door closed behind her.
"Now where were we?" said Balthazar Boa. "Oh, yesss. You were about to give me the egg."
His coils tightened even more, crushing all the air from my chest.
My sides ached. My head began to pound like King Kong playing a jungle drum solo.
Must breathe,
said my lungs, but I had no answer for them.
"Take it from him," said the snake.
Through my dimming vision, the iguana clowns
sauntered forward. They took the Flubberjee Egg, easy as slurping mosquito larva from a barrel.
"
Ugh!
" I choked out.
The world was growing darker, darker. Then, in the midst of the darkness, a light!
Was I passing over to the Other Side?
Was this the end of Chet Gecko?
18. Fair and Square
"Drop that lizard!" a voice growled.
Apparently the spirits on the Other Side sounded just like Big Fat Zero.
I squinted into the light.
The principal stood in the doorway, flanked by two cops and a mockingbird. "Do it now!" he snapped.
The coils relaxed. I sagged to my knees.
Air rushed into my lungs like preschoolers into a pool party. I sucked in one breath, then another. Oxygen had never tasted so goodâbetter than a triple-decker centipede brownie cake with banana-slug icing.
"Took you ... long enough," I rasped.
Natalie rushed to my side. "Easy, partner."
"Nice delaying action, Gecko," said Principal Zero, padding forward.
"Had him right... where I wanted him," I said.
The cops took the jeweled egg from Squinchy Eye and Nose Ring, and then slapped the handcuffs on them.
But they'd forgotten about one crook.
"You'll never catch me, coppersss!" Balthazar Boa snarled. He slithered for the tent pole and began to climb.
Bzzzzkt!
Thump!
An electric shock from a flatfoot's stun gun dropped the big snake back to earth.
While the cops rolled the boa up like a fire hose and bound him with duct tape, Principal Zero grilled the iguanas. They sang like a boy bandâa boy band full of ugly criminals made up to look like Bozo.
Turns out, Balthazar Boa had put together a slick little theft ring at Emerson Hicky. A half-dozen sixth-grade thieves lifted the loot, which they then passed to Luz by smooching. Since she could go anywhere unchallenged, the hall monitor carried the goods in her puffy cheeks all the way to the boa's tree.
"What about the computers?" said Mr. Zero.
"They was too 'eavy," said Nose Ring. "So we nicked 'em at night."
Something was bugging me. "But how did you get into the classrooms in the first place?" I asked.
"The janitor," said Squinchy Eye.
Natalie gasped. "Not Maureen DeBree!"
"Nah," said Nose Ring. "The rabbit."
"She unlocked the classrooms; we gave her some dough for her family," said Squinchy Eye. He shook his head. "Shoot. And it was such a sweet setup."
"Tell it to the judge," said Principal Zero.
The cops started to lead the deflated-looking iguanas away.
"Wait," I said, walking up to Nose Ring. "Those pearls don't match your outfit." I unclasped the necklace and pocketed it.
He sulked. "That's no way to treat a lady."
The flatfoots marched their captives out, rolling the coiled snake between them like a floppy wheel.
Outside the tent, the fair was still in full swing. Kids munched cotton-candy dragonflies, played ringtoss, dunked teachers, and gabbed with friends. They had no clue what had gone down inside the big tent.
A detective's job is a thankless one.
Principal Zero clapped his paws onto Natalie's and my shoulders. "Good work, private eyes. You deserve a reward."
Well, maybe not
entirely
thankless.
"That's not necessary, sir," said Natalie.
I elbowed her. "Now, now. Don't insult our principal."
The huge cat steered us over to the refreshment booth and plunked a bill onto the counter. My eyes grew big at the sight of cotton candy, butterscotch sweat bees, horsefly pie, and candied apple worms.
"How about a firm handshake and a warm soda?" said Mr. Zero.
He shook hands with each of us and bought us drinks.
