I keep staring, hoping he’ll appear with the backpack. Then I can tackle him to the rocky yard, retrieve the stolen capsule, and save the day.
Yeah, right.
Let’s get this over with. I throw my kick stand down, toss my blonde braid over my shoulder, and adrenaline pops through my blood as I march straight across the rocks and up to the front door. By the time I reach it, my heart is racing, and I tell myself it’s like stage fright and perfectly normal.
I take a few breaths, and then I knock on the opaque glass panel that runs the length of the door.
From within, a shadow shifts, and air sticks in my lungs. What am I doing? If I think Rocco is in there with the capsule, shouldn’t I get backup?
Then again, why am I suddenly so afraid? It’s just Rocco Garcia, the boy who sits behind me in math and swishes my ponytail back and forth with his pencil. The boy who snatches a fry off my lunch plate when he passes by. The boy who orders a ginger/apple/chocolate smoothie from Aunt Grace’s Juice Truck.
Other than his questionable taste in smoothies, its’ not like he’s a murderer or anything.
I see his shadow, or rather a shadow, and I think whoever it is can see me, so I give a wobbly smile, letting the person know I come in peace. I hope to God it’s not Mama Garcia.
A few more seconds go by and I can almost hear whoever it is mentally ping-ponging if they should open the door. I lift my hand and wave, letting the person, hopefully, Rocco, know that I know he’s in there. A few more seconds, and the bolt clicks open.
The door swings wide, and there stands Rocco. I know it’s only been a week since I saw him on the beach, but he seems different. He seems bigger, or something, and angry. Or maybe his narrowed eyes have more to do with annoyance.
He glances beyond me like he’s checking to see if I’m alone, before bringing his light eyes back to mine. He takes a second to survey my white neck scarf and yellow sundress, before dropping his eyes to my green painted toenails. I’m not sure why, but it makes my toes curl.
Rocco leans into the doorjamb and then he grins. Grins. “Yes?”
“Were you on campus last night?”
He pauses. “How’d you know that?”
My eyes widen. “You admit it?”
“Admit what?”
I hold my hand out. “Give me back the time capsule. I know you took it.”
“I didn’t take your stupid time capsule.”
“It’s not stupid.” I worked all year putting that thing together. Reaching into my dress pocket, I pull out his bracelet. “I know you were there.”
He snatches the bracelet from my fingers. “I’ve been looking for that.” He takes a second to tie it onto his wrist like it’s no big deal he broke into the school and left his bracelet behind in the tree.
Shifting my weight, I tap my flip-flop, waiting for an explanation.
Rocco glances up. “What?”
I try to give him the benefit of the doubt. “Okay, let’s say you didn’t take the capsule. Why then were you on campus?”
He gets this sneaky look in his light eyes. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
I’ve been thinking about this all wrong. He could care less about the “stupid” time capsule. But I know he loves his grandmother, or at least I think he does.
“What about Mama Garcia? What is she going to tell everyone when her grandson gets busted for stealing and goes to juvy? She’s worked hard to raise you the right way, and this is what you turn out to be?” Inwardly, I wince. Given who my mom is, I would hate it if someone said those words to me.
Plus, I have no clue if what I’m saying is right or not, but I’m trying here. I mean, I know Rocco lives with his grandmother, and I know his parents travel around surfing, but that’s about all I know.
“That’s the best you got?” Rocco rolls his eyes. “Listen, I gotta go.” From behind him, he grabs the blue and black backpack, closes the door, and strolls right past me.
I eye the backpack that may or may not contain the time capsule. Rocco is known for his pranks. Maybe that’s all this is. “Where are you going?”
“None of your business.”
“Listen,” I say, trailing behind him. “Just give me what I want. I’ll return it, and no one will think anything about it. Prank’s over with.”
He barks a laugh.
“Fine! But I’m not giving up. You can run, but you can’t hide!” I can’t believe I just said that. The truth is, I was lucky to find him just now, and the only way I’m getting him to hand over the capsule is if he does just that—hands it over.
