by Laura Dower
It was way too late to take it back now.
Madison waited, tapping her fingers on the keyboard. Aimee must have gotten Madison’s last post. Why hadn’t she responded yet?
Madison chewed on her lower lip and waited a little bit longer. She knew her BFF was still online.
This wasn’t good.
Madison took a deep breath.
Then she saw Aimee’s screen name pop up at last.
Aimee was gone? Just like that? Madison flipped. She raced to Mom’s room for the portable phone and dialed Aimee’s phone number, but all she got was a busy signal. Of course! The Gillespies didn’t have a separate line for the computer as Madison did. Aimee was obviously still online.
Madison thought about heading downstairs and grabbing Phin. They could walk over to Aimee’s and meet up with her, Blossom, Yin, and Yang. A long walk with the dogs present could clear everything up. Madison could apologize in person for saying two obnoxious things to her friend in the space of only one day.
But then Madison remembered that Mom was already out with the dog—and it was getting pretty late, anyway. Plus, there was a new episode of Crime Time on. Madison couldn’t miss the beginning of that, could she? Not with everything that had happened that day. A good detective needs to brush up on her crime-solving skills. Madison needed some serious help with her clues.
So Madison chose TV over BFF.
After all, there was no harm in waiting until the next day to sort things out with Aimee… was there?
Chapter 9
FRIDAY NIGHT’S CRIME TIME episode was one of the best Madison had ever seen. She felt bad about not talking to Aimee, but she was glad she’d stayed home to watch her show.
The new episode was titled “Red-Handed,” and it profiled a woman who had traveled cross-country hijacking cars and committing petty crimes for a while, but had then gotten into identity theft, credit card fraud, and a whole bunch of other crimes. The woman’s name was Frosty Smith, or at least, that was her name while she was on the lam. It turned out that the name was merely an alias. Frosty’s real name had been Myra Limp. Madison couldn’t believe any of the names were real.
Her mind danced around the idea of creating aliases.
What if Penelope, Mariah’s friend, wasn’t using her real name? What if she was just posing as a student at FHJH so she could commit crimes? Madison knew that that wasn’t even close to being true, but it was fun to think about. It was exciting to imagine being in the middle of an international intrigue, just like people in the movies and on Crime Time.
And what would Madison’s own alias be? She thought hard.
Charlotte Helena Isobel Marguerite Phoebe Antoinette?
Those were just a few of Madison’s favorite girl names, combined as one.
Madison turned up the volume on the TV when it came time for Major DeMille’s wrap-up of the show. This time he took live calls from viewers. Madison loved watching him work the bank of Crime Time phones. He would walk up and down the aisles at the soundstage where the show was filmed, stopping to answer callers phoning in to the switchboard. He looked like such a hunk, strolling back and forth in his gray V-neck sweater and his jeans.
“Madison?” Mom was at the doorway to the living room, where Madison was watching her show. “Planning to go up to bed anytime soon?” she asked.
Madison moaned. “Mom, the show is almost over. I’ll go up in a minute.”
“You said that ten minutes ago. Come on, Madison.”
Luckily, the closing credits for Crime Time flashed on-screen. Madison didn’t put up much of a fight. She headed upstairs, brushed her teeth, slipped into her pajamas, and collapsed onto her bed—with laptop in hand. As soon as Mom had shut the door for the night, Madison went online.
She quickly connected to TweenBlurt.com and then onto her e-mailbox again. Madison had no new messages. But she did have one in mind that she needed to write.
From: MadFinn
To: Bigwheels
Subject: Being a Detective
Date: Fri 15 Oct 9:27 PM
Did u see what Major was wearing on the show tonite? I think that was maybe my fave outfit ever. He got a haircut 2 and it looks good. I wonder if he has a GF?
FYI: This snooping around is harder work than I thought. First of all, it’s hard to act cool when ur collecting clues. I can be a little clumsy sometimes and noisy too, even when I’m trying 2 be quiet.
Mostly it’s hard 2 deal w/friends when they don’t understand how important it is 2 me 2 be a detective. Did u ever do something fun and ur friends just didn’t get it? Earlier tonight Aimee went offline when we were chatting w/o even saying a word. I’ll try not to dwell on it but she really bugs me. I always support her dance and stuff. Y can’t she support me? :-S
N e way, I’m making progress on my latest case. I think I have a prime suspect and I just need more evidence. More on that l8r. Here’s a :-{} for you!!!
Yours till the moon lights,
MadFinn
Madison hit SEND. Then she checked her buddy list. Her only friend online at the moment was Fiona. Madison sent her a message and they escaped into a chat room called WETWINZ, the same as Fiona’s screen name on TweenBlurt.com.
Madison was in shock.
She quickly finished up her conversation with Fiona so she could open a file and write some notes. The mystery from school was starting to make a lot more sense. Madison’s theories about Mr. Olivetti and Penelope could have been right!
She opened a new file.
