The Great Greene Heist

by Varian Johnson

  “Me?”

  Bradley handed her the bouquet. “There’s a card.”

  Gaby took the flowers and breathed them in. She didn’t open the card. There was no need.

  Suddenly aware that all eyes were on her, she pointed to the now-silent machine. “So who won?”

  Dr. Kelsey punched a few buttons and waited for the machine to print out the results. He had planned to lie now and swap the report out later with the doctored one in his office, but he was surprised to find that this wouldn’t be necessary. “I’m sorry,” he said, looking at the sheet. “It looks like Keith won.”

  Lincoln sprang from his seat. “I’ll need a copy of the printout for documentation purposes.” He straightened his tie. After the official announcement, maybe he’d have time for one more dance with Megan.

  Charlie pushed himself off the wall. “Are you sure Keith won?”

  Gaby smiled at her brother. “It’s okay. You can’t win all the time. I’m sure Keith will be a good president.”

  It stung even to say the words.

  Dr. Kelsey opened his mouth to offer what he hoped would be words of encouragement and inspiration.

  Instead he sneezed, barely covering his mouth before spraying Charlie and Gaby.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, wiping his nose. “I didn’t mean —”

  He sneezed again.

  Then Lincoln sneezed.

  Then Charlie sneezed.

  Then Bradley sneezed twice in a row, loudly, hard enough to make his nose hurt.

  And then —

  Someone else sneezed.

  Gaby, Charlie, Bradley, Lincoln, and Dr. Kelsey looked at each other. Then they turned toward the closet.

  Another sneeze.

  Dr. Kelsey ran to the closet. There was no superintendent to save the boy this time. He had finally gotten the best of Jackson Greene.

  Except —

  “Keith?” Dr. Kelsey mumbled.

  Keith cowered behind a box, his hands full of crumpled-up ballots.

  “Congratulations,” Charlie said, snapping a picture with the MAPE. “You won the election. For a minute, anyway.”

  “What are you … ?” Dr. Kelsey scratched his head. “How did you … ?”

  Keith sneezed again.

  “Let me see those flowers.” Dr. Kelsey took the bouquet from Gaby and ripped open the card.

  Aren’t you glad you aren’t allergic to these?

  — J. G.

  Dr. Kelsey thrust the flowers back into Gaby’s hands and turned on his walkie-talkie. “Someone find Jackson Greene!”

  “I found him, sir,” Mr. James said, his voice loud over the static. “He was by the eighth-grade lockers. Said he was looking for a bathroom.”

  “Bring him here,” Dr. Kelsey said into the walkie-talkie. Then he looked at Keith, ballots spilling from his pockets. “Actually, take Jackson to the gym. I’ll meet you there in a few minutes. I’ve got something to deal with first.”

  “He says he has to use the bathroom.”

  “Mr. James, do not let that boy out of your sight.” He pocketed his walkie-talkie, then grabbed Keith’s arm.

  Keith struggled to get out of Kelsey’s grip. “It wasn’t my fault. It was Jackson. He was here. He tricked me.”

  “Rat,” Gaby and Charlie mumbled at the same time.

  “Wait,” Keith said. “I can explain.”

  Lincoln picked up the crumpled ballots from the floor — each with a vote for Gaby. “Keith Sinclair, in accordance with the Maplewood Honor Code and the Student Council bylaws, I hereby nullify these election results and strip you of the right to run as a candidate in any future Maplewood Student Council elections.”

  “So this means Gaby won, right?” Charlie asked.

  “Technically, there will have to be a formal investigation. But based on the number of ballots for Gaby, I think it’s safe to say that she would have won this election in a landslide.” Lincoln began organizing the evidence. “You’ll all be witnesses, of course. You too, Dr. Kelsey.”

  “A formal investigation?” Keith gulped. “You won’t … You can’t —”

  “Of course I can,” Lincoln said. “It’s my job. It’s in the bylaws.”

  Lincoln, Charlie, Bradley, and Gaby remained quiet as Dr. Kelsey shooed them out of the main office and locked the door behind them.

  “Congratulations,” Lincoln said to Gaby as he shook her hand. “I’m looking forward to working with you this year.”

