Free The Case of the Exploding Loo by Rachel Hamilton Page B

about pretty girls. I don’t think pretty girls are relevant to this
case.
    Dad was convinced it was possible to make people smarter. Ms Grimm must agree or she wouldn’t have made LOSERS’ mission statement: “To increase the intelligence of bright young
people”. That’s what she’s trying to achieve with the fish dinners, turquoise walls and motivational quotes. But what if they’re not working fast enough for her?
    CLUE 26
    Dad, who is one of the world’s top brain scientists, was last seen outside an institute dedicated to increasing intelligence.
    I have a new theory.
    (RECAP)
    THEORY A
    SOMEONE HAS KIDNAPPED DAD
    +
    (RECAP)
    CLUE 8
    Fake Insurance Man took the plans and sketches for the brain ray I’ve been developing with Dad.
    +
    (RECAP)
    CLUE 26
    Dad, who is one of the world’s top brain scientists, was last seen outside an institute dedicated to increasing intelligence.
    =
    THEORY C
    MS GRIMM KIDNAPPED DAD TO FORCE HIM TO DEVELOP INTELLIGENCE-IMPROVING DEVICES.
    Wait! I forgot CLUE 24 – the taxi driver was a plant. Does that mean we can’t trust anything he said? Is CLUE 26 no longer a clue? Was Dad dropped off at LOSERS or
not? And what does this mean for THEORY C?
    Argh. My head hurts. I really need to talk to Holly. Instead I have to go to Positive Thinking Hour. Ironic, considering my thoughts are mainly about kidnapping and fish dinners, and are
entirely negative.

20
Mental Conditioning
    I march to the front of the classroom, determined to confront Ms Grimm while everyone’s filling in their worksheets. But by the time I get there I’ve lost my nerve
and I just mumble, “Er, Ms Grimm, have you met my dad?”
    “Met him?” Ms Grimm raises a hand to her chest and flutters her sparse eyelashes. “Yes, indeed. We were at Oxford University together.”
    “With Kate Beckinsale, the hot vampire?”
    Ms Grimm continues as if I haven’t spoken. “I’ve followed his career closely ever since.”
    CLUE 27
    Ms Grimm knows Dad and is clearly a fan.
    “He’s a great thinker,” she adds. “One of a kind. Although he believed you could follow in his footsteps.”
    “He did?”
    “Yes. I planned to discuss this with you yesterday but I was distracted by your observations on my LOSERS routine. On reflection, I realise you were merely exercising your superior
intelligence.”
    “I was?”
    Ms Grimm nods. “Sometimes it’s difficult for those as intelligent as you or I to remain entirely positive. Luckily, my Mental Conditioning Room can help with that.”
    “Your what?”
    Ms Grimm asks Mr Kumar (maths) to watch the class and holds the door open. “Come! I’ll show you.”
    I follow her, hoping she’ll tell me more about Dad.
    “Mental conditioning?” I process the words. “Isn’t that another way of saying brainwashing?”
    “Would that be so bad?” Ms Grimm strides down the long, turquoise corridor. “If you ask me, most people’s brains would benefit from a good wash.” She turns another
corner and pushes open a heavy wooden door. “Here we are, Hawkins. Welcome to my Mental Conditioning Room.”
    I expect a scary white laboratory full of screaming student guinea pigs wired to machines. Instead, I find a cosy library with floor to ceiling shelves overflowing with books and magazines. The
latest scientific journals are piled on a round wooden table in the middle of the room and in each corner is a black leather reclining chair with turquoise earphones attached. A large silver mirror
on the back wall reflects everything, making the room look bigger than it is.
    Ms Grimm pushes me down into one of the black chairs. “This is where we help our most advanced students develop their abilities. All you have to do is put in these earphones.”
    I fight the urge to shove her away. I like it better when she’s being nasty. At least you know where you stand. It’s a relief when a mobile phone alarm goes off in the corridor and
her creepy smile vanishes.
    Mobile phones are