Read Online The 39 Clues Book 7: The Viper's Nest by Peter Lerangis - Free Book Online
Authors: Peter Lerangis
Tags: Fiction, General, Historical, Children's Books, Action & Adventure, Family, Juvenile Fiction, Action & Adventure - General, YA), Children's Fiction, Ages 9-12 Fiction, Orphans, Brothers and sisters, Other, Children's stories, Children: Grades 4-6, Adventure stories (Children's, Code and Cipher Stories, Orphans & Foster Homes, Mysteries; Espionage; & Detective Stories, Family - Siblings, Juvenile Mysteries, Ciphers, Historical - Ancient Civilizations, Historical - Other, Family & home stories (Children's, Cahill; Dan (Fictitious character), Cahill; Amy (Fictitious character)
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if instead of a simple substitution code you, like, replace each consonant with the next consonant, and each vowel with the next vowel? Like, B becomes C but I becomes O?"
"You, too?" Nellie said.
Dan began writing again:
CONSTITUTION HILL #4
"Bingo!" Amy exclaimed. She leafed through pamphlets she had stashed in the glove compartment. "Constitution Hill... it's a region in Johannesburg. The site of an old jail. Number Four must be an address."
"Johannesburg?" Nellie said. "I thought we were marching to Pretoria!"
"Don't forget the other Gekk name," Dan said.
Quickly, he decoded it, using Amy's method:
CHURCH HILL
"'Church Hill'--find that!" Dan said.
Amy shook her head. "Nope. No such place. We'll need to get a better map. But at least we have a start. Okay, Nellie, we have to go back in the direction of the airport, toward Johannesburg!"
"What if Church Hill is the thing that's in Pretoria?" Dan said. "I mean, we're here already!"
Nellie slammed on the brakes and glided into a
73
turnoff at the edge of the road. "Whoa, whoa, guys. I've been stunt-driving in a Yugo, running from Holts, diss-ing old men, and barely avoiding death by goat. I'm, like, ready to drop. I will take you wherever you want, but I want to finish what I started with Amy--and I get to pick where we stay, okay? I say, hotel. And I say, book it now or we sleep in the car." She reached into her pocket. "Do either one of you guys have my cell phone?"
"Nope," Amy and Dan said at the same time.
Nellie looked on the floor, then in the glove compartment. "Weird. I had it back on that field."
"The Holts are probably kicking it through the goal post," Dan said.
"Uh, dude," Nellie said. "This is no joke. I have to have that phone."
"The phone company has your stuff saved online," Dan said, "with all your boyfriends' numbers --"
"Not funny," Nellie said. "You don't get it! I need that phone!"
Dan gave Amy a look. This was not Normal Nellie.
"Now who's got a problem with anger management?" Amy said quietly.
Nellie took a deep breath and hung her head over the steering wheel. "Okay. Sorry. I'm losing my head. May I use your phone, Amy?"
Amy handed over her phone. As Nellie made her call, Dan pulled out his and quickly accessed his e-mail account. He stared at the most recent message:
74
we won. 10-7.
ilikeike
"Hey, Amy," Dan said, showing the screen to his sister. "Do we know anyone with this name?"
"Ilikeike ..." Amy shrugged. "Looks Hawaiian." Dan typed back:
um, gr8. who ru?
A moment later the response came:
meat 100 m n of BOOM on P Kruger or tacoman go BOOM
ilikeike
"It's a wrong number," Dan said.
"Wait," Amy said. "It's not Hawaiian. I like Ike was a presidential campaign slogan from the 1950s!"
"Historical facts make me quiver with excitement," Dan said.
"For President Dwight David Eisenhower!" Amy said.
Eisenhower.
Dan stared at the screen. "'Tacoman' ... but Uncle Alistair was burritos ... yup, that would be something Eisenhower would write."
"Exactly!" Amy said. "And I'm thinking m-e-a-t is supposed to be m-e-e-t. He wants us to meet him --or something bad is going to happen to Uncle Alistair."
"Guys, what if this is a trap?" Dan asked.
"What if it's not?" Amy replied. "Think about it, Dan.
75
The Holts found Alistair on that hilltop after we left. If he was working with them, they'd be mad at him, because he didn't deliver us. If he wasn't working with them, they'd be just as mad to find him interfering."
"We can't just ignore this," Nellie said.
