The Ambrose Deception

by Emily Ecton

  Wilf’s Clues:

  Jeremiah 6:23 plus Psalm 46:9

  Madame Tussaud and Mrs. O’Leary would be proud of their little blue friend.

  ???

  Note on Car Service Garage Chalkboard:

  REMEMBER, DRIVERS:

  These kids are your responsibility. Take care of them. Report any problems ASAP to Butler ONLY.

  Bonus to the driver whose competitor wins the prize.

  And remember: Nonsmoking car, Inez.

  Wilf: So what are your feelings about skipping school?

  Frank: It’s terrible. Leads to juvenile delinquency and the downfall of society.

  Wilf: Gotcha. So I guess the aquarium’s out?

  Frank: I’ll pick you up in 5.

  Note in Melissa Burris’s Locker, Monday Morning:

  Melissa,

  I am very interested in hearing about your meeting with the scholarship committee this past Sunday. I will expect you in my office first thing today to discuss any questions or requirements that you may have had trouble understanding, and to plan your strategy appropriately.

  Your guidance counselor,

  Mrs. Judy Orlin

  Melissa crumpled the note in her hand as she trudged into her first-period class. She liked to think of herself as a creative person, but she couldn’t come up with any excuse that would keep her out of Mrs. Orlin’s office, except for oozing, festering sores, and those aren’t the kind of thing you can whip up on the spur of the moment.

  Melissa slid into her seat and gave a feeble wave to Tanisha Cole, who was talking a mile a minute in a monologue to Burke Cooper. “So I hardly slept at all. I mean, for real, I never should’ve started it.” Tanisha paused and looked Melissa up and down. “Man, what’s wrong with you? You look lousy.”

  Melissa didn’t even know how to explain. And even if she’d wanted to, it wasn’t like she could. She was pretty sure that Tanisha would qualify as an “outside element” under the contest’s rule number three. “Nothing. Long story. What’s up with you?”

  “Oh, you have no idea. I was just telling Burke about Stephen King’s Insomnia. It is messed up.”

  Melissa frowned. “I didn’t even hear he had that. Was it on the news?”

  Tanisha made a face. “Lissa, get real. It’s a book? Called Insomnia? By Stephen King? My brother warned me not to read it, but I just had to go ahead. I don’t think I slept a wink all weekend.”

  “Wait, what?” Melissa felt like a puzzle piece had just fallen into place in her brain. “Holy cow.”

  Tanisha looked at her sideways. “Are you okay? You’re acting all funny.”

  “No, I’m fine. Wow, that sucks. No way I’m reading that book,” she said, trying to focus. Stephen King’s Insomnia. Lorado Taft’s Death. “Holy cow,” she said again.

  “You got that right. For real,” Tanisha said, shaking her head. “I don’t even want that book in the house with me. I had to put it out on the fire escape.”

  Melissa stood up abruptly. “I gotta go.” She shoved her books back into her book bag and headed out, showing the crumpled note to her teacher. “Sorry, Mrs. Orlin wants to see me,” she said as she hurried out the door.

  Thank goodness she’d had that note. Of course, she wasn’t really going to see Mrs. Orlin, but hopefully no one would figure that out.

  Melissa half walked, half jogged toward the library. Students weren’t supposed to just show up and use the library computers, but she didn’t have much choice. No matter how much worksheet money she saved up, she wasn’t getting a computer anytime soon. And Mrs. Lewis just didn’t get enough e-mail to justify going across the hall again so soon. And Melissa needed to get online now.

  “Miss Burris! Good, I was just coming to find you.”

  Mrs. Orlin was standing outside the office, blocking Melissa’s path to the library. She had a smug smirk on her face, like she couldn’t wait to find out what a disappointment Melissa was.

  Melissa groaned inwardly. This was the last thing she needed. She tucked in her chin and barreled past Mrs. Orlin without saying a word.

  “Miss Burris!” Mrs. Orlin barked after her.

  Melissa turned and walked backwards as she talked. “Sorry, I can’t discuss the scholarship with you. It’s in the rules. Top secret. There was a contract and everything. I shouldn’t have even told you that much. Legal stuff in perpetuity, you know.” She turned back around and ducked into the library before she could see steam start coming out of Mrs. Orlin’s ears.

