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been turned off somehow.”
    Joe shook his head and let out a low whistle. “How’re they
     doing it?” he asked.
    I looked around the room, then walked over to the windows, giving them a
     little jiggle. Everything looked really secure.
    “Is there anyone outside the family who has the code to the
     alarm?” I asked.
    “No way,” Sharelle scoffed. “Mom guards that code with
     her life. She wouldn’t even give it to either of us till we turned
     sixteen.”
    I nodded slowly, looking at Joe. He looked just as lost as I felt.
    “Okay,” I said, trying to gather my wits. “I’m
     glad you reached out to us, Sharelle, because I think we can help. Here’s what
     we’re going to do. . . .”

THE ARROW
6
JOE
    I HAVE TO ADMIT THAT I WAS A LITTLE STUNNED when Frank started with the “Here’s what we’re going to do.” Because I had no idea what to do. Whoever was monitoring Neanderthal had reached a level of creepy I had only encountered in horror movies and bad dreams. I was no fan of the guy, but even I had trouble imagining what he could have done to deserve this.
    When Frank explained further, though, it started to make sense. Whoever was monitoring Neanderthal was good. Clearly, he—or she—knew how to break into a secure house, plant a camera, feed all the footage to the Internet, and do it all without being caught—despite Neanderthal and Sharelle both knowing that this was going on.
    It didn’t make sense to try to beat that person at theirown game. As Frank explained, all we could do, for now, was try to observe the monitor.
    I yawned as Frank fired up his laptop and got on the web.
    “Really?” Frank asked, smirking. “Already? It’s ten o’clock.”
    I shook my head. “That was a stress-relief yawn,” I said. “I’m tense. Animals yawn to release tension.”
    Frank looked skeptical. “Either way, maybe I should take the first shift while you take a nap.”
    I blinked, watching the screen as Frank opened up the e-mail that Neanderthal had forwarded to us and clicked on the link. Nothing was up yet—just a big black box that said WATCH FOR COMING ATTRACTIONS!
    “I can watch with you for a while,” I said, making myself comfortable with some pillows on Frank’s bed. “So hey . . . do you think Seth Diller is involved in this?”
    Frank frowned as he stared at the screen. “That was my first thought too,” he admitted. “It just seems like too much of a coincidence. Neanderthal comes to us about this strange, video-related trouble, the same day that . . .”
    “Seth Diller gets arrested for causing trouble with his video camera,” I finished.
    Frank nodded grimly. “But it seems a little . . .” He paused, searching for the right word.
    “Sophisticated?” I suggested. Seth’s movies were endlessly entertaining . . . but sophisticated they were not.
    Frank sighed. “I was going to say sinister,” he finished.
    That made me sit up. “Sinister?” I asked. “You don’t think making me commit a felony and then kidnapping me was sinister?”
    “Seth knows you,” Frank explained, and at my incredulous expression, added, “Well, a little bit. He knew you could handle what he was dishing out.”
    “And Neanderthal?” I asked. Neanderthal had never struck me as a delicate flower.
    Frank shivered. “This is just creepier. I don’t know that anyone could handle what he’s getting.”
    I didn’t say anything to that. After a few seconds I yawned again.
    Frank didn’t lift his eyes from the computer. “I don’t know. Might be torture to watch someone sleep while you’re sleepy yourself.”
    “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said. “I’m very perky.”
    Frank snorted, and then the black box on the screen suddenly filled in with the darkened image of Neanderthal’s room. Neanderthal lay in a big lump on the left side of his double bed. The comforter was pulled up to his chin, and his breathing was regular. But there was something off about