by Tracey West
by Tracey West and Katherine Noll
illustrated by Aly Michalka
GROSSET & DUNLAP
Published by the Penguin Group
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If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”
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Cover photo courtesy of Joe Magnani.
Copyright © 2008 by FREAKY TWIN POWER. All rights reserved. Published by
Grosset & Dunlap, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group, 345 Hudson Street, New York,
New York 10014. GROSSET & DUNLAP is a trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
Manufactured in China.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.
ISBN: 978-1-101-65239-8 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Table of Contents
Chapter One: Manic Monday
Chapter Two: The Stolen Guitars
Chapter Three: Another Rock School
Chapter Four: On the Radio
Chapter Five: An Impostor!
Chapter Six: A Sticky Clue
Chapter Seven: A Sketchy Suspect
Chapter Eight: Pictures in the Park
Chapter Nine: Friend or Foe?
Chapter Ten: A New Suspect?
Chapter Eleven: The Red Guitar
Chapter Twelve: A Dream Come True
Chapter Thirteen: A Missing Suspect
Chapter Fourteen: A Suspicious Snack
Chapter Fifteen: A Musical Motive
Chapter Sixteen: Harmony
Chapter Seventeen: Detectives and Musicians
CHAPTER ONE:
MANIC MONDAY
“We got along, we got along, we got along until you did that. Now all I want is just my stuff back. Do you get that?”
The words to “Potential Breakup Song” drifted out of a hotel window onto the busy city street below. Up in the room, Aly and AJ sat cross-legged on the hotel room beds, strumming their acoustic guitars. The song had a whole different feel this way, played without electric guitars or keyboards, but the funky beat was still the same. The sisters sang together until AJ stopped playing.
“I think it’s a good choice,” she said.
Aly put her guitar on her lap and brushed a long strand of blond hair over her shoulder. “Are you sure?” she asked. “I mean, this is our opening song, on the opening night of our biggest tour yet. We need a really strong start.”
“It is strong,” AJ assured her. “It’s a hot song. You know it.”
Aly nodded. “You’re right! I’m just a tiny bit nervous, I guess. It’s Madison Square Garden, you know? We’ll be performing in front of thousands of people.”
AJ grinned. “Yeah, like, we’ve never done that before.”
“You know what I mean,” Aly said, flopping back on the bed. For the first time, she noticed the ceiling of the hotel room, which was painted with cupids floating on fluffy clouds.
“Wow. Some ceiling,” Aly said.
AJ leaned back, too. “Not bad,” she said. She glanced around the room. It was fancier than most hotel rooms, but otherwise, it was a lot like every hotel room they’d ever seen: two beds, side by side; a small table with two chairs; and a dresser with a television set on top of it. This room also had a small sitting area, with a red sofa covered in velvety fabric. “The only thing this room is missing is Hello Kitty. I miss our bus.”
Every inch of Aly and AJ’s tour bus was decorated with images of the adorable Japanese kitten. The bus had taken them all over the country, but they were going to be in Manhattan for almost a week, so their mom had arranged for hotel rooms for the entire crew.
“Me too,” Aly said. “But hotel rooms have one thing that the bus doesn’t.” She reached over to the small table next to the bed and picked up a binder with a leather cover.
“Room service!” AJ said. “Great idea. I’m so hungry!”
She bounced over to Aly’s bed and looked at the menu over her shoulder.
“Mmmm, pasta,” AJ said.
“And cheeseburgers, with extra large onion rings,” Aly added. “That sounds so good! Let’s order right now.”
She reached for the phone, but a knock on the door made her pause.
“Girls, are you ready?”
AJ ran to the door and opened it. The girls’ mom, Carrie, stepped in. She had the same blond hair and bright smile as her daughters.
“Hey, Mom,” AJ said.
“Hey, sweetie,” Carrie said. “Are you girls ready? It’s time to go.”
“Go where?” Aly asked.
“You’re special guests at the opening of the Girls Rock Academy, remember?” Carrie asked.
Aly jumped up. “Oh, cool! I remember now. That’s the new guitar school for girls, right?”
“Right,” Carrie said, looking at her watch. “But you’ve got to be there in twenty minutes.”
“Definitely not cool,” Aly replied. “But don’t worry. We’ll be ready in a minute.”
Carrie nodded. “I’ll meet you in the lobby.”
“I can’t believe we forgot,” Aly said, shaking her head. “Should we bring Artemis and Jonah?” She nodded toward the guitars on the beds.
“I don’t think we’ll need them,” AJ said. “I think we’re just supposed to talk to the students of the school for a few minutes.”
Aly began rummaging through a pile of clothes on the floor. She plucked out a short-sleeved black top; tiny hearts were cut into the sleeves. Aly held up the shirt in front of her. “What do you think? Does it scream ‘guitar’?”