  Melissa smiled and flashed her pass to the school librarian too quickly for the librarian to see that it wasn’t a library pass. She slid into a seat at one of the computer terminals as the librarian went back to her shelving. If Melissa was right, she’d been angsting for nothing. And she really hoped she was right.

  Melissa opened the search engine and typed in three words: Lorado Taft’s Death.

  She smiled.

  Jackpot.

  ETERNAL SILENCE, Lorado Taft’s Death

  Eternal Silence, also known as the Statue of Death, was created by sculptor Lorado Taft in 1909 to mark the grave of hotel executive Dexter Graves. It depicts a robed and hooded figure of Death personified, and those who dare to look into its face are said to see their own fates.

  It is located in Graceland Cemetery, in Chicago.

  Melissa squealed and clapped her hands together, earning her a stern shushing from a teacher browsing the stacks. She didn’t care, though. It was real. It was a real thing, in a real place, which meant it was a real solution. The contest wasn’t bogus, after all. She’d solved one of the clues. She was on her way.

  SOLUTIONS TO CLUES

  By: Melissa Burris

  1. Go to the site of Lorado Taft’s Death in 1909.

  SOLUTION: Up yours. Eternal Silence statue by Lorado Taft in Graceland Cemetery. (photo to come)

  2.

  3.

  “But why, Melissa, why do we have to go to a cemetery? I don’t want to. Cemeteries are gross and boring.”

  Melissa set her mouth in a firm line. “Because we’re going, that’s why. I can’t leave you home alone with Gran gone, can I?”

  “Sure, I wouldn’t mind,” Liam said hopefully.

  “Wouldn’t mind me getting in huge trouble, you mean,” Melissa said, leaning out to see if the bus was coming. It wasn’t. The wind picked her hair up and blew it sideways into her face. She pushed it away in irritation.

  “Well…yeah.” Liam snickered. “Gran would kill you.”

  “Thanks.” Melissa rolled her eyes. She hoped the bus would get there soon. They had a solid three hours until Gran got back from her job, and if they weren’t home then, Melissa would have some explaining to do.

  Melissa leaned into the street again. Still no sign of the bus. She held her hair back out of her face and spat tiny bits of grit out of her mouth. The wind had picked up and it was a scoop-dirt-off-the-ground-and-throw-it-in-your-face kind of wind.

  “Hey, Melissa,” Liam said, tugging on her jacket. “Melissa.”

  “What?” Melissa looked down at Liam. He was staring straight ahead and talking out of the side of his mouth like he did when he was trying to be discreet.

  “There’s a guy, across the street. I think he’s looking at us.”

  Melissa felt a prickle on the back of her neck. She pretended to fiddle with something in her book bag, but she peered up through her bangs to see what Liam was talking about. It didn’t take her long to figure it out.

  A man was standing silently next to a black car. He wasn’t doing anything, just standing, and he was watching them. Melissa’s eyes narrowed. She had a hunch that she’d seen this guy before. That he’d been watching her then, too. And she knew where. There was one way to find out.

  “Should we run?” Liam was clutching the hem of her jacket, and Melissa didn’t blame him. The guy looked like a real bullethead, a thug in a suit, and she would’ve been freaked out if she weren’t so ticked off. Now all she had to do was make sure she was r
ight.

  Melissa shoved her tangled mess of hair out of her face and pulled the ziplock bag out of her pocket.

  Liam’s eyes widened. “Is that a cell phone? No way! Where’d you get that?”

  Melissa shook her head. “It’s not mine, okay? I don’t even want it. Just hold on.”

  She dialed the phone and waited.

  A phone started ringing across the street. The man next to the car reached into his pocket, pulled out a phone, and put it to his ear.

  “Melissa Burris. I was wondering when you would call.” The man’s voice was deeper than she’d expected, and he had an accent she couldn’t identify. He stared at her from across the street without moving.

  Melissa’s voice sounded harsh in her ears. “Are you following us?” Which was a dumb question, because duh. But she had to ask.

  “Of course. I am your driver. I go where you go.”

  Melissa pulled her hair into a ponytail and held it out of the wind. “I didn’t call you. I don’t want you here. Go away and leave us alone.”

