Free Undercover Justice by Laura DeLanoy

“What’s the matter? Where are Kent and Jed?”
    “Probably killing each other,” I said crossly, stomping over to the drinking fountain, my mouth suddenly dry.
    Gasping, Charlotte yanked open the door and quickly ran out with Ollie close on her heels.
    To my surprise, everyone walked calmly back in the door not a minute later.
    “What was going on?” Charlotte mouthed when no one was looking.
    I shrugged, “I’ll tell you later,” I mouthed back.
    Apparently, whatever happened after I left didn’t result in anything physical. Neither one of them looked like they had been in a fight. My curiosity aroused, I looked from one to the other, hoping for some clue as to what they had said to each other. Nothing.
    Jed calmly took a seat next to me and Kent sat across from me sending me a quick wink. A wink? What the heck? I thought having a twin brother gave me unique insight into the way guys thought and operated, but I guess not.
    Ollie looked around the table at each of us and then shrugged. “Okay…let’s get started. I don’t think Jed was with us when we filled Nora in on what we found out about room 35.”
    As Charlotte and I set out the pizza and the drinks, Ollie filled Jed in on room 35 being one of the Mayor’s private rooms. Jed didn’t seem surprised to hear that the Mayor had lied. Instead he was nodding.
    “So we know he’s hiding something. Did anyone else find out anything more?”
    Shaking our heads, I looked up to find Kent giving me the eye. “What?” I asked silently with a shrug of my shoulder, taking a bite out of my pizza.
    To everyone, he said, “Last night at the country club someone gave Nora a note warning us not to ask any more questions.”
    To me, he said, “Nora, give Jed the note, we might as well tell everyone.” I gave him a questioning look. The last I had heard, he didn’t want to trust Jed with anything. Something had happened out there, and I was more determined than ever to find out what. Since when did Kent just decide to be buddy-buddy with Jed?
    Pulling the letter out of my bag, I handed it to Jed who looked at me strangely. He was angry I realized. At me? I don’t think it’s at me, but then why…?
    “Someone sent you a threatening letter?” he asked, opening it up. Reading it, he jumped up and began to pace. I could tell he was upset. Looking at Kent to help, I said, “Do something.”
    “Jed,” Kent said.
    That didn’t work so Ollie shouted forcefully, “Jed!”
    “What?” he said stopping in the middle of the room.
    “We’re all still here. Come sit back down, we need to figure out what to do now.”
    Grinning sheepishly, he walked back to the table, “You’re right, I guess I got a little carried away. Ok, here’s what we're going to do...”
    Pulling out his chair, he flipped it around and sat down with his arms over the backrest.
    “Have any of you heard about the two teenagers who have disappeared in the last couple of months?” At our nods, he continued. “Do any of you know Mark Mason? He’s currently missing, as of two days ago. That makes three missing boys in the last six months.”
    “Mark!” Charlotte gasped, “He’s in our science club, I can’t believe he’s missing. Poor Mark!”
    “What does that have to do with the Mayor’s office, and why do you know about Mark before anyone else?” I asked.
    “I just do, ok. Don’t ask so many questions because I can’t answer them. Let’s just say I have inside information.”
    “Just trust him ok,” Kent told me. Looking from me to Jed, he then added. “Just don’t trust him too much.”
    Winking at me, much to my mortification, Jed looked at the rest of the group. “Does anyone else want to question me?”
    “Nope,” Ollie said with a grin.
    “I’m sure you know what you’re doing. You look like that kind of guy,” Charlotte said graciously.
    Nodding his thanks, he said, “I am pretty sure that what we saw in the Mayor’s room was Mark struggling with his captors.