The Impossible Clue (14 page)

‘
T
here,' I said. ‘That has to be it. A lab at the new science building.'

‘What, you think he's at the university? Wouldn't someone have already checked there?'

‘The building's been under construction all year. It's still not open. Yesterday, Della was complaining about the roads on campus being shut because of it. And Graham Davidson said Dr Learner hated to leave his experiments. If he disappeared of his own free will, he'd want to be somewhere he could keep working. People were looking for places he might be living, places with beds. But Dr Learner would sleep on his office floor if he needed to. And it would be really easy for him to hide on campus. There's lots of people going in and out, he'd just look like another professor.'

I dialled Mr Delgado's number.

‘Hello?'

It was Andrew, Mr Delgado's Personal Secretary with capital letters.

‘Andrew, it's Alice Jones.'

‘Ah, Miss Jones. How can I help you?' It was hard to hear him over the people talking in the background, and the faint sound of a piano.

‘I need to talk to Mr Delgado.'

‘I'm afraid Mr Delgado is busy at the moment. We're having a little celebration.' He slurred his words a bit, and I wondered if Andrew had had a few too many sips of champagne. If so, it must have been some party.

‘What are you celebrating over there?'

‘It isn't official yet, but it looks like we've won the contract. We'll make the official announcement after we sign the papers tomorrow. It's a real coup for Delgado Industries.'

I was surprised Andrew didn't try to cover up his mistake. I knew Delgado Industries was trying to win that four-million-dollar contract with the government, but only because Dad snooped through Dr Learner's emails. But I guessed if they were announcing it tomorrow, it didn't really matter. I had bigger things to worry about anyway.

‘Right, well, good for you,' I said. ‘But I still need to talk to Mr Delgado. I think I might have a lead on Dr Learner.'

‘Really,' Andrew said, ‘I'm so sorry, he can't come to the
phone. But I'll take a message and pass it to him as soon as possible.'

‘Fine, tell him I think Dr Learner might be hiding out at the University of Pennsylvania. In the new science building he bought them.'

‘New science building. Right. I will let him know,' Andrew said, and suppressed a hiccup.

‘Make sure you tell him right away. I think those men from Chronos R&D are still looking for him.'

Andrew chuckled to himself the way adults do when kids are ‘acting grown-up.' It made my hair stand on end.

‘I'll be sure to tell Mr Delgado right away,' he said. Then he hung up on me.

I was not filled with confidence.

‘So is that it?' Kevin asked. ‘Hey, if you get that reward money will you buy me a new bike? My brakes are busted.'

I didn't like it. Mr Delgado would be stuck at that party all afternoon. Andrew might not even remember to give him the message. And for all I knew the men from the Mercedes were already on their way.

I called my dad and paced up and down, counting steps while the phone rang. I'd got to nineteen when Dad's phone transferred me to voicemail.

‘Della must be in the middle of her audition,' I said as I hung up.

I started down the steps to where I'd locked my bike.

‘Wait, what are you doing?' Kevin asked.

‘I'm going to the university. Those Chronos guys might have figured it out already.'

He stood at the top of the steps staring while I undid the chain and swung my leg over the seat.

‘Well,' I called up to him, ‘are you coming or what?'

Kevin shook himself awake, and then jumped down the steps. ‘Fine, but if we do find him, you definitely owe me a bike.'

We rode through the city in silence. I kept picturing Sammy back at Delgado Industries hunting through the trash. He might be hiding something, but he was serious about solving the case. He'd probably climb into a skip if he thought it would bring Dr Learner back. It was strange – a week ago I couldn't stand Sammy, but now I didn't want to let him down.

I pedalled faster and Kevin kept up.

We crossed the Schuylkill River on Walnut Street and pedalled into the heart of the university.

The Delgado-Learner Science Building was on the west side of the campus. Half of the building was hidden by scaffolding, but the parts I could see seemed to be finished. Two young elm trees flanked the entrance and threw dappled shade over the first half of the brass nameplate. I wondered if Mr Delgado would make someone come and cut them down. I was pretty sure the whole point of naming it after himself was so that people could
see it.

‘This is it,' I said.

I pulled on the large metal handle, but the front doors of the Delgado-Learner Building were locked. I stepped back and tilted my head up, scanning the building for signs of life. I should have known it wouldn't be that easy.

‘What do we do now?' Kevin asked.

‘Come on. There has to be another way to get in.'