  The man shook his head. “Melissa. You have a car and driver at your disposal.”

  Melissa tried not to look at Liam, who was staring at her with his mouth hanging open. “I don’t need any favors. We’re fine on the bus.” Sure, the contest seemed to be on the level, but what if it wasn’t? There was still too much that didn’t make sense. A driver? A debit card? The last thing she needed was to get a huge bill when the whole competition was over.

  The man sighed. “Melissa. Your competitors are using every tool they have been given. You are slowing yourself down. And my employer does not want you wandering the city alone. Your safety is of the utmost importance.”

  Melissa glared at Liam, then reached out and pushed his mouth closed. “We’re fine. I can do this by myself.”

  She snapped the phone shut.

  “You know that guy?” Liam said, his eyes still wide. “What’s going on?”

  “Never met him,” Melissa said, pocketing the phone. “And I never will, if I have any say about it.”

  Liam crossed his arms. “Okay, give. You have to tell me. Are you a drug dealer or something?”

  Now was Melissa’s turn to gape. “What? Are you crazy? No!”

  “Well then, what? It’s not legal, whatever it is.” He jerked his head at the man across the street. “You’ve got a cell phone and a grown-up stalker offering you rides. This is not normal, Melissa.”

  Melissa smacked him softly on the shoulder. “It’s totally legal. Maybe not so normal, though.” She bit her lip. “But it doesn’t matter, because I can’t tell you about it.”

  “Melissa! Come on! I tell you everything! It’s not fair!”

  “Seriously, I can’t. It’s not allowed.”

  Rule number three was very clear—she couldn’t tell anyone, and anyone included little brothers. All it would take was one careless comment from Liam and she’d be out on her butt. She couldn’t risk it.

  “I would if I could, but it’s a rule. I’d get in trouble if I told. BIG trouble.”

  Liam crossed his arms. “Melissa, seriously? Seriously? How many times have I kept secrets for you? You know you can trust me not to tell. And besides, with that guy around? I think you need some backup.”

  Melissa bit her lip. “You don’t understand. This is big. Bigger than big. Biggest thing ever.”

  Liam rolled his eyes. “Bigger than your secret worksheet cheating scam? Yeah, I know where my lunch money comes from, Melissa. But have I told anyone? Nope. Have I let Gran find out how much things cost? Nope. I’ve kept your secret.”

  “What?” Melissa’s eyes got wide. “How do you even know about that?”

  “You’re not the only one who can keep your mouth shut. I know a lot of secrets. What about that time you snuck Dave Madison’s dog, Mr. Cupcake, into your room and babysat him for the whole weekend, even though you know we aren’t allowed to have pets? I never said anything! Not to mention the time you forged not one but two permission slips for me. Thanks for that, by the way. Oh! And there was the time that you—”

  “Okay, okay, I get it!” Melissa held up her hands. She didn’t want to hear any more of Liam’s version of This Is Your Life. “I’ll tell you. But I’m not joking around. This is life and death. You swear not to tell, ever?”

  Liam crossed his heart. “I swear.”

  Melissa took a deep breath. Yes, it was breaking the rules. Yes, it could get her disqualified, and if it did, she’d deserve it. But it wasn’t like she’d never broken a rule before. And maybe Liam was right. Maybe she did need backup. Especially since she didn’t know exactly what she was dealing with.

  Melissa felt a wave of relief as the bus rolled up. She tried not to look at the man across the street as she pushed Liam toward the open bus door. “Get in. I’ve got a lot to tell you.”

  Inez was leaning against the car when Bondi came out of the school. For all he knew, she’d been there the whole day.

  “So where to, kid?” she asked, straightening up and dusting off her butt.

  “Harold Washington Library,” Bondi said, throwing his messenger bag into the backseat. “I need to make a list of all the bird-related sites in the city. Any ideas you have would be appreciated.” He’d tried a quick Google search, but it had been amazingly unhelpful—there were way too many results, and he was pretty sure most of them didn’t have anything to do with the clue, unless the clue really wanted him to buy a CD from a new folk band called Birds of Chicago.

  “They’ve got penguins at the zoo,” Inez said, getting into the driver’s seat.

