Read Sleepover Stakeout (9780545443111) for Free Online Page B

I reached the locker, “what’s your secret?”
    Zane’s eyes widened. His mouth dropped open and he didn’t say anything at first. Then, “Secret? What do you mean?”
    â€œSaturday night … you said you had to tell me something.”
    â€œOh, right.” His expression returned to normal, relieved even. “It’s not a secret, though. Just something you guys need to know.”
    You guys. Meaning me, Darcy, maybe Maya. He wasn’t spilling whatever secret he had right now. Though, from the look on his face, he definitely had one.
    â€œWhat do we need to know?” Darcy asked.
    â€œWhen we were walking home from school last Friday,” Zane began, “Maya told me you guys had opened a case to help her figure out that weird voice she’d heard. She told me you were coming over for a sleepover Saturday night and she was soooo excited. She was actually talking loud for once. Maybe … too loud.”
    Darcy scratched at her dark mop of hair. “Go on….”
    â€œHunter was walking behind us,” Zane said. “I can’t be sure if he heard or not, but —”
    â€œThere’s a chance he knew we were having the sleepover,” I said, filling in the rest. “And he might have done the voice thing, to freak us out.”
    â€œSo he didn’t come outside because he heard us walking through his yard,” Darcy chimed in. “He knew about everything ahead of time. He’d set it up.”
    â€œMaybe,” I said, not wanting to get ahead of ourselves. “There’s also a chance he didn’t hear your conversation, right?”
    Zane nodded. “I can’t be sure either way. I just thought you should know.”
    â€œThanks.” I smiled.
    Darcy’s phone buzzed and she checked it. “Fiona just texted. She’s at the café already and has three cookies with our names on them.”
    As much as I wanted to stay and chat with Zane longer, you can’t keep Darcy from waiting cookies. So I was whisked away with barely enough time to wave good-bye.
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    â€œI don’t know if this is possible, but it tastes even better this time,” Darcy said through a mouthful of cookie.
    The Java Lamp was busy. Conversation and laughter filled the air while music played lightly from the speakers in the ceiling.
    I nibbled at my cookie. Darcy was right — it was fantastic. I took small bites to make it last longer. Even though, compared to other cookies, this one was Jupiter-size. (That’s the largest planet in our solar system. Just so you know.)
    â€œThank you, Abigail Mattimore,” Darcy said, and we all laughed. If Abigail hadn’t gone all psycho over where Trey went on Fridays, we wouldn’t have been on the case that led us here.
    We all held our cookies up and toasted. “To Abigail!”
    We filled Fiona in on everything that had happened on Saturday night, including Slade’s threat about the Old Witch, and Zane’s warning about Hunter.
    â€œSo now we’re thinking it might all be some sort of prank,” Darcy finished up.
    â€œDid anyone talk to Maya today?” Fiona asked.
    â€œI didn’t,” I said, feeling a little bit guilty about it. But, in my defense, I had a lot on my mind. A bad grade on my science quiz, the possibility of wearing glasses the rest of my life, and Zane, for starters. Still, I should have stopped and said hi to Maya at some point, even if we didn’t have anything new on the case.
    Darcy chugged from her glass, leaving a chocolate milk mustache above her lip. “I didn’t either. But, to be honest, I barely notice the girl. She’s so small and quiet.”
    I frowned, imagining what it must be like moving to town in the seventh grade when all the other kids know one another. Add Maya’s natural shyness on top of it …
    â€œWe should try harder to talk to her during the day,” I said.