by Mike Lupica
Nothing.
“I just thought of something,” Zoe said. “Mike’s necklace is made of gold. Maybe if we dim the lights in here, the necklace will give off a little sparkle. That is, if it’s even here, of course.”
“You mean a little sparkle like the two of you give off?” Danny Walker said, pleased with his joke.
Mr. Greenberg dimmed the lights. Zach and Zoe spread out again, walking up and down in front of the lockers, then back to the middle of the carpeted room. Still nothing. Even Zach and Zoe Walker, who never gave up, were beginning to lose hope.
Zach was back on his hands and knees between Mike’s locker and Alex Mozov’s when he quietly said, “Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy.”
He reached down underneath the chair closest to Alex’s locker, then stood up and walked over to where his dad and Zoe were standing. He showed them the small gold clasp in the palm of his hand.
“Finally,” Zach said to his dad and his sister, beaming. “A clue.”
“A big clue,” his sister said, “even for something so small. But it’s still only a piece of the necklace.”
“So where’s the rest of it?” Zach asked, just as the lights in the locker room came back up.
SEVEN
It was the Bruins team managers, Tommy and Kevin, back from their brief coffee break. They were smiling at Zach and Zoe, who looked up, startled. It was as if they’d put the spotlight on them.
Tommy said, “I see our private detectives are still hard at work.”
“Any progress?” Kevin asked.
Zach walked over and showed them both the clasp. He told them he and Zoe were sure it had to be part of Mike’s necklace. Nothing else made sense.
“Well, none of us can give up now,” Tommy said. “We all have to keep looking until we find that necklace. This has to be a total team effort.”
“You sound like us,” Zoe said to him.
The managers walked around the locker room, picking up towels and T-shirts and socks the players had left behind.
“Hockey players are about as neat as you are,” Zoe said to Zach, giving him a little shove to show she was kidding.
While they were tidying up, the managers looked for the missing necklace at the same time. When their arms were full, they disappeared into the laundry room.
“I’ve got an idea,” Zoe said.
“Another one?” said Zach.
“I have more than one per day,” she said, playfully poking him with an elbow. “Follow me.”
The twins followed Tommy and Kevin in the direction of the laundry room while their dad stayed behind with Mr. Greenberg. On the ride to the arena that morning, they’d thought the biggest excitement of their day would be getting inside the Bruins locker room. Now they were excited to be in a laundry room.
The surprises that began the day before when Grandpa Richie showed up at their house just kept coming. Starting with the size of the laundry room. The twins couldn’t believe how big it was, with more washers and dryers than they’d ever seen in one place lined up against the far wall.
“Even though the big game tomorrow night is at the Garden,” Tommy said, “some of the guys like to come over here in the morning to have a skate and loosen up. So we have to have all their practice gear washed and dried and ready for them.”
“We even polish their skates,” Kevin said.
“And,” Tommy added, “we make sure the straps on every single helmet are fastened the way they’re supposed to be.”
Spread out on two long tables in the middle of the room were rows of helmets and skates and pads. Zach said to his sister that he felt as if they’d walked into a sporting goods store that sold only hockey equipment.
They’d already learned a lot today. Now they were also seeing how much work there was for Tommy and Kevin to do once practice was over. But despite all of Zach and Zoe’s hard work so far, they still hadn’t found Mike Gordon’s necklace. And they knew they needed to find it soon. Because as supportive as their dad was being, they knew he wasn’t going to let them spend the whole rest of the day at the Warrior Ice Arena.
“Your dad told us about some of the other mysteries the two of you have solved,” Tommy said. “From missing baseballs to deflated footballs. He even told us you solved the mystery of who was fixing up your local basketball court.”
Zoe puffed up her chest with pride. “But whenever we solve mysteries,” she said, “we always appreciate a little help. And now we need a favor from you.”
“Name it,” Kevin said.
“Before you start washing things,” Zoe said, “would you mind if we went through everything in here one more time?”
Tommy made a face.
“Going through the helmets and skates will be no problem,” he said. “But the dirty laundry in that bin over there is kind of sweaty and gross.”
Zoe grinned.
“I can handle it,” she said. “And I know my brother can, too. He knows practically everything there is to know about sweaty, gross things.”
“Hey!” Zach said.
That got a laugh out of Tommy and Kevin. They figured the best thing for them to do was gather all of Mike’s gear and put it on one of the side tables. So they moved some of the other equipment aside, and laid out Mike’s T-shirt, pants, jersey, socks, skates, helmet, and pads.
Zoe stared at all of it.
“Did you spot a clue?” Zach asked.
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “But I’m starting to think I might have spotted one a little while ago without realizing it.”
“Now you’re the one being mysterious,” Zach said. “And we’re running out of time.”
“That means it really is time for us to get lucky,” his sister said.
Zoe scrunched her face as she picked up Mike’s sweaty socks and T-shirt. She turned the shirt inside out. Then it was time for her to reach inside the socks.
