“You Will Prosper in the Field of Wacky Inventions.”

1 “You will prosper in the 2 3 field of wacky inventions.” 4 5 — Final words of New York business tycoon 6 Walter E. Whippet, spoken to his son, Merganzer 7 8 9 Merganzer Whippet was an impulsive young man of 10 fifteen when he raced into his father’s room just in time 11 to hear these fateful words. Merganzer had just finished 12 his tenth consecutive year of boarding school, during 13 which his father had been busy building a financial 14 empire. Needless to say, the two had never been close. 15 The words were not the sort of thing Merganzer’s 16 father was known for saying. People close to the old 17 man would have expected something like Buy cheap, 18 sell high! And whatever you do, don’t squander the fam- 19 ily fortune. But twelve seconds later, Walter E. Whippet 20 was dead. You will prosper in the field of wacky inven- 21 tions were the only words of advice Merganzer had been 22 given. 23 If only Merganzer had known they were spoken by 24 a man who’d been talking gibberish for weeks. S25 Things might have turned out differently. R26

997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 1 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:359:29:35 AMAM MASTER 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25S 26R

1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 2 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:399:29:39 AMAM MASTER 1 2 3 4 C HAPTER ONE 5 T O THE ROOF! 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Leo Fillmore awoke to the sound of snipping. It was 13 Mr. Phipps, the gardener, trimming and shaping the 14 bushes outside the small window, his ghostly shadow 15 moving across the basement walls. Every Monday at the 16 crack of dawn, Mr. Phipps trimmed outside Leo’s win- 17 dow, the echo of the shears like a voice that seemed to 18 say Wake up, wake up, wake up! 19 Leo sat up in bed and thought first of his mother’s 20 voice; then he thought of ducks and breakfast. After 21 that, he remembered the one thing he’d hoped to for- 22 get in his sleep: Merganzer D. Whippet, the owner and 23 creator of the Whippet Hotel, was gone. He’d been 24 gone a long time — one hundred days and counting — S25 and Leo was beginning to wonder if the man who’d R26

997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 3 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:399:29:39 AMAM MASTER 1 built the most extraordinary hotel in the world would 2 ever find his way back. He tried to set this thought 3 aside as he watched Mr. Phipps’s shadow pass by. 4 Leo was a small boy of ten, with a sizable blob of 5 curly hair on top of his head. Were she still alive, his 6 mother would have cut it months ago. Sometimes Mr. 7 Phipps, who was quiet by nature, would look at Leo’s 8 head like a tall green hedge that needed trimming. 9 When Leo’s mother died, he and his father had 10 moved into the basement boiler room from which the 11 two of them took care of the Whippet Hotel. Three years 12 later, it felt like the only home Leo knew. They slept on 13 cots separated by a glugging Whirlpool washer. There 14 was a desk made of cinder blocks with an old door for 15 a top, piled high with tools and manuals and receipts. 16 The basement window let in soft light and shadows. 17 There were other, larger tools and boxes every where, 18 and shelves full of old doorknobs and hotel parts. In the 19 dampest, darkest corner of the basement sat a giant, 20 leaking boiler. 21 It may sound as if the basement of the Whippet 22 Hotel was a shabby sort of place to live, but it was cozy 23 and especially cool in the hot summer months. Leo 24 loved the warm sounds and smells, his threadbare blan- 25S ket, the tiny kitchen that folded down from one of the 26R walls, and the gulping boiler that never seemed to sleep.

1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 4 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:399:29:39 AMAM MASTER As Mr. Phipps moved on, the sound of snipping 1 growing softer outside the window, Leo tiptoed to the 2 coffee maker and the paint-splattered sink. Soon enough, 3 the coffee pot filled the basement with the rich smell 4 of morning, and Leo’s father started to stir. A few min- 5 utes later, Clarence and Leo Fillmore stood in their 6 pajamas before the call center, taking stock of the day 7 that lay ahead. The call center occupied all the space 8 above the makeshift desk, and it was but one example 9 of the strange and unusual things Mr. Whippet had cre- 10 ated throughout the hotel. There were bells and buzzers 11 and lights on the wall that flashed and spun. There 12 was a horn with brass pipes that twisted all along the 13 ceiling. There were dials, banks of buttons, and meters 14 with water pressure readings and temperatures. And in 15 the very center of it all was a shark’s head, its crooked 16 teeth smiling gleefully. Under the shark’s head was the 17 word Daisy, presumably the shark’s name. Daisy looked 18 as if she had come blasting through the wall and gotten 19 stuck there, forever cursed to deliver messages in the 20 Whippet Hotel basement. 21 “We’ve got about thirty seconds before she wakes up,” 22 said Clarence Fillmore, slurping the coffee and scratch- 23 ing the gray stubble on his chin. Daisy’s eyes were 24 closed as if she were in a dream, chasing a school of ter- S25 rified goldfish. “We’d better get out of these pajamas.” R26

997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 5 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:409:29:40 AMAM MASTER 1 Leo knew better than to doubt his dad’s intuition. 2 Clarence Fillmore had an uncanny sense of timing when 3 it came to the Whippet Hotel and its many needs, so 4 Leo had already pulled on his maintenance overalls by 5 the time the first message arrived. 6 Daisy’s eyes opened wide and the sound of a ticker- 7 tape machine filled the basement. Lights blinked yellow 8 and green, a sign that whatever message Daisy was 9 about to deliver was not a catastrophe. If a water main 10 had burst or the air-conditioning had gone on the fritz, 11 there would have been a siren wail and red lights, which 12 were both very unpleasant at the crack of dawn. 13 A thin strip of white paper, like an endless fortune 14 out of a fortune cookie, curled out of Daisy’s mouth. 15 “Ms. Sparks, as I suspected,” Clarence said, ripping 16 the curling paper from the shark’s crooked teeth with 17 his big hand. “It wouldn’t be Monday morning at the 18 Whippet without her.” 19 Leo took one end of the long, curled strip of paper in 20 his hand and looked at it curiously. “I used to think Mr. 21 Whippet was in charge of the orders, even if they came 22 from someone else,” he said. “I guess I was wrong.” 23 Clarence Fillmore looked at his son and felt a little 24 sad for the boy. 25S “You know Mr. Whippet wouldn’t leave for good 26R without the ducks,” Clarence said. “Stay focused, Leo.

1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 6 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:409:29:40 AMAM MASTER It will take your mind off your troubles. And besides, 1 the last thing we need is Ms. Sparks breathing down 2 our necks all day.” 3 Clarence Fillmore was a big, lumbering man, often 4 slow to speak. Like a giant in the basement, he was con- 5 stantly ducking under pipes and ductwork. Leo had 6 long understood that these characteristics of his father’s 7 made some people think Clarence was a simple mainte- 8 nance man without much going on upstairs. Nothing 9 could have been further from the truth. Taking care 10 of a hotel, especially this hotel, required an encyclo- 11 pedic understanding of architecture, machinery, cooling 12 systems, heating systems, plumbing, duck control, and 13 a million other things. Without his dad on the job, Leo 14 suspected, the Whippet Hotel would probably keel 15 over within a week. 16 “A day without Ms. Sparks would be nice,” Leo said. 17 “Sometimes I wish she’d go on vacation and never 18 come back.” 19 Ms. Sparks, who had become more and more demand- 20 ing each day Mr. Whippet did not return, was the desk 21 clerk and general manager of the hotel. She had long 22 fingers for pointing out all the things Leo and his father 23 hadn’t done, and she wore an outrageous beehive hairdo 24 that seemed to say I am in charge here. Don’t cross me. S25 Whenever Ms. Sparks gave a command to the maid or R26

997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 7 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:409:29:40 AMAM MASTER 1 the gardener or anyone else, she leaned forward and 2 gave them the evil eye, her great head of hair teetering 3 over whomever she was ordering around, casting a dark 4 shadow. 5 On this particular day, Ms. Sparks’s ticker-tape list 6 of things to do was four feet long. Before Mr. Fillmore 7 could read the entire thing, Daisy was at it again, only 8 this time the paper was pink and the red siren was spin- 9 ning and howling in the basement. 10 Leo tore the ticker tape from the shark’s mouth and 11 Mr. Fillmore flipped a switch on the call center, silenc- 12 ing the alarm. 13 Leo read the pink message: The ducks are on the 14 ledge!! 15 Leo stared at his father, hoping against all hope he 16 would be sent to the roof of the Whippet Hotel. 17 “Did she use an exclamation point?” Clarence 18 asked, sipping once again at his coffee and rubbing his 19 temple. 20 “Two of them,” Leo replied, handing over the pink 21 ticker tape. His dad examined the note carefully. 22 “The last thing we need is Betty wandering around 23 the hotel, biting the guests. The sooner you get up 24 there, the better.” 25S Leo grabbed one of the hotel walkie-talkies and headed 26R for the door before his dad could change his mind.

