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politely.
    â€œThanks,” Bree said. “That’s very nice.”
    Jim took her old cup and went off to get her something new to drink. When no one was looking, he slipped the old cup into a bag. Then he wrote Bree’s name on the bag.
    Jim followed Aly and AJ as they spoke with each of the contestants. Henry put down his cup, so Jim was easily able to grab it up. He used the same trick on Josh and Rainbow that he did with Bree.
    Then Aly and AJ approached Austin. He had a full cup of what looked like ginger ale that he hadn’t taken a sip out of. He rested it on a nearby table.
    â€œWhat are you doing tonight?” Austin asked AJ, his eyes sparkling.
    â€œWe’re planning on staying in and relaxing,” AJ said. “It’s going to be a busy week.”
    â€œAre you sure you don’t want me to show you the nightlife in Seattle?” Austin asked.
    â€œMaybe another night,” AJ said.
    Then Austin turned and looked past AJ.
    â€œExcuse me, what are you doing with my drink?” he asked. Jim had Austin’s full cup in his hand and was walking away.
    Aly and AJ looked at each other in a panic. Would Austin figure out what they were trying to do?

CHAPTER EIGHT:
    A CHARMING LIAR?
    Jim froze for a second. Then he snapped out of it. “Uh, there’s a spider in it,” he said quickly. “I, uh, saw it jump in.”
    â€œA jumping spider?” Austin asked, curious. “Let me see.”
    He stepped toward Jim, but Jim backed away. “It’s really gross. I’ll just get you a new ginger ale.” Then he hurried off.
    It was hard for Aly and AJ to keep from laughing.
    â€œWe’d better get going,” AJ said. “Lots more people to see.”
    â€œRight,” Aly said. “Later, Austin.”
    They found Jim in a private area behind the stage, bagging Austin’s cup.
    â€œA spider?” Aly asked, laughing.
    Jim shrugged. “Hey, it worked, didn’t it?” he said. “Maybe I’m not cut out for this detective thing after all.”
    â€œDon’t worry,” AJ said. “You did great. You got Austin, plus a few of the other contestants, right? We should be good.”
    â€œRight,” Jim said. “I hope you two find what you’re looking for.”

    â€œI think I am going to be seeing whorls and ridges in my sleep!” Aly complained.
    The girls had gone back to the hotel after the reception. AJ had set up a mini-detective lab on the desk in the hotel room. She and Aly lifted prints from the five cups Jim had collected: Henry, Austin, Josh, Bree, and Rainbow. Then they started to compare them to the print from the guitar case. But it wasn’t easy.
    They checked Austin’s prints first. His had a distinctive whorl in the center, just like the print on the case.
    â€œThat looks like a match,” Aly said.
    â€œI know,” AJ agreed. “But we should check it against the others to make sure.”
    So at AJ’s insistence, they compared all of the other prints to the print on the case. They saw lots of loops, whorls, and arches.
    â€œI still think Austin’s print looks the closest,” Aly said.
    AJ nodded in agreement. “Let’s take another look.”
    They used the magnifying glass to examine Austin’s print one more time.
    â€œThis definitely looks like a match,” Aly said. “See that swirly thing under the whorl? And those arches on the right?”
    â€œYou’re right,” AJ said. “Nobody else comes close. I think we need to talk to Austin. It looks like Heather was telling the truth.”
    â€œI still don’t think he’d do something like that,” Aly said, frowning. “But you’re right. We should find him. It’s still early. Should we call him?”
    â€œHe’d probably think I was calling for a date,” AJ said. “I’d feel bad getting his hopes up. Let’s head down to Howl and