On the Case (From the Files of Madison Finn, 17) (6 page)

Madison clicked onto the attachment at the end of Bigwheels’s e-mail and a document opened. It was the poem.

For Madison

Sometimes friends are like flowers.

Petals open up and they hug you.

Colors are bright and warm

And if I’m feeling low

I can always count on a friend to know.

Friends say the right things at the right time.

They are smarter than smart.

Most of all, friends have heart.

Love,

Vicki

Bigwheels had written poems before, but this was the best one yet. Madison wished she could write a poem right back. What would she write about? Being a detective?

Madison clicked
SAVE
so she could keep the poem in a safe place in her files. Later she would print it out and stick it on the bulletin board in her room or maybe even put it inside her school locker.

Then Madison hit
REPLY
.

From: MadFinn


To: Bigwheels


Subject: Re: Crime Time all the time


Date: Wed 13 Oct 7:06
PM


UR2N2ME!!! Is it possible to be such good friends with someone I have never met? You proved that it is. I will love your poem forever and ever. Thanks. Thanks. Thanks.


I had to write back tonight because something BIG happened today. I went to the animal clinic and--drumroll, please--I solved another mystery. For real! It was only figuring out that this girl was sneaking the kittens out to play but no one else could figure out who was doing it and I don’t want to sound full of myself or anything but I DID.


Know what? I am having major (as in MAJOR DeMille) karma about all this snooping stuff. I can really do it. Plus, this was my fortune cookie with tonight’s takeout dinner: YOU NEVER HESITATE TO SOLVE THE MOST DIFFICULT PROBLEMS. Get that? SOLVE, like crimes, right? Isn’t that just perfect!?


Did u ever read Nancy Drew? I read all those books in fourth grade but I think I’m going to go back and read them all again. I bet I could learn a thing or 2 from her, doncha think? Maybe I’ll be the NEW Nancy Drew. Detective Madison Finn at your service. LOL.


Yours till Crime Time,


Maddie


P.S.: I really will write a poem 4 u 2 someday I hope!


As she hit
SEND
, Madison’s mind swirled. What if she really
could
become the next super girl detective? What if Madison Francesca Finn became the youngest girl ever featured on the cover of
Time
magazine, with the headline
You Go Girl: Solving Crimes After School
? What if she got so big that she was actually invited to appear on
Crime Time
?

She caught her breath.

A guest spot on
Crime Time
! That could mean she would meet Major DeMille, for real. What could be better than that? Aimee and Fiona would be so jealous…

“Maddie!
Is your light still on? It’s getting late!”

The sound of Mom’s voice interrupted her thoughts. Madison jumped up from her bed and ran over to the door.

“Okay, Mom. I hear you! And I’m getting ready for bed!” Madison yelled back. She closed her laptop and headed into the bathroom.

After all, the sooner she brushed her teeth…

And the sooner she climbed into bed…

The sooner she would be back in the amazing dream starring Major DeMille!

Deep sleep couldn’t come soon enough.

“D
AN, SHUT UP!” MADISON
said at the lunch table at school on Thursday.

“Why? It’s true,” Dan said. “You
are
a real detective.”

Egg cracked up. “How can you solve crimes, Maddie? You’re scared of bugs!”

“What does
that
have to do with anything?” Aimee said.

Madison buried her face in her hands. Dan had told everyone about the cat caper at the clinic, including Hart, who was staring at her right at that moment.

“I think it’s cool,” Hart said to Madison. “Not everyone can figure out things like that. Dan couldn’t.”

“No kidding,” Dan said.

“Hey, is that the girl who took the kittens?” Chet, Fiona’s twin, asked, way too loudly. He pointed across the cafeteria to Lana, who just happened to be having lunch at the same time.

“Shhh!” Fiona shushed her twin brother. “I wish you didn’t have such an open manhole for a mouth!”

Madison felt uncomfortable. She waved, so that Lana wouldn’t worry that they were gossiping about her—even though they were.

“Lana Waldorf’s in math class with me,” Hart said. “I feel bad for her. She never gets any problems right.”

“Some kids call her Lana Waldorfus,” Egg said.

