Forever Begins Tomorrow by Bruce Coville Read Free Book Online Page B

have the foggiest idea! When I woke up the place was empty. Thank God whoever it was had turned on a lantern—one of the ones we left there, by the way. Otherwise I would have been in total darkness. I probably would have figured I was dead and waiting for some angel to come take me to heaven.”
    â€œThat would have been some wait,” snorted Hap.
    â€œThat’s the end of it?” asked Rachel incredulously. “You don’t have any idea who it was?”
    â€œOh, it’s someone we know,” said Wendy. “I found this tucked under the lantern.”
    She pulled a piece of paper from her jeans pocket. Roger snatched it before she could play any more games.
    â€œRead it aloud!” demanded Rachel.
    â€œI intended to.” Roger unfolded the crumpled paper. His face fell as he glanced at what was written there.
    â€œWhat does it say?” cried Ray.
    â€œNot much. Here are the exact words: ‘Nice work, but a little sloppy. Try to be more careful next time.’”
    â€œThat’s it?” cried Trip.
    â€œExcept for the signature. It’s signed—”
    â€œDon’t tell me,” said Hap. “Let me guess. It’s signed ‘A friend.’”
    â€œYou got it,” said Wendy.
    â€œI don’t know which is going to drive me crazy first,” sighed Rachel. “Our enemy—or our mysterious ally.”

    Â 
    Suspicions
    â€œWell, Ray,” said Elinor Gammand as she handed her stepson a thick wedge of chocolate cake with fudge icing, “did you have a nice day?”
    The Gamma Ray looked at his stepmother speculatively. Was it really possible she didn’t know about everything that had happened in the last few hours? He stalled for time by plunging a forkful of the rich cake into his mouth. The fact that Elinor was short enough, and had hair dark enough, to match their two clues to Black Glove’s identity tended to make him nervous.
    This was a fairly new problem. For a long time Ray had felt that his stepmother was too removed from everything to make a serious suspect. But on a recent overnight at Trip’s, when they had stayed awake until nearly morning discussing the question of Black Glove’s identity, his friend had reluctantly but logically pointed out that just because Elinor Gammand didn’t seem to have any technical expertise didn’t mean she couldn’t be the spy.
    â€œAs a matter of fact,” Trip had said, “the very appearance of ignorance makes a pretty good cover. Let’s face it, Ray, three years ago she came out of nowhere to marry your father. Sure, no one knew about Project Alpha then. But considering your father’s abilities, would it be surprising if some group interested in cutting-edge computer technology wanted him spied on anyway? If your stepmother was already working for G.H.O.S.T., she would have been the right person in the right place when this project began.”
    Though Ray had protested the idea vigorously, he knew Trip was right: Elinor had to remain on the suspect list.
    He pressed his tongue against the roof of his mouth. It just didn’t seem reasonable that a spy could make such incredible cake.
    â€œRay?”
    Mrs. Gammand was still waiting for an answer.
    Suspect or not, was it possible neither Brody nor Hwa had contacted his parents to tell them about the gang’s latest escapade?
    He was searching for some nice, noncommittal response when a six-inch-tall polystyrene monster came bounding across the table. Leaping onto his plate, it began jumping up and down in the frosting.
    â€œWarthos!” cried Ray’s father. “You come back here!”
    Ignoring its creator, the hideous, four-armed purple automaton continued to stomp through Ray’s cake.
    Dr. Hugh Gammand’s towering figure rose from the other side of the table. Muttering in disgust, he snatched his newest character out of his son’s dessert.
    Ray gazed