The Impossible Clue by Sarah Rubin Read Free Book Online

how he disappeared. I mean, he must have tons of gadgets and gizmos in his lab that he could use. Or some other scientist kidnapped him or something.’
    I wasn’t a huge fan of the way Della used ‘gadgets and gizmos’ to describe state-of-the-art scientific equipment,but she had a point. If anyone could figure out how to disable a security camera, it would be a scientist studying the physics of light.
    â€˜Well, as much as I’d love to sit and banter with you two sweethearts, I’m afraid I have a story to write,’ Dad said. I’ll leave you girls to clean up. I need to go do some research.’ He slurped down the last of his soup and kissed each of us on the forehead. Then he put his bowl in the sink, grabbed a water bottle out of the fridge and went into his downstairs office.
    â€˜Story fever’s setting in,’ Della asked after the door shut.
    The door swung open again and I jumped. Dad stuck his head out.
    â€˜Alice, we’ll take a drive over to Delgado Industries in the morning and check things out, OK?’
    He popped back into the office, closing the door behind him before I had a chance to answer.
    â€˜Oh, yeah. It’s setting in big time.’
    â€˜I don’t know how you live with him.’ She finished her toast and put her plate in the sink. I shrugged. I liked living with Dad. He let me do things my own way.
    Della leant against the wall and watched as I washed up. ‘So how do you fit into all this?’ she asked.
    â€˜You remember that kid I texted you about? Sammy?’
    â€˜The one who follows you all over the school?’
    I waited until she took the clean bowl I held out and started drying it before I answered her. ‘That’s the one.Well, his father is Mr Delgado.’
    â€˜And he asked you to find the scientist?’
    â€˜That’s about it.’
    Della tilted her head to the side. ‘Is he serious?’
    I snorted. ‘No. He just wants me to run around and make a good story.’
    â€˜And you said yes?’
    I didn’t answer, but I could feel my face starting to go hot. I rinsed the last bowl and turned off the tap.
    â€˜Let me guess,’ Della said. ‘He made you angry and you took the case to prove him wrong.’ I blushed a little harder. We didn’t live together any more, but my sister could still read me like a book. Della handed me the tea towel. I guess I was finishing the drying too.
    â€˜I want to call Mom before I go to bed,’ she said in answer to my raised eyebrow.
    I looked at the clock. ‘Della, it’s after midnight in Italy right now. Mom’s probably asleep.’
    Della let her shoulders slump tragically.
    â€˜Just call her when you wake up. She’ll be having lunch when you have breakfast. It’ll be like you’re having brunch.’
    She seemed happy with that solution and made her way to the stairs. Della put her foot on the first step and then turned around.
    â€˜You’ll let me have the bed tonight, right? I need my REM sleep before an audition.’ She smiled sweetly.
    I knew better than to argue. Arguing with Della was like arguing with a brick wall. You might make the best point in the world, but that wall wasn’t budging for anyone.
    â€˜No problem.’
    Della walked upstairs belting out ‘Maybe’. Her voice filled the house with an almost physical presence. I sighed. It looked like I’d be spending a lot of my summer holiday in the library. But then again, I would have done that anyway.

I woke up at 6 a.m. the next morning. The sun was shining, the birds were singing and so was my sister.
    â€˜Good morning,’ Della trilled. She was working the top of her range, an octave usually reserved for calling dogs. Don’t get me wrong, Della made it sound good. But I’d stayed up late going over the file Mr Delgado had given me, and 6 a.m. is no time for music appreciation.
    I sat up slowly, holding my