  Gaby smiled and watched as Lincoln walked back toward the gym. As soon as he disappeared around the corner, Charlie cleared his throat and brought his hand to his ear.

  “Megan, what’s going on in there?” Charlie asked.

  “Mr. James has Jackson by the flower table. Looks like Jackson is trying to get away, but Mr. James isn’t budging.”

  “Jackson, if you can hear me, stretch.”

  Two seconds passed in silence.

  “Megan, is he stretching?” Charlie asked.

  “Yep.”

  “Crap,” Charlie said. “If he can hear me —”

  “— then that means he wasn’t able to get rid of the phone,” Bradley said.

  “Okay, what’s going on?” Gaby asked, one hand on her hip, the other holding her bouquet. “What are you guys up to?”

  Ignoring his sister, Charlie focused on the wall and forced himself to take deep breaths. “Okay, Jackson, stretch again if you still have the main office and copy room keys on you.”

  Two more seconds passed, then —

  “Double crap,” Megan said.

  Gaby poked Bradley. “Are you talking with an earpiece?”

  Bradley nodded. “Hashemi hooked us up with these earpieces and microphones in our pockets and —”

  “Give me yours.”

  “But —”

  “Bradley. Earpiece.”

  He reluctantly pulled out the earpiece.

  “I hope you washed your ears today,” she said, sticking it in her ear. “Where’s the microphone?”

  After Bradley pointed to the upper pocket of his red-stained shirt, she sighed and leaned into him. “Jackson, it’s Gaby. Can you —”

  She shut up as Dr. Kelsey opened the door, his hand a vise grip on Keith’s shoulder. “You stand right here until I get back,” he said. “I would lock you in my office, but I think you’ve been locked in enough rooms tonight.” He let go of Keith’s shoulder and looked at Gaby, Charlie, and Bradley. “What are you still doing out here?”

  “Gaby’s just so excited about being elected, she needed a little time to compose herself,” Charlie said.

  Dr. Kelsey narrowed his eyes as his gaze shifted from Charlie to Gaby. “Two minutes. Then I want you back in the gym.”

  They waited until Dr. Kelsey walked toward the gym. Then they took a few steps away from Keith, who was too busy pouting to really notice them.

  “Crap. Crap. Crap,” Charlie said. “Kelsey’s on his way.”

  “Mr. James, did you ever see the movie Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan?” Jackson’s voice came over the earpiece. “You kind of look like one of the actors. Anyway, it’s got so many great lines….”

  Charlie froze, his mouth tasting like paste, his feet as heavy as concrete blocks. “You heard him. Code Red.”

  Gaby shook her head as Bradley began to empty his pockets. “What’s going on?”

  “Jackson gave the signal,” Charlie said. “We toss the phones and destroy the evidence. This way, Kelsey can’t catch all of us.”

  “And what about Jackson?” she asked.

  Jackson’s voice burst through Gaby’s earpiece. “People think it’s just a science fiction movie, but it’s so much more. There’s a great message about how the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few,” he said, still talking to Mr. James. “Or even the one.”

  Gaby took the cell phone and microphone from Bradley’s hands. “Go stall Dr. Kelsey.”

  “Being bossy must run in your family,” Bradley mumbled, but he left.
>
  Gaby spoke into the microphone. “Jackson, if you can still hear me, pat the pocket where you stashed the phone and keys.”

  “Ghuy’cha’!” Megan yelled after a few seconds.

  “God bless you,” Charlie replied.

  “She’s speaking in Klingon,” Hashemi said. “You don’t want to know what it means.”

  “He’s patting in two places,” Megan continued. “Left outside jacket pocket. Right pocket on his vest.”

  “Jackson, if you can, move your earpiece to your left jacket pocket. And make sure your jacket is unbuttoned.” Even though Gaby’s heart pounded like she’d just run ten suicides across the court, she felt strangely calm. She removed her earpiece. “Charlie, give me your jacket.”

  “But I didn’t iron my shirt.”

  “Carlito. Jacket. Now.”

  He took off his jacket. “Bradley’s right. You really are bossy.”

  “Dump this,” she said, shoving the electronics into his hands.

  “And where are you going?”

