Read Hiss Me Deadly for Free Online Page B

Years' War.
    It just felt that way.
    When the recess bell rang, I disappeared from the classroom like allowance money at the mall. This case was getting tangled. It would take Natalie's and my brainpower, plus a jumbo pair of scissors, to cut through the kinks.
    We met at the swings. I was taking this case too personally, and I needed to get my head straight. Sometimes the motion helps loosen up my thinking. (And sometimes it's just fun to swing.)
    As we swung, I gave Natalie the scoop on my lunchtime adventures.
    "So Luz took off?" she said. "Sure sounds like she's guilty of something."
    "Of flying in the halls, at the very least," I said, pulling on the chains.
    Natalie rushed past me. "But who sicced those two goons on you? Luz?"
    "Or someone else I've been bugging."
    She grinned. "How to choose? There are so many."
    "It's my natural charm," I said, whooshing forward. "Which reminds me: What happened with you and our charming lynx friend?"
    Natalie bailed out at the top, spread her wings, and glided down to the sand.
    Show-off.
    "I followed Mr. Mauler down the halls," she said. "First, he slipped into another classroom. And then he went and stood outside the teachers' lounge, peering through the window."
    "Huh," I said. "That's..." I zoomed forward. At the height of my arc, I let go and tucked into a ball.
    One flip, two flips...
    Ker-whomp!
    Belly flop.
    "Interesting," I wheezed.
    Natalie helped me up. "Stick with detecting," she said. "And leave flying to the birds and the squirrels."
    "What was Mr. Mauler up to at the teachers' lounge?" I wondered. "Checking if the coast was clear for stealing?"
    Natalie shrugged. "So what next, Mr. PI? The lady or the lynx?"
    I hoofed it for the hallways. "The lady," I said. "She's hiding something, and with a little pressure, we can squeeze it out of her."
    But before we could find the squirrel, I came in for some pressure of my own.
    A hulking shape stepped from the shadows of the first building.
    Principal Zero.
    "Did you kiddies have fun on the swings?" he purred.
    "Sure did," said Natalie. "We—"
    "That's nice," said the big cat. "While you were lollygagging, we had another theft—a pair of diamond earrings from Ms. Glick's desk."
    "Uh-oh," I said.
    "
Uh-oh
is right," said Mr. Zero. His tail began to twitch—never a good sign. "Have you identified the thief yet?"
    I studied a clump of grass. "Er, no, but we've got a couple of solid leads."
    The principal bent close. His tuna-fish breath surrounded me like a cloud. "Then follow them," he said. "Tick-tock, Gecko. The fair is tomorrow. Time's a-wasting."
    And with a farewell glare, Big Fat Zero turned and stalked away.
    "Nothing like a little pep talk to get us motivated," said Natalie.
    "You're right," I said. "That was nothing like a little pep talk."
    We patrolled the halls with a new sense of urgency. But Luz Lipps was harder to find than an I LOVE BULLIES button in a herd of nerds. We searched on.
    Passing near the office, we spotted a familiar face on the other side of the school fence: Percy, the feisty rattlesnake from that morning's protest. And he was talking with Johnny Ringo.
    They gave us the hairy eyeball as we walked by.
    "I don't trust that sidewinder," I said.
    "Which one?" asked Natalie.
    "Take your pick. Either one of them could be behind the thefts."
    She glanced back. "Shall we spy?"
    "Let's split up. You watch these creeps; I'll track down Luz."
    But after combing my way through the school
and back again, I came up Luz-less. I stopped to slurp some water from a handy fountain.
    As I wiped my mouth, Natalie fluttered up.
    "What's the word, mockingbird?" I asked.
    "Just a sec-o, Gecko."
    I winced.
    "Sorry," said Natalie. "Sometimes a girl can't come up with a good rhyme in time."
    She filled me in on her spying. It seems Percy and Johnny had gabbed awhile like old friends, then the rattler had slipped something to the raccoon.
    "What was it?" I asked.
    Natalie shook her head. "I couldn't see. Did you