grabbing Jackâs hand and pulling him up from the ground.
âBut donât tell Mom,â Simon insisted, looking at Jack. âReally, Jack, donât mess up, okay? If you want to come with us, you have to show us we can trust you.â
Jackâs face scrunched indignantly. âI donât ever tell them anything!â
âOh, yeah? What about on Motherâs Day, when we got Mom the surpriseââ
Henry intervened. âCome on, he wonât tell. Letâs just go before Mom says itâs too close to dinner.â
They quickly got permission from Mrs. Barker. âThe library? Now thatâs a good way to spend the afternoonâwe live so close to it. But be careful on your bikes and make sure to watch Jack.â After stuffing a few cookies in their pockets for the trip, they rode off to find out what had happened on Superstition Mountain.
CHAPTER 9
AT THE LIBRARY
A S THEY APPROACHED Coronado Road, they rode past Delilahâs gray house. She was sitting on the front steps, between the bright beds of flowers, looking bored. When she saw them, she immediately bounced to her feet and ran across the yard.
âWhere are you going?â she called.
âNone of your business,â Simon said, zooming past.
âYeah,â Henry echoed. Hadnât she interfered with their lives enough?
âCat stealer!â Jack shouted.
Delilah ran along the sidewalk, following them. âI did not steal your cat!â she yelled. âI told you, she comes over to my house all the time. Maybe she doesnât like you anymore.â
âJosie loves us!â Jack yelled back.
âWell, she likes me better,â Delilah answered, panting.
âDoes not!â
âDoes too!â
Jackâs bike screeched to a halt, and he flung himself at Delilah. She deftly stepped out of the way, while he tumbled onto the grass.
âJack!â Henry told him. âCut it out. We donât have time for that.â
âSo where are you going?â Delilah cautiously helped Jack up, holding him at armâs length so he couldnât slug her.
âLet me go!â Jack squirmed.
âJust tell me where youâre going,â Delilah said.
Henry dragged Jack over to his fallen bike. âThe library,â he said curtly. âNow leave us alone.â
Simon was three houses ahead, with his bike turned sideways, waiting for them. âHenry! Jack! Come ON. â
They pedaled fast to catch up. Henry glanced over his shoulder, just once, to see what Delilah was doing. She was standing where theyâd left her, brown braids hanging on either side of her freckled face, watching them ride away.
The library was a sprawling concrete building on one end of Coronado Road, the main avenue through town. The boys slid their bikes into the rack at the edge of the parking lot and ran up the steps through the double doors. Inside, the building was bright and sunny, thanks to large glass windows across one end. Through them, Henry could see the sharp outline of Superstition Mountain. It filled the room.
At the circulation desk, a dark-haired woman was arranging books on a cart. She looked up when they entered and gave them a tight smile. Her hair was jet-black, which made her look young from a distance, but the skin of her face was leathery brown and wrinkled. Her eyebrows were thin, arched lines, as if theyâd been drawn on with ink. Henry thought her mouth seemed as stiff and frozen as a dollâs.
âHello, children,â she said in a syrupy voice. âHow are you today?â
âFine,â Henry answered politely.
âCan I help you with something?â
âYes.â Simon strode up to the desk. âCould you tell us where the old newspapers are?â
âOf course. Iâll show you.â She walked past them, beckoning. âThe recent issues are over here, in the periodicals area ⦠going back about six
K. Renee, Vivian Cummings