I led Kevin around the side of the building. The campus was full of students, but no one seemed too concerned with us. Maybe a lot of professors brought their kids to campus. Or maybe they thought we were geniuses getting an early start on our college degrees.

The windows along the side of the building were high and thin. They'd been designed to let in light, not distract the students inside with a nice view. Even someone as tall as my dad would have a hard time looking inside.

‘Here, give me a boost.'

‘This is the real reason you brought me, isn't it?' Kevin got down on all fours and I stood on his back so I could reach the window. The grass underneath him had just been laid. You could see the edges of each turf square where they hadn't grown together yet.

‘Just try to hold still.' I stuck my nose against the glass and looked inside.

The room was empty. Counters lined the walls, but there was nothing on them except for a fine layer of
construction dust. Plastic sheeting hung down from the ceiling and off the walls, floating like ghosts in the hot, sticky air.

‘It's not this one.'

We checked three more windows and struck out each time. Kevin's knees got filthier and filthier, and so did his mood.

‘Come on,' I said.

‘How about you let
me
climb on
your
back?'

‘I don't think so.'

‘Fine, but the new bike you get me better be awesome,' Kevin grumbled, and got down on the ground in front of the last window on the left of the building.

‘I think this is it,' I said.

Instead of an empty construction site, this room actually looked like a lab. There was still plastic hanging all over the place, but someone had tried to pin it to the walls so that it didn't get in the way. The shelves that lined the walls were full of equipment, the same equipment I'd seen in Dr Learner's lab at Delgado Industries.

‘Do you see him?'

‘No.' I held up my phone and took a picture of the room before I jumped off Kevin's back. ‘But he's been here.'

‘How can you tell?' Kevin stood up and tried to rub the grass stains off of his knees.

‘Well, for one thing, there are a lot of the same machines that I saw in Dr Learner's lab.'

‘So? I bet lots of scientists use that stuff.'

‘Maybe, but do lots of scientists leave about fifty cups of coffee all over their lab?'

I held up the phone so Kevin could see the photo. It wasn't nearly as bad as Dr Learner's apartment, but Kevin recognized the signature mess. It was hard to miss.

‘And there's something else. Do you see that?' I zoomed in on the corner of one of the counters.

Kevin leant over the phone. ‘It looks like a jewellery box. My mom keeps her pearls in something like that.'

‘It is a jewellery box. There was one just like it in Dr Learner's office. Do you know what was in it?'

I paused for dramatic effect and then stopped myself. Della must have been rubbing off on me.

‘There were diamonds. Ten of them.'

Kevin looked at the phone, then at me, then at the window like we could break into the lab and grab them.

‘Dr Learner found a way to use diamonds to make his lasers bend light. He's got to be one of the only people using them. This has to be where he's hiding. We just need to wait outside the front of the building and catch him when he comes back.'

Kevin grinned. ‘You mean like a stake-out? Cool.'

‘You're starting to sound like Sammy,' I laughed.

‘Shut up.'

We walked back around to the front of the building. The first drop of rain hit my nose. I looked up and groaned. So
much for sitting on the bench. We pressed our backs up against the wall of the building under the shelter of the overhang. We'd stay dry as long as the wind didn't pick up.

I tried to call Mr Delgado again, but it went straight to voicemail. They must be having some party if Andrew didn't even have the phone switched on.

‘I don't get it,' Kevin said. ‘Why is Dr Learner hiding here? Why didn't he go further away? I mean, this is his and Mr Delgado's building, right?'

I had to agree with him. If Dr Learner disappeared from Delgado Industries on purpose, the Delgado-Learner Science Building was a strange place to hide. It also seemed like the first place Mr Delgado would have looked.

‘Well,' I said, ‘hopefully Dr Learner will show up soon and we can ask him ourselves.'

T
he rain went from drizzle to downpour in a matter of minutes. I wasn't sure how likely it was that Dr Learner would show up in this weather, but it wasn't like we could go anywhere without getting soaked. Kevin and I were stuck.

We'd been waiting for about fifteen minutes when Kevin broke the silence.

‘So what are you going to do if we find Dr Learner? I mean if he does show up?'

‘I'm going to call Mr Delgado and then I'm going to go get some lunch.'

That wasn't completely true. What I really wanted was to ask Dr Learner some questions about his research. Everyone I talked to seemed convinced that Dr Learner had built an invisibility suit. It was starting to make me
doubt myself. I hate doubting myself, but I didn't feel like explaining that to Kevin.

