Read Online The 39 Clues Book 7: The Viper's Nest by Peter Lerangis - Free Book Online Page B
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)
Ads: Link
Pretoria," Nellie corrected.
"My husb --er, we bungled the flight booking," Mary-Todd said. "The two choices were so close on the drop-down menu. You see, by getting it wrong, we got it right."
"You found us by mistake?" Amy said. She glanced at Dan, but he was staring intently ahead, as if hypnotized by something.
"Who are you here to meet?" Eisenhower demanded.
"Reagan did some research?" Madison said, parking her gum under her tongue. "She found out that the Tomas have a clue? It has something to do with some South African tribe?"
79
"But if it's a Tomas clue, don't you know it?" Dan asked.
"You little brat," Eisenhower said. "Just like the others. Laughing at us. Looking down their noses. Cutting us off from the family secrets."
"Sweet pea ..." Mary-Todd said. "Your blood pressure ..."
The angrier Eisenhower got, the redder his face became. He clenched his fist around the string. Amy thought she could hear a frightened yeep from Alistair.
"Don't!" Nellie shouted.
"Who is your contact?" Eisenhower demanded. "Where is the Tomas clue?"
Stay calm, Amy commanded herself. She was shaking.
She looked at Dan. He seemed paralyzed, staring intently ahead.
"Your uncle's hat," Eisenhower said in a tense, measured tone, "is connected to a wire via a magnet, which creates a groundified circuit. Knock off the hat, the circuit breaks. The pickup -- bang! And for good measure, a loose wire falls upon the base of Mr. Oh's brain. Five hundred volts. I would hate to see that happen on a beautiful day like this, wouldn't you?"
Suddenly, Dan snapped out of his trance. "I know the clue!" he blurted.
Amy spun around. "You do?"
Her brother was jerking his arm back toward the car. "I --I need to get the map. Permission, sir?"
80
Map? Amy stared at him in utter confusion.
"Granted!" Eisenhower barked. "And you know what happens if this is a trick."
Dan ran to the Yugo. He was sweating. His fingertips shook. He opened the passenger door and leaned in.
"Mrrp?"
Saladin mewed hungrily from the backseat.
"RAWRF!" Arnold lunged forward. His leash flew out of Mary-Todd's hand.
"No-o-o-o!" Amy cried out. "Shut the door, Dan!"
Dan scrambled to turn around. He pulled himself fully into the car. As he slammed shut the driver's door, Arnold banged headfirst into it.
The Yugo rolled downhill, toward the pickup.
"Pull back the handbrake!" Nellie shouted, racing toward the car.
"The what?" Dan said.
"He's heading for the pickup!" Reagan shouted. "Stop him!"
"No ... oh, please, no ..." Alistair murmured, his face puckered and sallow.
"THIS IS NOTACCORDING TO PROTOCOL!" Eisenhower bellowed.
Hamilton Holt sprinted across the road. He pulled open the pickup's front door and dived inside, his fingers working a tangle of blue wires in the dashboard.
The Yugo was picking up speed.
"The lever in the center!" Nellie shouted. "Pull it!"
81
Hamilton leaped out of the cab. He leaned toward Alistair, turning his back, then whirled around.
The Yugo was fifteen feet away ... ten ...
"Now!" he shouted. "Stop now, Dan!"
Amy heard a metallic ratchet noise. The Yugo skidded left, turning sideways in the road.
She watched in horror as its right rear fender smacked against the pickup.
"DAN!" she cried, racing toward him....
Her brother was trembling. Staring at the steering wheel of the stopped car.
In one piece.
Hamilton, Nellie, and Amy converged at the side of the Yugo. "I reset the mechanism," Hamilton said. "It's on a timer now. Three minutes. Take this. Go."
He handed Amy a folded-up sheet of paper and sprang away, running across the street. "Move!" he shouted to his family. "It's about to blow!"
The Holts all ran in the other direction. Out of the corner of her eye, Amy could see Alistair crouching behind a tree. When the Holts were a half block gone, he began limping away, fast.
Amy felt a hand on her shoulder. Dan was pulling her into the car.
The door shut and Nellie tore away as the pickup blew.
82
CHAPTER 14
Amy flinched
"My husb --er, we bungled the flight booking," Mary-Todd said. "The two choices were so close on the drop-down menu. You see, by getting it wrong, we got it right."
"You found us by mistake?" Amy said. She glanced at Dan, but he was staring intently ahead, as if hypnotized by something.
"Who are you here to meet?" Eisenhower demanded.
"Reagan did some research?" Madison said, parking her gum under her tongue. "She found out that the Tomas have a clue? It has something to do with some South African tribe?"
79
"But if it's a Tomas clue, don't you know it?" Dan asked.
"You little brat," Eisenhower said. "Just like the others. Laughing at us. Looking down their noses. Cutting us off from the family secrets."
"Sweet pea ..." Mary-Todd said. "Your blood pressure ..."
The angrier Eisenhower got, the redder his face became. He clenched his fist around the string. Amy thought she could hear a frightened yeep from Alistair.
"Don't!" Nellie shouted.
"Who is your contact?" Eisenhower demanded. "Where is the Tomas clue?"
Stay calm, Amy commanded herself. She was shaking.
She looked at Dan. He seemed paralyzed, staring intently ahead.
"Your uncle's hat," Eisenhower said in a tense, measured tone, "is connected to a wire via a magnet, which creates a groundified circuit. Knock off the hat, the circuit breaks. The pickup -- bang! And for good measure, a loose wire falls upon the base of Mr. Oh's brain. Five hundred volts. I would hate to see that happen on a beautiful day like this, wouldn't you?"
Suddenly, Dan snapped out of his trance. "I know the clue!" he blurted.
Amy spun around. "You do?"
Her brother was jerking his arm back toward the car. "I --I need to get the map. Permission, sir?"
80
Map? Amy stared at him in utter confusion.
"Granted!" Eisenhower barked. "And you know what happens if this is a trick."
Dan ran to the Yugo. He was sweating. His fingertips shook. He opened the passenger door and leaned in.
"Mrrp?"
Saladin mewed hungrily from the backseat.
"RAWRF!" Arnold lunged forward. His leash flew out of Mary-Todd's hand.
"No-o-o-o!" Amy cried out. "Shut the door, Dan!"
Dan scrambled to turn around. He pulled himself fully into the car. As he slammed shut the driver's door, Arnold banged headfirst into it.
The Yugo rolled downhill, toward the pickup.
"Pull back the handbrake!" Nellie shouted, racing toward the car.
"The what?" Dan said.
"He's heading for the pickup!" Reagan shouted. "Stop him!"
"No ... oh, please, no ..." Alistair murmured, his face puckered and sallow.
"THIS IS NOTACCORDING TO PROTOCOL!" Eisenhower bellowed.
Hamilton Holt sprinted across the road. He pulled open the pickup's front door and dived inside, his fingers working a tangle of blue wires in the dashboard.
The Yugo was picking up speed.
"The lever in the center!" Nellie shouted. "Pull it!"
81
Hamilton leaped out of the cab. He leaned toward Alistair, turning his back, then whirled around.
The Yugo was fifteen feet away ... ten ...
"Now!" he shouted. "Stop now, Dan!"
Amy heard a metallic ratchet noise. The Yugo skidded left, turning sideways in the road.
She watched in horror as its right rear fender smacked against the pickup.
"DAN!" she cried, racing toward him....
Her brother was trembling. Staring at the steering wheel of the stopped car.
In one piece.
Hamilton, Nellie, and Amy converged at the side of the Yugo. "I reset the mechanism," Hamilton said. "It's on a timer now. Three minutes. Take this. Go."
He handed Amy a folded-up sheet of paper and sprang away, running across the street. "Move!" he shouted to his family. "It's about to blow!"
The Holts all ran in the other direction. Out of the corner of her eye, Amy could see Alistair crouching behind a tree. When the Holts were a half block gone, he began limping away, fast.
Amy felt a hand on her shoulder. Dan was pulling her into the car.
The door shut and Nellie tore away as the pickup blew.
82
CHAPTER 14
Amy flinched
Similar Books
