by Tracey West
“Thanks,” the girls replied.
“Kristin will fix you up while Alex sets up the shot,” Parvati told them. “Although you guys don’t need much fixing.”
Aly and AJ sat down in two tall canvas folding chairs and Kristin went to work. She added some styling lotion to Aly’s wavy hair to keep it from getting frizzy, and she gave AJ’s straight hair a hit of spray to keep it smooth and shiny. Both sisters tended to wear similar makeup: earth tones to bring out the gold flecks in their green eyes; a hint of blush on their cheeks; and lip gloss just a shade darker than their natural color. Kristin stepped back and looked at them when they were done.
“Perfect!” she said.
By then Parvati and Alex had set up the shot. A white blanket was spread out on the green grass.
“We want to get you on the blanket, playing your guitars,” Parvati said. “We’ll get a great view of New York in the background.”
The girls sat down on the blanket. They had to move around a lot as Parvati tried to get them in exactly the right pose.
“Aly, try cross-legged. No, put your legs behind you. Shift a little to the left, AJ.”
When she was satisfied, the girls tried to stay still as Jim handed them their guitars.
“All right, now play something,” Parvati directed them. “Don’t worry about looking at the camera. Just look natural.”
“How can we act natural when we’re twisted up like pretzels?” Aly joked. But the sisters were used to posing for the cameras by now. AJ started playing the intro to “Bullseye,” and the girls soon got lost in the song while Alex snapped away.
When the song ended, they looked up and realized a small crowd had gathered around them.
“Take a break,” Parvati told them. “We’ve got some good shots, but I’m not sure they’re cover shots.”
The girls spent a few minutes signing autographs for the people in the crowd. Then Parvati walked up to them.
“We’d like to get some different shots. Maybe the two of you by a tree or something,” she suggested.
“Sounds good,” AJ said. They moved the operation down the field to a beautiful old oak tree. Parvati had Aly and AJ stand on either side of the tree, leaning against the trunk. They tried a few different poses.
“Nice,” Parvati said. “But I want a shot that shows off your personalities more, I think. I don’t know if the tree is doing it for me.”
“Maybe there’s something else in the park we can use in the shot,” AJ suggested.
Aly was scanning the field, covering her eyes with her hand to block the morning sun. She pointed into the distance. “What’s that?”
“That’s the Central Park carousel,” Parvati explained.
“Wow, I read about that in my New York guidebook,” Aly said. “The horses are all hand-painted, and they’re, like, a hundred years old. They looked so beautiful in the picture.”
Parvati grinned and nodded to Alex. “I think we’ve got our next shot.”
A few minutes later they were setting up for a shoot by the carousel. It wasn’t open yet, but Parvati had a quick conversation with the operator. Her kids happened to be Aly and AJ fans, so she gave them permission for a few shots.
The horses were even more spectacular up close than in the pictures Aly had seen. Each wooden horse had a colorfully painted blanket and saddle. Aly chose a brown horse with a red, blue, and green blanket. AJ sat on a white horse with a pink and purple saddle. The girls laughed as they climbed on their horses, pretending to ride them. Alex snapped picture after picture.
“Great! I think we have our cover shot!” Parvati said, clapping her hands together. “Take a break, guys.”
Aly and AJ climbed off the carousel a little bit reluctantly. Their mom handed them each a bottle of water.
“That was so sweet,” Carrie said. “It reminds me of when you two were little girls.”
“It was really fun,” Aly agreed.
Then the sound of music distracted them, as it usually did. This was live music, coming from somewhere nearby. It sounded like classical music.
“Let’s check it out,” AJ said.
They walked a little way down the path and saw three people sitting in folding chairs, playing their instruments. A short girl with black hair was playing the violin along with a tall, burly guy with brown hair. The girls were surprised when they recognized the boy playing cello with them—it was Brandon, the cute boy from Gigi’s building.
