On the Case (From the Files of Madison Finn, 17) (9 page)

: Aim?


Madison chewed on her lower lip and waited a little bit longer. She knew her BFF was still online. was still in the chat room. But no one was writing back anymore.

This wasn’t good.

: Aim? I’m sorry again. I didn’t mean that. AIM?


Madison took a deep breath.

Then she saw Aimee’s screen name pop up at last.

: *poof*


Aimee was gone? Just like that? Madison flipped. She raced to Mom’s room for the portable phone and dialed Aimee’s phone number, but all she got was a busy signal. Of course! The Gillespies didn’t have a separate line for the computer as Madison did. Aimee was obviously still online.

Madison thought about heading downstairs and grabbing Phin. They could walk over to Aimee’s and meet up with her, Blossom, Yin, and Yang. A long walk with the dogs present could clear everything up. Madison could apologize in person for saying two obnoxious things to her friend in the space of only one day.

But then Madison remembered that Mom was already out with the dog—and it was getting pretty late, anyway. Plus, there was a new episode of
Crime Time
on. Madison couldn’t miss the beginning of that, could she? Not with everything that had happened that day. A good detective needs to brush up on her crime-solving skills. Madison needed some serious help with her clues.

So Madison chose TV over BFF.

After all, there was no harm in waiting until the next day to sort things out with Aimee… was there?

F
RIDAY NIGHT’S
CRIME TIME
episode was one of the best Madison had ever seen. She felt bad about not talking to Aimee, but she was glad she’d stayed home to watch her show.

The new episode was titled “Red-Handed,” and it profiled a woman who had traveled cross-country hijacking cars and committing petty crimes for a while, but had then gotten into identity theft, credit card fraud, and a whole bunch of other crimes. The woman’s name was Frosty Smith, or at least, that was her name while she was on the lam. It turned out that the name was merely an alias. Frosty’s real name had been Myra Limp. Madison couldn’t believe any of the names were real.

Her mind danced around the idea of creating aliases.

What if Penelope, Mariah’s friend, wasn’t using her real name? What if she was just posing as a student at FHJH so she could commit crimes? Madison knew that that wasn’t even close to being true, but it was fun to think about. It was exciting to imagine being in the middle of an international intrigue, just like people in the movies and on
Crime Time.

And what would Madison’s own alias be? She thought hard.

Charlotte Helena Isobel Marguerite Phoebe Antoinette?

Those were just a few of Madison’s favorite girl names, combined as one.

Madison turned up the volume on the TV when it came time for Major DeMille’s wrap-up of the show. This time he took live calls from viewers. Madison loved watching him work the bank of
Crime Time
phones. He would walk up and down the aisles at the soundstage where the show was filmed, stopping to answer callers phoning in to the switchboard. He looked like such a hunk, strolling back and forth in his gray V-neck sweater and his jeans.

“Madison?” Mom was at the doorway to the living room, where Madison was watching her show. “Planning to go up to bed anytime soon?” she asked.

Madison moaned. “Mom, the show is almost over. I’ll go up in a minute.”

“You said that ten minutes ago. Come on, Madison.”

Luckily, the closing credits for
Crime Time
flashed on-screen. Madison didn’t put up much of a fight. She headed upstairs, brushed her teeth, slipped into her pajamas, and collapsed onto her bed—with laptop in hand. As soon as Mom had shut the door for the night, Madison went online.

She quickly connected to TweenBlurt.com and then onto her e-mailbox again. Madison had no new messages. But she did have one in mind that she needed to write.

From: MadFinn


To: Bigwheels


Subject: Being a Detective


Date: Fri 15 Oct 9:27
PM


Did u see what Major was wearing on the show tonite? I think that was maybe my fave outfit ever. He got a haircut 2 and it looks good. I wonder if he has a GF?


FYI: This snooping around is harder work than I thought. First of all, it’s hard to act cool when ur collecting clues. I can be a little clumsy sometimes and noisy too, even when I’m trying 2 be quiet.


Mostly it’s hard 2 deal w/friends when they don’t understand how important it is 2 me 2 be a detective. Did u ever do something fun and ur friends just didn’t get it? Earlier tonight Aimee went offline when we were chatting w/o even saying a word. I’ll try not to dwell on it but she really bugs me. I always support her dance and stuff. Y can’t she support me? :-S


N e way, I’m making progress on my latest case. I think I have a prime suspect and I just need more evidence. More on that l8r. Here’s a :-{} for you!!!


Yours till the moon lights,


MadFinn


Madison hit
SEND
. Then she checked her buddy list. Her only friend online at the moment was Fiona. Madison sent her a message and they escaped into a chat room called WETWINZ, the same as Fiona’s screen name on TweenBlurt.com.

: what r u doing tonite did u watch ur show?


: OC! One of my fave episodes


: Mom wouldn’t let me watch she hogged the TV tonite to watch some show about the old west. ZZZZZZ


: I think I’m a CTA!


: What is that?


: Crime Time Addict LOL


: did u talk to Aim tonite?


: yes what did she tell u


: nothing I can’t get her on the phone the line is always busy and she’s not online it’s weird


: oh


: BTW I have big gossip 4 u from Chet actually about what Lindsay overheard the other day


: what? Tell me!


: Chet sez he knows what was stolen at school. some ninth grader told him it was sheet music or something else it doesn’t sound very important


: Sheet music?


: not ordinary sheet music though, it was really really old and worth a lot of money


: where was it stolen?


: Mr. Olivetti’s room. I think he had it in this black case and it went missing.


: Mr. Olivetti? He had it in a BLACK case????


