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line while the rest of you are just hitting the edge of town!”
    “Deirdre, you’re going to be the sprinter?” George said. “Amazing.” She plunked back down on the grass.
    “I am,” Deirdre said. “I’ve been working with a personal trainer for six months. Nancy, it lookslike you’ll have some real competition at the finish.”
    As usual, she didn’t wait for a response before walking away. I didn’t dare look at the rest of my team. I was using every ounce of willpower I had to keep from whooping with laughter. And I knew that if I looked at Bess and George, I’d see the same tortured expressions on their faces.
    Finally I heard Bess giggle into her napkin, and we all lost it.
    “Deirdre—the sprinter!” George said, getting up and starting to pace. “There’s no way.”
    “I don’t care how good the Jensens are,” Bess said. “They are not going to beat us.”
    “Speaking of the Jensens,” I said, “did either of you find the fact that they’re twins interesting?”
    “What do you mean?” Bess asked. “Wait a minute—they’re twins!”
    “And?” George asked. She stopped pacing.
    “Gemini!” Bess exclaimed.
    “Remember the medallion I found under Ned’s car seat?” I reminded George.
    “Proof!” George said.
    “If we can connect one of the Jensens to that medallion, then yes, that could be evidence that one of them was in Ned’s car,” I agreed. “But our first priority is this race. Let’s stay focused on that fornow. The best thing we can do to show Deirdre’s team what we think about their attempts to keep us out of the running—”
    “Is to beat them to the finish line!” Bess declared.
    “Looks like Mr. Shannon made a safe bet,” George added, gathering up some of the leftover food. “His extra thousand dollars is going nowhere.”
    We had thirteen minutes to get the picnic site cleaned up and get ourselves back on the road. It was crucial that we not waste any time that was legally designated for cycling.
    We helped Ned get his bike ready, and he took his place on the edge of the road. While we finished packing the truck, we watched Evan Jensen take his place on the road behind us.
    Finally George, Bess, and I piled into the truck. George stretched out on the backseat for a catnap, and Bess and I had the whole wide front seat to ourselves.
    “Let’s move,” I said. “I’d like to get our rig on the road before Deirdre’s truck.”
    “I hear you,” Bess said, turning the ignition.
    There was nothing but the click of the key in the slot.
    I watched as she turned the key again. Nothing.
    “Hey, what’s happening up there?” Georgemumbled drowsily from the back. “Let’s hit the road.”
    “It’s no good,” Bess said, taking the key out of the ignition slot. She slumped back in her seat. “It’s not going to start.”

Charlie’s Got a Secret
     
     
    What’s wrong, Bess?” I asked.
    “Something serious,” Bess answered, as she hopped down out of the truck.
    She hurried to the front and lifted the truck hood. George and I joined her. I peered inside, although I wouldn’t know what was wrong from just looking in there. Bess was definitely the mechanic on this team.
    “I was right,” Bess said immediately. “The distributor cap is missing.”
    Bess is amazing when it comes to cars—or anything mechanical, for that matter. She might look like someone who wouldn’t know a distributor cap from a hubcap. But she does. If she says the distributor cap is missing, you can bet that’s exactly the problem.
    “Not the kind of thing you have spares of on hand, I’ll bet,” I said. I pulled out my cell phone and pushed the fifth button. Everyone laughs when they discover that I have Charlie Adams on speed dial. But it has always been a good idea. And today it was a great idea.
    “We were lucky,” I told the others. “Charlie was in the garage. He’ll be here right away.” I checked my watch. “Okay, it’s thirty seconds to one o’clock.