Aly and AJ waited until the musicians finished the tune they were playing. Aly gave a little wave. “Hi, Brandon,” she said. “Guess we’re bumping into each other again.”
Brandon looked confused at first. Then he seemed to recognize the girls. “Oh, hi. You’re, uh, Annie and Amy, right?”
“Actually, I’m Aly,” she replied. “And this is my sister, AJ. Are these your friends?”
Brandon frowned a little, as though he didn’t like being put on the spot. “This is Christy Sung and Victor Karlson,” he said.
“Hi,” Christy said in a tiny voice. Victor just grunted.
“That music you guys were playing was amazing,” AJ said, trying to break the ice. “Aly and I play piano, you know. We love all kinds of music.”
“Thanks,” Brandon said blandly.
Aly and AJ exchanged glances. They were just trying to be friendly, but Brandon and his friends seemed a little standoffish. Or maybe they were just shy?
Aly made one last attempt at friendship. “AJ and I are just finishing up a photo shoot,” she said. “Do you guys want to go grab a coffee or something? We’d love to hear more about the music you played.”
Brandon’s face colored. “No, thanks,” he said quickly. “We’ve got a lot of, uh, stuff to do.”
“Okay, then,” Aly said. “See you around, maybe.”
CHAPTER NINE:
FRIEND OR FOE?
“Okay. That was weird,” AJ said, as they walked back to the carousel.
“We’ve had people act nervous around us before,” Aly reminded her.
“Yeah, but usually those are fans of ours. And the kids from the Classical Music Center are definitely not fans!” AJ said.
Carrie and Jim walked over to them. “You did a fantastic job this morning,” Carrie said, putting her arms around them both. “The magazine cover is going to look great!”
“For sure!” Jim added. “What do you have planned for the rest of the day? Believe it or not, you’ve got some free time in your schedule.”
“We were hoping to go back to the Girls Rock Academy,” AJ said. “We wanted to look around some more and see if we could give Gigi a hand.”
Carrie nodded. “If that’s what you want to do, go enjoy yourselves.”
“But don’t forget about rehearsal tonight,” Jim reminded them.
“Don’t worry, Jim,” Aly said. “We’ll be there!”
After kissing Carrie good-bye and assuring Jim again that they’d be on time for practice that night, Aly and AJ left Central Park.
“Before we go back to the Academy, I think it’s time we pay a visit to our number-one suspect,” AJ said.
“We should definitely check out Melanie’s school and ask her a few questions,” Aly said. “But judging by the way she treated us on the street the other night, I don’t think she’ll be thrilled to see us!”
AJ shrugged. “We’ve got to check it out. It’s almost eleven now. We’ll stop by quickly before lunch.” She pulled the flyer from her jeans pocket. “I’ve got the address right here, so let’s go.”
The girls caught a cab and reached Melanie’s school in twenty minutes. It was a quiet ride, nothing like the ride they’d had with Murray.
The taxi dropped them off in front of a brownstone building, just a few blocks away from Gigi’s school.
The girls climbed the stairs and stood in front of the door. It was locked, so they’d have to be buzzed in. AJ scanned the list of businesses and people who lived in the building.
“Here it is, the School
for Girls Who Rock,” AJ said. She pushed the bell next to the school’s name.
“Yes?” Melanie’s voice came over the intercom.
“Melanie? It’s Aly and AJ. We’d really like to talk to you,” Aly said in her friendliest voice possible.
There was silence for a moment. Then the buzzer sounded.
The girls opened the door and walked into the hallway. The brownstone was a five-story walk-up, and it didn’t look like there was an elevator. Luckily, Melanie’s school was located on the second floor.
The girls climbed the stairs. There weren’t many windows, and the hallways seemed kind of dark and depressing. The door to the school was the first one on the right. AJ knocked.
The door slowly swung open. Melanie stood there, wearing the same cat’s-eye glasses, torn jeans, and boots that the girls had seen her in the first time they had met. But now she had on a vintage-looking jersey with a picture of the 1950s actor James Dean on it. Underneath his image it said Rebel. There was a look of surprise on her face.
