start.

She looked at me in a way that made me think I didn't have to. She said, “I certainly hope I'll bump into you on the street some time soon.”

It's funny—but that made me feel kind of better.

I watched her step out the door.

I'm pretty sure she smiled as she closed it behind her.

As she got in the car, Richard elbowed me in the ribs and whispered, “I told you Nicky Nicky Nine Doors would be fun.”

Vicki Grant is a best-selling and award-winning author of many books for juveniles and young adults, including
I.D.
and
Dead-End Job
in the Orca Soundings series and
Pigboy
in the Orca currents series, all of which were ALA Quick Picks. Her comic legal thriller for teens,
Quid Pro Quo,
won the Arthur Ellis award for Best Juvenile crime Fiction. Vicki lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Visit her website at
www.vickigrant.com

“Grant hits the nail on the head when she brings both mucous and underwear into the story line...Grant writes a compelling story with lots of suspense, but it's the journey to Dan's personal redemption that is most enjoyable to read...Highly recommended.”
—CM Magazine

“This quick read is perfect for reluctant readers, especially boys. In a story of bravery and redemption, Grant moves quickly to first establish Dan's post on the lowest rung of the social ladder, and then chronicles his eventual rise to the top.”
—KLIATT

“Dan's wry sense of humor catches readers' attention and has them rooting for him practically from the first page.
Pigboy
is a great quick read for boys who may be reluctant readers, but others will enjoy it as well.”
—School Library Journal

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