The Impossible Clue (6 page)

I
climbed into the car and slammed the door behind me.

Dad slid behind the steering wheel, grinning like a kid in a candy store. ‘What a scoop!'

I was only half listening. I'd figured out why the security camera was bothering me. It was too small.

I pulled out the photos from the file Delgado had given me. There. In one of the shots taken from inside Dr Learner's lab, you could see the security camera through the open office door. I took out my phone and looked at the picture I'd just taken.

In the picture from the Delgado file, there was an L-shaped bracket hooked to the side of the camera. Two small clips came out of the foot of the L. They looked like they were designed to hold something flat. Maybe a mirror to see around corners, or something to block out
glare if the camera was near a window. But the camera outside Dr Learner's office wasn't near a corner or a window. So what was the bracket for? And since there was no bracket on the security camera when we were in the office today, where had it gone?

‘Alice, didn't you hear me? I said, what a scoop!'

The car shuddered to life, coughing up black smoke as we pulled out of the Delgado Industries car park and back on to the road. Dad is a reckless driver, so I expected to hear at least a couple of horns sound off as he pulled into traffic without slowing down. The silence was so unexpected, it made me turn around. A silver Mercedes with a New York number plate was right behind us. It must be a rental, I thought. Either that or their horn was broken. There was no way a real New York driver would let Dad get away with cutting them up like that.

‘This story has everything!' Dad changed lanes to pass someone doing the speed limit. ‘We already had a mysterious disappearance and some sort of top secret invisibility project. Now we've got a four-million-dollar government contract, possible corporate espionage, and – best of all – that invisibility project? It was a suit! Dr Learner was working on an invisibility
suit
!'

‘Wait, how do you know all that?'

‘Ah, well, I may have taken a little peek at Dr Learner's computer while you three were messing about with that machine. Nice work, by the way.' Dad took a sharp corner
without signalling and kept talking over the blaring horns.

‘How did you even get into his computer? Didn't he have a password?'

‘Yes, well, fortunately for me Dr Learner was the forgetful type. He wrote all his passwords down on a handy little Post-it and stuck it under his keyboard. His computer is about as secure as a brown paper bag.'

‘So what did you find?'

‘A ton of emails from Mr Delgado asking Dr Learner to get “all the data about the suit” ready for an important meeting. There was also an email offering Dr Learner a new job.'

‘So he was definitely working on a suit?'

‘That's what the emails said.'

‘But that's not possible.'

‘I'm telling you, it was right there in the emails.'

‘And
I'm
telling
you
there's no way an invisibility suit could be real.'

Scientists have been trying to figure out a way to make people invisible for years. The closest they've come is using cameras to take photos of whatever is behind the suit and projecting it on the front of the suit, but that isn't really invisibility. That's more like a chameleon changing colour to match his surroundings. Plus there are always problems with camera delay. But the kind of suit Dad was talking about – one that could actually bend light – no one had even come close.

‘Why can't it be real? What about that invisibility cube the lab assistant showed you? That looked real enough to me.'

‘That's different.' I said. ‘The pen lid had to be inside the box to disappear. If you used that technology to make a person invisible, he'd have to stand still inside something the size of a refrigerator. And you heard how much noise it made. What's the use of being invisible if people can hear you coming from a mile away?'

Dad laughed. ‘OK, OK. So maybe it isn't a suit
yet
. Maybe they're still trying to figure it out. Maybe Dr Learner has invented a way to make pen lids invisible outside of the box? Have you thought about that?'

I started to tell Dad he was being worse than Della, but stopped. If you'd told me before breakfast I would see a pen lid vanish before my eyes, I never would have believed you.

‘Maybe,' I said slowly, drawing out the word. If Dr Learner had made that kind of breakthrough it was no wonder Mr Delgado wanted him and his research back. It would be priceless.

Dad banged his hands triumphantly on the steering wheel.

‘But just because it's possible doesn't mean it's true,' I said quickly. I didn't want Dad to get carried away.

‘It doesn't mean it's not true either.'

Dad's phone bleeped, saving me from any more of his
crowing. He shifted in his seat so I could pull it out of his back pocket.

‘Seriously?' I asked.

‘It could be important.'

I rolled my eyes and got the phone with as little butt contact as possible.

‘It's from Della. The audition is running late. She wants you to bring her some lunch.'

‘No problem,' Dad said, so I sent Della the good news. I put the phone in the cup holder on the dashboard, just in case anyone else called.

‘So, Dr Learner had another job offer?' I said. Dad nodded. It made sense. If there were even hints that Dr Learner's research might make a real invisibility suit possible, everyone would want him to work for them. And if he didn't come willingly, they might even take him by force.

‘What was the name of the company?' I asked.

‘Chronos R&D.'

I'd have to look them up.

We stopped at Logan Square, double parking outside the Franklin Institute, the greatest science museum in the world. Dad gave me a twenty and I ran across the street to get in line at one of the small metal food carts in front of the museum. The banner hanging from a lamp post showed an impossible staircase:
Math and the Art of M.C. Escher
. Tickets were probably expensive, but maybe I could talk Dad into taking me when this Delgado business
was over. We used to love going to the Franklin Institute. It was one of the few outings that the whole family enjoyed.

The man in front of me finished paying and took his food and the smell of fried onions with him.

‘Three soft pretzels with mustard, two cherry Cokes and a Sprite,' I ordered quickly, craning my neck to check on Dad to make sure a traffic warden hadn't forced him to move the car.