“Eeeew,” she said.
“Big eeeew,” her brother said. “But you said you were ready for this.”
“Maybe not quite as ready as I thought,” she said, pinching her nose.
But the necklace wasn’t inside the socks, and it wasn’t inside his skates, either. Mike said he had checked them, but Zach and Zoe looked again, just to be sure. Now they did feel as if the clock was running out on them. From the locker room they heard their dad yell out, “Twoooooooo minutes,” the way the announcer did when there were two minutes left in a game.
The last thing for them to check was Mike’s helmet.
“This feels like our last chance,” Zach said.
They took a deep breath while Zoe carefully turned the helmet over. She was surprised at how much padding was inside, even though hockey helmets appeared to be about half the size of the ones football players wore.
Zoe and Zach let out a collective sigh. Nothing fell out of the helmet when Zoe turned it over. But she wasn’t done yet.
Zoe closed her eyes for just a moment. Dream big, their dad said. She was doing that now, trying to imagine the end of the story she and Zach wanted. Then she stuck her head closer to the inside of the helmet.
The padding was dark, which would make it easier to see the gold of Mike Gordon’s necklace if it was there.
Suddenly, something caught her eye. It was small, but there was no mistaking it.
A glittering piece of gold chain was sticking out from the padding. When Zoe pulled on it, the locket appeared. It was opened to show the picture of Mike’s wife and children inside.
EIGHT
As excited and happy as Zoe was, she was careful taking out the necklace. It was already broken and she didn’t want to cause any more damage.
Zach had already yelled for his dad to come join them. Tommy and Kevin high-fived each other.
“Why were you so sure that the necklace was stuck in his gear somewhere?” Zac
h asked his sister.
“It was partly because Mike had told us how distracted he’d been about Game 7,” Zoe said. “But more than that, it was seeing the sock stuck inside that shoe in the Lost and Found.”
“But the necklace wasn’t in Mike’s socks,” Zach said. “Or his skates.”
“It was more about how the sock ended up in the shoe,” Zoe said. “When someone pulled their shoe off, their sock came with it. I thought maybe the necklace had gotten stuck in Mike’s helmet the same way.”
Zach nodded. “Like when he took off his helmet, the necklace might have slipped off at the same time.”
“And that’s how it broke,” Zoe completed the thought. “When Mike pulled his helmet off, the necklace came with it. But it was too small to fit over his head, so the clasp came loose.”
“That’s how the clasp must have ended up on the floor,” said Zach. “The rest of the necklace got stuck in his helmet.”
“Exactly,” Zoe said.
Zach smiled and gave his sister a high five.
“But our work still isn’t done,” Zoe added. “Now we have to fix the necklace.”
“But shouldn’t we have somebody call Mike and tell him we found it?” Zach said.
“Good luck with that,” Kevin said. “Mike isn’t just superstitious about that necklace. From now until he gets to the Garden tomorrow, he’ll have his phone turned off, won’t check his email, and refuses to look at social media. His wife does the same. He just wants quiet time at home with his family.”
“Even better!” Zoe said. “We can get the necklace fixed, so when he does get it back, it’ll be as good as new.”
“Can you get it fixed by game time?” Kevin asked.
He saw Zach and Zoe grinning at each other, then up at their dad.
“We can,” Zoe said with confidence.
Zach shared his sister’s excitement. “We know somebody who can do it.”
“A jeweler?” Kevin asked.
“Our mom,” Zach and Zoe said together.
“She’ll know how?” said Tommy.
Zach grinned. “She pretty much knows everything.”
NINE
Their dad drove them all back to Middletown. When they got home, the twins jumped out of the car and raced inside to tell their mom about the mystery of the lost necklace. They recounted every detail of their search, including how they found it.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Tess said. “Slow down!” She was sitting at the kitchen table. The twins were obviously excited and took turns telling their mom the rest of the story.
“Mike will be so happy to get his locket back in time for Game 7,” Zach said. “It was our lucky day and even luckier that we have a master jeweler in our family.”
“Master jeweler?” Tess Walker said. “And who might that be?”
“You!” the two of them shouted in one voice.
The Walker twins admired both their parents for different reasons. They knew how great their dad had been in the NBA and now, as a popular television personality. Even what a good coach he was whenever he coached one of their teams. But their mom was really something, too. She could paint. She could write. She could cook like a master chef on television.
And in her spare time, she even made some of her own jewelry. The twins often wondered how she found the time, on top of everything she already did to be the world’s greatest mom.
“Let’s have a look at this very famous necklace,” she said.
Zoe carefully lifted it out of the small box the Bruins managers had given her. Tess Walker took it from Zoe and held it up to the light. She could see where the chain had broken and Zach produced the clasp he’d found on the locker room floor.
Tess smiled.