1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 8 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:409:29:40 AMAM MASTER “Hold on a second,” said Mr. Fillmore, and Leo 1 thought for sure he would be told to work in the main- 2 tenance tunnel instead. He could already hear the order 3 to fix the pipes on the third floor instead of walking the 4 ducks. 5 But Mr. Fillmore had something else in mind, some- 6 thing he hoped would raise his son’s spirits, if only a 7 little. He stared at a panel of colored knobs and pressed 8 a red one with the meaty palm of his hand. Then he 9 typed some letters on a keypad and a key card began to 10 emerge from the call center wall. Words were being 11 etched onto the card as it came out, but Leo couldn’t 12 see what they were. 13 “This should do the trick,” Mr. Fillmore said, 14 handing Leo the key card. “Just be careful. And buckle 15 up this time. We don’t want any more bloody noses 16 so early in the week. You know how Ms. Sparks 17 overreacts.” 18 Leo had held many Whippet Hotel key cards, which 19 were about the size and shape of a credit card. But each 20 Whippet Hotel key card was special. For starters, no 21 one but Merganzer D. Whippet knew how they were 22 made or what they did. It was rumored they tracked 23 the recipient’s every move, monitored vital signs, even 24 read minds. If you had a long-stay room at the Whippet, S25 you had a yellow key card. A short-stay card was green. R26

997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 9 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:409:29:40 AMAM MASTER 1 Clarence Fillmore and Ms. Sparks had blue key cards, 2 which opened many doors. And then there were the 3 red Whippet cards, like the one Leo held in his hand. 4 These were one-time-use key cards. Once they were 5 inserted into a wall or a door, they vanished. 6 There was one other card — the silver key card — 7 that Mr. Whippet kept in his pocket on a matching 8 silver chain. This card opened every single room in the 9 hotel . . . even the secret rooms that almost no one had 10 ever seen. 11 The edges of Leo’s red key card were lined with 12 wispy shapes and lines, and in the center were the words 13 To the Roof, Pronto! No finer words had ever been 14 printed on a Monday morning. 15 “The Double Helix?” Leo whispered, excitement 16 welling up in his voice. 17 “You know what Pronto! means — now get going 18 before I change my mind,” said Mr. Fillmore. 19 A few seconds later, Leo was running up the base- 20 ment stairs into the lobby of the Whippet Hotel, 21 thinking what a perfect Monday morning it was turning 22 out to be. 23 24 Usually, when it was time to walk the ducks, Leo used 25S the duck elevator to make the long climb up to the roof. 26R The duck elevator was a contraption very much like a

1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 1010 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:409:29:40 AMAM MASTER regular elevator, only shorter, narrower, slower, and 1 bursting with the aroma of wet feathers. But this was 2 an emergency — time was of the essence — and that 3 meant he’d have to use a different, more secret way to 4 the top of the Whippet Hotel. 5 Leo stood before Ms. Sparks and felt the shadow of 6 her beehive hairdo as he held out the Whippet key. 7 “It’s a Pronto! key card,” Leo explained. “See, it says 8 so, right there.” 9 Ms. Sparks’s pencil-thin eyebrows went up as she 10 lurched forward over her desk, reading glasses dangling 11 precariously on the very tip of her nose. Then, as was 12 her custom, she delicately pinched the Whippet key 13 card and tugged it out of the boy’s hand. She scratched 14 the card with a fingernail to test its authenticity. 15 Once the key card had passed inspection, Ms. Sparks 16 chided, “If Betty bites another guest, I’m blaming you.” 17 Betty was the head duck, a real troublemaker when 18 she wanted to be, but Leo knew how to keep her 19 calm and happy. Ms. Sparks hated ducks — Betty in 20 particular — and she loathed the maintenance crew, 21 otherwise known as Leo and Clarence Fillmore. 22 “Don’t worry about Betty,” Leo said. “I can handle 23 her. I brought treats.” 24 Leo patted the front pocket of his overalls just to be S25 sure he had what he needed. While he did, the new R26

997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 1111 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:409:29:40 AMAM MASTER 1 summer bellboy began creeping ever so slowly away 2 from the front door toward them. His mom was Pilar, 3 the hotel maid. She’d been with the Whippet a long 4 time, but this was the first summer her son had been 5 allowed to work at the hotel. 6 The boy arrived at Leo’s shoulder, staring down at 7 the key card. 8 “You have a Pronto! card,” said the boy. “Lucky.” 9 Leo nodded and tried not to smile with too much 10 excitement at the shorter, darker-skinned kid in the 11 spiffy red uniform. How did he even know about 12 Pronto! cards? 13 “Remi, door, now!” barked Ms. Sparks, and the new 14 boy hightailed it back to his post, where he stood star- 15 ing morosely at the floor, glancing up now and again to 16 see what was about to happen. Leo felt sorry for him, 17 stuck as he was in the lobby with Ms. Sparks all day. 18 The poor guy must be cursed. 19 Ms. Sparks turned to a bright green statue of a frog 20 on her desk. It had a big belly, like a frog Buddha, and it 21 was laughing. She placed the card in a slot right about 22 where the frog’s belly button would be if it had one, 23 and the card disappeared. This sent two orange marbles 24 shooting out of the frog’s head toward the ceiling, 25S landing perfectly on two metal tracks that swished and 26R turned wildly overhead. Watching the marbles make

1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 1212 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:419:29:41 AMAM MASTER their way down the tracks gave Leo a chance to take 1 in the entire lobby. The space was dominated by 2 huge green plants carved into the shapes of animals, 3 set against purple walls. There was an elevator with 4 polished gold doors — strictly for guests — and a 5 wide, ornate staircase with a red carpet and dark wood 6 banisters. 7 The orange marbles followed the tracks to a green 8 giraffe, twisting around its neck until they hit a long 9 straightaway and disappeared into two holes above a 10 little orange door. The door creaked open ever so slightly 11 and Ms. Sparks leaned over the desk, once more giving 12 Leo a look of death. The new bellboy stole a longing 13 glance at the orange door, but didn’t have the courage 14 to come closer. 15 “Do NOT, under any circumstances, put a duck in 16 there,” Ms. Sparks commanded sternly. “If you have a 17 duck on your person, use the duck elevator.” 18 “Yes, ma’am,” said Leo. “No ducks where ducks 19 don’t belong. I wouldn’t think of it.” 20 Captain Rickenbacker, who had shown up two years 21 ago and hadn’t left the building since, entered the lobby 22 with his red cape flapping behind him. He was a tech- 23 nology millionaire many times over, but he’d grown 24 weary of the stress and the computer screens. Ms. S25 Sparks liked to say he’d gone a little off his rocker, but R26

997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 1313 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:419:29:41 AMAM MASTER 1 Leo wasn’t so sure. Captain Rickenbacker had fallen 2 head over heels for the hotel from the moment he’d 3 stepped foot into the lobby. He loved the Whippet 4 Hotel. It made him happy. It made him content. And so 5 he had stayed — two years running — on the third 6 floor, in one of the oddest rooms in the hotel. 7 Leo knew better than to get into a conversation with 8 Captain Rickenbacker — it could take a long time — so 9 he quickly opened the small orange door and went 10 inside. He looked back at the bellboy, who gave him a 11 thumbs up. Leo returned the gesture and closed the 12 orange door behind him. 13 Once the door was shut, Leo knew what to do. 14 He’d been inside several times before, always with 15 Mr. Whippet. Being alone now made him miss Merganzer 16 Whippet even more. 17 Leo put these thoughts aside and walked the few short 18 steps in the near darkness to a seat next to a set of twist- 19 ing poles that seemed to rise endlessly into the dark 20 above. Sitting on the seat made the poles glow dimly — 21 one orange, the other red — and suddenly the tunnel 22 leading up was full of white dots, like stars in the sky. 23 This is going to be good, Leo thought, first buckling 24 himself in with the seat belt, then pulling the shoul- 25S der bar down. It felt like being on a roller coaster, only 26R