‘You know that's not what I meant. What are you going to do with the rest of your summer?'

I leant back against the building. The bricks were still warm from the morning sun and they felt good against my shoulder blades. Water poured off of the overhang above us. It was like we were standing behind a waterfall.

‘I don't know,' I said. ‘I haven't really thought about it. I'd planned to spend a quiet summer working on my maths problems, but I guess it will depend on whether or not Della gets the part.'

I shuddered and it had nothing to do with the rain. If Della didn't get the part after that
good luck
stunt I'd pulled this morning, I was in for a world of hurt. I wondered if the librarian would notice if I moved a sleeping bag into the stacks.

‘You're going to spend the summer in the library doing maths? I get that you're smart and you like that kind of thing, but come on, it's summer. Shouldn't you do something different? You know, something you can't do during the school year?'

‘All right, what are
you
going to do?'

‘Me? I'm gonna go camping with my dad.'

‘You? Camping?' I watched a watery figure run across the car park and disappear into a waiting car. It didn't look like Dr Learner, but it was hard to tell through all the rain.

‘Yes, me. It's fun. You should try it sometime.'

I wrinkled my nose. Living in a tent with at least ten mosquitoes and about a hundred other bugs you can't see did not sound like my idea of a good time. ‘No thanks.'

Kevin sighed. ‘Suit yourself.'

We stood side by side watching the empty campus and waiting. All I could hear was the rain, drumming on the copper roof above us, spattering against the ground.

‘My mom invited me to visit her in Italy,' I said after a while, just to break the silence. At least, she had before my fight with Della.

‘Really? That's awesome. The furthest away I've ever been is New York City for a Flyers game. You're going to go, right?'

‘I don't know. It'll just be a lot of shopping and seeing shows. Mom and I don't really like doing the same kind of things.'

‘So? She's your mom, you're supposed to bug her until she does what you want.'

I shrugged. I hadn't thought of it like that before. Maybe he had a point.

‘Someone's coming.' I pushed my shoulders off the wall and squinted into the rain. I could see a shape running up the path to the Delgado-Learner Building. It wasn't Dr Learner, that much was obvious. He was too thin. But if he could get us into the building, I might be able to find a clue about where Dr Learner was staying. And at least we'd be
out of the rain.

He ran awkwardly, like he didn't do it very often. His backpack was pulled up over his head to protect him from the rain. It made him look like a turtle. Kevin and I smiled at him as he got close. I needed him to let me into the building. But I was out of luck. He didn't have a key, he just pulled on the door and then looked embarrassed that it was locked.

‘Is it supposed to be open?' I asked.

‘No.' He stepped back and looked at the brass nameplate, disappointed. ‘One of my classmates said he saw a professor going in the other day so I thought I'd give it a try.'

‘A professor? What did he look like?'

‘I don't know. I didn't see him. I just wanted to see the labs. They're supposed to be unbelievable.'

My shoulders sank. I thought he might have seen Dr Learner.

‘If you're looking for one of the new science professors, you should check the university housing.' He pointed behind us across the green. ‘They refurbished that old apartment block at the same time they built the new science building.'

On the other side of the street was a plain brick building, three storeys high. It was partially hidden from sight by a giant oak tree. It was right next to an electrical substation. I bet anyone living there could hear the wires
humming all night long. But I wasn't worried about the living conditions.

‘That's it. It must be.' I turned to Kevin, then back to the student. ‘Thanks!'

‘Sure,' he said. He was confused, but I didn't think it would worry him for too long. To him we were just two kids looking for some random teacher. He didn't know we were about to crack the case of the disappearing scientist.

Kevin and I cut across the large green lawn next to the Delgado-Learner Building. Fat raindrops splashed on us and the grass around us too quickly to count, but I didn't care. I hardly noticed that I was already soaked. I just ran.

‘Where are we going?' Kevin yelled as he followed me.

‘Don't you get it? None of the new professors will move in until autumn when school starts. It's a great big empty building, right next to a state-of-the-art lab filled with Dr Learner's equipment. It's the perfect place to hide.'

I stopped at the side of the road and bent double, bracing my hands on my knees, and tried to catch my breath.

‘Man, you need to work harder in PE.' Kevin wasn't even winded.

‘Not now,' I gasped.

‘I get what you're saying, but it doesn't seem right. I mean, wouldn't Mr Delgado have checked there?'

