Nanny X by Madelyn Rosenberg Read Free Book Online

brings up a website that talks about fish.
    â€œThis particular database ranks suspects by odor instead of by color or number,” Nanny X explained. “Old mackerel has one of the foulest odors imaginable. The fact that they used mackerel as opposed to, say, some type of cheese tells me plenty. The use of a fish indicates that there’s something fishy about Big Adam, which, of course, we already know. And as you can see, they suspect plenty but they’ve proven nothing. It’ll be up to us to do that.”
    I wondered why someone who knew all about fish odor packed anchovies for lunch, but I didn’t ask. Nanny X flipped down the top of the baby wipes and marched us into the police station. Stinky’s mother was standing in front of the desk, talking to one of the officers. She had the same dark eyes as Stinky, and the same smile, only now she wasn’t using it; she was yelling. Stinky’s nanny, Boris, stood next to her, talking calmly. With his island accent he always sounded calm, even when he wasn’t.
    â€œOh, but he’s never been in trouble of any sort,” Boris was saying. “He has no previous offenses, you have no right to hold him—”
    â€œTell it to the judge,” the officer said.
    â€œYou bet we will,” said Mrs. Malloy. “Where is she?” The officer pointed, and Mrs. Malloy walked out of the office. Boris followed, giving a slight nod to Nanny X and a wink to me and Jake. I waved, wondering why Boris hadn’t been with Stinky when the whole thing started.
    Nanny X approached the officer slowly. The flowers on her gardening hat gave her some extra height.
    â€œWe’re here to see Daniel Malloy,” she said.
    â€œYou have to be authorized to do that,” said the officer, whose mustache covered half his face. “Or you have to be his mother. And you’re not. The mother went that way.” He pointed in the direction Mrs. Malloy had gone. “So if I had to make a guess, I’d guess you’re authorized to leave.”
    â€œOh, I’m authorized to do much more than leave.” Nanny X reached into her diaper bag and yanked out the badge she had shown to the mayor. It flashed in the fluorescent light.
    â€œOh, I’m so
sorry
, ma’am.” Now the policeman sounded overly polite, like he was trying to be nice, but it was pretty obvious he didn’t want to be. “I didn’t realize you were with
NAP
.”
    â€œThere are probably a great many things you don’t realize,” Nanny X said.
    â€œAnd these children?” the officer asked, glaring at us.
    â€œThese children are with me. Any courtesy extended to NAP officials must also be extended to them.”
    â€œAnd I suppose the dog—”
    â€œThe dog, too.”
    I didn’t think we were going to get in, but the officer stood up and led us down the hall, mumbling things like “no choice” and “government” and “they could have at least sent the FBI or the CIA.”
    We found Stinky Malloy in a tiny room inside the police station. They hadn’t put him in a jail cell. But the room didn’t have any windows, and it smelled like a school cafeteriabefore all of the garbage is thrown away. There was a chair in there, the hard plastic kind. Stinky sat on the floor with his arms around his knees.
    â€œHi,” I said.
    â€œHi.” For some reason he looked smaller than normal, maybe because he wasn’t towering over me the way he usually did. His hair was in his eyes and his chin stuck out a little, like he was ready for a fight. “I’m glad you were able to make it to the meeting.”
    â€œThis is our nanny,” I told him.
    â€œHello, Daniel,” our nanny said. “You may call me Nanny X.”
    Stinky stood up and shook her hand. “Did you see Boris?” he asked. “And my mom? They were just here.”
    â€œAnd now they’re with the