Chapter 9

Chapter 9 Dan decided that explosions were cool, but not if you were in one. The whole way to Independence Hall, Amy cradled Saladin's cat carrier like it was her life preserver. Nellie yelled at them for being so reckless. Dan's hearing was so messed up she sounded like she was talking from the bottom of a fish tank. "I can't believe this!" Nellie said. "A real bomb? I thought you were joking!" Amy wiped her eyes. "The Starlings … they just—" "Maybe they're okay," Dan said, but it sounded lame even to him. They hadn't stuck around for the police to arrive. They'd been so freaked out they'd simply fled, so Dan had no idea

what had happened to the triplets. He didn't figure it was a good sign that they'd found Sinead's phone next to a whole section of collapsed roof. Nellie yanked the wheel and they turned onto Sixth Street. "You guys, this is serious. Somebody tried to kill you. I can't babysit you if—" "Au pair us," Dan corrected. "— whatever!" She pulled the car in front of Independence Hall. The sun was going down, and in the evening light, the place looked exactly like it did in school videos — a two-story brick building with a big white clock tower, surrounded by trees and flower beds. A statue of some Revolutionary dude stood out front. The hall didn't look all that impressive compared to the huge modern buildings around it, but back in the day, Dan guessed it was probably the biggest place in town. He could imagine Franklin and all his friends with powdered wigs and three-cornered hats gathering on the steps to talk about the Declaration of Independence, or the Constitution, or maybe Ben's latest proposal for studying farts. The whole scene made Dan

think of American history tests, which were almost as scary as exploding museums. "Look, guys," Nellie said. "The deal's off. Whatever you've gotten yourselves into — this is way too dangerous for a couple of kids. I'm going to take you back to your aunt." "No!" Dan said. "Nellie, you can't. She'll—" He stopped himself, but Nellie's blue-glitter-shaded eyes narrowed. "She'll what?" Dan glanced at Amy, hoping for help, but she was still in shock, just staring out the window. "Nothing," Dan said. "Nellie, this is important. Please. Just wait for us." Nellie fumed. "I've got, like, six more songs on my playlist, okay? If you're not back in the car when the last song is over, and ready to explain things to me honestly, I am so calling Beatrice." "You got it!" Dan promised. He tried to push Amy out of the car, but she must've still been in shock, because she held on to Saladin's cat carrier. "What are you doing?" Dan asked. "Leave him here." "No." Amy fumbled to cover the carrier with a blanket. "We need to take him."

Dan didn't know why, but he decided not to argue. They hurried along the sidewalk. They were halfway up the steps of Independence Hall when Dan realized the place was closed for the night. "How do we get in?" "Children!" a voice called. "Over here!" William McIntyre was leaning against the building, half hidden behind a rosebush. Amy ran over and gave the old lawyer a hug, which seemed to embarrass him. He had a bandage on his left hand and a cut below his right eye, but other than that he looked pretty good for a guy who'd just gotten out of the hospital. "I'm glad you're safe," he said. "I heard about the Franklin Institute on the news. I assume you were there?" "It was horrible," Amy said. She told him everything — from the secret library in Grace's mansion right up to the man in black in the museum and the Starling triplets going ka-boom. Mr. McIntyre frowned. "I called Jefferson University Hospital. The Starlings will survive, but they're in bad shape. They'll be recovering for months, which puts them out of the race

permanently, I fear." "It was the man in black," Dan said. "He set that trap for us." Mr. Mclntyre's eye twitched. He took off his spectacles and polished them with his tie, his nose casting a shadow across the side of his face. "This explosion … from your description, I'd say it was a sonic detonator. Very sophisticated, designed to stun and cause only localized damage. Someone knew what they were doing." "How do you know so much about explosives?" Dan asked. The old man focused on him, and Dan got the sudden feeling he hadn't always been a lawyer. He'd seen things in his life — dangerous things. "Dan, you must be careful. This explosion was almost the end of the race for you. I had hoped to stay out of the competition. I must not be seen as partial to any one team. But when your grandmother's mansion burned down … well, I realized just how much of a predicament I'd put you in." "That's why you sent us the black light reader?"

Mr. McIntyre nodded. "I'm concerned by how much the other teams are targeting you. They seem determined to put you out of commission." "But they failed!" Dan said. "We got the second clue. Nobody else has it, right?" "Dan, what you found is merely a lead to the second clue. Make no mistake, it is a good lead, and I'm glad the black light reader was useful. But it is by no means the only lead. Other teams may find different paths toward the next clue. Or, if they believe you have useful information, they can simply follow you, as the Starlings tried to do, and take the information from you." Dan felt like kicking the wall. Every time they got a break, something bad happened, or it turned out they weren't nearly as close to the next clue as he'd thought. "So how do we know when we find the actual second clue? Is it going to have a big sign on it — CLUE TWO?" "You will know," Mr. McIntyre said. "It will be more … substantial. An essential piece of the puzzle." "Great," Dan grumbled. "That clears it up." "What if Nellie's right?" Amy's voice quavered.