Free The Case That Time Forgot by Tracy Barrett

things.”
    â€œHow do you know it’s a him?”
    It was a good point. Xander had beenassuming that, since he suspected someone had been listening to him in the
boys’
locker room, but now that they knew the person must have come in from the hallway, it could be anyone.
    â€œWho was already at school when we came in?” Xander asked. “I saw your friends—”
    â€œWhat difference does that make?” Xena snapped. Why did he automatically assume it was one of
her
friends? Still, she tried to remember. They were so early that hardly anyone was there. “It could have been someone after school yesterday or someone who got here for the before-school program or band rehearsal. Or one of the teachers!”
    â€œProbably not a teacher.” Xander felt so miserable he could hardly speak, but he forced himself to think. “It would be risky. Teachers don’t hang out around the lockers. Whoever took all those things must be a kid.”
    â€œHow do we know that the school thief also took the casebook?”
    â€œWe don’t,” Xander had to admit. “But it could be.”
    They stood thinking furiously as the hall filled up with more and more students. Then the bell rang and they had to go to class.
    The day passed slowly. At lunch Xena pickedat the peanut butter sandwich her mother had made her. It was her favorite, but she just couldn’t eat. A tray slid onto the table next to her and she looked up. It was Andrew. “Something wrong?” he asked as he cut up the piece of mystery meat that was generally served as school lunch, and which was the reason that Xena and Xander usually brought their own.
    She shrugged. She couldn’t admit to Andrew, of all people, that the notebook was missing. It had taken them a long time to make friends, and she knew how easily he lost his temper. This time she couldn’t blame him, so all she said was, “Case isn’t going well.”
    â€œI don’t have any word yet on the hieroglyphs, but I do have something that might help.” He handed her an envelope. Xena recognized the return address: it was from the SPFD.
    â€œDid they already find someone who knows about shoes?”
    Andrew nodded, his mouth full. “Read it,” he said around the mystery meat.
    Xena quickly scanned it. “They got it!” For a moment she felt her heart lift, but then it fell again. “Oh. The shoes are Atalantas.”
    â€œWhat’s the problem with that?”
    â€œToo many people wear them. I don’t knowhow we’ll narrow it down.” Ever since most of the track medalists in the last Olympics had worn Atalantas, they’d become the most popular brand of sports shoes in the world.
    Xena read the rest of the report. Men’s shoes, British size 9, equivalent to American 9½. The shoe expert hadn’t been able to figure out what the circle in the print could be.
    So now they had to look at the soles of people’s shoes. But how could they do that? And even if they did find the eavesdropper, that wouldn’t prove that it was the same person who had taken the casebook. And it wouldn’t get them any closer to the amulet.
    She slid the paper back in the envelope and tucked it carefully in her notebook. “Thanks,” she said to Andrew.
    â€œGlad to help. Oh, no—look who’s coming.” It was Hannah, closely followed by Shane.
    â€œWhat’s the matter with them?”
    â€œDon’t like them. She’s a snob, and he’s a pain.”
    Jake trailed Shane into the cafeteria. “Jake’s not so bad,” Xena said.
    â€œHe’s not vile, like Shane,” Andrew agreed. “But he’s moody.”
    â€œWhat do you mean?” Xena asked.
    Andrew shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess he’s decent enough, just distracted or something.” Andrew shoveled the rest of the grayish meat into his mouth, followed it up with a long gulp