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Didn’t look a thing like her, but Maria and Lucinda used to laugh and laugh over it.”
    â€œBust?” Laurie held her breath. “Of a cat? Did they move it? I haven’t seen it anywhere.”
    â€œOh, yes, the bust of Homer. I’m sure you’ve seen it, hon, it’s right where it always has been. Not a good likeness at all. Doesn’t look anything like a cat.”
    â€œThe English hall. The bust of Homer in the English hall,” Bud breathed. Miss Lucille nodded and sighed. They weren’t going to get more confirmation than that.
    Laurie jumped to her feet, hand still attached to Miss Lucille. “Thanks, Miss Lucille! We’ll, uh, pay our respects to the statue? Will that be okay? Right now, if you don’t mind.”
    â€œWhat she said,” Bud said, backing toward the door.
    Miss Lucille looked confused, but she let go of Laurie’s hand. “Whatever you say, dear. If you think that’s best.”
    â€œOh, it’s the best, all right,” Laurie said. “It’s the best!”

PART THREE
HOMER’S SECRET
    Â 

    â€œIs he really gone?” Laurie’s leg was almost asleep by the time the bearded English teacher had locked his classroom and gone off whistling down the hall. But there was no way she was risking being spotted by that Keats fanatic again.
    â€œFinally.” Bud sighed. He was going to be in so much trouble if he got another tardy. But he wasn’t about to leave now and miss the next clue.
    Laurie and Bud waited another few minutes to be sure Mr. Beardy wasn’t just faking them out and then hurried down to the bust of Homer.
    It was sitting in its nook just as it had earlier, so it didn’t look like anyone else had come poking around. Not that anyone would, but Laurie was still relieved.
    Laurie and Bud looked at it reverently for a few moments, and then, at the same time, they attacked. Laurie threw her arms around Homer’s head and tried hauling him out of the nook while Bud started pushing and pulling every bit of Homer and the nook that stuck out—the nose, the ears, the chin, everything. But after a few minutes of mauling, two things became pretty obvious: Homer wasn’t moving, and nothing would push in or pull out, which pretty much meant no secret compartments.
    â€œShoot,” Laurie said, staring at the poet gloomily. He stared back with his weird pupilless eyes. Laurie shivered. Those eyes gave her the creeps. And the hairdo wasn’t helping much either. He had long curly side hair and a long curly beard, which may have been fashionable in Homer’s time but wasn’t doing him any favors these days. And around the base of the bust was a whole string of musical notes. There was some kind of arty diagonal design behind him in the nook, but nothing was jumping out at Laurie screaming, “Clue! Over here! I’m a clue!”
    â€œWell, that was lame,” Laurie said. “Maybe we’re wrong?”
    Bud shook his head. “No, I think this is it. We just aren’t seeing it yet.”
    Laurie and Bud dedicated a long moment to seeing it.
    â€œYeah, still not seeing it,” Laurie said finally.
    â€œMe either.” Bud groaned as the bell rang.
    EMAIL
    FROM: WALKER LEFRANCO, School Board President
    TO: PRINCIPAL MARTIN WINKLE, Tuckernuck Hall
    SUBJECT: GIVE IT UP, WINKLE
    WINKLE:
    We both know the school is going to close at the end of the fall semester. We both know your appeals don’t hold water. That’s a given. This is what I want to find out: is there any way to speed this up? Why wait until the end of the semester? Seems to me that we should just tear the Band-Aid off quickly.
    â€”LEFRANCO
    EMAIL
    FROM: PRINCIPAL MARTIN WINKLE, Tuckernuck Hall
    TO: WALKER LEFRANCO, School Board President
    RE: GIVE IT UP, WINKLE
    Thanks for your message. Let’s just let the review process work the way it’s intended, why don’t