1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 1414 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:419:29:41 AMAM MASTER better, because Leo knew what came next. No sooner 1 was he strapped in than the Double Helix, which is 2 what Mr. Whippet called it, sent Leo twisting up the 3 center of the Whippet Hotel like a wound-up bolt of 4 lightning. His face felt like it was melting as the Double 5 Helix flew up and up, rounding the glowing poles as it 6 went, arriving at the roof in five seconds flat. Stopping 7 was almost as fun as taking off, and it was the main rea- 8 son wearing the seat belt was a good idea. 9 I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of that, even when 10 I’m a hundred years old, Leo thought. He’d arrived on 11 the roof right next to the pond, from where three 12 ducks observed him curiously. They all had the same 13 iridescent green heads, bright orange beaks, and black- 14 and-white feathers. 15 “Step away from the ledge, Betty,” Leo said as he 16 got out of the Double Helix and walked slowly toward 17 the other side of the pond. The roof was open air, and 18 Betty, the largest duck of the six and the only one with 19 all black feathers, had convinced two other ducks to 20 join her on the ledge. 21 “I have treats,” said Leo, digging into his front pocket 22 and pulling out three slices of pumpernickel bread. 23 Betty was off the ledge in a flash, followed by the other 24 two, and then by three more swimming out of the pond. S25 R26

997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 1515 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:419:29:41 AMAM MASTER 1 Now Leo was surrounded by all six ducks, each of them 2 quacking for some pumpernickel. 3 “What you really need is a good long walk on the 4 grounds,” said Leo, tearing off bits of dark bread as he 5 inched his way toward the duck elevator. Betty and the 6 other ducks were like dogs, really — if they had a good 7 long walk every day and they got fed, they were happy 8 on the roof. But if they were left alone for too long, 9 they grew restless and irritable. They’d fly down to the 10 lobby and start biting people. 11 Leo threw open the wooden door to the duck ele- 12 vator and a poof of feathers filled the air. He turned 13 to watch the line of ducks follow after Betty as they 14 crowded inside, filling nearly the entire space before 15 Leo could cram inside and shut the door, trapped with 16 six noisy quackers. He pulled the down lever, knowing 17 it would be a long, slow journey to the lobby, nothing 18 like the Double Helix. But soon enough, he’d be walk- 19 ing the ducks, something he and Merganzer D. Whippet 20 had done together before the maker of the hotel had 21 vanished so unexpectedly. 22 Leo sighed deeply and stared at his feet. There 23 wasn’t much light in the duck elevator, and it felt even 24 more cramped than usual. 25S “You guys are eating too much pumpernickel. I can 26R barely fit in here anymore.”

1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 1616 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:429:29:42 AMAM MASTER He would have done well to pay closer attention to 1 the inside of the little elevator, for something new was 2 hidden inside. 3 Leo’s life was about to change forever. 4 5 On the fifteenth floor of a New York hotel, two men 6 stared out a window. One wore an expensive-looking 7 gray fedora with a soft black band around the middle. 8 In fact, everything Bernard Frescobaldi wore looked 9 expensive: a three-piece suit, shiny cuff links, a silky 10 gold tie — appropriate attire for an Italian land baron 11 on the hunt for a bargain. 12 “Let me see our most recent report once more,” 13 Bernard demanded, squinting through a pair of high- 14 power binoculars, trying with all his might to get a 15 better look at the Whippet Hotel. 16 “As you wish, sir.” 17 Bernard Frescobaldi’s assistant, Milton, clicked open 18 a silver metal briefcase and removed a manila envelope 19 marked Private: Keep out! 20 Inside were research documents, surveillance reports, 21 dozens of photographs of the Whippet Hotel, and a col- 22 lection of private papers. Milton removed the top sheet 23 and handed it to Bernard for his inspection. 24 Bernard reviewed the document before him for the S25 hundredth time. R26

997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 1717 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:429:29:42 AMAM MASTER 1 2 Field Report, Whippet Hotel — June 21 3 Upon his untimely death, the billionaire Walter Whippet 4 left his entire fortune to his son, Merganzer. Years later, 5 Merganzer D. Whippet purchased one entire square 6 block, had every building torn down, and spent the 7 next six years building the strangest hotel anyone has 8 ever seen. 9 From the beginning, deep mystery has shrouded the 10 Whippet. It’s a shockingly small hotel on an enormous 11 block in a city known for taking advantage of every 12 square inch of space. There are only nine floors, or 13 so it seems from the outside, and each floor has an 14 unknown number of rooms. The roof houses a pond, for 15 Merganzer D. Whippet is obsessed with ducks. Rumors 16 abound of countless hidden passageways and secret 17 rooms, known only to a few. 18 The Whippet’s design is alarmingly off-kilter — it 19 appears to wobble in the slightest gust of wind. Some say 20 a child could spit on the Whippet and it would fall over, 21 though this seems highly unlikely. And then there are the 22 grounds, vast and useless, a colossal waste of space. 23 Giant bushes carved into the shapes of ducks tower over 24 the winding paths that surround the hotel, which only 25S serve to make the Whippet look even smaller than it 26R

1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 1818 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:429:29:42 AMAM MASTER actually is. At the sidewalk’s edge runs a tall iron fence 1 with a gate that opens only for deliveries and guests with 2 special yellow or green key cards. 3 If passersby on the outside of the Whippet think it’s 4 strange, they’re in for an even bigger surprise should 5 they ever choose to stay there. Not many people do. The 6 Whippet is outlandishly exclusive and gossip flies all 7 over town about the actual cost of a room and what might 8 be found inside. Wanting to stay is one thing; being able 9 to stay has much more to do with how fabulously wealthy 10 a person is. There are those who say Merganzer planned 11 it this way, because he didn’t really want anyone to come 12 around. He’s busy tinkering, making things, playing with 13 the ducks, and (as you well know by now) disappearing 14 entirely. 15 It would appear that Merganzer D. Whippet has 16 left the city. 17 Chances are he’s at the South Pole, honking at 18 the moon. 19 20 Bernard went back to staring out the window, a glim- 21 mer in his eye as he handed the report back to Milton. 22 “It’s time we put our plan into action,” Bernard 23 announced. He was a tall man, thin but sturdy, and his 24 sharp nose crinkled with excitement. S25 R26

997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 1919 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:429:29:42 AMAM MASTER 1 Milton was shorter, rounder, and more excit- 2 able. His fingers danced with anticipation as he 3 jingled the keys to the black town car awaiting them 4 downstairs. 5 “As you wish, sir. As you wish!” 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25S 26R

1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 2020 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:429:29:42 AMAM MASTER 1 2 3 4 C HAPTER T WO 5 T HE PURPLE BO X 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Betty was staring at Leo, her bill only a few inches 13 away, quacking softly in his face. Her breath smelled 14 like daffodils. 15 “You’ve been eating the flowers on the grounds 16 again, haven’t you?” Leo asked. “Mr. Phipps will have a 17 fit if he finds out. I’ve been blaming it on the crows, but 18 now you’ll have to come clean.” 19 Betty almost seemed to understand what Leo was 20 saying. She drooped her head and let out what could 21 only be described as a long sigh in the form of a dying 22 quack. 23 “I’m only kidding. I won’t tell.” 24 Betty brightened and moved a step closer, digging S25 her orange bill into the front pocket of Leo’s overalls. R26