“What do you guys want?” she asked.
“Do you think we could come in just for a second and talk to you?” AJ asked, hoping she sounded casual.
Melanie nodded and opened the door wider. AJ and Aly scooted past her and into a large room. It was the exact opposite of the dark hallway and staircase. The room had high ceilings and large windows that let in a lot of light. It was painted a bright purple. Colored squares of yellow, light blue, and hot pink were painted around the room. Black-and-white sketches of guitars, keyboards, musical notes, and boom boxes filled the squares. Tables, chairs, and musical stands were scattered around the room. Electric and acoustic guitars and amps were lined up against the far wall.
“This is awesome!” Aly said as she looked around the room. “Who painted this?”
“I did,” Melanie said. She shut the door behind them. “Have a seat.”
“So that means you’re a musician and an artist,” AJ commented as the girls sat down on two of the metal folding chairs. “Just like Aly.”
“You like to draw?” Melanie asked. Her voice sounded a little less hostile.
“Since I was a kid,” Aly said. “I keep a sketchbook with me wherever I go.” She almost started to take the sketchbook from her bag, then remembered the last thing she sketched in it—Melanie’s face. She stopped herself just in time. “This room is amazing,” she said instead.
“Thanks,” Melanie said. But her face still wore a frown. “Why are you here?”
“We’re musicians, too, remember? We were curious about your school,” AJ said. “How long have you been open?”
“I’m not officially open yet,” Melanie said. “I can’t be. I don’t have any students. Gigi stole them all.”
“That doesn’t sound like Gigi,” Aly said. “Are you sure that’s what happened?”
Melanie sighed. “Opening this school has been my dream. I’ve been planning it for years, but didn’t have the money and couldn’t find the right space. Finally, when everything started to come together for me, I found out about the Girls Rock Academy. I was just moving into this place, getting it painted and ready. I couldn’t believe it! Gigi was already advertising and signing up students. Now all the students who would have signed up for my school went to Gigi’s. Just because she opened first.”
AJ leaned forward. “I know you don’t know us,” she said, “but you have to trust us on this. Gigi is a really nice person. She had no idea you were opening a rock school.”
“She had no way of knowing,” Aly added. “She was doing the same thing you were—concentrating on getting her school open and making it the best.”
“I guess she told you how I went over to see her,” Melanie said. Aly and AJ nodded. “I didn’t mean to yell and get so upset. But it’s hard to sit back and watch my dream die.” Her eyes filled with tears as she spoke those last words.
AJ understood where Melanie was coming from; her desire to see her dream come true had made her act out of character. AJ had a hunch there was a really nice person under that scowling exterior. “Don’t give up,” she urged. “Have you gotten any response from the flyers you posted?”
Melanie shook her head. “Not one phone call.”
“You’ve got to have faith,” Aly said. “Just look at this room! It’s so inspiring. It makes me want to jam.”
“Why don’t we?” Melanie asked. The girls saw her smile for the first time. “I have to admit that I love your music. When I heard that Gigi got you two to come to her grand opening, it made me even madder! That’s why I was so rude to you when we met on the street the other day. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” AJ said. “We understand.”
Aly got up and walked toward the guitars. “Now what should we play?”
“How about some classic rock?” Melanie asked. She picked up a black-and-white guitar and plugged it into an amp. “You know who you two have always reminded me of a little? Heart.”
Aly and AJ smiled at the compliment. The sisters had always admired Heart, a band fronted by two sisters, Ann and Nancy Wilson. They were really big in the 1980s, known for their rocking sound and power ballads.
“Then let’s try a little ‘Barracuda,’” AJ said.
Melanie began to play while Aly accompanied her. AJ sang lead vocals and Aly joined in to back her up. The song was a high-powered, guitar shredding, thundering masterpiece.
