by Shepherd
The kids crowded around the phone. After a few seconds, Zach lifted his head. “He’s right.”
CHAPTER
16
Zach pointed at the phone’s call log. “You were definitely on the phone with Mr. Fareed during the time of the burglary.”
“Unless he’s just providing a false alibi?” Evie said suspiciously.
“You’re welcome to call him and ask,” Gideon said wearily. “He hates my guts at the moment, so you don’t have to worry about whether or not he’s lying to cover for me. He most certainly wouldn’t.”
“If money’s so tight, I still don’t understand why you would want to bid on the necklace in the first place. Your fiancée says she doesn’t even like jewelry,” Zach said.
“I know.” Gideon pushed his swivel chair away from the desk and turned to face the wall of windows behind him, staring at the city skyline. “It’s just that I didn’t want Abby to know I was having money troubles. What if she found out and then changed her mind about marrying me? I’d be lost without her!”
“I’m pretty sure she already knows about the money,” Evie said, “so I think you’d both be a lot happier if you just told her what’s going on. My mom always said that when she married my dad, they didn’t have two cents to rub together, but she wouldn’t have changed a thing.” She leaned forward. “Tell Abby the truth, Mr. Doheny. I promise you won’t regret it.”
***
As the group walked out of the office, they could already hear Gideon weeping into the phone. “My darling lambikins! I’m so sorry I haven’t been honest with you!”
Vishal elbowed Zach. “Lambikins,” he whispered. Zach grinned. The elevator doors closed behind them.
The kids arrived in the lobby and stepped onto the sidewalk. It was near the end of the workday, and the street was starting to fill up with traffic and pedestrians in business suits. Zach glanced around. “Wow. It sure got busy since we went in.”
“Yeah,” Vishal said. His eyes searched for the nearest bus stop, and he pointed. “Over there. We can take the 6C bus.” The others followed.
“So, if Gideon can’t be the thief, then we’re right back where we started,” Evie said, “with zero suspects.”
“Not zero,” Sophia retorted. “Don’t forget Evan Masterson.”
Evie threw up her hands. “For the last time, Sophia, it’s obviously not him! You saw for yourself that his footprints didn’t match the ones at the crime scene.”
“I don’t care. Even if he didn’t steal it himself, he’s got to be involved somehow. Why else was he there?”
“You don’t even know it was him that you saw that night,” Evie said. When Sophia didn’t respond, Evie started walking to the nearest bus stop. “Whatever,” she finally mumbled. “You go chase after Evan Masterson if you want to. We’re going over to Vishal’s for samosas.” She looked at the two boys. “Right?”
“Yeah, sure,” Vishal said, distracted. He was busy watching the street. After a moment, he held his phone up and flashed a big smile for a selfie.
“Dude. What are you doing?” Zach asked.
Vishal tapped at his phone. “I’m just texting my mom to see if Sophia can come, too.” He looked at Sophia. “I mean, if you want to.”
Evie scoffed. “Don’t bother, Vish. She doesn’t want to hang out with us.”
Zach put his hand on his sister’s shoulder. “Come on, Evie. Don’t be like that.”
“Like what? Realistic? Sophia only shows up when she wants something, and then when she’s done with us, she goes back into her shiny black car to her perfect life. Anyone can see that she’s just using us.”
Sophia bristled. “That’s not true! I’m not using you!”
Evie crossed her arms. “Okay. Fine. Then come to Vishal’s with us.” The bus pulled up to the stop behind her and the doors opened with a hiss. A small group of people spilled out of the front door.
An elderly lady with a cane shuffled carefully down the steps, gripping the handrail tightly. Vishal held out his arm at the bottom of the steps, and the woman reached for his shoulder gratefully until her cane found surer footing on the sidewalk. Vishal and the twins climbed onto the bus and looked back at Sophia expectantly.
“Well?” Evie asked.
Sophia bit her lip and looked at the ground. “I can’t. I’m busy.”