997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 2121 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:429:29:42 AMAM MASTER 1 “You’re all going on a diet. Look how cramped I am 2 in this little corner!” 3 Betty glanced at Leo then, and if the boy hadn’t 4 known better, he’d have said the duck was scowling at 5 him. No duck likes a diet. 6 But it was true that the duck elevator felt unusually 7 cramped. The long ride down seemed to last forever, 8 and the ducks were restless, wobbling back and forth 9 on their webbed feet and climbing all over Leo, looking 10 for pumpernickel. 11 When the duck elevator opened into the lobby, Leo 12 told Betty to wait, which she did. When Betty waited, 13 they all waited, and this gave Leo time to crawl out and 14 find Merganzer’s walking stick. It was formed from 15 one long, gnarled limb, its handle smooth and round. 16 Without it, the ducks wouldn’t follow. There seemed to 17 be magic in the walking stick, and after taking it from 18 its closet, Leo returned to the duck elevator, stood 19 before the group of them, and moved the walking stick 20 across the floor. The six ducks marched out, Betty at 21 the front. 22 It wasn’t until they were all out of the duck elevator 23 that Leo saw the purple box. 24 “What’s this?” he whispered, barely hearing his own 25S words. The ducks hadn’t grown larger after all; there 26R had simply been less space for them to stand in. Leo

1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 2222 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:439:29:43 AMAM MASTER leaned inside for a closer look and saw that the purple 1 box was six or seven inches tall and a foot wide, with a 2 seal on top that could not be mistaken: 3 4 5 6 7 “Merganzer!” said Leo, edging into the small space 8 so he could touch the mysterious box. 9 “Get these ducks out of the lobby this instant!” 10 yelled Ms. Sparks. “Move it, move it, move it!” 11 The ducks were alarmed by her voice, and Leo 12 began to lose control of the situation. The new bell- 13 boy, having gathered his courage, was inching his way 14 toward the duck elevator. Leo couldn’t let anyone 15 see what he’d found, but Betty had a look on her face 16 that said I am seconds away from biting someone’s 17 ankle. 18 Leo slammed the duck elevator door shut with a 19 POW! before the purple box could be seen, then pushed 20 the UP lever, sending the contraption on a five-minute 21 journey back to the roof. That was the final straw for 22 Betty and her pals. She flew up to Ms. Sparks’s desk 23 and nearly crashed into her beehive hairdo. The rest of 24 the ducks went into hysterics, flapping all over the room S25 like mad bombers. R26

997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 2323 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:439:29:43 AMAM MASTER 1 “Open the door!” Ms. Sparks screamed, waving her 2 arms as if a thousand wild bats were on a crash course 3 with her face. The bellboy bolted back to the lobby 4 entrance and pushed his small frame against the big 5 glass door. 6 It was mayhem in the lobby when Leo’s father 7 arrived from the basement, looked at Leo, then reached 8 out his hand for the walking stick. 9 Clarence Fillmore was a towering figure with a calm- 10 ing effect. He whistled three times fast, then tapped 11 the stick on the marble floor and walked out the door. 12 The ducks flew outside and landed in a birdbath way 13 too small for so many large birds, where they huddled 14 together, waiting for their promised walk through the 15 grounds. 16 “Remi, feathers, now!” said Ms. Sparks, which sent 17 the bellboy tearing around the lobby, picking up all the 18 feathers that had come loose. From this, Leo realized 19 the new boy’s name had to be Remi, but there was no 20 time for formal introductions as he skirted past and out 21 onto the front steps. 22 Mr. Fillmore got an earful from Ms. Sparks about 23 the inadequate skills of his duck-walking son, but 24 Leo didn’t seem to mind. All he could think about 25S was the purple box, which was safe, at least for 26R the moment.

1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 2424 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:449:29:44 AMAM MASTER What did it mean? Where had it come from? And 1 why did it have Merganzer D. Whippet’s head embla- 2 zoned on its top? 3 4 Leo could think of little else besides the purple box as 5 he walked the long and winding path on the hotel 6 grounds. Betty and the rest of the ducks waddled con- 7 tentedly behind him in a line, following Merganzer’s 8 walking stick to the farthest reaches of the grounds. At 9 the most distant corner was a small pond, where all the 10 ducks went swimming and bobbing for who-knew- 11 what. While they did, Leo sat on a stone bench wishing 12 he could get out of all the work he’d have to do when 13 he returned to the hotel. 14 “Why so glum?” 15 Leo jumped at the sound of the slow Texas drawl 16 behind him. It was LillyAnn Pompadore, who’d been 17 staying at the hotel for almost three months. She was 18 fabulously rich, or so Leo had been told, hiding out 19 from a Texas social scene she’d grown weary of. 20 “Oh, I’m not glum,” said Leo. “I’m just walking the 21 ducks.” 22 LillyAnn Pompadore had an unidentifiable animal 23 fur wrapped around her neck, wore lots of makeup, and 24 carried a tiny dog under one arm. Leo could not help S25 wondering how the dog must feel about the fur draped R26

997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 2525 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:449:29:44 AMAM MASTER 1 around its owner, but he kept silent, staring at the pond 2 and hoping he could avoid a long conversation with 3 the perpetually bored Ms. Pompadore. The dog’s name 4 was Hiney, and it would sooner bite someone’s hand 5 than allow the slightest bit of petting. It also had the 6 annoying habit of pooping in the hotel hallways, which 7 didn’t seem to bother Ms. Pompadore in the slightest. 8 This would set off the alarm in the basement with a 9 ticker tape from Pilar, with a message that usually said 10 something along the lines of Hiney Alert. Cleanup on 11 Floor 7. 12 Hiney started barking. He wasn’t a fan of Betty and 13 her clan, but they were safely in the water, so Leo didn’t 14 mind when Ms. Pompadore set the little guy down and 15 let him run around the pond as if he’d lost his mind. 16 “I do hope Mr. Whippet will come back soon,” Ms. 17 Pompadore drawled, fanning herself in the morning sun 18 with a fashion magazine. “Where do you suppose he’s 19 gone off to?” 20 Leo shrugged, still hoping he could avoid a long 21 encounter with a bored socialite. 22 “Well, no matter,” she said. “Still, it’s a very odd 23 thing the way he disappeared like that. Do you suppose 24 he’s all right?” 25S “Sure he is,” Leo answered without even thinking. 26R But the thought had crossed his mind that Merganzer

1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 2626 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:449:29:44 AMAM MASTER had almost never left the hotel grounds. How would he 1 do out in the real world? 2 “He built this place,” Ms. Pompadore said, look- 3 ing back at the off-kilter hotel. “Like the Leaning 4 Tower of Pisa . . . and that thing’s been standing for 5 almost a thousand years. Maybe he knows something 6 we don’t.” 7 “I’m sure he does,” said Leo, always the first to 8 come to Mr. Whippet’s defense. 9 Ms. Pompadore called for Hiney and picked 10 him up. 11 “Hiney and the ducks don’t see eye to eye. I believe 12 I’ll keep walking. Good luck with Betty.” 13 Leo watched as LillyAnn Pompadore walked the 14 winding path toward the hotel. Then his eye caught 15 sight of Mr. Phipps out by the main gate. A black town 16 car was pulling away, merging into a busy New York 17 street. 18 “This is an odd day,” said Leo, not talking to anyone 19 in particular, though Betty honked from the pond as if 20 she agreed. 21 Leo watched as Ms. Sparks appeared at the gate as 22 well, having come from the hotel. He couldn’t hear 23 what was being said, but it was obvious from her ges- 24 tures that she wanted Mr. Phipps away from the gate S25 and back to work in the garden. R26

997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 2727 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:449:29:44 AMAM MASTER 1 Leo gathered the ducks, his heart racing, and walked 2 back to the lobby. It was all he could do not to pull their 3 waddling butts behind him, because ducks were very 4 slow about their business. It could take quite a while to 5 get them back into the duck elevator. 6 Unfortunately, Ms. Sparks left the main gate and 7 headed for the hotel at precisely the same moment Leo 8 left the pond. She went by a different winding path, 9 but emerged from behind a series of carved animal 10 bushes right as Leo arrived at the hotel. 11 “I hope you’ve got them under control this time,” 12 she said. “A new guest arrives this afternoon — thanks 13 to me, we’re actually booking some of these outra- 14 geously expensive rooms.” 15 It was true that the Whippet usually had few guests 16 besides the three long-stays, but things had indeed 17 picked up a bit in Merganzer’s absence. Ms. Sparks 18 seemed unable to help singing her own praises as she 19 stared down at Betty with a sour look on her face. 20 “Mr. Whippet didn’t know the first thing about 21 Internet marketing. It’s the new frontier. Just keep 22 Betty happy and we’ll be fine. The last thing we need 23 is the daughter of an oil tycoon getting bitten by 24 a duck.” 25S Ms. Sparks brushed past Remi without a word, 26R

