distraction specialist
Mission: Providing audio cover (barking) .
This plan is dedicated to our friend Griffin Bing, who never let us down .
“What do you think?” Ben asked anxiously.
“A stakeout!” Griffin’s eyes were alight with excitement. “It’s so simple that it’s brilliant! We know he’s got the ring. All we have to do is watch him. He’s bound to make a mistake. I just wish I could be there with you.”
Melissa stepped forward. “Show me your computer. I can stream the whole stakeout to you live. You’ll see what we see.”
“That’s awesome!” Griffin crowed. “You only left one thing out — when?”
Savannah cradled Cleopatra lovingly. “No time like the present. My parents are going out to dinner. We set up tonight.”
12
T he command center was dusty and unfinished, with a plywood floor and exposed beams on the walls. The attic was jam-packed with boxes, luggage, and an amazing amount of sporting equipment — tents, kayaks, Coleman stoves. The Drysdales had been big-time campers before their daughter’s growing collection of animals kept them tethered to home for all but the occasional overnight.
The low ceiling slanted downward with the A-line of the roof, meeting the baseboard everywhere except at a single dormer window. It looked out over the street and — more important — the Egan home.
Ben crouched on the floor, wrapping duct tape around the broken leg of a camera tripod. The long telephoto lens loomed over him, peering out thedormer. It was focused on the principal’s living room window, waiting to capture a glimpse of the stolen Super Bowl ring for Judge Koretsky.
Suddenly, he felt hot breath on the back of his neck. He looked up to find himself staring into Luthor’s gaping mouth from point-blank range.
With a wheeze, he leaped to his feet.
Wham!
His head slammed into the sloping ceiling with such force that Ferret Face popped out of his shirt. The small weasel-like creature was already running when he hit the floor. He skittered across the plywood and disappeared up the leg of Logan’s jeans.
“Hey!” Logan began to shake his leg wildly until the ferret abandoned his pants and scrambled back to Ben.
Pitch grinned. “I thought you were just an actor. I didn’t know you could dance, too.”
“Big joke.” Logan was insulted. “I’m preparing for a complex and challenging role.”
“What’s so challenging?” asked Savannah. “All you have to do is make friends with Egan’s daughter to see if you can find out where her dad stashed the ring.”
“But I’m
not
friends with Egan’s daughter,” Logan lectured. “I have to get in character. It takesconcentration — which you can’t do when you’re being attacked by a wild animal!” He glowered at the ferret in Ben’s hands.
“Speaking of wild animals” — Pitch turned to Savannah — “how’s your little rodent problem? I don’t do rats.”
“Oh, that’s all over — I hope,” Savannah assured her. “We haven’t seen him in a while. Although he could pop back up at any time. Luthor’s on the lookout!”
“Hang on, you guys —” Melissa was pounding the keyboard of one of the three networked laptops that were the brains of Operation Stakeout. “Just a few more seconds … there!” She clicked the mouse, and Griffin’s face appeared on the center screen.
There was applause in the attic.
Melissa did not join the celebration. Where computers were concerned, she was all business. “Are you with us?”
“I can see you guys,” Griffin’s tinny voice came through the speaker, “but how will I be able to check out what’s going on at Dr. Evil’s place?”
“I’ll set up a split screen so you can follow the remote cameras once they’re online,” Melissa assured him.
“I’d give anything to be there with you guys,” Griffin said wanly.
“You might want to rethink that,” advised Ben as a droplet of dog drool landed on his sneaker.
Pitch fidgeted with the nervous
Mission: Providing audio cover (barking) .
This plan is dedicated to our friend Griffin Bing, who never let us down .
“What do you think?” Ben asked anxiously.
“A stakeout!” Griffin’s eyes were alight with excitement. “It’s so simple that it’s brilliant! We know he’s got the ring. All we have to do is watch him. He’s bound to make a mistake. I just wish I could be there with you.”
Melissa stepped forward. “Show me your computer. I can stream the whole stakeout to you live. You’ll see what we see.”
“That’s awesome!” Griffin crowed. “You only left one thing out — when?”
Savannah cradled Cleopatra lovingly. “No time like the present. My parents are going out to dinner. We set up tonight.”
12
T he command center was dusty and unfinished, with a plywood floor and exposed beams on the walls. The attic was jam-packed with boxes, luggage, and an amazing amount of sporting equipment — tents, kayaks, Coleman stoves. The Drysdales had been big-time campers before their daughter’s growing collection of animals kept them tethered to home for all but the occasional overnight.
The low ceiling slanted downward with the A-line of the roof, meeting the baseboard everywhere except at a single dormer window. It looked out over the street and — more important — the Egan home.
Ben crouched on the floor, wrapping duct tape around the broken leg of a camera tripod. The long telephoto lens loomed over him, peering out thedormer. It was focused on the principal’s living room window, waiting to capture a glimpse of the stolen Super Bowl ring for Judge Koretsky.
Suddenly, he felt hot breath on the back of his neck. He looked up to find himself staring into Luthor’s gaping mouth from point-blank range.
With a wheeze, he leaped to his feet.
Wham!
His head slammed into the sloping ceiling with such force that Ferret Face popped out of his shirt. The small weasel-like creature was already running when he hit the floor. He skittered across the plywood and disappeared up the leg of Logan’s jeans.
“Hey!” Logan began to shake his leg wildly until the ferret abandoned his pants and scrambled back to Ben.
Pitch grinned. “I thought you were just an actor. I didn’t know you could dance, too.”
“Big joke.” Logan was insulted. “I’m preparing for a complex and challenging role.”
“What’s so challenging?” asked Savannah. “All you have to do is make friends with Egan’s daughter to see if you can find out where her dad stashed the ring.”
“But I’m
not
friends with Egan’s daughter,” Logan lectured. “I have to get in character. It takesconcentration — which you can’t do when you’re being attacked by a wild animal!” He glowered at the ferret in Ben’s hands.
“Speaking of wild animals” — Pitch turned to Savannah — “how’s your little rodent problem? I don’t do rats.”
“Oh, that’s all over — I hope,” Savannah assured her. “We haven’t seen him in a while. Although he could pop back up at any time. Luthor’s on the lookout!”
“Hang on, you guys —” Melissa was pounding the keyboard of one of the three networked laptops that were the brains of Operation Stakeout. “Just a few more seconds … there!” She clicked the mouse, and Griffin’s face appeared on the center screen.
There was applause in the attic.
Melissa did not join the celebration. Where computers were concerned, she was all business. “Are you with us?”
“I can see you guys,” Griffin’s tinny voice came through the speaker, “but how will I be able to check out what’s going on at Dr. Evil’s place?”
“I’ll set up a split screen so you can follow the remote cameras once they’re online,” Melissa assured him.
“I’d give anything to be there with you guys,” Griffin said wanly.
“You might want to rethink that,” advised Ben as a droplet of dog drool landed on his sneaker.
Pitch fidgeted with the nervous
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