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IQ06. Alcatraz

Page 18

by Roland Smith


  “It’s from Boone,” she said.

  Dear Angela and Q,

  Croc and I said our good-byes. I sent him back to help you out and keep an eye on you. Remember I told you how the power affects him differently? Well now you can see. You can tell your parents I had to leave for personal reasons and I got you your own “Croc” from my breeder as a gift. Don’t worry about the sailboat. Uly and Felix will take care of it. Everything will work out. All both of you need to do is give Croc a belly rub.

  Take care,

  Boone

  “A belly rub?” I said. “What do you suppose that means? Is it some kind of code? In case no one noticed, I just got shot. Actually shot! And it hurt! Then the bullet popped out of my shoulder and it was all covered in blood and goo! That’s totally worse than pigeon poop! Way worse! I have had it with all this spy stuff!”

  Angela pointed to Croc, who was now on his back with his paws in the air. “I don’t think it’s code. I think it means give Croc a belly rub.”

  We bent down, and when we put our hands on Croc’s belly there was a blinding flash of light. When the light passed, I looked around and found we were back at the Marin County Fairgrounds.

  “What just happened?” I felt a little dizzy again, but not as bad as the time in Chicago.

  “I think we just blinked,” Angela said. “Whoa.” She stood up and staggered a little, feeling dizzy herself.

  Croc barked.

  “I guess that confirms it,” Angela said.

  Croc trotted along in front of us as we headed toward the arena.

  “Angela?”

  “Yeah?”

  “You know how you recorded Boone’s story? Do you think it’s a good idea for us to have that? What if someone found it, or it got out somehow?”

  Angela pulled the digital recorder out of her pocket and pressed delete. Then she dropped it on the ground and crushed it with her foot for good measure.

  “Now we don’t ever have to worry about anyone accidentally learning the truth about Boone,” she said. Croc looked back at us and barked and we strolled toward the rear of the stage.

  The crowd was shouting “Encore! Encore!” and we heard the music start. The perfect harmony of Mom’s and Roger’s voices sent the crowd into a thunderous ovation. They truly were a Match.

  The three of us walked along silently as the opening notes of “Rekindled” echoed through the autumn night.

  The End

  Roland Smith

  Roland Smith is a New York Times best-selling author of twenty novels for young readers and more than a dozen nonfiction titles and picture books. Raised in the music business, Smith has incorporated his experience into the I,Q series. When he’s not at home writing, Smith spends a good part of the year speaking with students at schools around the country. Learn more about the I,Q books at www.iqtheseries.com. Learn more about Roland Smith at www.rolandsmith.com.

  Michael P. Spradlin

  New York Times best-selling author Michael P. Spradlin has written more than twenty books for children and adults. He is the author of The Killer Species series and the international best-selling The Youngest Templar trilogy. He lives in Michigan and can be visited on the Web at michaelspradlin.com.

  www.IQtheSeries.com

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Contents

  Cast of Characters

  MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 15: 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. PST The Ghost

  Reality Bites

  The Monkey and the Leopard

  Reunion

  Tension

  Sometimes Surveillance Is Just Showing Up

  Buddy’s Back

  Aroma

  That Was Odd

  Number One

  Hot Pursuit

  Running Out of Numbers

  Start Spreading the News

  Not Staying Put

  The Hand (or the Foot) Is Quicker Than the Eye

  Tangled Webs

  MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 15: 11:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. PST Going to the Dogs

  Getting Closer

  The Little Things

  Handling the Truth

  Good Knight

  CE 1104—1106 Boone

  The Holy Land

  The Discovery

  Digging

  The Stuff of Legend

  Secrets

  The Miracle

  MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 15: 2:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. PST Lost and Found

  Discovery

  Takedown

  Out of Nowhere

  The Beginning of the End

  Back in Charge

  Lockdown

  MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 15: 5:30 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. PST Moving Fast

  Taken

  MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 15: 7:15 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. PST The Trade

  The Rock

  Over the Bounding Seas

  Croc

  Showdown

  Turnabout

  The Big Finish

  About the Authors

  Guide

  Cover

  Title Page

  Contents

  MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 15: 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. PST

 

 

 


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