1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 2828 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:449:29:44 AMAM MASTER flicking a tiny feather off the shoulder of his red jacket 1 as she passed by. 2 Leo stopped short this time and put out his hand. 3 “I’m Leo. I guess you’re Remi.” 4 “Oh, I know who you are,” Remi replied. “My mom 5 told me everything about this place. You and your dad 6 keep it running.” 7 Remi shook Leo’s hand enthusiastically, like he’d 8 stood too long at the door and had pent-up energy ready 9 to burn. 10 “Remi — that’s an odd name,” said Leo. “Short for 11 Remington?” 12 Remi shook his head and said, a little too loudly, 13 “Short for Remilio. That was my mom’s dad, but only 14 my mom calls me that now. I like Remi.” 15 “Okay, Remi, well, I gotta go.” Leo was dying to 16 get back to the box. “Have fun hanging out with 17 Ms. Sparks.” 18 Remi gave Leo a look that said Yeah, she’s a barrel of 19 laughs, then leaned in close to his new friend and 20 whispered. 21 “Whatever it is, it’s got your name on it.” 22 “What does?” asked Leo, but Remi wouldn’t answer 23 as Ms. Sparks looked up and glared like she might glue 24 their mouths shut. S25 R26

997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 2929 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:459:29:45 AMAM MASTER 1 Leo didn’t want a repeat of what had happened an 2 hour before in the lobby, so he kept marching with 3 Merganzer’s walking stick until he reached the duck 4 elevator, ignoring Remi’s strange comment. 5 The miniature elevator wasn’t parked on the roof, 6 as he’d expected. Someone had called it back down 7 to the lobby. He turned back to Remi, who smiled 8 knowingly. 9 Uh-oh. 10 Remi didn’t know much about the hotel. He was 11 new and landlocked in the lobby. But he had managed 12 to discover something secret in the duck elevator while 13 Ms. Sparks was out at the gate and walking on the 14 grounds. 15 Leo opened the duck elevator and crawled inside, 16 where he found that Remi was right. 17 The purple box didn’t just have Merganzer’s head 18 on it. There were two words on the box as well, words 19 that had been covered by a feather before, but were 20 now clear as day. 21 22 For Leo. 23 24 Bernard sat in the backseat of the black town car as 25S Milton raced through town, speeding past yellow cabs 26R on an errand of the highest importance.

1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 3030 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:459:29:45 AMAM MASTER “I think this will do just fine,” Bernard said as he 1 watched the world race by. “Wouldn’t you agree?” 2 “Oh yes,” said Milton, pulling to a stop at a red light 3 and staring into the rearview mirror. “I think we’ve got 4 the right person for the job.” 5 “Let’s hope we’re right.” 6 Milton riffled through his silver briefcase and 7 removed a file folder. 8 “The files you were asking about? This is the first. It 9 wasn’t easy to find, let me tell you.” 10 “Thank you, Milton. I do believe this is going to turn 11 out marvelously.” 12 Bernard Frescobaldi took the folder as the car lurched 13 forward. They would be driving for a while, plenty of 14 time to read more about Merganzer D. Whippet. Bernard 15 knew he had to understand the man’s past in order to 16 complete his plan. There were clues here, he was sure. 17 He knew how rare these documents were, how hard 18 they must have been to find. They could prove useless 19 in the end, these old papers, but they could also reveal 20 a clue that would help him get what he wanted. 21 22 Merganzer D. Whippet, 23 upon my father’s death 24 I will not date these entries, for dates have only S25 marked bad things in my life. I vow never to think of R26

997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 3131 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:459:29:45 AMAM MASTER 1 dates and days and times again. Here are some rea- 2 sons why: 3 My mother died when I was four, a very bad day. I 4 have many memories of her, though I’ve never written 5 any of them down. That must change. 6 My father sent me to boarding school when I was a 7 little bit bigger, also a bad day. 8 There were all the days in between when I wished 9 my father would notice me, but he never did. On one of 10 those days I made stilts that bounced up and down on 11 springs, my first good invention, which my father 12 ignored. They poked holes in the ceiling of my room, but 13 what did it matter? My father had thousands of ceilings 14 all over the city in all of his fancy hotels. Couldn’t he do 15 with one ceiling that had holes in it? 16 And finally there is today, the day my father died. 17 He leaves me with two things: a billion-dollar for- 18 tune, and a final verdict. 19 I will make wacky things, and I will be good at it. 20 A treasure and a curse, I suppose. But I am left with 21 one thing more, something I don’t think my father meant 22 to leave behind. 23 I have a feeling it will matter most. 24 M.D.W. 25S Notation about my mother: She loved rings. I must 26R make an effort to find all the rings I can.

1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 3232 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:459:29:45 AMAM MASTER Bernard searched the sky with his dancing eyes, 1 nodding his head with assurance as he closed the folder. 2 He had big plans for the hotel and the vast land it sat 3 on, and more information than anyone else who might 4 be trying to bring these things under their control. 5 “What are you hiding, Mr. Whippet?” he asked. 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 S25 R26

997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 3333 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:459:29:45 AMAM MASTER 1 2 3 4 5 C HAPTER T HREE 6 MR . P OWELL 7 8 E XPLAINS THE 9 RULES 10 11 12 13 The elevator had been so crammed with ducks on the 14 way up to the roof that Leo couldn’t properly examine 15 the purple box. He’d counted the minutes while the 16 elevator rose ever so slowly. Betty had held a sideways 17 gaze on Leo, like she was sure he was hiding more 18 snacks, and now he felt glad to be going back down, 19 alone at last with a box that had his name on it. 20 There were many ways into the maintenance tun- 21 nels of the Whippet Hotel, one of which required 22 stopping between floors in the duck elevator. This Leo 23 did, pulling the lever to the middle position just two 24 minutes into the ride. The duck elevator stopped and 25S Leo turned a latch on the roof, popping it open to the 26R shaft above. The opening wasn’t very big, but it was

1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 3434 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:459:29:45 AMAM MASTER large enough for Leo to slide the wooden box through 1 and set it carefully to the side. Leo climbed through the 2 opening as well and realized he’d stopped late. The 3 round hole to the maintenance tunnel was almost out 4 of reach, but not quite. Leo stretched up and pushed 5 the purple box into the darkness of the tunnel. 6 His walkie-talkie squawked to life. 7 “Leo, come in. You there?” 8 It was his father. Leo’s heart sank. He pulled the 9 walkie-talkie from its latch and clicked the red button. 10 “Yeah, I’m here. Coming down from the roof.” 11 He stared up at the large hole and wished he hadn’t 12 once again let the box out of his sight. 13 “New short-stays on six say the AC is out,” his father 14 reported. “Can you double back?” 15 Leo rolled his eyes. The air-conditioning on the sixth 16 floor worked fine; it just had an unusual way of turning 17 on that Ms. Sparks never wanted to explain. 18 “I’m on it. Give me five.” 19 “Perfect. After that, head over to that water leak in 20 tunnel number eight. I’ll be there working on the pipes.” 21 “See you when I get there,” said Leo. He was 22 between floors four and five, but there were ladders he 23 could use in the tunnel system to get where he needed 24 to go. Best to stay with the box if he could, so he didn’t S25 lose it. R26