Missing Sheet Music
Aimee is so wrong. I can totally figure out the mess with the thefts @ FHJH. I am already making MAJOR progress, or should I say MAJOR DEMILLE progress?
Facts:
• Mr. Olivetti has a black bag. Penelope has the identical black bag with initials PKO that stand for something-something-Olivetti, obviously! Duh!
• Penelope knows Mr. Olivetti because she plays piano with him and is in ensemble. She had a BIG opportunity to steal the bag.
• Penelope is Miss Squeaky Voice. I know it!!!
• Penelope said the words “sheet music” in the library when I was listening. She must have been talking about the stuff she stole!
• Penelope is way too nice to really be nice. She is hiding something.
Stuff I Need To Know:
• Who was in the library with Penelope when I heard them?
• Is Ivy involved in this? Is Mariah?
; • Why does Mr. Olivetti say he knows nothing about a robbery?
• What’s in the black bag?
Madison shut down her laptop and closed her eyes. She tried to go to sleep, but it was hard to do. The room was filled with moonlight that cast an eerie glow on the walls and chairs. Even with the shades down, it seemed as though a lamp had been turned on. There wasn’t a lot Madison could do, except maybe hide her head under the covers. When Phin trotted across the room to get a drink from his dish near Madison’s closet, he cast a shadow on one wall that made him look five times his size.
“Come here, Phinnie,” Madison called out to him when he’d finished drinking. He hopped up onto the bed, and she began to stroke his head, and soon, despite the bright light, they both fell fast asleep.
“Good morning, Maddie!” Fiona chirped into the phone on Saturday morning.
A groggy Madison could barely reply. “Morning,” she mumbled. She wasn’t sure if it was the moonlight in her room the night before or all the thoughts about the sheet-music mystery that had her feeling extra tired.
“Aimee is coming over in an hour. We’re making cookies,” Fiona said.
“For who?” Madison asked.
“For us!” Fiona said. “So why don’t you come over in an hour, too?”
Madison sighed. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” she said.
Fiona was clearly confused—and clearly out of the loop on the whole Madison-Aimee argument.
“Why isn’t it a good idea?” Fiona asked. “I thought it was a great idea. We haven’t hung out together on the weekend in a while. Besides, my brother is out of the house all day. Since he got into trouble, Dad is making him run errands, and he can’t bring his 3DS or anything.”
“Well,” Madison sighed again. “I guess I’ll come over.”
She hoped that Aimee wouldn’t mind—and that Aimee would actually speak to Madison once they all got to the Waterses’ house.
An hour later, after helping Mom rake some leaves in the front yard and taking Phin for a long walk around the neighborhood, Madison arrived at Fiona’s doorstep. As she waited for Fiona to answer the bell, Aimee came up behind her.
“Hi,” Aimee said.
“Hi,” Madison said.
They both looked at each other. Madison hit the doorbell again.
“I’m sorry, okay?” Madison said, half apologetic and half defensive. She couldn’t help herself.
“Yeah,” Aimee said, kicking at a loose pebble on the Waterses’ porch. Aimee leaned over and hit the doorbell again herself.
All at once the door flew open. Fiona stood there in tears.
“Oh, my God!” Aimee exclaimed.
“What’s wrong?” Madison asked.
“Come inside,” Fiona sobbed. “I feel like I’m going to pass out.”
The three pushed their way into the front hall. Fiona seemed to be at home alone.
“Let’s go up to my room,” Fiona cried. “I brought some juice and snacks up there so we could talk…” She dissolved into tears again.
“Fiona!” Madison said, feeling a little choked up at the sight of her friend’s emotional outburst.
“Fiona, what is the matter? Tell us!” Aimee said.
They went up to Fiona’s room, where all three collapsed onto the floor. “It’s Egg,” Fiona sobbed some more. “He hates me! Hates me!”
“What?” Madison asked with disbelief. “No, he does not hate you. That’s ridiculous.”
“Why do you say that he hates you?” Aimee asked.
“We had a fight,” Fiona said.
At almost the exact same time, Madison and Aimee said, “Ohhhh.”
“It was a big fight, too,” Fiona continued.
“What did you fight about?” Aimee asked.
“I don’t remember,” Fiona said.
“What?” Aimee said. “How can you not remember? Didn’t you just have the fight?”
“Yes, but I’m so upset,” Fiona said. “I just forgot. Something about how I always overreact if he doesn’t call me back or E me back right away.”
“Well, you know how Egg is, Fiona. He’ll get over it.” Madison said. “So will you. Haven’t you had this fight before?”
“I never want to see him again!” Fiona said dramatically.
“You don’t mean that,” Aimee said.
“I’m returning his sweater that he loaned me, and I’m returning his stupid book on computers, and I’m definitely not going to that stupid movie this week, either,” Fiona ranted.
Madison gasped. “What are you talking about?” she asked. “You can go to the movie with us. You don’t need Egg. You can go with me and Aim—”
Fiona shook her head fiercely. “No way.”