He cuts across the rock-filled yard and over to the side where an electric scooter sits. “Don’t bother following me. I’ll lose you. I guarantee it.”
After slinging on the backpack, he starts the scooter, and I narrow in on the motor. He’s right, he’ll lose me.
Rocco rolls down the driveway and into the street and then puts his foot down to stop. He turns and looks at me, and I’m so irritated right now, I don’t know what to do with myself.
His grin makes another appearance, dimples and all. “I like it when you wear your hair braided.”
My irritation transitions into full-on embarrassment and my entire face heats up. “I don’t care what you like.”
“Sure you do.”
“No, I don’t.”
“Yes, you do.”
I sigh. “Well, at least tell me if you were alone or not.”
“Why don’t you ask Josie?” Then he scooters away, leaving me standing alone beside my bike.
Josie?
I dial her number, it goes straight to voice mail, and I start talking, “In case you haven’t heard someone broke into the school and stole the time capsule. I happen to know you and Rocco were on campus last night. I know we’re mad at each other right now, but this isn’t funny.”
I jab my finger down on the END button and throw my phone into the bike’s basket. I would go straight over to her house, but I know she’s on the mainland today. I can’t believe she would sneak onto campus, break-in, and steal the capsule. Is she really that jealous?
Well, I’m not going to waste a day waiting on Josie to get back. I know exactly who to talk to.
Chapter 4
Aunt Grace’s Juice Truck sits about halfway down the east side of the island and parked near the entrance to Piper Island State Park. Really her Juice Truck is just a small old Airstream converted into a rolling kitchen that sells freshly blended juices. Given that Piper Island is only five miles long and two miles wide, it doesn’t take me long to cruise down the coastal highway and get there.
The line outside stretches down the sidewalk, long with summer tourists and the locals. I bypass all of them, stepping up the back two steps and swinging into the air conditioning. With Aunt Grace and her only employee, Nathan, already here, I stand sideways to fit inside.
The ever-present sound of a blender grinds through the air as Aunt Grace mixes what looks like her cucumber/carrot/parsley one. She grins at me over her shoulder. “Thought you were working on the ceremony today.”
I tilt my head back, letting the air conditioning streaming in from the roof unit soothe my face. “Someone broke into the school and took the time capsule.”
Aunt Grace gasps. “Oh, no! Grandma Susan’s photo is in that and Grandpa Jack’s mermaid!”
“I know.” I groan.
Granted, neither item is worth any money, but it’s what they stand for. Grandma Susan, the first mayor, christening our island. And Grandpa Jack’s hand-carved mermaid. He founded our Saturday Craft and Farmer’s Market, a market that still exists today, where he sold those mermaids as well as other handcrafted items.
“The capsule is all they took,” I tell Aunt Grace. “Officer Crawl is calling it a prank.”
“Meaning?” Aunt Grace asks.
I bring my face down from the icy air. “Meaning he could care less.”
Aunt Grace pours the mixture into a cup, fits a lid on it, and hands it out the
serving window. “That’ll be three-seventy-five.” As she takes the money and makes change, she asks, “What about Principal Berger?”
“He sent an email out to all the parents. You probably have it in your inbox by now. I’m pretty sure I know who pulled the prank, though.”
“Who?” Aunt Grace asks.
“Rocco and Josie.”
She shakes her head. “You and Josie.”
“I know. I know.” I switch my attention over to Nathan, staring at the side of his freckly face as he whacks the end off of the pineapple. He’s a tenth grader at our six through twelve school, but I’ve seen him hanging out with the exact person who can probably help me. “Hey, Nathan, you know that new ninth-grader, Diamond De Luca, right?”
“Yep.”
“You got her number?”
He dries his hands on a towel and slips his cell from his back pocket. “Want me to text her?”
“Yeah, see if she’s around. See if she’d be willing to talk with me for a few minutes.”
