supposed to be here soon.”
Armand was going to be here! My heart started to beat a little faster and I glanced toward the closed door of my French classroom. There was no way that my parents and Armand could see each other, not if I had anything to say about it. They would probably try to usurp the whole mission, and I wasn’t about to surrender my very first assignment. Not yet, anyway.
“Do you know what you’re doing?” Jesse said after I started to spin the dial back and forth, trying to feel the catch of the wheel.
“I picked up this talent in middle school,” I replied. “My locker was always busted. What’s the combo?”
“24-37-2.”
“Easy enough.” I spun it a few times, then felt the wheel catch on a 3. “I think it’s actually 24-37-3.”
“No, it’s not. The locker assignment said …”
I popped it open. “It’s three,” I said. “Trust me.”
“Wow.” He looked at the lock, then back at me. “That explains why I can never get it open.”
“You’re welcome,” I said.
“Sorry. Thanks. Thank you, that was awesome.”
I shrugged. “Like I said, easy enough.” Down the hall, the double doors swung open and I saw a dark-haired man heading toward us. He had the same build as Jesse and looked to be about the same height.
I didn’t need a dossier picture to know that it was Armand.
“Well, see you around,” I told Jesse, starting to walk backward. “Good luck with the conference. Hope you’re not failing calculus.”
He looked at me oddly. “I am failing calculus. How did you—?”
But I was already around the corner, ducking behind another row of lockers. “Stupid!” I whispered to myself. Why didn’t I just tell Jesse that I knew his entire school transcript? I had never tripped myself up like that before.
“Is Mom here?” I heard Jesse ask, and I pressed myself against the wall and tried to be as small as possible.
There was a pause before Armand said, “No,” and an even longer pause before he said, “I’m sorry.”
Where was Mrs. Oliver? As far as the dossier knew, they were still married. Was she out of town?
“It’s cool,” Jesse said, and I didn’t have to see his face toknow how disappointed he was. He was the aural equivalent of a kicked puppy.
“I’ll e-mail her an update,” Armand said. His voice was deep but not all villain-y. “I’m sure she’ll appreciate it. I’ll send it as soon as I get home.”
“No, don’t do that,” Jesse said. “If she wanted to know, she’d be there.”
“Son, I’m sure she—”
“Forget it. C’mon, you’re late.”
Armand sounded way nicer than I had imagined. I don’t know why I had pictured some gruff guy sitting behind a computer and chomping on a cigar, but it was clear that he was trying to make Jesse feel better about his absent mom.
I was tempted to follow Jesse and find out more, but I heard the door to the French classroom open and I hustled over as fast as I could. My French is so bad that I couldn’t tell what my parents or Monsieur McPhulty were discussing, but it sounded like they were long-lost friends by this point.
“Hey,” I said brightly. “How’d it go? Am I expelled?”
“Hardly,” my mom said.
“We should go,” I said. “Right now. Thanks Mr.—I mean, Monsieur—McPhulty.”
“En français, s’il vous plaît.”
Oh, brother.
“ Bonjour . I mean, merci . Shoot, I mean, au revoir .” I was so eager to get my parents out of there before they accidentally ran into Armand that I would have had better luck speaking Swedish.
“What is wrong with you?” my dad whispered as soonas we rounded the corner. “Did someone phone in a bomb threat?”
“Worse. Armand is here.”
“Did he see you?” both of my parents asked at the same time.
“No, but it was close. C’mon, let’s go.”
“That garden,” my mom said as we hurried out of the building, “really is just darling .”
Chapter 6
It took me nearly an hour to find Roux after school the
Armand was going to be here! My heart started to beat a little faster and I glanced toward the closed door of my French classroom. There was no way that my parents and Armand could see each other, not if I had anything to say about it. They would probably try to usurp the whole mission, and I wasn’t about to surrender my very first assignment. Not yet, anyway.
“Do you know what you’re doing?” Jesse said after I started to spin the dial back and forth, trying to feel the catch of the wheel.
“I picked up this talent in middle school,” I replied. “My locker was always busted. What’s the combo?”
“24-37-2.”
“Easy enough.” I spun it a few times, then felt the wheel catch on a 3. “I think it’s actually 24-37-3.”
“No, it’s not. The locker assignment said …”
I popped it open. “It’s three,” I said. “Trust me.”
“Wow.” He looked at the lock, then back at me. “That explains why I can never get it open.”
“You’re welcome,” I said.
“Sorry. Thanks. Thank you, that was awesome.”
I shrugged. “Like I said, easy enough.” Down the hall, the double doors swung open and I saw a dark-haired man heading toward us. He had the same build as Jesse and looked to be about the same height.
I didn’t need a dossier picture to know that it was Armand.
“Well, see you around,” I told Jesse, starting to walk backward. “Good luck with the conference. Hope you’re not failing calculus.”
He looked at me oddly. “I am failing calculus. How did you—?”
But I was already around the corner, ducking behind another row of lockers. “Stupid!” I whispered to myself. Why didn’t I just tell Jesse that I knew his entire school transcript? I had never tripped myself up like that before.
“Is Mom here?” I heard Jesse ask, and I pressed myself against the wall and tried to be as small as possible.
There was a pause before Armand said, “No,” and an even longer pause before he said, “I’m sorry.”
Where was Mrs. Oliver? As far as the dossier knew, they were still married. Was she out of town?
“It’s cool,” Jesse said, and I didn’t have to see his face toknow how disappointed he was. He was the aural equivalent of a kicked puppy.
“I’ll e-mail her an update,” Armand said. His voice was deep but not all villain-y. “I’m sure she’ll appreciate it. I’ll send it as soon as I get home.”
“No, don’t do that,” Jesse said. “If she wanted to know, she’d be there.”
“Son, I’m sure she—”
“Forget it. C’mon, you’re late.”
Armand sounded way nicer than I had imagined. I don’t know why I had pictured some gruff guy sitting behind a computer and chomping on a cigar, but it was clear that he was trying to make Jesse feel better about his absent mom.
I was tempted to follow Jesse and find out more, but I heard the door to the French classroom open and I hustled over as fast as I could. My French is so bad that I couldn’t tell what my parents or Monsieur McPhulty were discussing, but it sounded like they were long-lost friends by this point.
“Hey,” I said brightly. “How’d it go? Am I expelled?”
“Hardly,” my mom said.
“We should go,” I said. “Right now. Thanks Mr.—I mean, Monsieur—McPhulty.”
“En français, s’il vous plaît.”
Oh, brother.
“ Bonjour . I mean, merci . Shoot, I mean, au revoir .” I was so eager to get my parents out of there before they accidentally ran into Armand that I would have had better luck speaking Swedish.
“What is wrong with you?” my dad whispered as soonas we rounded the corner. “Did someone phone in a bomb threat?”
“Worse. Armand is here.”
“Did he see you?” both of my parents asked at the same time.
“No, but it was close. C’mon, let’s go.”
“That garden,” my mom said as we hurried out of the building, “really is just darling .”
Chapter 6
It took me nearly an hour to find Roux after school the
Similar Books