997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 3535 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:469:29:46 AMAM MASTER 1 Leo reached down into the elevator and pulled up 2 on the lever, feeling himself move slowly upward. When 3 the opening to the maintenance tunnel was a foot away, 4 he jumped in. Turning back, Leo flipped the top shut on 5 the elevator and heard it snap closed, then watched it 6 go by on its way back to the roof. 7 Finally, he had a chance to sit in the light of the 8 twisting tunnels and get a look inside the box. It took 9 only a moment for Leo to discover he could slide off 10 the top, which he did. What he saw made him gasp 11 with delight. 12 “Where in the world is this place?” he whispered to 13 himself. Looking inside the box was sort of like staring 14 into a house with the roof torn off. There were walls 15 and rooms and curves, and he could peer inside and see 16 it all. From the top, the walls made a rat’s maze of five 17 circles, each circle smaller than the last. There were 18 round rooms inside, too, growing smaller as they neared 19 the center. Closer and closer to the center the circles 20 went, but that wasn’t all. All the pathways were filled 21 with brightly colored hoops of different shapes and sizes, 22 turned at different angles. It was a marvel of ingenuity — 23 intricate and perfect — and yet totally wacky. 24 Is it a ring of rooms or a room of rings? Leo won- 25S dered. I think it must be both at once. How odd. 26R

1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 3636 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:469:29:46 AMAM MASTER Leo was leaning in for a closer inspection, point- 1 ing his standard-issue flashlight into the purple box, 2 when his walkie-talkie came to life again. This time it 3 was Ms. Sparks. 4 She was cranky. 5 “Leo Fillmore, if you’re in the building, pick 6 up. NOW.” 7 He wanted desperately to turn off the walkie-talkie 8 and figure out what the Room of Rings or the Ring of 9 Rooms was supposed to mean. Why on earth had it 10 shown up in a box with his name on it? 11 Leo pushed the button on the walkie-talkie. 12 “I’m heading to six now. Just need a few min- 13 utes more.” 14 “You haven’t fixed that AC problem yet?” yelled 15 Ms. Sparks, her voice bouncing off the tunnel walls. 16 “Do you realize who’s in there? He’s worth about a 17 zillion dollars and his daughter gets very cranky in 18 the heat. If she’s cranky, HE’S cranky. Get on it, 19 Fillmore!” 20 “Almost there,” Leo said. 21 “And get back to the lobby the moment you’re 22 done. Remi needs a bathroom break and YOU need to 23 watch the door. There’s been too much mischief around 24 here lately.” S25 R26

997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 3737 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:469:29:46 AMAM MASTER 1 What did she mean by mischief? Was it the black 2 town car or the ducks in the lobby, or something else? 3 Whatever the reason, Ms. Sparks was on the alert, and 4 Leo took that as a bad sign. 5 He couldn’t believe how busy his day was getting. 6 AC units, water pipes, door duty, duck walking — his 7 head was spinning as he grabbed the purple lid and saw 8 what he hadn’t seen before. On the underside was 9 taped a fancy envelope. A message had been written 10 above the envelope, on the wood of the box itself, in 11 Merganzer’s big and curly writing, which Leo recog- 12 nized instantly. 13 14 Floor and three and one half! 15 Strike the purple ball in the kitchen by 16 the hall. 17 Three times fast. Duck! 18 And bring the ball. You’ll need it. 19 20 Leo felt an immediate sense of goodwill and com- 21 fort. Merganzer D. Whippet only spoke in such strange 22 turns of phrase when he was at his happiest, like when 23 they were flying up the Double Helix and he would 24 scream, “Dancing sharks go jumping Bob!” Mr. Whippet 25S was the smartest man Leo had ever met most of the 26R

1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 3838 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:469:29:46 AMAM MASTER time, but his happiness brought out a wild glee that 1 tumbled out of his mouth like candy. 2 Floor and three and one half had an authentic 3 Whippet ring to it. 4 “LEOOOOOOOOOO!” Ms. Sparks screamed into 5 the walkie-talkie. 6 Leo turned the volume dial down, her voice growing 7 quieter, as if she were falling down an elevator shaft. 8 He turned his attention to the fancy envelope, care- 9 fully pulling it free from the lid of the purple box. Time 10 stood still for Leo as he opened and read the note. No 11 thoughts of a zillionaire with a cranky daughter. No Ms. 12 Sparks or leaky pipes. 13 There was only the letter and the box. 14 15 Young Mr. Fillmore, 16 If you are in receipt of this letter, then Mr. Whippet 17 has been gone for exactly one hundred days. As his long- 18 time personal friend and attorney, I have been instructed 19 to set things in motion. 20 I am only allowed to tell you four things: 21 — There are four boxes, all of which must be 22 found. 23 — There are four days, including this one. That is all 24 the time you have. S25 R26

997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 3939 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:469:29:46 AMAM MASTER 1 — You may enlist the help of only one other, prefer- 2 ably a child. 3 — Always bring a duck if you can. They are more 4 useful than you know. If you can’t find a duck, bring a 5 friend. Never go it alone. 6 Don’t fail, young Mr. Fillmore, for if you do, the 7 Whippet Hotel and all it stands for will come to an end. 8 Only you can save the Whippet now. He’s counting 9 on you to set things right. 10 Thoughtfully yours, 11 George Powell 12 Attorney at Law 13 1 Park Avenue West, 44th floor, door number four 14 New York, NY 15 16 Leo felt the weight of the entire hotel resting on his 17 shoulders. Was it really up to him, a ten-year-old boy, to 18 save the hotel? And what did four weird boxes have 19 to do with saving a hotel, anyway? 20 He looked at the walkie-talkie, the red light blinking 21 on and off: Ms. Sparks or his father, no doubt. He’d 22 stayed too long exploring the purple box of rings. Leo 23 put the fancy envelope and the letter in the front pocket 24 of his overalls and started to put the lid back on the 25S box. As he did, he heard his father’s voice echoing down 26R the maintenance tunnel.

1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 4040 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:469:29:46 AMAM MASTER “Leo? You in there?” 1 Leo slid the cover of the box quietly until it was 2 firmly back in place. Then he picked it up, searching for 3 a place to hide it before his father came lumbering 4 around a corner. The tunnel was narrow but tall, filled 5 with all sorts of pipes and meters, and it snaked all the 6 way around the building in a complete circle. This was 7 one of the oddities of the Whippet Hotel: It was true 8 that there were nine floors, but there was a lot of space 9 between each floor. The tunnels ran all through many 10 of those sections, with ladder tubes here and there 11 between the floors the guests stayed on. Leo had long 12 since memorized every nook and cranny of the tunnel 13 system, and one thing was abundantly clear: There was 14 no place to hide a purple box where his father wouldn’t 15 see it. 16 Leo looked in every direction and realized he had 17 only one choice if he wanted to keep the secret safe. 18 By the time Clarence Fillmore arrived at the small 19 round opening that led to the duck elevator, his son 20 was gone. 21 And so was the box. 22 23 Carrying a box down a ladder is easier said than done, 24 and Leo nearly dropped it more than once as he S25 descended from the fifth floor to the fourth. He wound R26

997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 4141 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:469:29:46 AMAM MASTER 1 his way through the fourth floor tunnel lined with pipes, 2 some of them shooting steam with a loud hissing sound 3 as he passed by. Another hole with a ladder appeared, 4 and down he went again, arriving in the maintenance 5 tunnel on the third floor. Five minutes later, he arrived 6 back in the basement boiler room, where he tucked the 7 purple box under his cot for safekeeping. He was already 8 out of breath, but he climbed all the way back up to six 9 in order to set the AC that Ms. Sparks couldn’t fig- 10 ure out. 11 “Don’t tell me you didn’t have a signal,” Ms. Sparks 12 screamed when he finally returned to the lobby, her 13 beehive cone of hair dancing back and forth over his 14 head. “Remi nearly peed his pants!” 15 Leo couldn’t understand why she hadn’t let Remi 16 leave for what would amount to a two-minute break, 17 but he wasn’t about to ask her in the mood she was in. 18 “And you took forever fixing the air-conditioning on 19 six,” Ms. Sparks continued as Remi hopped off in the 20 direction of the bathroom. “What if the Yanceys decide 21 they don’t want to stay here after all? What then? How 22 do you think Mr. Whippet will feel about that when he 23 gets back? Well? Say something!” 24 Leo cleared his throat. He hadn’t caught the name 25S of the girl or her parents as he’d flipped the AC switch 26R up, down, and up again, then turned the temperature

