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know—bibbidi-bobbidi-boo, you and Kevin are enrolled!” She grabbed Kim Ling and gave her one of her trademark rocking hugs. “Oh, this makes me feel so much better about dashing off.”
    â€œWith all due respect, Ms. M., you’re smothering the life out of me.”
    â€œWell, I
am
trying out for the role of a smothering mother.” Aunt Roz released her with a chuckle and began rifling through her tote. “Is your mom here, Kimmy?”
    â€œNo. I’m fourteen.”
    â€œWell, I suppose you’ll be retiring to Boca Raton pretty soon.”
    â€œA New York City fourteen-year-old is equivalent to, like, a seventeen-year-old anywhere else. It’s a proven—” Her attention switched to a group of giggly girls and she cringed. “Oh, no, it looks like Jen Peterson got Invisibraces and they’re hideously obvious. I’ll be right back.” And she was off.
    Aunt Roz muttered something about Kim Ling being “a pistol” and motioned for Lexi and Kevin to come closer.She slipped a crisp twenty-dollar bill into Lexi’s hand, then sealed it in her fist. “For emergencies,” she whispered. “Now, I have to put in a few hours selling ballet subscriptions after my audition, but I’ll see you right back here at a quarter to six. Wait in the vestibule, okay? I don’t want you kids wandering around the city.” She gave Lexi and Kevin identical pecks on the cheek and swept toward the double doors, waving behind her. “Stick close to Kimmy—and have fun!”
    It was one or the other. Both was asking the impossible.
    â€œAttention, people!” Mr. Glick’s voice echoed through the sound system. “Please button your lips and listen up ‘cause I’m only going to say this—” He dropped the mic with an explosive
boom!
Screechy feedback and laughter filled the gymnasium. “All right, ha-ha, very funny. Can everyone please line up at your assigned tables so we can get this show on the road?”
    Lexi rushed Kevin to his lineup, then flew over to her designated line without waiting for Kim Ling. Who needed the extra aggravation? She quickly signed in, picked up her registration form, emergency information card,
Safety First
printout, and camp uniform: a puke-green T-shirt with a picture of a tree sprouting musical instruments instead of leaves and CITY CAMP, WHERE NATURE MEETS CULTURE printed on the back. She checked to make sure Kevin and Kim Ling were still in line, and made a mad dash back to the empty office where the television set wasstill on. She hovered near the doorway. This time she could hear.
    â€œThe mayor made a statement earlier,” the gray-haired anchorman said straight to the camera. “Do we—have we got the footage? No? Okay, I’ll just read the quote.”
    Lexi’s ears perked up, wondering if they were still on the jewel heist story.
    â€œâ€˜New Yorkers are being strongly urged to come forward immediately with any information they may have pertaining to this case. Our foremost concern, of course, lies in the safety of our citizens and the apprehension of these dangerous suspects—but, in addition, relations between the United States and the Arab Republic of Egypt could be dramatically affected if this scandalous crime remains unsolved. Once again, I implore anyone with information about the Cleopatra jewel theft to please contact the NYPD.’”
    Oh, great. No pressure
.
    â€œCan I help you?”
    Lexi jumped. There was a tiny woman behind a large desk at the other end of the room. Lexi hadn’t even noticed her before.
    â€œFascinating case, isn’t it?” the lady chirped. “I can’t seem to tear myself away.”
    Lexi shot her a jittery smile and quickly tore
herself
away.
At least things couldn’t possibly get worse
. When she met up with Kevin and Kim Ling at the water fountain,she realized she was still strangling the