With a nod, he starts texting her, and I grab a handful of macadamia nuts from Aunt Grace’s stash. While I munch, I think about Diamond. She arrived on our island only one month ago, and the rumors surrounding her proceeded to explode.
She moved here from New York City where she was a model.
She moved here from Miami where she was in juvy.
She moved here from London where she ran a secret society.
Her dad is a mob boss.
She dated a prince.
Her mom directs movies in Hollywood.
When I moved here three years ago, there were no rumors surrounding me. Everyone believed what we told them—that I was just plain ole Penny-Ann Piper, Aunt Grace’s niece, come to live on Piper Island because my mom was traveling for work. Other than Officer Crawl, Principle Berger, and Josie, no one knows why I really ended up here.
All that aside, in the one month Diamond De Luca has lived here, I’ve come to discover her father is a private investigator. I’m guessing here, but she may just know some tricks of the trade. She may be able to help me investigate and find the capsule.
Plus, I’ve been wanting to meet Diamond’s dad. In addition to Grandma Susan being Mayor and Grandpa Jack being an artist, they also ran Piper Investigations. The business is long gone now, but I’ve been wanting to know more about the P. I. thing. Who knows, maybe when I get older, I’ll reopen the old family business.
Nathan puts his phone down. “She said to tell you to come on over. She’s at the marina on their yacht.”
Oh, yeah, and did I mention she lives on a yacht? “Cool, thanks.”
With a bye to Aunt Grace, I hop on Lolli and peddle off. Bypassing the coastal highway that runs the circumference of Piper Island, I choose a more direct route straight across. I weave my way through the historic downtown area, and it takes me about ten minutes to get to the marina.
Leaving Lolli wedged into a bike rack, I grab Grandpa Jack’s messenger bag, and I pick my way down the dock toward the very end where only the biggest of big boats tie off. Diamond’s lounging back in a black bikini with black shades, scrolling through her phone.
Diamond wears all black, all the time. Black tees. Black tanks. Black jeans. Black leggings. Black boots. Black flats. Her bone-straight white hair always has one black stripe in it.
I tried to copy the look and ended up looking like a reject from X-Men.
I come to a stop several yards away and crane my neck all the way up the white hull. “Hi,” I awkwardly say, suddenly nervous. It’s kind of hard not to be in her X-Men presence. “I’m Penny-Ann. Nathan told you I was coming?”
She sits up, looking down at me through her dark shades. Then she smiles, and my whole body relaxes. She comes to stand at the edge of the boat, leaning on the railing and looking over the side to where I stand on the dock. I wish I looked that good in a bikini.
“I know who you are,” she says.
I like that she knows who I am.
“Nathan says someone stole the time capsule?” she asks.
“Rocco Garcia,” I tell her. “Or at least I’m pretty sure.” My phone dings with a text from Principal Berger. “It’s Mr. Berger,” I tell Diamond. “Hang on a minute.” Quickly, I read the message. “Yes! Looks like someone’s offered up a fifty dollar reward for information on the capsule.” Looks like Berger’s email out to the parents got a response.
“Fifty bucks? Wow!”
Looking back up at Diamond, I say, “Anyway, I’m here because I heard your dad is a private investigator, and I’m hoping you might know some of the tricks of the trade.”
“Do I ever, and I’m totally in the mood for solving a good mystery. Plus, other than helping my dad here and there, I’ve got nothing to do.”
“Helping your dad with what?”
“P. I. stuff.”
“Get out! Are you for real?”
She laughs. “For real.”
“My grandparents used to run a P. I. business, and I’d love to know more about it. Do you think your dad might talk to me sometime? Ooh, or maybe even let me shadow him for a day?”
“Yeah, probably. I’ll have to talk to him, but why don’t we focus on your time capsule for now.”
“It’s not my time capsule. It belongs to the island.” Though if it wasn’t for me, it would have never come together. Lord knows Josie wasn’t exactly the best person to help me with the project. “I saw Rocco earlier. He had a backpack that I think had the capsule in it.”
“And?”