“That’s what I thought,” Evie said. The doors closed and the bus pulled away.
***
The three friends slouched in the back of the bus, looking out the window to where Sophia stood on the sidewalk alone. “Man, Evie, that was cold,” Zach said quietly.
“Why?” Evie demanded.
“I don’t know. Did you see her face? It looks like she felt really bad.”
Evie straightened in her seat. “Why should her feelings be more important than mine? If I don’t like the way she treats us, I’m allowed to tell her that.”
“Yeah, well, maybe it’s not personal. Maybe it’s just how she is.”
“And maybe this is just how I am. I don’t think it’s wrong to expect someone to be a decent friend.”
Zach stretched across Vishal and looked into his sister’s eyes. “I’m not saying you’re wrong.”
“Then what are you saying?”
Zach leaned back and folded his arms, turning his gaze to the window. “I don’t know, Evie. Just forget it.”
There was a long moment of silence. Vishal cleared his throat. “Yeah, uh, remind me not to sit between you two anymore.” His joke broke the tension, and the twins laughed self-consciously.
“Sorry, Vish,” Zach said. The three grew quiet again, looking out the back window at the late-afternoon light falling on the street behind them.
After a few stops, the bus turned a corner and Vishal shifter closer to the window. He pulled out his phone and snapped a quick a photo through the back window.
“What is it?” Evie asked.
The bus pulled up to the Uptown Transit Station, and a large crowd of people stood up and pushed to the front of the bus. Vishal got up, too. “Let’s get off here.”
“Why?” Zach asked. “This isn’t our stop.”
“Just follow me, okay? And stay close.” Vishal pulled the hood of his sweatshirt over his head and squeezed into the crowd of exiting passengers. He started walking toward the front of the bus, and Evie and Zach followed slowly, nonplussed. He turned to see them hanging back, and reached for Zach’s hand. “Stay with the crowd,” he hissed, pulling his friends after him.
The station was bustling with activity, and Vishal followed the crowd into the building, never looking back. Zach and Evie followed close behind. Vishal led them down the ramp to the pedestrian path below. “Where are we going?” Evie asked.
Vishal pulled out his phone and showed them the two photos he took. “Somewhere where a car can’t follow us.”
CHAPTER
17
The next day at lunch, Vishal and the twins sat with their heads bent close together. “I don’t know, Vish. I thought about it last night, and even though the black sports car was in both of the photos, I don’t know if it was really following us,” Zach said. “Maybe the driver just happened to be going in the same direction.”
Vishal shook his head. “Buses are super slow and constantly stopping to pick people up. Nobody wants to be stuck behind one. They always change lanes and pass it. But the black car didn’t.” He tapped the car in the photo. “Do you really think someone with a car like this would be willing to spend miles sitting behind a bus?”
Zach looked at the sports car in the photo. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. That’s the kind of car movie jerks always drive.”
Evie wrinkled her nose. “What do you mean?”
“Well, you know how a lot of times in movies there’s kind of a jerky character? Like maybe a bully or a rude businessman or something? They always have cars like this.”
Evie laughed. “I never thought about that, but you’re totally right!”
A shadow fell over the table, and the three looked up to see Sophia standing in front of them, holding her lunch tray. Her face held an expression of cool indifference, but beneath it, Evie could see that she was nervous. “Would you guys mind if I sit with you?” she asked.
Zach immediately scooched over to make room. “Yeah, sure!” He smiled up at Sophia, but Sophia hesitated.
“Actually, I was wondering if, um, it’s okay with you, Evie?” she asked shyly.
Evie’s eyes widened. “Me?” She looked at the two boys, who waited for her answer. “Oh. Wow. Uh, yeah, I guess so.”
A relieved smile passed across Sophia’s face, the first genuine smile Evie had ever seen from Sophia. “Cool. Thanks.” Sophia picked up the paper napkin of her tray and unfolded it across her lap. “I mean, I don’t have to sit here, obviously. I have tons of other friends I could sit with. Tons.”
