Spy in the Alley by Melanie Jackson Read Free Book Online

cold water, running down our parched throats and cooling our perspiring bodies. Mrs. Nickablock aimed the blast of water, back and forth, too occupied in her own fury to notice our blissful grins. We stuck our arms out and reveled in the water, whose arcs were turning into rainbows.
    Madge, whom I’d expected to be scornful about our failed expedition, was quite sympathetic. Teenagers are certainly unpredictable! She went out and bought us a gigantic bag of ketchup-flavored potato chips.
    She even sat with us in the TV room and mar veled over our skill at racing different cars along Los Angeles freeways in a PlayStation game.
    â€œMrs. Nickablock is a horrible, mean old woman,” Madge commented at one point, showing that her mind wasn’t really on the race. “To think that you two trudged all that way, in this heat, to be treated like that! Horrid old thing.” She gave me a hug, which was all very well, but it ruined the particular steering maneuver I’d been attempting.
    â€œAwesome fatality,” gloated Pantelli, as my car flipped upside down.
    Of course, I was able to right the car and proceed again, this being the somewhat unrealistic world of video games, but now I was down on points. I was about to instruct Madge to control her impulses of sisterly affection when I heard, “Yup. The Buzzer triumphs again.”
    Buzz Bewford was leaning in the open window, his muscular arms crushing the lilacs that grew along the sill.
    It was Pantelli’s turn to be distracted. His car crashed against the ramp.
    Madge gave Buzz a quizzical, and rather cool, look. Huh! Madge, I realized, didn’t like Buzz, even if his presence here was a Roderick Wellman production. “Is there something we can help you with?” she asked him.
    Buzz puffed out his chest. His box-like head grew pink with self-satisfaction, right to the tips of his ears. “I helped you , Miss Galloway. I just caught that bucktoothed dude, the guy who’s been spying on you.”
    Buckteeth caught? We gaped at Buzz. Smirking at the effect of his announcement, Buzz reached over, stuck a box-like hand into our bag of ketchup potato chips and helped himself to a large handful.
    I clambered up on the arm of the sofa and peered out the window over Buzz’s shoulder. “Well? Where is he?”
    Buzz had to swallow the potato chips before he could reply. Actually, he replied before he’d quite finished swallowing, so his voice was kind of muffled. “I sent him packing, but pronto. Warned him I’d beat the daylights outta him if anyone ever caught him skulkin’ around here again. Threatened him with — ”
    â€œAll right, all right,” Madge interrupted hastily. “But who was this guy?”
    Buzz gave her a condescending, aren’t-you-a-purdy-lil-thing kind of smile that made her bristle. “He’s just some nerd,” he said off-handedly. “You must be used to nerds hangin’ around you, huh?” he leered.
    â€œAs of this minute, yes,” said Madge icily. I edged past her to block his view of her. I really didn’t like the way he was looking at my sister.
    Buzz glared at me. Obviously he was much happier leering at Madge. “I’ll tell ya one thing, Miss Dinah Smart Alec. The nerd was wearing an anti-smoking-type T-shirt. Looks like he’s one of your friend Jack’s pals. How do you like that?”
    I pushed my glasses up and demanded, “If you sent him packing, but pronto, how did you have time to make all those threats to him?”
    Buzz’s box-like face darkened. “Listen, I took care of it, okay? Which is more ’n you managed, Miss Kid Detective!”
    â€œI’m a Ms. to you,” I replied, feelings hurt. “Anyhow, if it hadn’t been for me, nobody would’ve known about Buckteeth spying on Madge.”
    â€œYeah, yeah. Kids think they are so-o-o superior,” sneered Buzz.
    Behind me, Madge got up