“Love it,” AJ replied. “But change the belt. Maybe the one with the silver loops.” She was opening a drawer in the carved wood dresser where she had neatly folded and placed all of her clothes. She pulled out a dusty brown peasant top with flowers stitched around the scoop neck. Her older sister nodded in approval.
“Now that screams ‘acoustic guitar.’ Very sixties,” she said. “Wear the suede boots and it’ll be the perfect outfit.”
AJ shut the drawer. “We’d better hurry.”
A few minutes later they rushed out of the elevator into the hotel lobby. Their mom stood by the open door of the hotel, a look of urgency on her face.
“I’ve hailed you a cab,” she told them. “You’ve got to be at the school in fifteen minutes. I’ve
got a meeting with a photographer, but I’ll catch up with you later. Have fun!”
Each girl gave Carrie a quick kiss and scrambled inside the cab. The cab driver, a grandfatherly man with a gray mustache, smiled at them in the rearview mirror.
“My granddaughter Sarah loves you two,” he said. “You make beautiful music. Don’t worry, I’ll get you to your gig in time.”
“Thanks!” the girls said together.
They waved good-bye to Carrie as the cab screeched away from the curb with a jolt. The name on the cab driver’s license read Murray. Murray looked like a mild-mannered grandpa, but he drove like a NASCAR racer down Broadway.
The girls looked out the window at the crowds of people hurrying down the street carrying shopping bags and briefcases. It wasn’t quite summer yet, but the spring day was warm and sunny—although the sun had to make its way past impossibly tall skyscrapers that cast shadows on the street below.
A car honked its horn angrily as Murray streaked past, cutting into the right lane. Aly and AJ gripped the seat backs in front of them as the cab hurtled around the corner. Aly couldn’t help noticing the cute dresses in the clothing store as they raced past.
“I hope we have time to do some shopping this week,” she said.
“I hope we make it through the week!” AJ joked, gripping her seat.
The cab jerked to a stop.
“Red light,” Murray said. “And I was making good time, too.”
Aly was suddenly distracted by a delicious smell coming through the window. She turned to see a pretzel cart on the side of the street. A young guy in an army jacket was working the cart.
“That smells sooooooo good,” she said. She unrolled her window, then reached into her bag and took out a few dollars.
“Excuse me!” she called to the pretzel guy. “Two pretzels, please.”
“With mustard!” AJ called behind her.
The pretzel guy didn’t blink. He nodded, grabbed two hot pretzels from inside the cart, gave each one a quick squirt of mustard, and handed them to Aly in exchange for the cash.
“Thanks!” Aly said. The transaction happened just in time. Murray hit the gas again, and the cab lurched forward. Miraculously, there was no mustard disaster.
Aly and AJ bit into their pretzels.
“If New York City has a taste, then this might be it,” Aly mused.
AJ nodded. “This is almost better than room service.”
Murray drove on, and soon they saw a huge round building on the right.
“Madison Square Garden,” Aly said, in almost a whisper.
“I can’t believe we’re playing there,” AJ said. She took a deep breath. “Okay. Maybe now I’m a little nervous, too.”
Below Madison Square Garden the streets seemed to get a little smaller and closer together. The buildings even got shorter. But there were just as many people, all in a hurry to get somewhere—just like Aly and AJ.
Luckily for them, Murray kept his promise. The cab jerked to a stop in front of a brownstone building on a tree-lined street.
“Fourteen minutes and twenty-eight seconds,” Murray said, grinning. “I told you not to worry.”
AJ paid for the cab ride, and handed Murray a business card.
“That’s our tour manager, Jim,” she said. “Give him a call and he’ll make sure you and Sarah get tickets for the show.”
Murray was thrilled. “You know, I’ve had celebrities in my cab before, but you girls are the best. As nice as they come. Sarah will be so happy.”
Murray roared off, leaving a cloud of exhaust behind him. When the smoke cleared, the girls looked at the building. There were three brass plaques on the side of the glass door. One of the plaques read The Girls Rock Academy.
“Guess this is the place,” AJ said. “I thought this was some big grand opening. I wonder where everybody is.”
At that moment, a distraught-looking young woman pushed through the front door. She wore jeans and a black T-shirt with a guitar and the letters GRA. Her white sneakers had a pattern of tiny black guitars, and a silver guitar-pick necklace completed her outfit. Her short black hair was spiked on top of her head, and her dark eyes were starting to fill with tears.
“The grand opening has been canceled!” she said, her voice choking. “The Girls Rock Academy is ruined!”
CHAPTER TWO:
THE STOLEN GUITARS
Aly and AJ were too surprised to speak for a moment. Then Aly put an arm around the woman’s shoulder.
“What happened?” AJ asked.
“Oh,” the woman gasped, wiping the tears from her eyes. “Aly and AJ! I can’t believe it’s really you. I’m Gigi. Gigi Josephs, the owner of the school.”