“What does
that
have to do with anything?” Aimee said again. “How about your nickname? After all, we call you ‘Egg’!”

Drew snorted.

Everyone else at the table laughed, too.

“Egg is a really uncool nickname, isn’t it?” Chet chimed in, laughing louder than everyone else.

“Shut it,” Egg said.

That only made Chet laugh
louder.

Egg leaned over and whacked Chet in the head with a notebook—hard.

Chet whacked back.

Then Egg punched Chet in the arm.

“Hey, guys, want to chill out? The cafeteria monitor is looking this way,” Dan cautioned.

“Yeah, stop, or we’ll
all
get Detention,” Madison said.

“You guys started it,” Egg moaned. “Making fun of my name is totally unfair.”

Madison saw Fiona smile at Egg.

“I don’t think Egg is a weird name,” Fiona whispered. She always tried to make Egg feel better when things were looking bad. Of course, her sweeter-than-sweet attention only made Egg feel more embarrassed than ever. He stood up and moved down to the other end of the table.

The other guys followed his lead, moving to the side. They formed teams for spitball hockey, while the girls finished eating lunch.

Fiona tried not to look hurt when Egg edged away.

“Maddie,” Aimee said, changing the subject a little. “I know you’re way into this whole
Crime Time
mystery-puzzle thing. And I think it’s cool that you helped Dan at the clinic. But I really don’t see how it makes you a real live detective…”

Madison took a sip of her chocolate milk. “You don’t?” she said, sounding disappointed. Aimee’s opinion mattered a lot to Madison.

“She’s not a detective, she’s a super snooper!” Fiona said, trying to sound cheery even though she was still sad about Egg.

“If you ask me, all this snooping around seems dumb,” Aimee added. “It sounds like a waste of time.”

Madison sighed. “You really think so? I like it.”

“Why is it a waste of time if she likes doing it?” Fiona asked.

Aimee shrugged.

“No. Maybe you’re right, Aim,” Madison thought aloud.

Aimee shrugged again. “I don’t know. I just think you’re getting… a little obsessed.”

Was she? Madison remembered the slip of paper she’d found in the library with the mystery address on it… and how she had been thinking about maybe stopping off at that address just to see what was happening… and how she thought maybe she’d uncover a strange and mysterious crime ring…

Wait! That wasn’t obsessed. Was it?

It didn’t matter. Madison realized that she couldn’t stop being a detective now. No matter what Aimee said, there were mysteries to solve.
Real
mysteries, right there at FHJH. And Madison was on the case.

“Hey!” Egg popped back over to the girls’ side of the table. Fiona looked encouraged. “What are you three doing next week?” he asked.

“Um… coming to school,” Aimee said matter-of-factly. “What are you doing? Going to Disney World?”

“Duh,” Egg said. “I meant, what are you doing next Wednesday, when we have the day off?”

Madison had almost forgotten about the day that they were going to get because of testing and some faculty conference. Being off from school in the middle of the week was like playing hooky, only legally.

“Well,” Egg said dramatically. By now the other guys had come back to the end of the table to sit with the girls. “Drew’s mom offered to take all of us to the movies.”

“Mooo-vieeees!”
Hart chanted.

The other guys let out a roar and gave Drew high fives.

“Whoa! That is so nice, Drew!” Fiona gushed.

Drew smiled. “My mom says we can go see
Curse of the Diamond,
that new thriller that’s playing over at the multiplex.”

“Oh, I really, really want to see that one!” Madison shrieked. It was part thriller, part adventure, part mystery. In other words, it was Madison’s favorite kind of flick.

“Me, too,” Chet said. “I like mysteries.”

“I think mysteries are dumb,” Aimee said.

Madison stuck out her tongue. “Hey!”

“Curse of the Diamond
got five stars on Movie Picks,” Dan said. He was always up to date on what was hot and what was not, based on what he read online.

“Exactly who’s going?” Hart asked as he walked up to the table.

“Let’s see,” Egg thought aloud, counting names on his fingers as he spoke. “There’s Drew, me, Dan, Hart, Chet, Fiona, Maddie, Aim, and Drew’s friend Elaine, so far.”

Madison felt a sharp pain in the middle of her chest. Drew was inviting Elaine?