“Well, I wasn’t going, anyhow,” Aimee reminded Madison.
“You guys can’t both bail out of going to the movies! That isn’t fair,” Madison said.
“Isn’t fair for who?” Aimee asked. “Can’t you make goo-goo eyes at Hart if you go by yourself?”
Madison’s jaw dropped.
Fiona stopped crying instantly.
“That is so mean,” Madison said.
“Well, it’s true,” Aimee said.
As upset as Fiona had been, she now realized that she needed to switch gears. She needed to keep the peace.
But it was too late.
“We don’t all have to go to the movies just because you want to go,” Aimee said. “We don’t all automatically like the things you like.”
“Huh?” Madison said feeling flustered.
“Aim…” Fiona tried to step in.
“And why aren’t you going on Wednesday to the movies?” Madison asked.
Aimee shrugged. “I told you why. Because I don’t want to see some dumb detective movie.”
“Detective movies are not dumb!” Madison cried.
“You mean they’re not dumb like me?” Aimee snapped back.
“I told you I was sorry about saying that before…” Madison said. “Aimee, this isn’t fair.”
Aimee rolled her eyes. “What isn’t fair?”
“Stop being mad at me!” Madison declared.
“Should we bake some cookies now?” Fiona asked meekly.
Aimee looked over at Fiona. “Cookies?”
Madison giggled. “That’s a great idea, Fiona. Bake cookies.”
“Well, what am I supposed to say?” Fiona asked aloud. She still sounded sniffly. “I feel like a referee lately!”
“Oh, Fiona, I’m sorry,” Aimee said first.
Madison apologized, too. “Maybe baking cookies isn’t such a bad idea after all,” she added.
They headed down to Fiona’s kitchen together, and for the moment, things felt peaceful again.
But Madison knew the truth.
On the surface, things were all cookie batter and smiles, but underneath, something still felt wrong between her and Aimee.
It was like a BFF mystery.
And Madison wasn’t sure she was up to solving it.
Chapter 10
ON SUNDAY, MADISON AND Aimee didn’t really talk, either on the phone or online. Madison worried that Aimee was still angry. So when Monday morning rolled around, she searched the school hallways for her BFF. She needed to make things right—100 percent right.
The problem was, Madison couldn’t find Aimee outside the girl’s restroom or in front of their lockers. And she wasn’t at early lunch, either. Someone said Aimee was out sick. But Madison didn’t know if she could believe that.
Was Aimee just avoiding her?
Outside Mrs. Wing’s technology classroom, Madison looked up and down the hall for Aimee as she waited for the bell to ring. Everyone gathered around the door waiting for the students from the previous class period to exit the room.
Egg bounced up to Madison and slapped her on the back. Drew stood nearby.
“Lost?” Egg said as he teasingly slapped Madison again.
“Please don’t hit me,” Madison groaned.
> “That wasn’t a hit. It was a friendly tap,” Drew said.
Egg gave Drew a high five when he said that.
“Aw, you’re both so lame,” Madison said with disgust.
“Huh? Why am I lame?” Egg asked.
“Actually, you are the lamest,” Madison said.
“Hey! What’s wrong with you?” Egg said.
“You and Fiona had a fight, right?” Madison asked.
“Not really,” Egg said. “And anyway, we made up already.”
“Oh, I didn’t know you made up. I guess I’m misinformed,” Madison said sarcastically.
“Misinformed? Brain-dead is more like it,” Egg joked. Drew was laughing, too. “Actually, wait a minute! I think I have your dead brain right here…”
Egg pointed to some dried gum on the bottom of his sneaker.
Madison let out a huge sigh of exasperation. “You make me crazy!” she cried. “Both of you!”
“Leave me out of this!” Drew said.
Egg was already on to the next subject.
“My sister said she saw you last Friday,” Egg said.
“I bumped into her and her friend on the sidewalk. They were going to a party,” Madison said.
“What were you doing there?” Egg asked.
Madison avoided his question. “Do you know Mariah’s friend Penelope?” she asked instead.
“You mean the squeaky freak?” Egg said, cackling a little. Drew laughed again, too.
“That’s mean!” Madison said, although she couldn’t help laughing, too.
Egg was right. Penelope was squeaky and she was a little freaky. Madison guessed that it was those qualities that made her a likely suspect. Unfortunately, being “freaky” didn’t qualify as hard evidence. Madison would have to keep searching for answers elsewhere.
“Egg, did you ask your mom if you could come to the movies this week?” Drew asked, elbowing Egg in the side.
Egg nodded. “She said yes. I told you!”
“What about you, Maddie?” Drew asked.
Madison nodded. “Absolutely. I really want to see Curse of the Diamond.”
“Fiona’s coming,” Egg added with a satisfied look. “She told me her mom okayed the day. Chet’s coming, too.”
Madison waited for some word on whether Hart, too, had confirmed his attendance at the movie afternoon, but none came.