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few dollars—enough for one slice.
    But I only get halfway across the parking lot before slamming on my brakes. Sheriff Fischer’s black-and-white patrol car is parked outside his office. Great! Now I can ask him if he saw my brother. A good spy checks out all clues.
    While I’m working up my courage to go into the sheriff’s office, Sheriff Fischer steps out of the office. He’s not alone. He slips his arm around a dark-haired woman and draws her close to his chest in a very cozy hug.
    OMG—it’s Becca’s mom!
    The sheriff and Mrs. Morales are both divorced and went to high school together so they’re good friends. I even saw them hold hands once but didn’t think it meant anything. Now I’m not so sure.
    And when the sheriff kisses her—a big, fat kiss on the lips that lasts a very long time—I almost fall off my bike.
    That is not the casual kiss of just a friend. That’s the kind of kiss you give someone you’re dating. Becca has not said a word about her mom and Sheriff Fischer dating, which can only mean one thing: Becca has no idea.

- Chapter 6 -
    Notebook of Secrets
    When I get home, I race straight into my room and go to my wooden chest. I reach down for the carved decoration on the bottom of the front panel—which is actually a hidden drawer—and take out my notebook of secrets.
    I can’t stop thinking about the Kiss. When Becca told me her mother was having lunch with a friend, I’m sure she didn’t know the friend was the sheriff, or that they were doing more than having lunch. Becca once confided to me that she expects her mother and father to get back together someday.
    Wrong , I think as I sink onto my bed.
    Becca will be crushed when I tell her … if I tell her.
    First this secret is going down on paper with the others I collected today.
    Usually secrets come slowly, like waiting for weekends or birthdays. If I uncover one a month, that’s more than the average. Yet today I learned four secrets. And they’re not little ones either, like when my sisters snuck out to an over-eighteen club or my father used a butter substitute in his famous sugar crumb cookies.
    All four are big secrets. And two of them are about my club mates.
    Sitting at my desk with a pen and notebook, I think back to this morning when I followed Kyle on my bike.
    Secret 32. Reserved for the secret “something” in Kyle’s white box.
    Secret 33. Leo is only eleven years old and will turn twelve soon. His mother is planning a surprise birthday party.
    Secret 34. Reggie and his sister faked a robbery to get rid of the grandfather clock.
    Secret 35. The sheriff and Becca’s mom kissed!
    Writing down the secrets helps me see them clearer. Although I was shocked at first to find out Leo’s age, now that it’s sunken in, it isn’t a big deal. So what if he’s younger than me? He’s still my friend.
    And it was cool listening to Reggie’s story, then meeting Albert. A 130-year-old tortoise—wow! Albert is more than twelve times my age.
    But the last secret is different. I rub my chin as I reread Secret 35: The sheriff and Becca’s mom kissed. Mrs. Morales and the sheriff are both single, so why shouldn’t they date? Maybe he’s crushed on her since high school and ignored their feelings until she was divorced. Really, it’s sweet and romantic.
    Unfortunately, Becca won’t see it that way.
    When she finds out, will she be shocked or angry, or burst into tears?
    Secrets are dangerous; they can destroy lives. If revealed, Reggie’s could damage his parents’ marriage. If other kids find out Leo is only eleven, they’ll tease him (even more than some do now). But Becca deserves to know about her mother.
    How can I balance truth and lies to protect my friends?
    Thinking so hard makes my head hurt. I lean back on a pillow, feeling exhausted. Yawning, I close my eyes and sink into