Evie held up her hand. “I get it, and I appreciate the effort. Don’t turn around and ruin it, okay?”
Sophia smoothed her hair. “Right. Sorry.” Everyone looked down at their lunches. Sophia nibbled on a carrot stick. “So, um, what were you guys talking about?”
Vishal exchanged looks with Evie and Zach. “Well, for one thing,” he said slowly, “someone was following us yesterday.”
“Someone followed us?” Sophia reached for the phone that Vishal slid across the table to her.
“Check it out.” Zach pointed at the car in the two photos. Sophia bent down to look, and it was like an electric shock went through her.
“What is it?!” Evie asked.
Sophia bit her lip to try to hide the growing smirk that spread across her face. “You’re not going to like this, Evie, but I’m pretty sure that car belongs to Evan Masterson.”
***
After school that day, the four kids waited at the flagpole for Sophia’s driver to arrive. “Ugh, I can’t believe it was Evan Masterson after all,” Evie grumbled.
Sophia took a mock curtsy. “Told you!”
“Don’t celebrate too soon,” Zach said. “It’s not one hundred percent certain it was Evan’s car, and even if it was, we still don’t know why he was following us.”
“That’s why we’re heading over to my country club to check,” Sophia answered.
“How do you know he’ll be there?” Vishal asked.
“He teaches tennis there.” Sophia made a face. “That’s how he met my great-aunt.” A black SUV with tinted rear windows pulled up, and she opened the back door. “Hi, Edgar,” she said to someone inside. “I have three friends with me. Could you please take us to the country club?”
Zach nudged Evie with his elbow. Friends, he mouthed silently. Evie rolled her eyes and gave her brother a good-natured shove. The kids climbed into the back and introduced themselves to Edgar, the driver. He wore a black suit with a crisp white shirt and narrow black tie.
Vishal grinned. “Oh, man, I’ve never been in a real chauffeured car before. I was kind of hoping you’d have one of those hats.”
Edgar smiled back in the rearview mirror. “I keep one in the trunk for special occasions. Want me to put it on?”
Vishal laughed. “That’s okay.” The car drove along the tree-lined parkway, passing one old mansion after another, each with sweeping front lawns that looked out onto Lake of the Isles. It was a glorious fall day, and the clear blue sky and fluffy clouds were reflected perfectly in the still water. Joggers, dog walkers, and cyclists dotted the paved trails that circled the lake.
A short time later, the SUV turned onto a shaded side street and through a set of moss-covered stone gates. The road curved and led them to a circular drive in front of a sprawling white-pillared building. Edgar pulled under the covered carport at the front entrance, and Sophia opened the door. “Thanks, Edgar. We should be ready in about an hour.” The kids hopped out of the car.
“So does he, like, wait for you?” Vishal asked.
“Well, yeah,” Sophia said. “He’s my driver.”
Vishal touched her arm. “Wait. You mean your family’s driver, right? Not like your own personal chauffeur.”
Sophia shrugged. “Why would my parents need a chauffeur? They already know how to drive.”
“Yeah, no, obviously,” Vishal said, shooting Evie a quizzical look behind Sophia’s back. Vishal and the twins followed Sophia through the glass front doors and into the lobby.
“Where are we going?” Zach asked, looking around.
“To the back parking lot,” Sophia answered. “It’s right by the tennis courts.” She led the others through a dining room and a wood-paneled bar area that was populated with gray-haired men and blond women in pastels, all talking about bogeys and pars.
“What the heck is a bogey?” Vishal whispered to Zach.
Sophia overheard him. “It’s one stroke over par,” she said with a sigh, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
“Yeah. That explanation? Not helping,” Evie said.
Sophia sighed. “Whatever. It’s a golf thing.”
Vishal nodded. “Okay. Cool.” The group continued through the back door and out into a parking lot. Several people in tennis clothes were walking out of the courts nearby, and Sophia dragged the others behind a hedge that lined the edge of the lot.