The Plymouth was still there. I gave a little sigh of relief and stopped halfway. The silver Mercedes was there too, waiting patiently behind my dad instead of trying to go around. Other drivers honked angrily as they forced their way past both cars. I felt a small shiver, but brushed it away. The driver was probably from out of town. Somewhere small and polite where you didn't drive on the wrong side of the road no matter what.

The vendor handed me three piping hot brown paper bags and three cans of soda and I struggled not to drop them all as I jogged back to where Dad was blocking traffic. On my way, I took a look at the people inside the Mercedes. There were two men sitting in the front. They looked perfectly normal, and I felt foolish for being suspicious.

‘Here,' I leant in through the window and handed Dad his and Della's share of the food. He needed to go to the office to pitch his story and it was quicker for me to walk home from the museum rather than the Walnut Street
Theatre.

‘I'll see you back at the house,' Dad said, and swerved back into the traffic.

I watched Dad drive down Race Street. The silver Mercedes was right behind him. For some reason they didn't look like tourists any more. I felt a cold knot twist in the pit of my stomach. I grabbed my phone and snapped a picture right before the car turned on to 21st Street. The same direction my dad had gone. I was getting ready to dial 911 when I noticed the next three cars turning in the same direction. There were roadworks at the end of the street. All the cars were turning that way. This Delgado case was making me jumpy.

I shook myself and started the walk home, counting my steps as I went. The city smelt of summer – hot concrete and the things that stuck to it. I took a swig of my cherry cola and tried to shake off my gloom. I knew what the problem was. The case was too important. I'd lost track of how many mysteries I'd solved for people at school. But finding the basketball team's missing bake sale money was one thing. Finding a missing scientist working on a top secret invisibility project . . . that was a whole new level.

I took a breath and thought about maths. Even the most complicated equations can be simplified. I just needed to look at all the factors and break them down. According to the security camera, Dr Learner hadn't left his office. That meant there were four possibilities. One: there was
another exit from Dr Learner's office. Two: someone had tampered with the security camera. Three: Dr Learner was still in his office now. Four: Dr Learner was invisible.

I laughed to myself. As impressive as Graham Davidson's demonstration had been, I just couldn't believe Dr Learner had made a working invisibility suit. A breakthrough in the right direction, maybe, but not a working suit. I like to see things before I believe them. Although I had to wonder, could you
see
an invisibility suit or was it invisible? I laughed a little louder and a man screaming into his mobile stared at me like I was crazy. I ignored him and kept walking.

It took about twenty minutes to get home. The pale strip of skin where I parted my hair burnt and I knew brushing it later would be like holding a match to my scalp. My shirt clung to the small of my back. It might as well have been raining. I gave a sigh of relief when I saw our front steps. And then I sighed again. Sammy Delgado Jr was sitting on them.

‘Alice!' he shouted, jumping up. He was wearing pressed tan shorts, a blue button-up shirt and a navy-blue blazer. He looked like something out of a sailing magazine. ‘Hi. I was waiting for you. We didn't get to talk yesterday.' Sammy blushed and looked at his shoes. He was probably remembering that the last time I saw him he was running out of a room in tears.

‘Hi Sammy.' I stepped past him and unlocked the front
door. Sammy stood on the top step watching me, the way a dog watches you when you're making a sandwich.

‘Would you like to come in?' I asked. I didn't have much of a choice.

It was like I'd offered him a ticket to Disney World. He bounded in and then stood there, unsure of what to do next.

‘Sit down,' I said, nodding toward the couch on the living-room side of things. ‘I'll get us a drink. What do you want?' I opened the fridge and stood staring at the practically-empty shelves, trying to soak up the coolness. ‘We have water.'

I needed to remind Dad to go shopping.

‘Water's good,' Sammy answered.

‘So why are you here?' I put some ice cubes in a glass, filled it from the tap and handed it to Sammy.

‘I'm here to talk about the case! I wanted to come this morning, but Dad made me go to the university and watch him graduate.' Sammy flopped down onto the couch. ‘So what did you find at the lab? Were there any clues? Did anyone act suspicious?'

‘I told you. I don't need a partner.'

‘I know, but you're working for my dad.'

‘So I need to let you tag along?'

‘No, but I want to help. I really like Dr Learner. I want to help find him. It's important.' Sammy stuck out his chin. He put it back when he saw me staring. ‘I know Dr Learner. I know all sorts of things about him. I have inside information.'

It was like fending off a dog with a stick. He just kept coming back for more. ‘Well, do you know where Dr Learner is?' I asked.

Sammy was silent. He looked miserable. I sighed again. I was starting to hate myself a little bit. Like my dad said, I should give Sammy a break.

‘All right. I get it. You just want to help. So, what can you tell me about Dr Learner?'

‘Well, he's great. He's super smart, but a little bit weird. But I guess a lot of smart people are weird. Not that I'm saying
you're
weird, Alice.'

‘Whoa, Sammy, slow down. Just tell me what you know.'

Sammy took a gulp of water, coughed as it went down the wrong way and then tried again. ‘Dr Learner's really nice. He lets me watch his experiments, even the dangerous ones. And he'll always explain the things I don't understand. He's great at explaining things. But he's been different ever since Christmas. It's like he's always thinking about something else.'

That was about the same time Graham Davidson said Dr Learner started to get secretive. And when Mr Delgado said he had his big breakthrough. I guess he was worried about the competition trying to steal his ideas too. I wondered if he worried about being kidnapped?