“And nothing. He left.”
Diamond sighs. “Why didn’t you take him down?”
I cough. “Take him down?”
She waves that off. “We’ll get to that later. So how do you know for sure he took it?”
“Well.” I frown. “I guess I don’t. I found his bracelet near the scene of the crime. But when I questioned him, he mentioned Josie.”
“What was Josie doing there?”
“I don’t know.”
“I thought you and Josie are friends.”
I sigh. “We’ve been fighting non-stop over this capsule. She keeps wanting to put ridiculous stuff in it like her latest was earbuds. I mean, who puts earbuds in a time capsule?”
Diamond agrees. “True. It’s not something I would put in a capsule.”
“See! After Rocco told me Josie was there, I called her but she hasn’t gotten back to me yet.” As if on cue, my phone buzzes with a text from none other than Josie. I read it out loud, “Rocco wanted me to meet him on campus last night. When I showed up, he was running away with something under his arm. That’s all I know.” I look up at Diamond. “Running away with something under his arm? How much you want to bet that’s the capsule.”
Diamond holds her hand up. “Hang on a minute. Why would Rocco want Josie to meet him?”
“I don’t know.” I shrug.
“Does Rocco like her or something? Is that why he asked her to meet him?”
Do Rocco and Josie like each other? That thought hadn’t even occurred to me. Josie did tell me one time that she thought Rocco was cute, but Josie likes Ean, Rocco’s best friend. Or at least I think she does. We’ve been so off-and-on mad at each other, we haven’t really talked normal lately.
Diamond takes her shades off and loops them in the front of her bikini. “Right now we’re dealing with a classic case of he said-she said.”
I nod. “Josie says she saw Rocco running away with something under his arm. For all we know Josie could have been the one running away with something under her arm. Heck, there could even be other people involved. This could be a very elaborate heist.”
Diamond gives me a slow stare while she thinks through things. “We need a face to face with Josie.”
“Heck, yeah we do. She’s on the mainland all day today and coming back late. She told me that she’s working the summer morning shifts at The Pit, though. So, she’ll be there tomorrow morning.”
“Her family owns that place, right?”
I nod.
Diamond straightens up. “Josie’s got those twin older brothers, Wayne and Vail. They’re both MMA fighters.”
“Yeah, and Vail’s the not-so-nice one. I would suggest avoiding him.”
“How do I tell them apart?”
I think about that. “Ya know, I’m not sure. They’re identical. Pretty much the personality is what tells you which one is which.” I swallow, suddenly feeling a little nervous. Dealing with Rocco and Josie is one thing, but Vail? That boy gives me the heebies.
“Now that there are fifty bucks involved, we’re likely going to have competition in finding this thing.”
“That’s all right. I just want it found.” Wait a minute. I straighten my neck scarf as I look up at her. “I brought the case to you, so we should go seventy-thirty on the fifty bucks.”
Diamond laughs. “With you getting?”
“Seventy percent of course.”
“Yeah, but I’m the one with the gadgets.”
I perk up. Gadgets?
“Fifty-fifty,” she says.
She does have gadgets. “Okay, agreed.”
She waves me up. “Come on aboard. Let’s get you outfitted.”
While I climb the ladder up the side of the yacht, she disappears down below into the boat and comes out a minute or so later carrying three items—lock picks, handcuffs, and a slingshot.
My shoulders drop a bit with disappointment. When she said gadgets, I thought she meant something techy, though I have always wanted to learn how to use lock picks.
Holding the items, she sits down beside me. “I have a few other things, but I need to check with my dad first before I loan them to you.”
I perk back up. Maybe there will be something techy.
“These, though, you can take today.” She hands me the items. “They belong to me.”
“Oh, well, I don’t want to take your stuff.”
“No, I have my own set. These are backups.” She picks up the handcuffs. “I like cuffs versus cable ties because you can sling it on a person’s wrist, attach them to an object, and walk off. They’re more hands-off than cable ties.”
The Case of the Bad Twin Page 2