1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 4242 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:479:29:47 AMAM MASTER dial all the way to zero and back to sixty-six. Once 1 it had turned on, the girl plunked down in front 2 of the cold air and stared at Leo like he was a pile of 3 stinky dirt. 4 “You know, Ms. Sparks, the AC unit in that room 5 isn’t so complicated. Should I explain it to you one 6 more time?” 7 Ms. Sparks’s face looked like she was trying to make 8 fireworks shoot out of her ears. She hated it when she 9 couldn’t figure out how the hotel worked, which was 10 practically all the time. 11 “I’m writing you up, Leo Fillmore. Don’t say I didn’t 12 warn you.” 13 Being written up by Ms. Sparks had an uncertain 14 meaning. Leo had been written up dozens of times, but 15 where these write-ups went was a mystery. He had 16 a feeling they went into her desk as evidence for a 17 future trial of his skills and character at a time of her 18 choosing. 19 When Remi zipped back through the lobby looking 20 relieved, Ms. Sparks was on the phone having a long 21 conversation with Ms. Pompadore about where to get 22 the best hats in Manhattan. 23 “Thanks, Leo, I needed that.” Remi sighed. “Did 24 you meet the zillionaire’s daughter? She’s a real S25 charmer.” R26

997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 4343 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:479:29:47 AMAM MASTER 1 “I fixed the air-conditioning, which seemed to make 2 her happy.” Leo kept his voice to a whisper, and sig- 3 naled Remi to do the same. The smaller boy adjusted 4 the red pants and bow tie of his uniform and tried to 5 play it cool. “But I think that little kid is going to give us 6 some trouble. She’s a cranky six-year-old and she’s 7 bored. Bad combo.” 8 “I hear you, man.” The zillionaire’s kid was named 9 Jane Yancey, and Remi ticked off her attributes on his 10 fingers. “Jane Yancey: six years old, bored, spoiled. 11 Super-size bad combo.” 12 “Listen, Remi, I might need your help on a few 13 things this week. Can I count on you?” 14 Remi’s face lit up. He was dying to escape the com- 15 pany of Ms. Sparks and explore the Whippet Hotel. 16 “Does it have anything to do with that box? The 17 purple one?” 18 Remi was curious, but he was also new to the hotel. 19 Leo could use this to his advantage. 20 “Nah, it’s just something I use to work with the 21 ducks.” 22 “Ooooh, right. Like duck food and stuff.” 23 “Right, duck food.” 24 Remi was all smiles. 25S “Anything I can do that gets me away from this door, 26R I’m in. Just say the word.”

1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 4444 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:479:29:47 AMAM MASTER Leo was starting to think this might work out okay. 1 Having a go-to guy to cover for him in a pinch could 2 really come in handy. He’d brought his knapsack full of 3 hotel tools with him and opened it up just as Ms. Sparks 4 covered the receiver and yelled across the lobby. 5 “Don’t you have some pipes to fix?” 6 “Yes, ma’am. I’m on my way.” 7 “Good. Stop on floor three on the way. Hiney did a 8 hoo-hoo.” 9 “Who calls a dog poop a hoo-hoo?” Remi whispered, 10 shaking his head. 11 “Take this,” Leo said, handing Remi one of two small 12 radios he’d picked up weeks ago from a street vendor. 13 “I’ve got one, too, and both are set to frequency num- 14 ber four. If you hear a little beep, it’s me.” 15 Remi’s eyes grew big and he smiled at Leo. 16 “Partners?” he dared to ask. 17 “Partners,” said Leo. 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 S25 R26

997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 4545 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:479:29:47 AMAM MASTER 1 2 3 4 5 C HAPTER FOUR 6 I NTO T H E P INBALL 7 8 MACHINE 9 10 11 12 13 It was a beautiful summer night on the grounds, where 14 Mr. Phipps had surrounded the carved hedges and giant 15 bushes around the pond with tiny lights that shone like 16 stars. The ducks had been brought down and swam 17 lazily in the water, quacking softly at the setting sun, 18 although Betty was not among them. 19 “Dinner is served,” said Ms. Sparks, playing hostess 20 to the guests who’d chosen to attend the party. This 21 included a smattering of short-stays, including Jane 22 Yancey, the ornery little daughter of the zillionaire, and 23 her mother, Nancy Yancey. The father, presumably, had 24 business to attend to on Wall Street. Ms. Pompadore 25S was there with Hiney, who sat by the pond barking at 26R the ducks. Meanwhile, Captain Rickenbacker was deep

1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 4646 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:479:29:47 AMAM MASTER in conversation with Mr. Phipps about the shapes of the 1 bushes. 2 “I want a duck,” said little Jane Yancey, who wouldn’t 3 leave the edge of the pond to come to the table. 4 “Ask your father,” replied her mother. 5 “Do you want to cook the duck or put it on a leash?” 6 asked Ms. Pompadore, who had no patience whatso- 7 ever for spoiled children. 8 Jane ran to the table and sat by her mother, com- 9 plaining about the rude woman and her barking dog, 10 and dinner was served. 11 There was no main kitchen in the hotel, but it didn’t 12 matter. Dinner, along with every other meal at the 13 Whippet, was catered by one of the finest restaurants 14 in New York, one block off the property. The restaurant 15 was owned by the Whippet estate, and it only served 16 the hotel. If you had a yellow or green key card, you 17 could dine there any time of the day or night and never 18 pay a dime. (Tips were also discouraged.) Or guests 19 could ring the restaurant by inserting a key card into a 20 dining slot in their rooms, and food would be delivered 21 to their doors under silver domes on piping hot plates. 22 The staff was not invited to dine with guests, unless 23 you were Ms. Sparks. 24 And so it was that Leo had eaten dinner in the S25 basement — a bowl of ramen noodles and a banana — R26

997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 4747 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:489:29:48 AMAM MASTER 1 while he’d stared into the purple box. His father was 2 off in the expanse of the maintenance tunnels, working 3 on something or other, when Leo made the call. 4 “Remi, are you there?” 5 A split second later Remi answered, like he’d been 6 holding the two-way radio next to his face, waiting for 7 it to go off. 8 “I’m here! Where are you?” 9 “That’s not important now. Who’s in the lobby?” 10 “Me and my mom. Your dad came through on his 11 way up a while ago, but otherwise, it’s been quiet.” 12 “Do you know where Captain Rickenbacker is?” 13 “I do. He’s at the dinner party by the pond on the 14 grounds?” 15 “Good! He went as I’d hoped.” 16 There was a leather string tied to his belt notch, and 17 Leo pulled it out, staring at a tiny watch that was 18 attached to the end. Betty was busy gobbling up half of 19 Leo’s dinner while he talked, a stray noodle hanging 20 from her bill. 21 “I’ve got Betty with me, and I’ll need to return her 22 and the rest of the ducks to the roof in just under an 23 hour. In the meantime, I’ve got an errand to run. Call 24 me if Captain Rickenbacker comes back, will you?” 25S “Sure I will!” 26R

1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 4848 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:489:29:48 AMAM MASTER 1 Remi had let himself grow too enthusiastic, and his 2 mother looked up from behind the desk, where she was 3 filing her nails. 4 “You must be hungry, no?” she asked. 5 She smiled and called Remi to the desk, where she 6 gave him a cold tamale wrapped in wax paper. 7 “You make me proud, my little doorman. Keep 8 working hard and you’ll make your way in the world.” 9 Remi went back to the door with one hand in his 10 pocket, secretly holding the two-way radio in case Leo 11 needed him. In his other hand he held his dinner, which 12 was a repeat of what he’d had for lunch. 13 Hearing the distant sound of ducks quacking on the 14 pond, he gazed out over the grounds and wondered 15 what Leo and Betty were doing upstairs in the hotel. 16 17 There were two ways into Captain Rickenbacker’s room 18 on the third floor — one in the hallway and one in the 19 maintenance tunnel. Not all the rooms were designed 20 this way, but there had been some problems over the 21 past two years in that room, so Mr. Whippet had shown 22 Leo a secret way in. Captain Rickenbacker had a habit 23 of pushing large pieces of furniture in front of the door 24 and refusing to come out, which was usually because S25 R26

