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because I understand the science behind fire.”
    “You’ve been waiting for me to ask this, haven’t you?”
    He smiles.
    “What about Theresa?” I ask.
    “Now that she’s Piper’s slave, she goes wherever Piper goes. Two for the price of
     one.”
    “We should have a meeting, then. Figure this out.”
    Jimmy nods. “In the secret passageway,” he says.
    The secret passageway is a crawlspace in 64 building that runs under apartment #1D,
     an empty apartment, and #1E, Mrs. Caconi’s place. We aren’t supposed to go down there,
     but it’s pretty easy to get in. We unscrew the screws from the crawlspace door and
     open it hinge side first. The lock stays locked the whole time.
    “Let’s go, then,” I say.
    “What about Natalie?” he asks. “She knows more than any of us.”
    I cross my arms. “No she doesn’t.”
    Jimmy bites his bottom lip thinking about this. “She was there. She could know something
     you don’t. We should bring her,” he concludes.
    “I’ll see if she’ll come. Let’s get going now, before my parents think of something
     else for us to do.”
    “I’ll get Piper and Annie.” Jimmy heads for Piper’s.
    “Mom, I’m taking Natalie,” I call up the stairs.
    “Did you talk to your father?” my mother asks.
    “Uh-huh,” I mumble. I did talk to him—not about what he wanted to talk about, but
     still.
    Mom’s headed downstairs now like she’s on a mission. “Where are you going with Natalie?”
     she asks.
    “To 64.”
    My mother nods, her eyes watchful.
    She has to know I fell asleep. I’m expecting her to bawl me out. “We need to understand
     how the fire started.” I breeze by her, hoping to head her off.
    “Do we?” she asks.
    I look at her like her brains have seeped out of her ears onto the floor. “Of course,”
     I say.
    “There are lots of things that can start a fire. Bad wiring. Damaged lamps. Pennies
     in the fuse box,” my mother says. “64 building is old.”
    I stare at my mom stupidly. “But Mom, we have to know.”
    She looks away. “No need to go looking for trouble. It was an accident, Moose. It
     will all blow over soon enough.”
    Why wouldn’t my mother want to know the truth? Didn’t my dad tell her what Mrs. Mattaman
     said? If Bea calls Nat’s school, she could get kicked out.
    I look back at Natalie, who is still wearing yesterday’s clothes, although her hair
     is freshly combed and her face is clean.
    “Better to leave well enough alone,” my mom says.
    “Why?” I ask.
    “We don’t want to find out information we can’t handle.”
    I start to sweat. “Natalie didn’t have anything to do with this, Mom.”
    “Course not,” she mumbles, her eyes focused on her hands.
    “Natalie,” I ask, “do you know how the fire started last night?”
    Nat digs at her collarbone with her chin. “Number 2E, number 2E, number 2E.”
    “Leave her alone, Moose. She doesn’t know,” my mother says as Theresa knocks, then
     opens the door with Piper on her heels.
    “Come on, Nat.” Theresa makes quick circles with her hand. “We need you.”
    “Where
c’mon Nat
?” she mutters.
    “64 building,” I say.
    “Number 2E?” Nat asks.
    “Not exactly,” I say, but Nat is already putting buttons back in her button box one
     by one. She leaves it on the table and trots out after Theresa as if that’s where
     she wanted to go all along.
    Theresa is magic sometimes.
    My mother is still staring at us, not moving a muscle, barely even breathing . . .
     but she doesn’t stop me.
    • • •
    When we get down to the area under the grates behind 64 building, which we call Chinatown,
     Jimmy already has the hinges of the secret passageway door off. He and Annie are waiting
     for us to scoot inside.
    “Nice sweater,” Annie tells Piper as she hops into the opening. “Is it new?”
    “Yep,” Piper says. “You want one?”
    “Your mom’s not going to buy a sweater for me.”
    “Why not?” Piper asks.
    “Piper has loads of