5. Four Little Spies

Chapter 5 Four Little Spies The kids watched the boy run to the old bus. He yanked open the door, jumped inside, and slammed the door behind him. "What's going on?" Nate asked. "He looks mad at somebody." "He was crying," Bradley said. "Yeah, because he's a lousy acrobat," Brian said. "That other one in the silver costume was awesome!" "Maybe the kid is just jealous," Nate suggested. "FOUR LITTLE SPIES!" a deep voice growled from behind the kids. "Maude, let's throw them in

the lion's cage!" The four kids jumped like kangaroos! "No, Basilio, let's feed them to the snake," a woman's voice said. "Our anaconda hasn't eaten a child in weeks!" Bradley nearly swallowed his tongue. Brian, Nate, and Lucy froze and stared at the man and woman. "We… we… we…" Bradley couldn't make his mouth say anything. "Well, speak up," the man barked. "Lion or snake? Your choice." "I have a better idea, Papa," another voice said. It was the girl. She appeared from behind the woman. "Do you guys like cookies?" the teenager asked the kids. She was smiling, and her hair was neatly brushed into place. "We… love cookies!" Nate said, finally finding his voice.

"Oh heck, Maude," the man said to his wife. "I never get to have any fun." Then he grinned at the kids. "Just teasing," he said. "Since Hannah won't let me feed you to the wild animals, we might as well feed you some of

Mama Maude's outstanding cookies. Come along!" The couple turned and walked toward the trailer. They were laughing as they strolled away, arm in arm. "I'm Hannah Fortunato," the girl said, shaking the kids' hands. "Don't mind my folks. They love joking around. Most of the time they act younger than Adam and me." The kids and Hannah headed toward the table, where her parents were waiting. "Is Adam your brother?" Lucy asked. "We were watching him inside the tent." "He's good," Hannah said. Good? Bradley thought. He's terrible! "My parents taught him," Hannah said. "They were the best once." Bradley remembered the picture he'd hung on his bulletin board. "Do you do acrobatics, too?" he asked Hannah. "Me? Oh, no," she said. "My job is mostly in the office, taking care of ticket sales and other stuff."

When they reached the table, Hannah's father stood up. He reached out a hand the size of a catcher's mitt. "I am Basilio Fortunato," he boomed. "And who are you?" The kids all shook Basilio Fortunato's big hand. "We're Brian and Bradley Pinto," Brian piped up. "We sold tickets for you!" "Are you twins?" Maude asked the boys. "Yep," Brian said. "I'm two minutes older than Bradley!" "Hannah and Adam are twins, too," Maude said. "And I'm Nate Hathaway, and this is Lucy Armstrong," Nate added. "We sold tickets, too!" "Wonderful!" Maude said. "Sit and have cookies. They have nuts. Are you allergic?" The kids all shook their heads and reached for the plate of cookies. They sat on the grass as Hannah poured glasses of lemonade. "Do you really have a lion and an anaconda?" Nate asked. Basilio sighed and rubbed his forehead. "We used to," he said. "And a horse named Roger. We had a real circus a few years ago, but now—"

"Now we have Adam, our son, who is the world's greatest acrobat," Maude interrupted. Bradley thought about Adam in the tent a few minutes ago. If he was their acrobat, this circus was worse off than he'd thought! Adam couldn't be the amazing acrobat in the silver costume! "You guys talking about me?" a new voice asked. Adam Fortunato joined the group. His hair was combed and he wore a fresh T-shirt. "Hope you left me some cookies, Mom." Bradley looked at Adam. He seemed happy as he gobbled half a cookie in one gulp. Then why was he crying ten minutes ago? "What happened to the lion and anaconda?" Brian said. "We saw the cages in the tent." "Had to sell 'em," Basilio muttered. "You were in the tent?" Adam asked. His smile disappeared. Red spots appeared on his cheeks. "We, um, sort of peeked," Bradley said. "We didn't mean to be sneaky," Lucy said. Adam looked as if he'd just swallowed a bug. "Lighten up, Adam," Hannah said. "These kids sold a whole bunch of tickets for us."