"Uh, how about that free pass for the next three times I
"Now where were we?" said Balthazar Boa. "Oh, yesss. You were about to give me the egg."
His coils tightened even more, crushing all the air from my chest.
My sides ached. My head began to pound like King Kong playing a jungle drum solo.
Must breathe,
said my lungs, but I had no answer for them.
"Take it from him," said the snake.
Through my dimming vision, the iguana clowns
sauntered forward. They took the Flubberjee Egg, easy as slurping mosquito larva from a barrel.
"
Ugh!
" I choked out.
The world was growing darker, darker. Then, in the midst of the darkness, a light!
Was I passing over to the Other Side?
Was this the end of Chet Gecko?
18. Fair and Square
"Drop that lizard!" a voice growled.
Apparently the spirits on the Other Side sounded just like Big Fat Zero.
I squinted into the light.
The principal stood in the doorway, flanked by two cops and a mockingbird. "Do it now!" he snapped.
The coils relaxed. I sagged to my knees.
Air rushed into my lungs like preschoolers into a pool party. I sucked in one breath, then another. Oxygen had never tasted so goodâbetter than a triple-decker centipede brownie cake with banana-slug icing.
"Took you ... long enough," I rasped.
Natalie rushed to my side. "Easy, partner."
"Nice delaying action, Gecko," said Principal Zero, padding forward.
"Had him right... where I wanted him," I said.
The cops took the jeweled egg from Squinchy Eye and Nose Ring, and then slapped the handcuffs on them.
But they'd forgotten about one crook.
"You'll never catch me, coppersss!" Balthazar Boa snarled. He slithered for the tent pole and began to climb.
Bzzzzkt!
Thump!
An electric shock from a flatfoot's stun gun dropped the big snake back to earth.
While the cops rolled the boa up like a fire hose and bound him with duct tape, Principal Zero grilled the iguanas. They sang like a boy bandâa boy band full of ugly criminals made up to look like Bozo.
Turns out, Balthazar Boa had put together a slick little theft ring at Emerson Hicky. A half-dozen sixth-grade thieves lifted the loot, which they then passed to Luz by smooching. Since she could go anywhere unchallenged, the hall monitor carried the goods in her puffy cheeks all the way to the boa's tree.
"What about the computers?" said Mr. Zero.
"They was too 'eavy," said Nose Ring. "So we nicked 'em at night."
Something was bugging me. "But how did you get into the classrooms in the first place?" I asked.
"The janitor," said Squinchy Eye.
Natalie gasped. "Not Maureen DeBree!"
"Nah," said Nose Ring. "The rabbit."
"She unlocked the classrooms; we gave her some dough for her family," said Squinchy Eye. He shook his head. "Shoot. And it was such a sweet setup."
"Tell it to the judge," said Principal Zero.
The cops started to lead the deflated-looking iguanas away.
"Wait," I said, walking up to Nose Ring. "Those pearls don't match your outfit." I unclasped the necklace and pocketed it.
He sulked. "That's no way to treat a lady."
The flatfoots marched their captives out, rolling the coiled snake between them like a floppy wheel.
Outside the tent, the fair was still in full swing. Kids munched cotton-candy dragonflies, played ringtoss, dunked teachers, and gabbed with friends. They had no clue what had gone down inside the big tent.
A detective's job is a thankless one.
Principal Zero clapped his paws onto Natalie's and my shoulders. "Good work, private eyes. You deserve a reward."
Well, maybe not
entirely
thankless.
"That's not necessary, sir," said Natalie.
I elbowed her. "Now, now. Don't insult our principal."
The huge cat steered us over to the refreshment booth and plunked a bill onto the counter. My eyes grew big at the sight of cotton candy, butterscotch sweat bees, horsefly pie, and candied apple worms.
"How about a firm handshake and a warm soda?" said Mr. Zero.
He shook hands with each of us and bought us drinks.
"Uh, how about that free pass for the next three times I
Similar Books
