Arts and Thefts by Allison K. Hymas

Author:Allison K. Hymas [Hymas, Allison K.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aladdin
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

I HAD TO FIND BECCA and tell her what I knew. She wouldn’t like that I hadn’t gotten the paint sample yet. But she needed to know who might be attacked next, and she really needed to know that the saboteurs had inside knowledge.

My first thought was to call her, but even though we’d worked together before, I’d only ever called her on her family’s home phone, and for so long the idea of having Becca’s personal number was like begging my parents to hang out with me at school: totally unimaginable. I had to physically look for her. But where would she be?

First I stopped by the tent. Becca might be there, interviewing contestants or looking for contest officials.

But I found nothing but lunch. Well, it made no sense to work on an empty stomach. As I got a turkey sandwich and a bag of chips, I asked a parent volunteer, “Hey, I’m looking for a friend of mine named Lee Moffat. Light hair, bow tie, gray vest. Have you seen him?”

The dad leaned back and gazed up as I waited to hear if Quinn’s alibi for Lee was true.

“You know what,” he said, “I do remember him. He came through for lunch not long ago, but he’s gone now.”

“That’s okay. I’ll find him. When was he here, though?”

“He came in about half an hour ago. I remember because he tried to take two sandwiches. Said one of them was for his friend. I said no. Then he sat over there”—the man pointed to a table—“and ate his lunch. He probably left about ten or fifteen minutes ago.”

My heart sank. Quinn’s word was true; Lee was here when the sabotage happened. He might have been out near Diana’s painting during her sabotage, but Diana hadn’t seen him there, and for sure he wouldn’t have been around for Justin’s. It had happened during that window of time the man said Lee had been at this tent. Not at one location nor at the other. That meant he couldn’t have been either one of our saboteurs.

I had so wanted it to be Lee.

“Thanks,” I said to the dad. I ate my sandwich and chips so fast the dad looked like he was mentally prepping to give me the Heimlich maneuver.

After that, I speed-walked through the maze of walls, searching for Becca. Once I found her, I’d stow the disguise somewhere nearby. I halted near the place at Wall B where Becca had found me earlier that day, back when she still thought I’d been the thief who’d stolen

Heather’s painting supplies. I could still remember the fear and annoyance I’d felt when I’d seen her coming toward me, her eyes blazing with the desire to put me in a headlock and read me my rights.

Or throw me to the wall, right between the painting of the hamster army—wait.

The painting of the evil hamsters was gone. Well, not gone, as in nothing but a blank spot left on the wall. I mean gone, as in the painting now showed a flame-colored monster with fiery eyes.

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