Free [Janitors 01] Janitors by Tyler Whitesides Page A

wall. The stall door was shut and latched, but Marv didn’t seem to notice details.
    Spencer could barely glimpse the burly figure through the space between the hinges. Marv approached slowly until he stood only inches from the bathroom stall. On the other side of the thin wall, Spencer, Daisy, and Dez held their breath. Marv checked for the bronze nail, grunted unintelligibly, and then turned away.

    The kids heard the bathroom door open, then bang closed. They heard the muffled sound of keys in the lock. Marv snorted once more, apparently trying to dislodge something from his sinuses. Then there was silence.
    Of course, Dez was the first one to move. He jumped down from the toilet seat, chuckling to himself. “Good thing I told you guys to hide. We’d have been busted. That dude looked like he wanted to eat someone.”
    “Quiet,” Daisy whispered. “He might still be out there.”
    “Relax,” Dez said. “He didn’t see us.”
    Daisy and Spencer stepped off the toilet seat as Dez unlatched the stall door. “We’ve got to get back to class,” Spencer said. “Mrs. Natcher’s going to freak when she sees that three of us are gone.”
    “You’re not going anywhere,” Dez said, stepping in front of them. “I’ve still got to clean out some toilets with your heads.”
    “Get out of the way,” Spencer said, brushing his hand at Dez like he was a pesky fly. A few days ago, Dez had been the most intimidating foe. But ever since the milk incident, ever since Spencer had discovered the courage to stand up for the truth, Dez seemed smaller. Indeed, compared to the wicked janitors and demented creatures that Daisy and Spencer were up against now, Dez looked about as frightening as Baybee.
    “Hold it,” Dez said, unaccustomed to people ignoring his threats. Spencer and Daisy stepped past him and Spencer pulled on the bathroom door.
    Locked.
    Marv had locked the deadbolt, making sure to keep everyone out while unintentionally trapping Spencer, Daisy, and Dez in. Unwilling to believe, Spencer pulled again . . . and again. But the door was secure. They weren’t going anywhere.
    Dez began to laugh.
    “What’s so funny?” Daisy said.
    “It’s perfect,” answered Dez. “It’s the perfect excuse not to go back to class . . . and to give you lovebirds endless swirlies.”
    Ignoring Dez, Spencer and Daisy began brainstorming. Hitting the door and shouting for help was out of the question. Picking the lock was impossible. Daisy got on her hands and knees, putting her cheek dangerously close to the bathroom floor, and tried to peek under the door.
    “Hey.” She carefully reached forward. A tiny bit of paper was visible under the door. Daisy trapped it with her fingernail and dragged it into the bathroom. It was the card that Garth Hadley had used to stop the lock. Daisy flipped it over. It was Hadley’s business card, the same kind that the BEM rep had given Spencer.
    “Yes!” Spencer said, taking the card from her hand. “That’s got Hadley’s phone number on it. He told me to call if we get in trouble.”
    Daisy smiled, showing her teeth in all their glory. “Hurry up,” she said, “call him. I want to get out of here.”
    Spencer’s shoulders slumped. “You don’t have a cell phone?”
    The girl shook her head, long braid swinging.
    “Me neither.”
    Behind them, Dez emitted an obnoxious, look-at-me sigh. Daisy and Spencer turned to find the boy operating a cell phone with both hands.
    “All right, Dez!” Spencer said. For the first time, he was actually pleased with the bully. “If you let me borrow that for a minute, I can get us out of here.”
    “Hang on,” Dez said. “I’m busy texting the sewer police. Got to tell them to expect two newcomers from toilet number one.” He grinned maliciously and snapped the phone shut. “You think I want to go back to Mrs. Natcher’s class?” Dez faked a yawn. “Yeah, right.”
    Spencer and Daisy exchanged a glance. They had to get the phone from