‘Maybe,' I said. ‘But maybe not. Maybe it's so obvious that Mr Delgado didn't even think to look here. Maybe Dr
Learner is hiding in plain sight. Or maybe I'm totally wrong and he isn't here at all. But we have to check it out.'

I was so busy trying to convince Kevin that I almost didn't see the car until it was too late.

‘Alice!' Kevin grabbed me by the back of my shirt and dragged me off the side of the road and into the bushes just as a bright, shining silver Mercedes drove by. I watched the back of the car disappear around the corner. They were driving in the direction of the Delgado-Learner Building car park.

‘That was it, wasn't it?' Kevin said. ‘That was the car that's been following you. The guys who broke into your house.'

‘Yeah,' I said, ‘That was them all right. Come on, we need to hurry.'

I didn't know how they'd found us. I hadn't seen the silver car all day, and I'd been looking. I started to get up, but Kevin stopped me again.

‘What are you doing?'

‘Don't you get it? If they're here it
must
mean we're on the right track. We need to get to that building first. If Dr Learner is in there we need to warn him. And if he's gone, we need to get the clues first so that Chronos can't follow us.'

‘Alice, those are the guys who broke into your house. They aren't just going to let you take him away. Even if you find him, what are you going to do?'

He was right. I didn't have a car, and Dad and Mr
Delgado weren't answering their phones. I should have let Sammy give me his number. I was sure he'd pick up. Then I remembered. I reached into my bag and started pulling out papers and pens. All of the junk that I should have thrown away but never did.

‘There!' I pulled out the card Officer Ross gave me. My fingers shook so hard it took me three tries to punch in the number. She answered after the second ring.

‘Officer Ross? This is Alice Jones. You came to my house yesterday after someone broke in.'

‘Yes, I remember. Did something happen?'

‘I saw that car that was following me again.'

‘Where are you now?' Officer Ross asked. I could hear one of her earrings click against the phone, tapping as she scribbled down the details.

‘I'm at the University of Pennsylvania. They're going to the new Delgado-Learner building.'

‘Are you safe? Did they see you?'

Kevin pressed closer, trying to listen, and I turned away before responding. ‘I'm OK, I'm on the side of the road. I don't think they saw me.'

‘That's good. Now listen, I want you to stay out of sight. We're on our way. Call me if anything happens.'

I said that I would and hung up the phone.

I looked at Kevin. ‘There. Are you happy? Now let's go.' I got up and tried to cross the road.

‘Wait.' Kevin yanked me back into the bushes. ‘What are
you doing?'

‘What do you want me to do, just sit here in the rain? If Dr Learner is in there, we need to warn him. Besides, we'll be safer inside. There are doors in there. Doors with locks.'

Kevin didn't look convinced.

‘Please,' I said. ‘Just trust me.'

Kevin stared at me, I stared right back. Maybe it was just a hunch, but I had to find out for sure.

‘Fine, I'll go. But only because you'll need me if you get into trouble. And if we see those guys again, we run, understand?'

I nodded.

Kevin shook his head like he couldn't believe he was doing this. I didn't give him a chance to change his mind.

I checked the road carefully. The silver Mercedes had driven away from the apartments towards the Delgado-Learner Building. Hopefully no one would tell them about the staff housing and Kevin and I would get Dr Learner out of the building without running into them. We sprinted across the street. I held my breath until we reached the leafy cover on the other side.

Someone had used a telephone book to prop open the door to the apartment lobby. I took it out as we stepped inside and let the door close behind us. The lock clicking shut sounded as sweet as a bell.

‘This way.' I pointed at the stairs. We'd have to check all of the rooms one by one. Dr Learner wasn't going to hang
a name tag under his doorbell.

I took the stairs two at a time. Two times eleven. Twenty-two steps. Kevin was right behind me. My legs felt like molten lead by the time I got to the top, but there was no time to rest.

‘You check that side, I'll get this side.' I had to admit it was nice to have someone to divide the work with.

I knocked on the first door. No answer. It didn't look like it had even been opened before. I knelt down to look closer. The door handles were still wrapped in protective plastic to keep the brass from getting scuffed. I didn't bother knocking on the rest, I just ran down the hall until I got to the door that had been unwrapped. Apartment 213.

‘I found it,' I said and waved Kevin over.

‘How can you tell?'

‘It's the only one that doesn't still have plastic over the lock.'

I knocked on the door. For a moment, there was silence. And then I heard footsteps. I knew I was right. The door opened.

‘Hello Dr Learner,' I said. ‘We've been looking for you.'