: Didn’t u have a flute lesson w/him 2day?


Madison was in shock.

She quickly finished up her conversation with Fiona so she could open a file and write some notes. The mystery from school was starting to make a lot more sense. Madison’s theories about Mr. Olivetti and Penelope could have been right!

She opened a new file.

Missing Sheet Music


Aimee is so wrong. I can totally figure out the mess with the thefts @ FHJH. I am already making MAJOR progress, or should I say MAJOR DEMILLE progress?


Facts
:


• Mr. Olivetti has a black bag. Penelope has the identical black bag with initials PKO that stand for something-something-Olivetti, obviously! Duh!


• Penelope knows Mr. Olivetti because she plays piano with him and is in ensemble. She had a BIG opportunity to steal the bag.


• Penelope is Miss Squeaky Voice. I know it!!!


• Penelope said the words “sheet music” in the library when I was listening. She must have been talking about the stuff she stole!


• Penelope is way too nice to really be nice. She is hiding something.


Stuff I Need To Know
:


• Who was in the library with Penelope when I heard them?


• Is Ivy involved in this? Is Mariah?


• Why does Mr. Olivetti say he knows nothing about a robbery?


• What’s in the black bag?


Madison shut down her laptop and closed her eyes. She tried to go to sleep, but it was hard to do. The room was filled with moonlight that cast an eerie glow on the walls and chairs. Even with the shades down, it seemed as though a lamp had been turned on. There wasn’t a lot Madison could do, except maybe hide her head under the covers. When Phin trotted across the room to get a drink from his dish near Madison’s closet, he cast a shadow on one wall that made him look five times his size.

“Come here, Phinnie,” Madison called out to him when he’d finished drinking. He hopped up onto the bed, and she began to stroke his head, and soon, despite the bright light, they both fell fast asleep.

“Good morning, Maddie!” Fiona chirped into the phone on Saturday morning.

A groggy Madison could barely reply. “Morning,” she mumbled. She wasn’t sure if it was the moonlight in her room the night before or all the thoughts about the sheet-music mystery that had her feeling extra tired.

“Aimee is coming over in an hour. We’re making cookies,” Fiona said.

“For who?” Madison asked.

“For us!” Fiona said. “So why don’t you come over in an hour, too?”

Madison sighed. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” she said.

Fiona was clearly confused—and clearly out of the loop on the whole Madison-Aimee argument.

“Why isn’t it a good idea?” Fiona asked. “I thought it was a
great
idea. We haven’t hung out together on the weekend in a while. Besides, my brother is out of the house all day. Since he got into trouble, Dad is making him run errands, and he can’t bring his 3DS or anything.”

“Well,” Madison sighed again. “I guess I’ll come over.”

She hoped that Aimee wouldn’t mind—and that Aimee would actually speak to Madison once they all got to the Waterses’ house.

An hour later, after helping Mom rake some leaves in the front yard and taking Phin for a long walk around the neighborhood, Madison arrived at Fiona’s doorstep. As she waited for Fiona to answer the bell, Aimee came up behind her.

“Hi,” Aimee said.

“Hi,” Madison said.

They both looked at each other. Madison hit the doorbell again.

“I’m sorry, okay?” Madison said, half apologetic and half defensive. She couldn’t help herself.

“Yeah,” Aimee said, kicking at a loose pebble on the Waterses’ porch. Aimee leaned over and hit the doorbell again herself.

All at once the door flew open. Fiona stood there in tears.

“Oh, my God!” Aimee exclaimed.

“What’s wrong?” Madison asked.

“Come inside,” Fiona sobbed. “I feel like I’m going to pass out.”

The three pushed their way into the front hall. Fiona seemed to be at home alone.

“Let’s go up to my room,” Fiona cried. “I brought some juice and snacks up there so we could talk…” She dissolved into tears again.

“Fiona!” Madison said, feeling a little choked up at the sight of her friend’s emotional outburst.

“Fiona, what is the matter? Tell us!” Aimee said.

They went up to Fiona’s room, where all three collapsed onto the floor. “It’s Egg,” Fiona sobbed some more. “He hates me!
Hates me!”

“What?” Madison asked with disbelief. “No, he does not hate you. That’s ridiculous.”

“Why do you say that he hates you?” Aimee asked.

“We had a fight,” Fiona said.

At almost the exact same time, Madison and Aimee said, “Ohhhh.”

“It was a
big
fight, too,” Fiona continued.

“What did you fight about?” Aimee asked.

“I don’t remember,” Fiona said.

“What?” Aimee said. “How can you not remember? Didn’t you just have the fight?”

“Yes, but I’m so upset,” Fiona said. “I just forgot. Something about how I always overreact if he doesn’t call me back or E me back right away.”

“Well, you know how Egg is, Fiona. He’ll get over it.” Madison said. “So will you. Haven’t you had this fight before?”

“I never want to see him again!” Fiona said dramatically.

“You don’t mean that,” Aimee said.

“I’m returning his sweater that he loaned me, and I’m returning his stupid book on computers, and I’m definitely not going to that stupid movie this week, either,” Fiona ranted.

Madison gasped. “What are you talking about?” she asked. “You can go to the movie with us. You don’t need Egg. You can go with me and Aim—”

Fiona shook her head fiercely. “No way.”

“Well, I wasn’t going, anyhow,” Aimee reminded Madison.

“You guys can’t
both
bail out of going to the movies! That isn’t fair,” Madison said.

“Isn’t fair for who?” Aimee asked. “Can’t you make goo-goo eyes at Hart if you go by yourself?”