  “Where else?” she said, running as fast as her heels would allow. “To save Jackson Greene!”

  As Dr. Kelsey made his way toward the gymnasium, he tried not to get upset at Bradley, who kept jumping in front of him, spouting nonsense about the election and the formal and anything else that seemed to spill from his brain.

  Finally, as they entered the gym, he took Bradley by the shoulders and shifted him to one side. “I know you’re excited, but I really need to take care of something.”

  “But, but —”

  Dr. Kelsey had already walked off, his eyes locked on Jackson Greene.

  “Mr. Greene,” he said, tapping the flower table, “I heard you were wandering the hallways.”

  “I was looking for a bathroom,” he said. “I ate too much of the cheese dip … needed some privacy, if you know what I mean. Is that a crime?”

  “Not for most students,” Dr. Kelsey said. “But while you were strolling around the school, I was having the most interesting conversation with Keith Sinclair. He said some shocking things about you and the copy room. Something about hearing you in there.”

  “I guess rats have supersonic hearing.”

  “Please empty your pockets.”

  “Isn’t this against my student rights or something?”

  “Perhaps you’ve forgotten, but when I allowed you back in school after that unfortunate incident with Ms. Accord, you and your parents signed a form allowing me to search you or your locker at any time. And I choose now. So if you don’t mind —”

  “Jackson! I won!”

  Dr. Kelsey turned to see Gabriela de la Cruz running toward Jackson at full speed, her arms stretched wide. She dropped her bouquet on the table, blew past Dr. Kelsey and Mr. James, and leapt into Jackson’s arms.

  “I can’t believe it!” she yelled, spinning Jackson around like a top, her arms tight around his waist. “I’m the next Student Council president!”

  “Ms. de la Cruz —”

  “And you wouldn’t guess what happened to Keith. He —”

  “Gabriela de la Cruz!” Dr. Kelsey banged on the table. “You are breaking the public display of affection rule!”

  Gaby stopped spinning. She slipped her hands into her jacket pockets and shrugged. “It’s just a hug.”

  “A hug is still considered affection,” he said. “You know I have to write this up.”

  She nodded. “I understand. It’s my fault for being so inconsiderate, especially on a night like this. I mean, you already have to explain to the superintendent how Keith Sinclair broke into the main office and the copy room and tried to throw the election. Keith Sinclair — his father is, what, one of the school’s biggest boosters?” She glanced at Charlie as he entered the gym. “Good thing Charlie took a snapshot of Keith in the copy room closet. Between the eyewitness reports and the picture, we have everything we need to explain the situation to the superintendent.”

  Dr. Kelsey looked from Gaby to Jackson, then back to Gaby. Maybe she’ll make a good president after all, he thought. “I suppose, for tonight, we can relax the PDA rule.” He grunted. “Now as I was saying, Mr. Greene, if you don’t mind …”

  Jackson slowly emptied his pockets.

  One comb.

  One money clip.

  A pack of Life Savers, half-eaten.

  One pencil.

  One notepad.

  And a small, square, black box.

  “What’s this?” Dr. Kelsey asked, eyeing the box.

  Jackson shrugged. “I think it’s something my brother left in the suit. Maybe a Bluetooth device for his phone?”

  “You know you’re not allowed to bring a phone onto school property.”

  “But as you can see, I don’t have a phone.” He tapped the box. “Really, it’s pretty useless without one.”

  Dr. Kelsey crossed his arms. “Is that everything, Mr. Greene?”

  He spread his arms. “You’re welcome to check for yourself if you’d like.”

  Dr. Kelsey took in the flatness of Jackson’s pockets and grimaced. “You can collect your things.”

  Jackson slipped the items back into his suit. “You know, we’ve had such a tough few months … I don’t want to end the night on a bad note….” He took a step toward Dr. Kelsey. “And since you said it was okay to hug …”

  Dr. Kelsey tensed as Jackson gave him a bear hug — his arms barely able to stretch around his body.

  “Mr. Greene, please let me go.”

  “Sorry.” Jackson took a step back. “What can I say? I’m overcome with happiness. My ex–best friend just became Student Council president.”

