That seemed to get the driver's attention. His foot came down on the gas pedal like a hammer and the cab swerved violently into high gear.
For the next ten minutes, Dan threw more and more money into the front seat until, at last, they looked back and Hamilton Holt was gone. When the cab lurched to a stop outside the Cairo airport, Dan checked his pockets. They were empty."Is okay," said the driver, grinning from ear to ear. "You pay plenty already!"
"Nicely done, dweeb. Now we're stuck at the airport with no money. Nellie's going to love us when we wake her up and she discovers we've stolen her phone, spent9most of our cash, and need a ride from the airport. And we don't even have any doughnuts yet! Could it get any worse?""I think it just did," said Dan.
Amy's heart sank as a black stretch limo pulled up to the curb behind them, and a door opened.Ian and Natalie Kabra, a Clue-hunting team infinitely more dangerous than the Holts, had arrived on the scene.
CHAPTER 2
Most of the time, Dan Cahill would rather show up to school in his underwear than get involved in his sister's love life. But this was different.Ian Kabra emerged from the limousine with a smirk the size of Texas plastered on his face, as self-assured as ever. Dan glanced over at his sister. Amy was glaring at Ian, but Dan could see her hands were trembling. This guy-- this ogre-- had not only lied about liking his sister, he'd tried to trap them in a cave.
And leave them there forever.It was time to lower the boom."You've got a lot of nerve showing up here after you tried to kill us!" Dan shouted."Let's not get carried away. Your little brother has a big imagination," said Ian, taking a step toward Amy. "You know I'd never actually hurt you."Dan knew if Amy tried to talk it would come out all stutters. He wasn't going to let Ian Kabra anywhere near his sister.11"Hold it together, Amy," he whispered.'Tm fine," said Amy, but now her lip was quivering ever so slightly. Dan lashed out at Ian.
"Get back in your monstermobile and leave us alone!"Ian gave Amy a sideways smile, then sauntered up to the cabdriver."Well done, my lead-footed friend. We had quite a time keeping up with you. Although I suppose it wouldn't have mattered."
"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Dan, eyeing the revolving doors into the airport terminal.
"You children play expensive games!" said the driver as he took a roll of rubber-banded bills from Ian and handed over a slick new phone in return."Espionage must have been so much harder before GPS, don't you think?" asked Ian.Ian's sister, Natalie, emerged from the black limo like a model about to stroll down a media-frenzied red carpet.
"Did you sleep in those pathetic things you call clothes?"Dan looked down at his zip-up hoodie, which was wrinkled beyond all imagining. Oops. He actually had slept in his clothes."Wrinkles
are the new thing. Ask Jonah Wizard. He'll tell you."
"Make this easy on yourself and tell us why you're here," said Ian, moving closer to Dan and Amy. Amy's eyes were locked on Ian's face, like a mouse confronted by a cobra.The cabdriver laughed at the scene playing out, got in his cab, and cranked it alive.
A plume of black smoke burst from the tailpipe as he sped off, covering Natalie with a thin layer of soot. She howled and clutched protectively at her hair, which was just the diversion Dan needed."Come on, Amy!" he yelled. He grabbed Amy by the hand and bolted for the revolving doors, but Ian was quick on his feet and snatched Amy's other hand. Dan pulled one way, Ian pulled the other.
People were starting to take notice of the ruckus."Let my sister go!" yelled Dan."I think she likes it when I hold her hand," said Ian. "Don't you, Amy?"Amy didn't say a word. She reeled back and kicked Ian in the shin harder than she'd ever kicked anyone.
There was a loud crack and Ian lost his grip, bouncing up and down on one leg as Dan and Amy ran for the revolving doors."Direct hit!" cried Dan."So long, suckers!" Amy yelled over her shoulder. "Get them!" howled Ian, hobbling toward the terminal entrance with Natalie and their driver, a guy who looked like he could crack concrete with his forehead, close behind.
Once inside, Dan and Amy darted among a sea of people with rolling luggage, but the Kabras stayed on their tail."This way!" said Amy, taking Dan by the elbow and dragging him into a busy travelers' store filled with candy bars and magazines. Seconds later, they were out the other side and into another store, through a web of foreigners.
Dan was sure they'd lost the Kabras, but when he peered carefully around a corner, he saw Ian limping toward them, staring into his phone."Uh-oh," said Dan. "I think we've been had."Dan took off his backpack and started unzipping compartments. Hidden in the front pocket was another cell phone, the GPS blinking their position."Double-crossed times two!" said Dan. "That cab-driver must have planted it when he got ahold of my backpack at the hotel."Amy looked around the corner once more.
The Kabras were getting really close."Give it here," she said, taking the phone from her brother. "I know just what to do with Ian's precious gadget."Amy moved back into the flow of oncoming people with Dan close behind.
She swept quickly across the wide corridor and dropped the phone into a passing baby stroller, then ducked into a bookstore and opened the first book she could find. The stroller was attached to a mother who was clearly late for a flight, parting traffic as she ran for her gate.The Kabras were so intent on watching the screen on Ian's phone that they walked right past Dan and Amy, then broke into a run themselves.
"Nice play!" said Dan. "I hope that kid drools all over their expensive technology before they get it back."Amy shot Dan a triumphant smile. Clearly, outsmarting the Kabras -- especially Ian -- had put some Cahill sizzle back in her step."Let's find that locker," she said.* * *
The locker wasn't very big, about one foot square. But it was plenty full. There were three items inside, which Amy removed one at a time."This looks like a paperweight, don't you think?" she asked, holding a honey-colored glass ball in the palm of her hand.
"Let me see," Dan said, reaching out to grab it."No way! Knowing you, it'll get dropped on the floor and smashed into a thousand pieces. Let me have a look first."Dan didn't protest. He had already imagined what a marble that size would look like rolling down the long airport corridor.
"Try holding it in the light a little more," said Dan.Amy squinted up at it. "It looks like a room, and there's a mother inside, sitting on a chair.""How do you know it's a mother?" asked Dan. "She's holding a baby, stupid." Amy looked closer."There are three letters on one of the walls - TSV-- and ew! I think that's an eye staring back at me from another wall.""Creepy," said Dan.Amy held out the glass paperweight and told Dan to put it carefully in the backpack for future investigation.
He hated it when she treated him like a three-year-old, and the temptation to roll the honey-colored ball down the airport corridor returned. He held it in the light again instead."Did you see the key?" asked Dan."What key? What are you talking about?"
"On the bottom," said Dan, rolling the paperweight over. Under the floor of the room there was a small key hidden in the glass. "When the time comes, I get to bust it open."
"The paperweight was holding something down," said Amy, lifting out a thin piece of parchment about the width and length of her own hand. It was filled with ornately drawn letters, numbers, and lines.
"It looks like someone spent a lot of time misspelling words," said Dan. Something about the way the letters were grouped looked oddly familiar to Dan, but he couldn't pinpoint what. Especially with his stomach grumbling."Is there any food in that locker? I have got to get something to eat. Brain ... needs ... candy."
Amy ignored her brother and reached one last time into the small space. At the very back of the locker there was a ten-inch-square box."I hope it's full of Rice Krispies Treats," said Dan, yanking the box out of Amy's hands."Hey! Be careful with that."Dan looked like he wanted to give Amy a wedgie, but she was quick to calm him down."Sorry, okay? I'm just nervous.