“Let’s go inside and talk,” AJ suggested. Gigi nodded and led them inside the brownstone building. They walked down a narrow hallway and followed Gigi into a classroom. Folding chairs and music stands were scattered across the wood floor, but otherwise the room was pretty empty.
Gigi slumped into a chair. “I am so sorry. You two are, like, my idols, and it was so awesome of you to agree to come to the opening. And now there’s nothing to open!”
“It’s okay,” Aly said. “Tell us what happened. Maybe we can help.”
“This school is my dream. I’ve been playing guitar ever since I was seven years old. I listened to all the great women guitarists I could find, but there just aren’t a lot out there,” Gigi explained. “I knew there were more girls out there who want to learn how to rock out on guitar, just like us. That’s why I opened this school.”
“Wow!” AJ said. “That’s a really great idea.”
Aly smiled. “I would have loved to have gone to a school like this when I was a kid.”
“But now everything is ruined,” Gigi wailed. She ran her fingers through her spiky hair. “Today was supposed to be the big day. I got here extra early this morning to make sure everything was perfect for the grand opening. But when I went to the equipment room, I discovered someone had broken in. They took electric guitars, amps, soundboards, everything!”
“That’s awful!” Aly said sympathetically. “Did you call the police?”
Gigi shook her head. “Yes, but they said it won’t be an easy case to solve. I need time to think. I sank all of my money into this place,” she moaned. “Most schools are closed this week for spring break, and I signed up a bunch of girls for a week-long guitar camp. But I don’t have a dime left to replace this equipment. How can I open a rock school without guitars or amps? All I’ve got left are a few acoustic guitars.”
AJ looked around the room. “Where are the students?” she asked. “Isn’t the grand opening supposed to start in a few minutes?”
“I called them all and told them there was a power failure in the building. I needed to buy some time,” Gigi explained. “I’m hoping the police might find the equipment soon and I’ll be back in business. If the police don’t track down the equipment soon, I’ll have to return all the students’ money—and close the school for good!”
“Gigi, that’s horrible!” Aly said. “I feel so terrible for you.”
“And for all those girls who won’t be able to learn how to rock!” AJ added.
AJ and Aly looked at each other. They had one of those sister moments when they knew exactly what the other one was thinking. They both grinned, their eyes sparkling.
“I think we can help,” AJ said. “Gigi, you can definitely reschedule the grand opening for tomorrow!”
“How?” Gigi asked. “I have no equipment!”
“Now you do,” Aly said. “At least while we’re in town. You can borrow all of our gear. We’ll be in New York for a week. While we are here, it’s yours.”
“That will give you some time to try and get your stuff back,” AJ said. “And in the meantime, the Girls Rock Academy will be open and jamming!”
“Oh!” Gigi gasped. “Are you sure? This is amazing!”
With a squeal of delight, Gigi hugged Aly first, then AJ.
&nb
sp; “We’ll be here tomorrow morning with our equipment,” Aly said. “By tomorrow night, the Girls Rock Academy will be open for business!”
CHAPTER THREE:
ANOTHER ROCK SCHOOL?
After accepting more hugs from a grateful Gigi, Aly and AJ stood on the sidewalk outside of the Girls Rock Academy.
“What rotten luck!” Aly said. “But I’m glad we’re able to help.”
“That’s for sure,” AJ said. “Boy, am I hungry. It seems like we ate those pretzels two days ago!”
“I’m hungry, too,” Aly said. “But I don’t think I’m up for another crazy cab ride around the city. The weather is nice. Why don’t we walk?”
“Sounds good,” AJ agreed. “Maybe we can find a place to eat on the way.”
“And maybe,” Aly began, “we can—”
“—do some shopping!” AJ finished. “Sounds like the perfect day to me.”
The girls took off down the street, comfortable among the tall buildings and crowded sidewalks. They’d spent part of their childhood in Seattle, Washington, and they liked the busy feel of a big city.
They were stopped at a crosswalk, waiting for the light to change, when a familiar tune caught their attention.
“Like it or love it or LEAVE it!”
“Hey! It’s ‘Like it or Leave it’!” Aly exclaimed.
It was a song from their album Insomniatic. The source of the music was a pickup truck. Three big, tough looking guys with tattoos were cranking Aly and AJ’s music on the truck’s sound system. One of the guys spotted them.
“Hey dudes—look! It’s Aly and AJ!” he cried.
The guys in the truck looked at Aly and AJ with their mouths open. Then the driver threw the truck into park and stepped out—right in the middle of the street!
“I can’t believe it. Girls, we gotta get your autographs,” the driver said. Horns were honking all around, but he ignored them. “We’ve been listening to your album all day long on the job site. It keeps us going.”
Aly and AJ signed autographs for all three men. They had brought traffic to a halt in the middle of New York City!
“Bye,” said the driver, whose name was Dave. “We’ll see you at Madison Square Garden!”