Read Online Agent Angus by K. L. Denman - Free Book Online

knees, gasping for air, but I remain on high alert.
    Eventually my breathing returns to something like normal. I see no sign of a stalker, psycho or thief. Not that this is a good thing. In fact, it’s bad, because it means the lunatic may be inside the house. I manage to stand, even though my legs feel strangely bendy. I try them out for walking, and they work—more or less. I wobble to the front door and ring the bell.
    Footsteps approach from the inside, and then the door swings open to reveal Ella.
    â€œAngus!” she says. Her face turns a rosy shade of pink. “You’re here.”
    â€œYes,” I say. I lean toward her and lower my voice. “Don’t panic. I want you to gather your family and get them out of the house. And then we’ll call the police.”
    Ella’s eyes dart about. She licks her lips. Clearly, she’s frightened. She tucks a loose strand of hair back behind her ear. “Uh,” she says. “Why?”
    â€œBecause,” I hiss, “I think the guy who stole your sketchbook may be in your house.”
    Her brown eyes widen. Her mouth forms a circle. The pinkness of her skin deepens, especially on the tip of her nose. And then she starts giggling. She claps a hand over her mouth to stop the nervous giggles, but seconds later, they burst through.
    â€œElla!” I attempt to sound stern. “You must remain calm. Please, go and get your—”
    â€œAngus,” she cuts in. “It was me. I took the picture.”
    â€œYou?” I squeak out the word. “What? No. You drew the picture, but…”
    â€œShhh.” She reaches out and places her hand on my mouth. It’s as if she found my Off switch. Or maybe it’s more like she zapped me with a stun gun. I start tingling all over, and I can’t speak.
    Ella looks over her shoulder into the house and calls, “I’m going out on the porch.” And then she closes the door behind her and points toward a bench. “Can we sit down for a minute?”
    I nod. I sit. Ella sits on the opposite end of the bench. She looks down at her shoe toeing the bench leg and then says, “I have a confession to make.”
    And does she ever. It turns out her sketchbook was never stolen. She made the whole thing up so that she could spend time with me.
    â€œSeriously?” I ask.
    She bites her lower lip and nods. “I’m really sorry. It’s just that I like you, Angus. And I thought you might like me too. I tried for months to get a chance to talk to you. But every time I saw you, you were going the other way. When I finally did talk to you, that day the school got evacuated? I thought it went well. But then you had to take off and…” She shrugs.
    I’m speechless. All I can do is stare at her.
    Ella’s lower lip quivers in that fascinating way. “I don’t know what got into me. But when you said you were a mentalist and you wanted to solve crimes, I got this crazy idea.” She finally looks straight at me. “I’m sorry I lied to you. You probably despise liars.”
    I emit a sound. “Gack.”
    â€œPardon me?”
    I look down at my foot toeing the bench leg. I have an impulse to run away, but I’ve had enough running—in more ways than one. It’s time to confess. I start with, “Erm.” I progress to, “Uh,” and finish in a rush. “I’m a liar too.”
    Ella asks, “What do you mean?”
    â€œI mean I’m no mentalist. I can’t read people. I don’t have a clue what people are thinking. I don’t even know what I’m thinking sometimes.”
    Ella is quiet, and I risk a quick glance to see how she’s taking this. Her head is tilted to one side and, strangely enough, she’s wearing that little smile. “Go on,” she says.
    I find this encouraging. I draw a deep breath and basically barf up my next words. “I lied. I was trying to