I finally gave up on my struggle with the cat and watched Grumpy flop onto the floor. “What happened to the box?”

  “They’re still looking for it.”

  I looked up sharply. “It’s disappeared? How do we know he doesn’t have it?”

  “Pass.” Stenway looked at me, hard.

  “But we know he doesn’t have it?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well that’s something.” I glanced at Stenway. He was looking directly at me, almost like he was waiting for something. I didn’t know what was supposed to come next. “What?”

  “Any more questions?” Stenway leaned away slowly.

  “Not at the moment." I started to lean away, then sat up straight. "Wait, yes.” I asked him the same question I had asked the fellows. “Are these ‘investigators’ like, Super police? Or are they from, like, the government?”

  “They’re not from our government, if that’s what you mean. I think, I’m not sure, but I think that they are from a governing body. I don’t know how it all works, but from what I understand, they came because Mr. Left made a move that would endanger Supers, and also the regular citizens.”

  “So, is he a villain then?”

  He shrugged. “That was something I was hoping you could help me with. They aren’t saying anything at all.” He jerked a thumb upwards.

  “Right.” I flipped my book open to Mr. Left’s entry and slid it across the table to him. He skimmed through it, nodding from time to time. He glanced up at me after a few minutes. “Any chance I can borrow this, to give it a real in depth read?”

  Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

  “You want to keep my book in the same house as the Super investigators?”

  Stenway frowned. “The alternative is that I come to your house to do it, and I figured you wouldn’t be thrilled with that option.”

  “Look, I’ll make a copy of all the information once I’m done with my homework. It might take me a day or two, but I’ll leave it in the kitchen here whenever I get done with it. I’ll hide it somewhere, a drawer or something.”

  “I guess that will work.” He leaned back in his chair. “For how many sets of eyes we had on the situation, we really don’t know anything about it, do we?”

  I glared at him. “I still think you know more than I do.”

  “I wouldn’t say that. Guess more, maybe. But know? None of us really know anything.”

  “You lived and worked with him for weeks. How can you not know anything? You know his routines, the people he talks to, the places he does business with. That has to count for something. If you can’t put anything together, I know a couple of middle school guys that definitely can.”

  Steinway folded his arms and glared at me. “Did you ever think that I know only the things he wanted me to know? Did that ever occur to you? It was just luck that I stumbled onto that box hidden in the book. Luck. Who knows how many other secrets he had that I never managed to find.”

  I pounced. “So you were snooping on him.”

  Stenway froze. He spoke cautiously. “Everyone gets a little nosy from time to time. You would know about that, right?”

  “Uh-huh.” Something was tugging at the back of my mind, but I couldn’t figure out what it was. Something he’d said? Or done? Whatever it was, I was pretty confident that Stenway hadn’t just ended up in this job by luck. He’d come, or been sent, on purpose. I wasn’t ready to fight him on it today, though. “Well, I gotta get going. I’ll get this to you in a few days.” I tapped my book. “How long are you staying here?”

  Stenway grinned a little bit. “I’m still receiving a paycheck, so I guess I’ll be here until that stops. Besides, there’s plenty to do still. It’s just… lonely sometimes. Even with the cats.” He stood up and held the door for me. “I suppose I’ll see you soon.”

  “Yeah. Oh, I’m still furious at you for being in my room.” I glared at him. “You owe me. Big time.”

  “I know.” Stenway got ready to close the door.

  “And call my sister, ok. Jerk.” I shuffled home, thinking over the little that I had learned. Pretty useless, all told. But Stenway was definitely not telling the truth. About pretty much everything.