  “Thanks. I’ll put that down.” Bondi didn’t think there was a chance that the clue was talking about penguins in the zoo. But whatever. It was more likely than the CD idea. He’d figure it out at the library and have Inez take him to get a sundae before he headed home. She could pretend not to smoke while she waited.

  Inez pulled out into traffic and drove for a few minutes before adjusting the mirror to look at Bondi. “Mind if I make a quick stop en route?”

  Bondi shrugged. “It won’t take long, will it?”

  “Can’t say. Probably won’t,” Inez said. Bondi didn’t think she sounded very sure. He checked the clock on his phone. He didn’t know how many clues those other kids had solved, but the last thing he wanted to do was waste time.

  He looked up and caught Inez watching him in the mirror. She was smirking. “Relax, kid, it’ll only take a second. I need to get a parking pass from Frank.”

  “Okay, sure.” Whoever Frank was. Bondi sat back and tried to relax while Inez navigated Lake Shore Drive and pulled into Navy Pier. “Wait, Navy Pier?” Bondi couldn’t imagine why they were headed there. Navy Pier was basically an amusement park on a pier on Lake Michigan, with a Ferris wheel, rides, food stands, and lots of souvenir shops. Not the best place for research, but maybe there was a solution to a clue here or something.

  “That’s where Frank is. It’ll only take a minute.”

  Inez pulled up at the pier entrance behind another black car, put her hazard lights on, and hopped out.

  Bondi climbed out after her, careful to avoid the bunches of tourists wandering onto the boardwalk in their matching T-shirts.

  Inez was talking to some middle-aged guy in a suit who was rummaging around in the glove compartment of his car. The tall, skinny kid from the scholarship meeting was there looking at his cell phone. When he noticed Bondi, he ambled over.

  “Hey, you’re Benny, right?”

  “Bondi. You’re Wilf?”

  “Right.” Wilf smiled at Bondi. “Isn’t this awesome? I mean, this is just the best, right?” He was grinning so hard, it looked like his face must hurt.

  Bondi nodded. “Yeah, it’s great.” He wished Wilf didn’t look so happy. He must’ve solved one of the clues for sure, probably two, if he was looking that happy. Bondi felt sick. He had to get to the library.

  “It’s like that movie, you know? Where the kid does all the fun stuff in one day? H
ow fun is that? We can do anything we want!”

  Bondi frowned. “You mean Ferris Bueller?” He didn’t see how solving the clues was anything like Ferris Bueller, but maybe he’d misunderstood.

  “Right, that one.” Wilf scuffed his shoe on the sidewalk. “So what have you done so far? We went to Wrigley, and the ledge at the Skydeck, and I just rode the Ferris wheel. Which was cool, sure, but not as cool as the Skydeck to be honest. Have you been there? It’s awesome. Here, I took pictures.” Wilf started fiddling with the phone again. “Isn’t this thing cool? I can’t get it to download any apps, but it has a camera at least.”

  “So those were for clues?” Bondi said, watching Wilf mess with the phone. The packet said that they were supposed to take pictures with the camera, but he wasn’t sure if he should mention that to his competition. Still, he didn’t want to win just because of a technicality—it wouldn’t really be fair. “I think the rules said we’re supposed to take the pictures with the camera, not the phone.”

  Wilf stared at him blankly.

  “When we figure out the solutions to the clues.” Bondi felt like he was speaking some strange language that Wilf didn’t even know. “I think we’re supposed to take the pictures with the disposable camera.”

  Wilf looked confused but nodded slowly. “Um, right. Clues. That’s right. This isn’t for the…I’m just…exploring possibilities, you know. About the clues.” He held out the phone. “But see? Check it out.”

  Bondi squinted at the tiny phone display. “That’s the Skydeck?”

  Wilf nodded. “Yeah, and it’s amazing. The ledge is that glass box they built on the observation deck of the Sears Tower, right? Sorry, Willis Tower now.” He looked sheepish for a second. “But you can stand right there on a glass floor, like a hundred stories in the air. It’s like there’s nothing there, like you’re floating or something. It’s crazy!” He flipped the screen on the phone. “See, I took more. Isn’t that wild?”