donât understand why no one knows about the painting yet. I mean, thereâs a gap on the wall where it used to hang. Anyone walking by would see that itâs missing, wouldnât they?â Maddie asked.
Miss Julia guided them through the crowd and toward the front doors, away from the concert.
Miaâs face lit up. âI know! We should go look for ourselves. Maybe the man wasnât a thief at all. If the painting is back on the wall, we wouldnât have to worry.â
âDo you think we could?â Maddie asked.
âMiss Julia, can we go upstairs and look at Maddieâs painting before we go?â
Miss Julia checked her watch. âWith all of this running around, itâs already six oâclock. Your momâs concert is in an hour. We need to get you back to the hotel and change clothes. And we need to eat dinner. Iâm sure weâll be late as it is.â
âPlease, canât we just go look? Quickly?â Mia asked. âMaddie is really worried.â
Miss Julia looked as though she was considering allowing them, but then she shook her head. âGirls, like the director said, this isnât your problem to solve. If a painting is truly missing, we need to let the museum deal with the situation. Anyway, Iâm pretty sure there are alarms and other ways for the staff to know if a painting goes missing. You must have misunderstood what you saw.â
Mia put an arm around Maddie and gave her a quick squeeze. âIâm sorry, Maddie. I tried.â
âCan I have a bologna sandwich for dinner?â Lulu asked, bouncing up and down on her toes.
âWeâll see whatâs on the room service menu,â Miss Julia said.
Maddie dragged her feet the whole way out of the museum. Down the steps they went, and out into the wind-blown square. Flags snapped overhead.
A swift blast of wind caught Miss Juliaâs hat and blew it halfway into the square. They chased after it as it skittered along just out of reach.
âWow, this wind!â Miss Julia said, after sheâd jammed the hat back onto her head.
âCome on, Maddie, donât be upset.â Mia gave Maddie another concerned look. âThe cello will be fine.â
Maddie opened her mouth to argue that the cello wasnât the point, the painting was, when something caught her eye. Rather, someone.
She squinted, her heartbeat speeding up. âI think . . .â
âWhat?â Mia asked.
âThe thief! He was wearing a brown jacket with elbow patches, and he had gray streaks in his hair near his ears. And he wore glasses, the kind with the thin rims, right?â
âYes . . .â Mia said.
âWell, I think thatâs him!â Maddie said, pointing. âAnd he has a package under his arm. A package the size of a painting. Look, Mia!â
Mia stood on her tiptoes, trying to see over peopleâs heads. âI donât see him.â
âOver there, just past the lion, leaving the square.â Maddie was practically shouting now, willing Mia to see what she was seeing.
âI donâtââ Mia began.
Maddie took off running, not waiting to hear the rest.
âMaddie Glimmer!â Miss Julia shouted, using the kind of voice that makes a person stop in her tracks.
Maddie stopped, but only after battling with herself about whether she should. Sheâd lost sight of the man. And even if she did spot him, like the director said, what would she do if she caught him, anyway?
Miss Julia took Maddieâs hand with a firm grip. âMaddie, you know better than to run off. You all do. I realize youâre excited, but I need for youâall of youâto make better choices.â
âDid I make good choices today?â Lulu asked.
âMostly,â Miss Julia said, raising a stern eyebrow before relenting and breaking into a smile.
âIf there had been a thief, I bet we could have caught him,â Lulu said. âRemember
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