them—we’ve gotta learn how to think like your dad did. Sort of diagonally. Sideways thinking.’ Boges demonstrated his point with his hands. ‘So, here’s what I reckon he was trying to tell us: this huge secret he was in the process of uncovering is something to do with history , a life-and-death riddle and someone in power—a king or a ruler, someone like Julius Caesar.’ He sat back. ‘And then there’s also something to do with a jewel—something you wear—that may or may not have been stolen from your dad’s suitcase, and a blackjack … or a 21 … It’s a bit lame, but it’s the best I can do right now.’
I threw a chip at him. ‘Someone in power. That really narrows it down. There’s only been about a trillion kings and rulers in history.’
Boges picked the chip off his shirt and ate it. ‘It could also just mean that your dad was stressing that discovering the truth about the Ormond Singularity was really important.’
‘That part I do get,’ I said, thinking again of the demented guy yelling out his warning on that hot December afternoon when it all began.
I sighed. Dad was certainly hiding things well. Putting the ‘M’ into the DMO.
‘The only other thing we can do at this stage,’ said Boges, ‘is call that Eric guy from your dad’s work and see if he knows anything at all about this from his time in Ireland—without giving too much away, of course.’
I took another bite of my fast-diminishing hamburger. ‘Yep, I’ll do that as soon as I can. Any luck on the words of the Ormond Riddle?’
‘No, nothing’s showing up.’
Nothing was making enough sense to me to matter. And I couldn’t stop thinking about my double. It wasn’t a surprise that it meant bad news.
‘So what else has been happening?’ I asked. ‘Anything from school? Any special valentines from Maddy?’
‘No,’ Boges laughed. ‘Maybe next year … You never know. All the guys at school are wondering where you are and what’s happened to you. They’re always asking me.’
It felt weird to know that everyone was talking about me.
‘Mr Addicot asked me more about you, too,’ said Boges, ‘like trying to suss out whether I knew anything about your whereabouts. I justplayed dumb.’ Boges grinned. ‘Believe me, my friend, playing dumb was hard. Very hard. Especially when I’ve been busting my brain applying for a scholarship to the robotics lab of the University of Pennsylvania.’
‘Pennsylvania, USA?’
‘Uh-huh. Their research lab’s been awarded millions of dollars in grants to develop robotic cockroaches.’
I gave him a kick under the table. ‘Weren’t the cockroaches at my dump good enough for you?’
‘Hey!’ He kicked me back.
Boges had finished eating his hamburger and was eyeing mine. ‘Hands off!’ I ordered. I pulled out my mobile phone and found the picture of the red-head I’d taken when I was perched up the tree.
‘This is who grabbed me off the street that night near Memorial Park,’ I said. ‘I tracked down the house they took me to. Somehow, we have to find out who she is.’
Boges snatched the phone from me, his expression startled. ‘How did you take this?’
‘Through an open window. I was up a tree at the time. I tried to zoom in as much as I could, but, you know, this phone isn’t that great. And, anyway,’ I said impatiently, ‘who is it? You know her?’
‘This chick was on the news last night. I’m sure of it.’
‘So who is she?’ I asked, hoping to find out how I seemed to recognise her without actually seeing her.
‘You’re up a tree, taking photos of this woman through a window while I’m watching the exact same person on TV? Man that is weird !’
TV ? I was starting to get annoyed at Boges, stringing me along, and I was about to tell him so when he finally said, ‘This woman is none other than Oriana de la Force, “the flame-haired leading criminal lawyer in the city”, as the journalist on the news described her
I threw a chip at him. ‘Someone in power. That really narrows it down. There’s only been about a trillion kings and rulers in history.’
Boges picked the chip off his shirt and ate it. ‘It could also just mean that your dad was stressing that discovering the truth about the Ormond Singularity was really important.’
‘That part I do get,’ I said, thinking again of the demented guy yelling out his warning on that hot December afternoon when it all began.
I sighed. Dad was certainly hiding things well. Putting the ‘M’ into the DMO.
‘The only other thing we can do at this stage,’ said Boges, ‘is call that Eric guy from your dad’s work and see if he knows anything at all about this from his time in Ireland—without giving too much away, of course.’
I took another bite of my fast-diminishing hamburger. ‘Yep, I’ll do that as soon as I can. Any luck on the words of the Ormond Riddle?’
‘No, nothing’s showing up.’
Nothing was making enough sense to me to matter. And I couldn’t stop thinking about my double. It wasn’t a surprise that it meant bad news.
‘So what else has been happening?’ I asked. ‘Anything from school? Any special valentines from Maddy?’
‘No,’ Boges laughed. ‘Maybe next year … You never know. All the guys at school are wondering where you are and what’s happened to you. They’re always asking me.’
It felt weird to know that everyone was talking about me.
‘Mr Addicot asked me more about you, too,’ said Boges, ‘like trying to suss out whether I knew anything about your whereabouts. I justplayed dumb.’ Boges grinned. ‘Believe me, my friend, playing dumb was hard. Very hard. Especially when I’ve been busting my brain applying for a scholarship to the robotics lab of the University of Pennsylvania.’
‘Pennsylvania, USA?’
‘Uh-huh. Their research lab’s been awarded millions of dollars in grants to develop robotic cockroaches.’
I gave him a kick under the table. ‘Weren’t the cockroaches at my dump good enough for you?’
‘Hey!’ He kicked me back.
Boges had finished eating his hamburger and was eyeing mine. ‘Hands off!’ I ordered. I pulled out my mobile phone and found the picture of the red-head I’d taken when I was perched up the tree.
‘This is who grabbed me off the street that night near Memorial Park,’ I said. ‘I tracked down the house they took me to. Somehow, we have to find out who she is.’
Boges snatched the phone from me, his expression startled. ‘How did you take this?’
‘Through an open window. I was up a tree at the time. I tried to zoom in as much as I could, but, you know, this phone isn’t that great. And, anyway,’ I said impatiently, ‘who is it? You know her?’
‘This chick was on the news last night. I’m sure of it.’
‘So who is she?’ I asked, hoping to find out how I seemed to recognise her without actually seeing her.
‘You’re up a tree, taking photos of this woman through a window while I’m watching the exact same person on TV? Man that is weird !’
TV ? I was starting to get annoyed at Boges, stringing me along, and I was about to tell him so when he finally said, ‘This woman is none other than Oriana de la Force, “the flame-haired leading criminal lawyer in the city”, as the journalist on the news described her
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