Sammy Keyes and the Runaway Elf by Wendelin Van Draanen Read Free Book Online Page B

home after school? It’s right there on Sycamore, a block off Main.”
    “Behind the supermarket?”
    She nodded. “It would just be until Christmas break.”
    My stomach was feeling pretty happy, and it must have affected the rest of me, because out of my mouth pops, “Sure.”
    She lets out a huge sigh. “Thank heavens.”
    Elyssa comes charging up the hallway, calling, “I’m ready!” so I thanked Mrs. Keltner for lunch, and before you know it I’m on my way to the park with the Elf.
    And the funny thing is, I had fun. A lot of fun. I chased her down the tube slide and trapped her in the jungle gym. We twirled on the bars until we were both so dizzy we didn’t know which way was up, and I even rode a swing on my stomach. I didn’t think about the GasAway Lady or “The Tell-Tale Heart,” or even the Crocodile—I just had fun.
    But somewhere on the walk home it all came flooding back. And by the time I had dropped the Elf off, I knew that I had to pay the Crocodile another visit.
    And this time, I would be the one asking the questions.

SEVEN
    There was a bright red Jeep parked in the circular drive. And I would’ve thought it was Tina’s, only the license plate said SKI BOY. There were sunglasses on the dash, some flags and a fancy-looking megaphone on the backseat, and on the floor were a sack of oranges and a couple of blankets.
    I was still kind of studying the Jeep, trying to figure out who Ski Boy might be, when Tina answered the door. “Well, if it isn’t Little Miss Gumshoe. Didja find her?”
    I stepped inside, and the door closed with a
bo-beep
behind me. I asked, “What is that sound?”
    She looked puzzled. “What sound?”
    “You know … that
bo-beep
sound.”
    She laughed and said, “Oh, that. That’s our rip-roaring security system. Anytime you open a window or door,
be-boop
, there goes the alarm. And when you shut it,
bo-beep!
There it goes again.”
    “That’s all it does?”
    “When it’s in the Home mode, yeah.” She rolled her eyes. “Mother calls it the annunciator, but to me it’s the Tattler.” She whispered, “Can’t get away with anything around here!”
    Now, I knew there was something different about her,but it didn’t hit me until I’d followed Tina through the house that she was drunk. She stopped in the doorway of the sitting room and rolled her eyes again. “Good luck breakin’ the two of them up. They’re talking
money
.”
    The Croc was sitting in a wheelchair with her leg propped up, swirling ice cubes in a glass, and she was laughing. Really laughing. And with all those teeth showing, let me tell you—it was a scary sight. Like someone sharpening knives at a playground.
    The guy she was talking to was blond and really tan, and he was swirling ice and laughing, too. He says, “Lilia, you’re too much!”
    The Croc laughs some more, then, without taking her eyes off him, she reaches her glass out and says, “We need refills, Tina.”
    Tina waves and says, “Over here, Mother … hel-lo. Hate to break up the party, but you’ve got company, and if you’ll recall, Buddy and I have plans.”
    The Croc looks over and practically drops her glass. “What the devil are you doing here?”
    I try to stare her down. “I’ve got some questions.”
    Everyone’s quiet for a minute, then Buddy raises an eyebrow in Tina’s direction. She says, “Oh. This is Mother’s private eye.”
    His other eyebrow goes up, and you can tell he’s dying to bust up. But instead, he stands, gives the Croc a little bow, and says, “It was so nice meeting you, Lilia. I’ve learned more today than I have in the last three and a half years at the university. Maybe we can continue our conversation sometime.”
    “I’d be delighted,” she says, and as they’re leaving, calls, “Don’t forget your jacket.”
    Buddy looks back, and sure enough, there’s his turquoise ski jacket, sitting on the chair. The Croc jokes, “Couldn’t lose you in a snowstorm in that thing