Oh, no, Madison sighed to herself.

That meant the movie day would be a couples thing. Even though they were all traveling in a group, they were pairing off.

Madison glanced back over at Hart, who was working on a pudding snack. A little bit of chocolate had gotten on his chin, Madison noticed. But it made him look even cuter. How was that possible?

Ever since Madison and Hart had sort of admitted that they sort of liked each other, things had been sort of confusing when it came to group activities. A while back, Hart had suggested that he and Madison go
together
when the group went to the movies. But then they never went. And he had never asked again.

Drew and Elaine were boyfriend and girlfriend. Everyone knew that.

Fiona and Egg would definitely stay a couple. That was obvious.

Chet and Dan would probably pal around together, too, like an anticouple, but paired off nonetheless.

But what would Madison do? This was Hart’s chance to make good on his original offer. For the very first time, maybe they would be declared a couple, too.

And if Hart didn’t ask? At least Madison could hang with Aimee.

“Too bad I can’t go,” Aimee said all of a sudden, as if she’d been reading Madison’s mind.

Madison shot a look back at her BFF. “Huh?” she asked, surprised. “Can’t go?”

“Because I’ll probably take some extra dance classes that day,” Aimee said.

“Classes? What? Aim!” Madison cried. “Why? It’s our day off from school and classes! Besides, don’t you think you’re doing a lot of dance? In fact, I think maybe you’re becoming a little… obsessed….”

Madison laughed at her own joke.

Aimee laughed, too. “I guess I deserved that.”

Madison threw her arm around Aimee, “Can’t you blow off dance class for once? This is going to be fun.”

“I don’t think so…” Aimee stammered. “I don’t want to see that movie, anyhow. I told you.”

Madison backed off. Aimee was acting so weird. How could she not want to go on a group outing with her closest friends?

“So, everyone is cool with
Curse of the Diamond
?” Drew asked the people at the table.

Everybody nodded.

And so the plan was made.

When the lunch period officially ended, a few moments later, everyone went off to classes. Fiona and Aimee left together. Madison found herself walking out of the cafeteria alone. But then Hart came up and tapped her on the shoulder.

“Hey, Finnster,” he said with a smile.

Madison swallowed a few deep gulps of air. This was it.

“Can you help me out? I have to work on some science work sheets from Mr. Danehy’s class, but I have hockey practice…”

Madison did a double take.

Hockey?

“We have such a good team this year. Egg and I think the Rangers have a shot at the division championships,” Hart said. “And we have a really big match this weekend against Dunn Manor.”

Madison tried to read between the lines. Was there a movie invitation hidden there somewhere? Was she missing something?

“You know, the coach says I can play right wing this season,” Hart said, as if that could have made any sense to Madison.

“Ever watch
Crime Time
?” she asked, out of the blue, desperate to change the subject.

It didn’t matter that Madison had already asked Hart about the show. Hart didn’t even hear her question. He was talking slap shots, not crime scenes.

Maybe Hart didn’t want to go to the movies with Madison. Maybe he didn’t like her anymore. Maybe in the last twenty-four hours he’d gone back to liking Poison Ivy Daly.

The class bell rang.

“See you later, Finnster!” Hart said as he made a left turn, heading for his next class.

“Um… Hart…” Madison called out after him.

Hart turned and smiled. “Yeah?”

“You have pudding on your face,” Madison said. As much as she liked him, Madison couldn’t help herself.

As Hart stood there, struck speechless, Madison started off in the opposite direction, toward Mr. Gibbons’s English class.

Madison fought her way through the throngs of kids in the hall. She pushed the heavy stairwell door and went up to the next floor, where there was a traffic jam of sorts on the steps. As the rest of the kids slowly shuffled up to the third floor, Madison felt her heart aching a little.

Then she heard something. It was squeaky, and very familiar.

Was it the voice from the library?

Madison’s heart started to pound. Where was the voice coming from? She tried to squeeze in between two guys in front of her. But they weren’t moving fast enough.

And the squeaky voice was receding.

As she reached the top landing and the crowd dispersed a little, Madison scrambled to see if she could locate the source of the voice.