The group crouched down and peered through the leaves. The parking lot was full of cars, many of them luxury sedans and sporty roadsters. Vishal spied at least five black sports cars that looked similar to the one he had seen following them. “This is like finding a needle in a haystack,” he whispered. “How are we going to know which one is Evan’s?”
“That’s easy,” Sophia answered. She pointed to the lot. “Take another look.”
CHAPTER
18
Sophia pumped her fist. “I knew it!” She turned to Evie. “I told you Evan was involved somehow! I mean, he had to be. The guy’s a total dirtbag!”
Evie grimaced. “Okay, fine, you were right. Just out of curiosity, any idea how long you’re planning to rub that in?”
“Mmm, pretty much forever,” Sophia answered with a satisfied smile. Evie laughed.
“Where is Evan now?” Zach asked, looking around. Sophia led them closer to the tennis courts, staying low and ducking between cars. They peered between a gap in the fabric and saw a tanned man in tennis whites hitting balls to a blond woman in a pink tennis dress.
“Is that him?” Vishal asked.
Sophia made a disappointed sound. “No. He’s probably in his office.” She led them back into the elegant white building and through a door marked STAFF. The narrow hallway was lined with offices and framed old photos of people playing tennis and golf. Most of the office doors were open, and the kids could hear the clattering of computer keys coming from a few of them.
They stopped at a turn in the hallway and peeked around the corner. “That’s his office,” Sophia whispered, pointing to an office at the end of the hall. The door was closed, and there was a narrow line of light showing through the crack at the bottom of the door. The door was thin enough that they could just make out a man’s voice talking on the phone. The kids pressed their backs against the wall and crept closer to hear better.
“I know you took it,” the voice was saying. “I have proof. So either you pay me off or else!”
“That’s Evan,” Sophia whispered.
They could hear the tennis pro pacing the floor of his office. “Fine. I’ll give you until tomorrow. If you don’t get me the money by then, your face will be on the front page of every paper in the Twin Cities!”
The four teens silently exchanged confused looks. What was Evan talking about? Sophia crept closer, hoping to peer through a crack to see what Evan was up to. As she slid her back along the wall, she bumped against a portrait of a heavyset man in plaid pants. The picture slipped off its hook and crashed to the floor. The kids looked at it in horror.
Evan stopped pacing inside his office. “I have to go,” he said abruptly. He hung up the phone, and the group saw
the office doorknob begin to turn.
“In here!” Vishal pointed to a darkened office, and they ducked inside, pulling the door closed just enough to hide them from sight. Evan stormed into the hall, carrying a tennis racket. He paused beside the fallen picture, then walked a few steps down the hall toward their hiding place, his head bent forward like he was listening for something. The kids held their breaths, but Evan passed by the room and hurried off down the hall.
“He was accusing the other person on the phone of stealing something. Do you think he was talking about the North Star?” Evie asked.
“Only one way to find out,” Vishal said. He ducked into the hallway, took a last glance to make sure they were alone, and pushed open the door to Evan’s office.
The light was still on, revealing dingy cream walls and faded posters advertising tennis rackets from over a decade earlier. The scratched hardwood floor was covered with a cheap patterned throw rug that curled up at the corners. A build-it-yourself desk from a discount store was the newest item in the room, and the laminate was already peeling up from the top of it. A battered easy chair in the corner had an unzipped gym bag spilling over with tennis gear, and there was a half-empty bookshelf that appeared to function mostly as a dumping ground for useless junk. There were few files or papers of any kind, and no computer.
“Does he ever actually do any office work in this office?” Zach asked. “There’s nothing here.”
“I guess that means it’ll be easy to search,” Vishal said. He pulled out the drawers of the desk. “They’re empty.”
“Maybe there’s something in his day planner,” Evie suggested. She flipped through the black faux-leather datebook that she found on the desk. “The only thing in here is his tennis lessons, and he hardly seems to be teaching those at all. She held up the book to show the others. “Look. He only teaches five or six lessons a week. What does he do the rest of the time?”