“Oh, Barracuda!” AJ sang the last note.
“Yeah!” Melanie whooped. For the first time since meeting her, she seemed truly happy. “That was incredible!”
“You were incredible,” Aly said with awe in her voice. “You rocked that song. You are an excellent guitar player.”
Melanie turned red. “Thanks,” she said.
“That was wild!” AJ said. “But maybe we could do something slower now.”
Melanie picked up an acoustic guitar. “Help yourselves!” The three girls sat on the floor and had a mellow, free-flowing jam session, talking and laughing throughout.
Suddenly, AJ glanced at her watch.
“It’s almost one o’clock!” she said. “We really should go and have some lunch.”
They put the guitars back and walked to the door.
“Thanks for stopping by,” Melanie said. “Again, I’m sorry for being rude.”
“It’s okay,” AJ said. “We really do hope your school is a huge success. You are super talented. Any girls who want to rock could learn a lot from you!”
Again, they got to see Melanie smile. It brightened her whole face. “Thanks. Come back anytime!”
After saying their good-byes, the girls started to walk out the door. Then Aly remembered something she had wanted to do. She reached into her pocket and turned around.
“Hey, do you want some Lime Invasion gum?” she asked, holding out the package.
Melanie shook her head. “Thanks, but I don’t chew gum.”
The girls left the building. Once they were down the stairs and on the street, they stopped to talk.
“That was smart to ask her if she wanted some Lime Invasion,” AJ said. “We had so much fun after a while that I forgot we were there because she was a suspect!”
“I know. I almost did, too,” Aly said. “And I can’t help but wonder if we were on the wrong track with Melanie.”
“Melanie seems pretty smart. She might have known why I was asking her about the gum, and lied about it,” AJ mused. “But if she was telling the truth, then she wasn’t the person who blocked the security camera. And if Melanie didn’t do it, then who did?”
CHAPTER TEN:
A NEW SUSPECT?
“Mmmmm, New York pizza,” Aly said, holding up a slice of hot pizza to her mouth.
“There’s nothing like it!” AJ agreed as she grabbed a slice of her own and folded it before she took a bite.
They were sitting in a small pizza place just a few doors down from Melanie’s school. Tucked into a cozy booth with a cheery red and white striped tablec
loth, the girls were discussing their visit with Melanie.
“Thanks to your drawings, we know Melanie could impersonate Gigi,” AJ said between bites.
“And what better motive could someone have than wanting to make their dream come true?” Aly asked. “If Gigi goes out of business, all those girls will have no place to go to school. Melanie could sign them all up and make her school a success.”
“But after getting to know her,” AJ said, “I can’t imagine her doing something like that.”
“Who knew that under all that rudeness she was such a cool girl and gnarly guitar player?” Aly asked. “I’m not so sure she did it, either.”
“But then who?” AJ asked. She reached into her purse and pulled out her notes about the theft.
“The facts,” she announced as she read from her notebook. “Gigi first noticed all of her equipment was stolen Monday morning, the day of the grand opening.”
“Hmmm,” AJ continued. She paused thoughtfully and screwed up her face. “That’s wrong.”
“What do you mean?” Aly asked.
“Not all of the school’s equipment was stolen,” she said as her eyes scanned her notes. “The acoustic guitars were left behind.”
“Why wouldn’t a thief take them, too?” Aly wondered. “They are worth at least a couple of hundred dollars each.”
“Which is why I don’t think this is a random crime,” AJ said. “A common thief would either break the lock or wait for an opportunity like someone leaving the door open. Who would go to all the trouble to impersonate Gigi?”
“And if it was some thief just looking to make a few bucks, why not take the acoustic guitars?” Aly asked.
AJ sighed and shook her head. “Melanie still seems like the only suspect. But since I can’t believe she did it, there is only one thing left to do.”
Aly nodded. “Go back to the Girls Rock Academy and do some more investigating!” Then she bit into her pizza.