“Fixing this will be easier than scoring on an empty net,” she said. “All we have to do is reattach the clasp to the chain.”
Zach and Zoe beamed. They knew their mom could fix the necklace. There was no way this day could get any better.
Just then, Tess turned to her husband. “By the way,” she said, “do you think we should tell them the last surprise?”
“There’s more?” Zoe said in disbelief.
“Just one more,” their dad promised.
“Tell us!” the twins begged.
“Well,” he said, “you know we’ll all be going to Game 7 tomorrow night, and I’m getting in early with my media pass.”
“That’s when you’ll give Mike his necklace, right?” Zoe said.
“No,” their dad said. “That’s when the two of you can give him his necklace.”
He reached into his jacket then, and produced two Boston Bruins all-access passes Mr. Greenberg had given him after Zach and Zoe found the necklace.
“You’re going to visit one more locker room,” Danny Walker said to the twins. “The real one this time.”
There was only one thing for the twins to do then. They jumped and spun and bumped elbows and knees—their special high five reserved for only the most special occasions.
Then their parents joined in. It was one more team effort. And in that moment, the Walker family didn’t need the necklace in Tess’s hand to feel lucky.
TEN
Another game day superstition Mike Gordon had was that he always showed up at the locker room exactly three hours before the puck dropped. Game 7 was scheduled to start at eight o’clock. So at five o’clock sharp, Danny Walker took Zach and Zoe through the locker room door and over to where Mike was sitting in front of his changing area. Neither one of the twins could believe they were in this locker room, the real one, this close to Game 7.
Their dad always said that sports were about making memories. Now they were about to make another one, for themselves, and for Mike Gordon.
They didn’t waste any time.
“We found your necklace,” Zoe said, holding up the locket for Mike to see.
“No way!” Mike Gordon said. “I thought it was gone for good.”
“Think of us as your own personal Lost and Found,” Zach said, winking at Zoe.
Zoe handed Mike the necklace as if she were presenting him a priceless piece of gold, which to him it probably was. Mike reached around his neck to put it on.
“How did you find it?” he finally asked, unable to wipe the smile off his face.
“Kind of a long story,” Zoe replied.
Mike raised his eyebrows. “We do have three hours.”
Zach and Zoe told him everything that happened after he left the locker room. How the necklace must have come off when he removed his helmet after practice ended.
“You never gave up,” Mike said.
“You never do on the ice,” Zach said right back.
Mike reached out and shook Zach’s hand. Then he did the same with Zoe. He looked up at Danny Walker and said, “You’ve got a couple of pretty amazing kids here.”
“They certainly keep amazing their mother and me,” Danny said, placing a hand on each twin’s shoulder.
“How can I possibly thank you enough?” Mike said to the twins.
“Easy,” Zoe said. “Go out there and win the Stanley Cup!”
Not only did Tess Walker and the twins have great seats at the arena, but they saw a great game, too. The Bruins and Sharks were tied at 3–3 by the end of the final period. It looked as if the teams were about to go into a second overtime, which the twins didn’t think they could handle. It was too much excitement! But suddenly, Mike stole the puck from a Sharks defenseman, went in against their goalie on a breakaway, and scored the backhand goal that won Game 7 for the Bruins.
Zach and Zoe and their mom watched the celebration on the ice. Then the two teams got into a handshake line, the same as the twins did after one of their games. They all watched as two men wearing white gloves came walking down the red carpet that had been rolled out onto the ice. They
were carrying the Stanley Cup. By then it had been announced to the crowd that Mike Gordon had been voted the MVP of the finals.
After his speech, the NHL commissioner handed the Stanley Cup to Mike, who held it high in the air and began skating around the ice with it. His teammates took their turns doing the same.
And just when the Walker twins thought their night couldn’t get any better, it did.
An hour after the game ended, when their dad had finished doing all of his television work, he met Zach, Zoe, and their mom at the media lounge.
“You all need to come with me right away,” he said.
“Where?” Zoe asked.
“Mystery,” was all their dad said.
He walked them all down a long hallway and into a tiny room next to the Bruins locker room.
Waiting for them inside was Mike Gordon.
So was the Stanley Cup.
“I figured my two new good-luck charms should get to do what I just did on the ice,” Mike said.
“What’s that?” Zach asked.
“Hold up the Stanley Cup,” Mike replied, like it was obvious.
Zoe’s eyes went wide. “Won’t it be too heavy?”
“I’ll help you,” Mike said. “The way you helped me.”
Then they all lifted the Stanley Cup together.
Team effort.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mike Lupica (mikelupicabooks.com) is the #1 bestselling author of many popular books for young readers, including Fantasy League, Travel Team, Heat, and Million-Dollar Throw. He has carved out a niche as the sporting world's finest storyteller. Mike lives in Connecticut with his wife and their four children. When not writing novels, Mike Lupica writes for New York's Daily News and is a special correspondent for MSNBC. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeLupica.