Read Online The Case That Time Forgot by Tracy Barrett - Free Book Online Page B

and the ink ran?”
    â€œYou
left
it?” Xena was astonished. “What about the school thief?”
    â€œIt’s locked up! Anyway, who would want the casebook?” Xander suddenly felt uneasy about what he had done, but he didn’t want to admit it. “It’s not valuable to anybody but us—it’s just an old leather notebook. Who would steal it? Besides, I remember everything that was on the pages where Sherlock wrote about the amulet, so we don’t need it today.”
    This was true; with Xander’s photographic memory he’d never forget something he’d read. Still, Xena knew she wouldn’t be comfortable until they had their hands on the casebook again.
    â€œYou could have wrapped it in plastic or something. How could you leave it?”
    â€œWhat did you want to investigate?” Xander tried to change the subject.
    â€œI don’t know. I thought if I looked at the clues, I might think of something. But I can’t do that now because you left it at school. I can’t believe you’d do such a thing.”
    â€œStop worrying, Xena. You always think you know better than me. I didn’t do anything wrong. It’s in my locker. That’s why they got us lockers, remember? To keep our stuff safe from the thief.” Xander didn’t convince even himself with that one, and of course Xena wouldn’t let him get away with it.
    â€œOh, sure,” she said in a tone that made him shrivel inside. “Those lockers are one hundred percent safe. They should use them in the bank!”
    â€œThe school gets locked up at night!” he shot back.
    Their voices had risen, and the sound of their argument brought their father in. “Go to bed,you two. You’re obviously sleep-deprived or you wouldn’t be bickering like this. What’s gotten into you, anyway?”
    They glanced at each other and then looked away. “Nothing,” Xander said sullenly. He could not admit to his father that he had put the precious casebook at risk.
It’s perfectly safe
, he told himself as he brushed his teeth and washed his face.
    Â 
    They got to school early the next day, both gloomily aware that they had only three days left to find the amulet. Hardly anyone was there yet, and they headed straight for Xander’s locker. Xena caught sight of Hannah, Shane, and Jake turning a corner ahead of them. Maybe she and Xander would find the casebook right away, and then she could go join them before class.
    Xander opened his locker. He reached down to pick up the books he’d placed on top of the casebook the afternoon before.
    Even before his fingers touched the first one, he knew the worst had happened. The pile was too short, and the math book he had left on top was now below his history book.
    The casebook was gone!
    The only reason Xena didn’t say “I told youso!” was that the look on Xander’s face was so horrified she didn’t want to make him burst into tears right there, in front of the people who were starting to arrive. “Pull yourself together!” she hissed at him. “Look for clues! Is there anything in your locker that you didn’t put there?” She hoped the anger in her voice covered the dismay that she felt. The casebook was one of a kind and was their link to their great-great-great-grandfather. They had just started solving the cases. Would all the rest of them remain unsolved forever?
    Xander pulled everything out of his locker, scattering papers, pens, and dirty gym socks all over the floor. He pawed through the pile frantically.
    Nothing. Not a single indication of who could have taken the casebook. They stared at the mess in disbelief.
    â€œThe thief would have had to be really dumb to leave us his ID,” Xander finally pointed out. “Maybe we should start investigating the school thief. Whoever took the casebook could be the same person who’s been stealing all those other