Read Online Double Vision by F. T. Bradley - Free Book Online

write the information down. I’d just gotten a freebie lead. This was awesome!
    I smiled as I folded the piece of paper. Who knew, maybe Ben really had beaten me—maybe the coat was in the package! I could swoop in and steal the victory right from under his nose.
    Then I jumped as my phone rang again. Unknown Caller. What if Hans figured out he wasn’t calling Ben but really me?
    I hesitated for a second. But answered anyway. “Hello?”
    â€œLinc! It’s Amy.” She sounded so excited.
    â€œAmy. How did you even get this number?”
    â€œJeez, nice to talk to you, too. Earlier today, I took your phone and looked.”
    â€œYou stole my phone?”
    â€œ Bor-rowed. And only long enough to get your number,” she went on, like swiping a friend’s phone was no big deal. “Did you wash the crab stink off?” she asked.
    â€œSort of.” Not really, to tell you the truth.
    â€œYou wanna come for dinner?”
    â€œAt the White House?”
    Amy laughed. “Yeah. We do eat here, you know. And it’s Tuesday,” she said, like that explained everything.
    â€œWhat happens on Tuesday?”
    â€œYou’ll see. Will you come?”
    Since I’m always up for a free meal, I agreed. “Dinner at the White House. Sounds awesome.” But then I remembered Ben’s package. Nine thirty—I should be done with dinner by then, no sweat.
    â€œI’ll have them send a car to pick you up,” Amy said.
    After I put on my least wrinkly shirt, I hurried down to the lobby, not paying much attention to anything.
    But I do remember feeling those goose bumps, the kind you get when someone’s watching you. And I saw a cleaning lady wearing a hairnet, getting on the elevator just as I got off. I should have looked closer. Looked at her face. Spotted theloose strand of brown hair. I might’ve made the connection.
    But I saw the big black SUV out front waiting for me. So I buttoned up my coat and forgot about that tiny alarm bell going off inside my head.
    I mean, I was having dinner at the White House. Who had time to be paranoid?

16
TUESDAY, 6:45 P.M.
    STEVE PICKED ME UP, WHICH WAS PRETTY awkward. For most of the drive, he kept rambling on about how hard it was to be on Amy’s detail.
    â€œShe keeps disappearing, and then when I find her, she acts like it was my fault.”
    â€œUh-huh.”
    â€œIf Amy tells the story her way to her mom, I’m out of a job.” He continued talking, but I tuned him out after a few minutes. I couldn’t stop thinking about what was inside Ben’s box. What if it was the coat? Or maybe it was a piece of the puzzle I could use to beat him to the coat. I could almost imagine holding the Dangerous Double and handing it to the president. She would thank me, and maybe I’d get thatPresidential Medal of Freedom. . . .
    â€œBen! We’re here,” Steve said, stirring me from my thoughts. He’d pulled up at the north end of the White House, under the portico I’d seen from the West Wing that morning.
    â€œI guess I get the royal treatment for dinner, huh?” I joked, but Steve just gave me a blank stare. The guy had no sense of humor.
    Amy was waiting by the door when I got out. No red wig this time—just her own mop of blond curls, which looked much better on her. “Thanks for coming!” she said over her shoulder. I followed her inside as Steve went to park the car. “You’re lucky that it’s Tuesday.”
    â€œWhy’s that?”
    â€œTaco Tuesday, of course!” Amy acted like I was so dumb for not getting that.
    â€œI know about Taco Tuesday. I just didn’t picture your family, you know, eating normal food.” This was the president we’re talking about, come on. Tacos were more for the Baker family.
    â€œThis is the Entrance Hall,” Amy said with pride. “We’re on the state floor now.” We were in a big