Read Online The Ghostwriter Secret by Mac Barnett - Free Book Online

page.
    Dana was peering over Steve’s shoulder. “What are you doing?”
    â€œIf MacArthur Bart wrote something on this pad of paper, his pen would have left grooves on the next sheet. This is an old detective’s trick to reveal what he wrote.”
    There, in the middle of a cloud of gray, emerged a string of white numbers.
    â€œWhat is it?”
    â€œPart of a phone number. Probably the last number MacArthur Bart called. This could be a big lead.”

    â€œThat’s the area code for San Francisco. My grandparents used to live there,” said Dana.
    â€œSan Francisco …,” said Steve, chewing on his thumbnail.
    His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of loud footsteps coming up the hall and stopping outside the door. Steve and Dana froze and listened hard. There was some rustling, and then the sound of a key card being inserted in the lock. Someone was coming inside!

CHAPTER XXI
A DEADLY MISTAKE
    S TEVE AND D ANA RAN TO THE BATHROOM and softly shut the door. Three seconds more and they would have been discovered. Steve heard two men enter the hotel room and begin to talk. Their voices were deep and muffled, and Steve couldn’t make out a word they were saying. But he knew a baddie when he heard one, and these were definitely two baddies.
    Moving slowly, deliberately, silently, Steve picked up a glass from the bathroom counter—two were sitting upside down on little paper doilies—and he nodded at Dana to do the same. Steve placed the mouth of the glass against the door and the conversation inthe other room became audible. Dana copied him.
    â€œâ€¦ hate stakeouts.”
    â€œIt’s part of the job, Henry. It’s part of the job.”
    Henry! One guy’s name was Henry.
    â€œThey have a nice pool here. Maybe we should go swimming.”
    â€œWrong. The boss says we’re supposed to wait here for that Brixton kid.”
    Steve’s eyes widened. Dana’s did too.
    â€œHow do we know he’s going to come here?”
    â€œThe boss was sure he’d show up.”
    â€œGreat. So we wait. All I’m saying is this is not why I joined up with the Bee Syndicate.”
    The Bee Syndicate! These must be the kidnappers. Steve wanted to write this stuff down, but he was afraid getting his notebook out would make too much noise. The guy named Henry kept talking.
    â€œHey,” said Henry. “Is that your backpack?”
    Steve looked over at Dana. He was not wearing his backpack. Dana apologized with his eyes.
    Suddenly the men in the other room got very quiet.
    Steve pressed his ear hard against the glass in his hand, straining to hear anything. There was silence, and then, suddenly, the sound of a closet door being opened very fast. They were searching the room. Steve knew where they would look next. There was only one other place someone could hide, and he and Dana were hiding in it.

    Steve and Dana eavesdropped on the two brutes.
    Steve scanned the bathroom for something he could use as a weapon. All he could see were towels. Lots of towels. Towels in shapes and sizes he didn’t even recognize. Varieties of towel extending far beyond the Big Three of hand towel, bath towel, and washcloth. Who could possibly use all these towels?
    Steve reached into his pocket.
    The door flew open.

CHAPTER XXII
A TERRIBLE STRUGGLE
    S TEVE PULLED OUT the bottle of lavender bubble bath, uncapped it quickly, and aimed it at the goon’s eyes. He squeezed. Time slowed.
    Steve watched the purple fluid flying from the bottle toward the goon’s stubbly face; the liquid’s arc dropping sharply, way too early; the bubble bath hitting the goon’s white shirt with a lavender splatter; the goon’s mouth twisting as he laughed a laugh both angry and amused; the plastic bottle falling from Steve’s hand and clattering weakly on the bathroom floor.
    The man stepped forward, wiggled his fingers, andclosed them into a fist. “So you