Free Home Alone 3 by Todd Strasser, John Hughes Page A

Jernigan said after searching the attic. "He's not here."
    Unger looked up from the TV screens. "What do you mean, he's not here? Where could he be?"
    At that very moment, a kid's voice came through the window shouting, "Hey' You're not going to find me up there, you big, dumb, law-breaking knuckleheads."
    Alice, Unger, and Jernigan rushed to the window and looked out. Down on the snow-covered ground below, the kid was looking up at them with his hands cupped around his mouth.
    "He's outside," Alice moaned
    Alex reached into his pocket and held up the Axus Defense microchip. "Looking for this?"
    Three floors up, the burglars' jaws all dropped in unison.
    Alex turned around and walked to the gate that led to the alley behind the house. He went through it and closed it behind him. Then he peeked through the fence.
    The three burglars stood at the window, looking down in disbelief.
    "How did he get outside?" Unger asked.
    "The same way you're going to get outside," Alice informed him.
    "How's that?" Jernigan asked.
    "Jump," Alice said.
    Jernigan stared at her like she'd lost her mind.
    Alice pointed down. Below them on the ground was a trampoline.
    "You're not serious," Unger said to her.
    "If a kid can do it, you can do it," Alice replied with perfect seriousness.
    "Children are more flexible," Unger said.
    "It's a trampoline," Alice reminded him. "You're jumping into a trampoline ."
    "If we're going to be jumping into a trampoline,'' Jernigan said, "what will you be doing?"
    Alice held up her gun. "I'll cover you."

48
    Alex waited behind the fence.
    Finally, Unger and Jernigan opened the third-floor window.
    Alex smiled to himself. This wasn't going to be good.
    It was going to be spectacular!
    The two burglars jumped.
    As they fell through the air, Alex watched them tense for the rebound off the trampoline. The two burglars hit the trampoline.
    Riiipppp! The two burglars went thorough the trampoline.
    Shrraapp! The two burglars went through the pool cover.
    Ker-plash! The two burglars smashed through the ice and disappeared into the pool.
    Alex sighed. If only he'd had a video camera for that!

49
    Up on the third floor, Alice watched Unger and Jernigan disappear through the trampoline. She had to admit that she wasn't entirely disappointed in the development.
    Clunk! A sound from the other side of the attic caught her attention.
    Behind the fence, Alex watched as Alice left the window. He imagined that by now the toy robot had hit the UP button on the dumbwaiter control panel, sending the dumbwaiter back up to the attic.
    Of course, Alice thought as she walked toward the dumbwaiter. This was how the kid had gotten downstail's.
    Well, what was good for the goose was good for the gander.
    So she crawled into the dumbwaiter herself.
    0nly, the dumbwaiter no longer had a bottom.
    "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!'' Alex could hear her scream all the way from the alley behind the yard.
    It was a long scream.
    After all, it was four floors from the attic to the basement.
    Thunk! The scream ended.
    Out in the alley, Alex dusted off his hands. All in a day's work.

50
    But neither the day nor the work was over. Alex cut through backyards and circled around to Mrs. Hess's house. He found her in the garage, tied to a chair, wearing only a thin sweater. That was crazy. It was freezing out. Her head was tilted forward and she wasn't moving. Alex was afraid she might have died from fright or the cold.
    Alex took off his backpack and left it on the garage workbench with the toy car. He crouched down in front of the old lady. "Mrs. Hess?"
    Mrs. Hess slowly opened her eyes.
    Alex felt a wave of relief. "You're okay now," he said softly. "I'm here."
    He took off his coat and draped it around her shoulders.
    "Just give me a second," he said, going around behind her. "I'll untie you."
    He was in the middle of untying her when he felt an uneasy sensation. He stopped and looked up.
    But there was nothing there.
    He started to untie her again, but as he