"Yes, we can," Amy blurted. "Why do we have to run all over a strange country and risk our own lives? Why do we owe Alistair anything?"
Dan glanced at his sister uneasily. "Amy...? I know you don't really mean that, right?"
His sister turned away, her face red. She took a breath and murmured something he took to mean yes.
"Okay ..." Dan nodded. "'One hundred m n' ... that's one hundred meters north of--what's Boom?" He grabbed Amy's map of Pretoria. On the right side
"You, too?" Nellie said.
Dan began writing again:
CONSTITUTION HILL #4
"Bingo!" Amy exclaimed. She leafed through pamphlets she had stashed in the glove compartment. "Constitution Hill... it's a region in Johannesburg. The site of an old jail. Number Four must be an address."
"Johannesburg?" Nellie said. "I thought we were marching to Pretoria!"
"Don't forget the other Gekk name," Dan said.
Quickly, he decoded it, using Amy's method:
CHURCH HILL
"'Church Hill'--find that!" Dan said.
Amy shook her head. "Nope. No such place. We'll need to get a better map. But at least we have a start. Okay, Nellie, we have to go back in the direction of the airport, toward Johannesburg!"
"What if Church Hill is the thing that's in Pretoria?" Dan said. "I mean, we're here already!"
Nellie slammed on the brakes and glided into a
73
turnoff at the edge of the road. "Whoa, whoa, guys. I've been stunt-driving in a Yugo, running from Holts, diss-ing old men, and barely avoiding death by goat. I'm, like, ready to drop. I will take you wherever you want, but I want to finish what I started with Amy--and I get to pick where we stay, okay? I say, hotel. And I say, book it now or we sleep in the car." She reached into her pocket. "Do either one of you guys have my cell phone?"
"Nope," Amy and Dan said at the same time.
Nellie looked on the floor, then in the glove compartment. "Weird. I had it back on that field."
"The Holts are probably kicking it through the goal post," Dan said.
"Uh, dude," Nellie said. "This is no joke. I have to have that phone."
"The phone company has your stuff saved online," Dan said, "with all your boyfriends' numbers --"
"Not funny," Nellie said. "You don't get it! I need that phone!"
Dan gave Amy a look. This was not Normal Nellie.
"Now who's got a problem with anger management?" Amy said quietly.
Nellie took a deep breath and hung her head over the steering wheel. "Okay. Sorry. I'm losing my head. May I use your phone, Amy?"
Amy handed over her phone. As Nellie made her call, Dan pulled out his and quickly accessed his e-mail account. He stared at the most recent message:
74
we won. 10-7.
ilikeike
"Hey, Amy," Dan said, showing the screen to his sister. "Do we know anyone with this name?"
"Ilikeike ..." Amy shrugged. "Looks Hawaiian." Dan typed back:
um, gr8. who ru?
A moment later the response came:
meat 100 m n of BOOM on P Kruger or tacoman go BOOM
ilikeike
"It's a wrong number," Dan said.
"Wait," Amy said. "It's not Hawaiian. I like Ike was a presidential campaign slogan from the 1950s!"
"Historical facts make me quiver with excitement," Dan said.
"For President Dwight David Eisenhower!" Amy said.
Eisenhower.
Dan stared at the screen. "'Tacoman' ... but Uncle Alistair was burritos ... yup, that would be something Eisenhower would write."
"Exactly!" Amy said. "And I'm thinking m-e-a-t is supposed to be m-e-e-t. He wants us to meet him --or something bad is going to happen to Uncle Alistair."
"Guys, what if this is a trap?" Dan asked.
"What if it's not?" Amy replied. "Think about it, Dan.
75
The Holts found Alistair on that hilltop after we left. If he was working with them, they'd be mad at him, because he didn't deliver us. If he wasn't working with them, they'd be just as mad to find him interfering."
"We can't just ignore this," Nellie said.
"Yes, we can," Amy blurted. "Why do we have to run all over a strange country and risk our own lives? Why do we owe Alistair anything?"
Dan glanced at his sister uneasily. "Amy...? I know you don't really mean that, right?"
His sister turned away, her face red. She took a breath and murmured something he took to mean yes.
"Okay ..." Dan nodded. "'One hundred m n' ... that's one hundred meters north of--what's Boom?" He grabbed Amy's map of Pretoria. On the right side
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