24 Epilogue

EPILOGUE They never heard the splash. By the time everyone had rushed to the railing and peered down into the murky water, it was too late. Dr. Warsaw's body did not come back to the surface. They never found it. It may have washed out to sea or been eaten by sharks. Some people on the bridge that day cried. Those were the people who didn't know Dr. Warsaw and all the evil things he had done. Those who did know him just felt a sense of relief. It was better this way. A quick but painful death had to be preferable to spending the rest of his life in prison. Nobody felt more relieved than Coke and Pep. Their summer-long cross-country nightmare was finally over. When Coke climbed down off the cable, there was no applause or cheering from the crowd. A man had died. Pep embraced Coke and their parents held on to the two of them like they would never let go. When they finally did, Mya and Bones came over for a

group hug. "It's over," Mya said quietly. "Dr. Warsaw will never bother you again." "We're sorry about all the things you kids went through this summer," said Bones. "We tried our best to protect you." "I know," Pep said. "We wouldn't be alive right now if it weren't for you." "We'll never forget you," Coke said, sniffling. The twins were about to walk away when another group of people approached—Mrs. Higgins, John Pain, and the bowler dudes. Instinctively, Coke and Pep backed away and prepared to make a run for it. But instead of attacking, the bowler dudes threw their arms around them. "We'll miss you kids," said the clean-shaven bowler dude, tears running down his cheeks. "In a strange way," Coke replied, "I'm going to miss you, too." "It was fun trying to kill you," said the mustachioed bowler dude.

Mrs. Higgins moved in for a hug and told the twins she would see them when school started in September. They thanked her for saving their lives in Death Valley, and driving them back to San Francisco. "Let's blow this pop stand," Coke told his sister. They would have to give a statement to the police, of course. And there was still the matter of getting home and returning to a normal, teenage life after all they had been through. That might take some getting used to. But The Genius Files program was over. With Dr. Warsaw out of the picture, Coke and Pep would never again have to worry about lunatics chasing them around and trying to kill them at any opportunity. "You two were amazing!" Mrs. McDonald said, still reluctant to let go of her children. "Now let me get this straight," said Dr. McDonald. "That Warsaw guy has been chasing you ever since we left home?"

"Yes!" Pep said. "That's what we've been trying to tell you all along!" "We just thought you were putting us on," Mrs. McDonald said. "You know, the way teenagers do." "It was all real, Mom," Coke explained. "At first we didn't want to worry you. Then, when we decided to tell you the truth, you wouldn't believe us. But we've been almost frozen to death, boiled in oil, pushed into a sand pit—" "Thrown into a vat of Spam, kidnapped, blasted with loud music—" added Pep. "—swarmed by bats, abducted by aliens, sprayed with poison gas, had stuff dropped on our heads," said Coke. "And all of these things actually happened?" asked Dr. McDonald. "You didn't make any of it up?" "Yes, it all happened!" Pep shouted at him. "And a lot of other stuff, too. You could fill a—" "Book!" Dr. McDonald said, his eyes suddenly wide. "This is it! This is the idea I've

been searching for! I can write a novel about two kids who travel cross-country while some bad guys are trying to kill them the whole time! And their parents don't know a thing about it! It can't miss! This could be my bestseller!" "That's a great idea, Dad!" said Pep. "We'll tell you exactly what happened." "Ben, I don't know if it's a good idea to put your name on that book," said Mrs. McDonald. "How will the university feel if one of their respected professors publishes a crazy novel like that? You could lose your job." "You may be right, Bridge." "What if you used a pen name, Dad?" Pep suggested. "Then nobody would know it was you." After some discussion, Dr. McDonald came up with a pen name. Coke and Pep told their father everything that had happened to them since they started the trip. There was so much information that he was able to make it into a five-book series, which he called the Genius

Files. And guess what happened after the first book was published?