  Dr. Kelsey, still sulking, turned to Mr. James. “If anyone needs me, I’ll be in my office. Keith’s father should be here soon.” He sighed. Maybe he could book that Tuscan vacation before Roderick Sinclair asked for his money back.

  Jackson waited until Dr. Kelsey and Mr. James exited the gym before elbowing Gaby. “That was the best pull I’ve ever seen.”

  She lifted the phone from her pocket. “I learned from a master.”

  “Thanks —”

  “I was talking about Samuel.”

  Jackson grinned, then nodded at the bouquet that Gaby had placed on the table. “Do you like the Robot in Disguise? I ordered it special, just for you. Chrysanthemums, lilies, juniper, wisteria, ragweed, dandelions. The florist was a little confused when I told her to keep the pollen on the lilies —”

  “You knew Keith was in there all along, didn’t you? You knew he was hiding.”

  “It’s amazing what you can fit in a boutonniere. All we had to do was pull a couple of GPS chips from Hashemi’s cell phone.”

  “A couple?”

  “We didn’t want to leave Dr. Kelsey out of the fun,” Jackson said. “Though we probably should have given one to Mr. James as well.”

  “Are you telling her our secrets?” Charlie asked as he arrived with Megan, Bradley, and Hashemi. “What about Rule Number Nine?”

  “After the stunt she just pulled, I think we can make her an honorary member of the crew,” Jackson said.

  “Three cheers for Gang Greene!” Bradley said.

  Jackson narrowed his eyes.

  “What? I thought it was catchy.”

  Gaby tapped Jackson’s shoulder. “So did I really win? Do you have the real ballots hidden away somewhere?”

  “While I’m pretty sure you won, I honestly don’t know,” Jackson said. “We didn’t touch the machine or the ballots while we were in the copy room. We were too busy replacing the lock.” He eyed Megan. “Nice job switching the Guttenbabel keys.”

  “You switched keys?” Gaby frowned. “I don’t understand.”

  “We needed a way to keep Keith in the copy room,” Jackson said. “Since a Guttenbabel can be unlocked from both sides, the only way to keep Keith locked in —”

  “— was to switch out the deadbolt, which Jackson and I did while Keith hid in the closet.” Charlie reached into his — or rather h
is sister’s — jacket pocket and retrieved the original copy room key. “Locks. They have a funny way of not working without the right key.”

  “So Keith had a way into the room, but not out.” Gaby looked at the key in Charlie’s hand. “But how did he get the key in the first place?”

  “He stole it,” Hashemi said. “Victor double-crossed us. Sold us out to Keith. Luckily, Jackson came up with a new plan.”

  Jackson and Charlie grinned at each other. “You want to tell him or should I?” Jackson asked.

  “Let me try.” Charlie squared Hashemi in front of him. “Sorry to break this to you, but it was always part of the plan for Victor to pull an Anakin Skywalker.”

  “What Charlie means to say is, we knew that Victor would double-cross us — or as you might say, turn to the Dark Side. He just needed the incentive, which Keith was happy to provide, and the opportunity.” Jackson tried to contain the smile on his face. “Do you really think I’m careless enough to leave all those keys lying around your shed? Do you really think I’m careless enough to show Victor how to break into your shed?”

  Hashemi wiped his glasses on his tie, then pressed them back onto his face. “So you never planned to sneak into Mr. Pritchard’s class and swap out the ballots.”

  “Nope. Mr. Pritchard’s file cabinet isn’t the easiest thing to crack.” Jackson looked at Gaby. “Not that I’ve tried or anything.”

  Hashemi frowned at the others. “Did you two know?”

  Both Bradley and Megan nodded.

  “So why’d you make me work so hard on rigging the machine?” Hashemi asked Jackson.

  “You work better under pressure,” Jackson said.

  “Seriously, you do,” Megan said. “The Tech Club’s been waiting all summer for you to finalize that universal translator program.”

  “Ferengi isn’t the easiest language to translate, you know.”

  “Don’t take it too hard,” Charlie said, patting Hashemi’s shoulder. “I’m sure we’ll put those not-a-Scantron machine-rigging talents to good use.”

  Gaby crossed her arms. “Charlie …”