When Amanda returned to her room that evening, she finally got a chance to ask Ivy about something that had been bugging her since her trip to London. “Why did you tell me to punch those numbers on the keypad at the sugar factory?”
“Oh, you mean 1, 3, and 4? They make up an augmented fourth chord. The devil’s interval.” Ivy sounded out the notes one at a time.
“Devil’s interval?”
“Diabolus in musica: the devil in music. It was banned in Renaissance church music because it was considered ugly and you couldn’t use anything ugly to praise God. Hear how discordant that sounds?”
“Kind of. So you’re saying that the criminals chose it because they see themselves as working with the devil?”
“Something like that.”
“How in the world did you figure that out?”
“I told you before. I hear things.”
“I think I should start paying more attention to my ears, Ivy. I’m really impressed. You’re an amazing detective. By the way, speaking of amazing detectives, do you have any idea why Professor Thrillkill is always carrying that hair dryer around?”
“I’m surprised you don’t know. He has a morbid fear of icicles. He carries it around so he can melt them.”
Amanda burst into laughter and the two girls got so hysterical that they rolled on the floor. This got Nigel’s attention and he started licking them, which made them laugh even harder.
Suddenly Amanda’s phone rang. It was one of the investigators who had processed the remains of the sugar factory. She told Amanda that they had found her phone but all the data was gone, video clips and everything.
“I’m sorry about that,” she said. “You will get the phone back though. By the way, I wanted to tell you what great thinking it was to set off those sprinklers. You’re going to make a great detective someday.”
“Thanks,” said Amanda. “I appreciate your taking the time to call.”
“I wouldn’t have necessarily,” said the woman. “It’s just that I thought you might find something funny.”
“What’s that?”
“It seems that the scene of the explosion is completely covered with ants. All that sugar water attracted them by the millions. The other factories in the area are beside themselves. They’ve had to call the exterminator.”
Amanda Lester and the Pink Sugar Conspiracy Page 87