997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 4949 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:489:29:48 AMAM MASTER 1 his arch nemesis, MR. M., had entered the hotel. 2 MR. M. was, as far as the hotel staff could tell, a fig- 3 ment of Captain Rickenbacker’s imagination. It was 4 usually Leo’s dad who was sent in to reassure the 5 Captain and move the furniture away from the door so 6 that Pilar could clean the room. 7 Leo looked down at Betty. “Be careful in here, okay? 8 It’s really no place for a duck.” 9 Betty didn’t seem to be paying attention as Leo spun 10 the combination lock on the secret door from the main- 11 tenance tunnel. On the room side, it looked as if part of 12 the wall were swinging open, and when the door was 13 closed again, it would look like there was no door at all. 14 Betty waddled through the opening, and Leo, holding 15 the purple box under one arm, followed her. He was 16 careful not to let the door shut all the way, marveling at 17 one of the most dangerous rooms in the hotel. 18 “It looks like fun, but really, it’s a duck killer. Be 19 super careful, Betty.” 20 She honked, nodded her head, and waddled 21 forward. 22 Captain Rickenbacker stayed in a large and colorful 23 room known as the Pinball Machine. The Pinball Machine 24 had windows high up on the walls, from which the set- 25S ting sun cast a golden glow over all the parts and pieces. 26R

1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 5050 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:489:29:48 AMAM MASTER “I’ve always liked this room,” said Leo. He was 1 tempted to set the purple box down and play one of the 2 twenty-three pinball machines that lined the bedroom 3 wall, but he knew his time was limited. It would require 4 some luck getting into the Ring of Rooms as it was, so 5 there was no time for goofing off. The last thing he 6 needed was for Captain Rickenbacker to return, think- 7 ing this little kid in his room was a manifestation of his 8 made-up archenemy, MR. M. If that happened, Captain 9 Rickenbacker might go bananas and start throwing 10 things. And there were some dangerous, heavy things to 11 throw in the Pinball Machine. 12 Leo walked into the main room, which was long and 13 narrow in the same way that a pinball machine was. 14 This was the centerpiece of the Pinball Machine, with 15 giant molded pinball bumpers that doubled as couches 16 and chairs, all of them lit up with bright lights and springs. 17 The slanted floor was covered in lights and arrows and 18 circled numbers, just like a real pinball machine. At the 19 far end of the room was a hole as big as a tire, which 20 had a flipper on each side. Behind that was the doorway 21 that led to the third-floor landing. 22 Betty waddled down the room and honked into the 23 hole, listening to the echo as Leo looked around. While 24 he’d eaten dinner next to the glugging boiler in the S25 R26

997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 5151 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:489:29:48 AMAM MASTER 1 basement, he’d reread Merganzer’s message, searching 2 for clues. 3 4 Floor and three and one half! 5 6 This, he was sure, meant to say there were hidden 7 rooms in the hotel, and one of them was above the third 8 floor and below the fourth. He was now standing in the 9 Pinball Machine, which was on the third floor, staring 10 at the ceiling and wondering what was up there. 11 12 Strike the purple ball in the kitchen by the hall. 13 14 Leo walked down the slick, slanted floor, careful not 15 to slip, and arrived at the control booth. He set the box 16 down, and found himself feeling happy about the fact 17 that the purple ball was stuck under a blue ball. They 18 were big, like bowling balls, and just about as heavy. 19 The blue ball would have to be played in order to 20 retrieve the purple one from the track. In fact, the pur- 21 ple ball would need to be played as well, because the 22 balls were stacked under a sheet of thick Plexiglas. They 23 were only dangerous after they were shot into play. 24 After that, a person could really get hurt in the Pinball 25S Machine, which is definitely why Ms. Sparks was so 26R

1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 5252 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:489:29:48 AMAM MASTER happy Captain Rickenbacker had stayed in the room 1 so long. No one else would rent it. 2 “Betty,” said Leo, “we’ll need to play a couple of 3 balls. Stay in here with me, okay?” 4 Betty didn’t mind being picked up — in fact, she 5 loved it. When Leo put one hand on each side and lifted 6 her up so she could stand near the controls, she sighed 7 happily. 8 Leo pulled back on the giant spring-loaded ball 9 whacker and let go, sending the blue ball up the silver 10 rails and into play. It bounced off spring-loaded couches 11 and chairs, spun through a whirligig, and headed for one 12 of the two giant flippers. The room was alive with bells 13 and zingers, lights blinking everywhere. Betty was mes- 14 merized, concentrating on every move the ball made. 15 Leo had planned to simply let the ball bounce off the 16 flipper and land in the gutter, but he couldn’t help him- 17 self. He simply had to slap the flipper buttons with the 18 palms of his hands (the buttons were big, like dinner 19 plates) and send the blue ball sailing back up toward 20 the kitchen, where it knocked down several letters that 21 spelled out MERGANZER. The back wall spun the 22 score on white tiles with black numbers as the ball came 23 flying back toward the control booth. It slammed into a 24 bumper and took flight, crashing into thick Plexiglas in S25 R26

997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 5353 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:499:29:49 AMAM MASTER 1 front of Leo’s face. Leo laughed nervously, thinking to 2 himself, If not for the Plexiglas, that ball would have 3 knocked my block off. 4 Betty honked nervously, flapping her wings in the 5 small space. 6 “Just stay put and you’ll be fine.” 7 He let the blue ball drop into the tire-size hole, then 8 shot the purple ball into play. This was where it would 9 get dangerous, because he needed that ball. He’d have 10 to go out and get it. 11 Okay, Leo, you can do this. Just take it slow. 12 “You wait here,” he told Betty, giving her a stern 13 look that she returned with equal vigor. Betty didn’t 14 like to be bossed. 15 The ball was bouncing wildly back and forth between 16 two chairs as Leo jumped out from behind the safety of 17 the control room. He was standing in the middle of a 18 live pinball machine, wondering what it would feel like 19 to catch a bowling ball going fifty miles per hour. The 20 ball came free from the back-and-forth of the bumpers 21 and down the floor at lightning speed. Leo dove out of 22 the way, sliding into a bumper of his own and feeling it 23 fling him back like a rag doll. As he got his bearings, Leo 24 saw that the ball had bounced back up in an arc. He 25S turned and jumped, catching the ball in the gut as it 26R knocked him to the slippery floor. The weight of the

1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 5454 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:499:29:49 AMAM MASTER ball pulled Leo down toward a round hole that would 1 try to swallow him up. But Leo was a fast thinker, even 2 inside a giant pinball machine. He held the ball in his 3 arms, spread his legs, and caught hold of one flipper 4 with each foot. If Betty were to walk onto one of the 5 flipper buttons in the control booth, he might not live 6 to tell about it, and he watched the duck carefully. 7 Betty quacked. She stared at Leo, then at the big 8 white buttons. 9 “Betty, no. Please, don’t —” 10 She held one webbed foot over the right flipper but- 11 ton, paused, then slammed it down. 12 Leo leaned over to the left flipper just in time, but 13 Betty was laughing now, waddling back and forth 14 between the flippers as if it were the most fun she’d 15 ever had in her life. 16 It took four or five jumps back and forth before Leo 17 dove past the gutter and landed against the door with 18 a thud. 19 “That wasn’t nice,” he chided the duck, standing up 20 with the bowling ball in his arms. 21 His secret two-way radio squawked to life. 22 “Remi here. Leo, you there?” 23 Remi was whispering. Not a good sign. Leo pulled 24 out the tiny watch on the chain — twenty minutes S25 gone already! R26

997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 5555 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:499:29:49 AMAM MASTER 1 “I’m here. What’s up?” 2 “Nothing much. I’m bored. What are you doing?” 3 Leo thought about what he should say. Remi was 4 still brand-new and he barely knew him. What if he 5 told him a crazy duck was trying to kill him inside a 6 giant pinball machine? 7 He settled for something slightly less weird. 8 “I can’t talk now — I’m dodging bowling balls. Don’t 9 call unless Rickenbacker is coming up here. Got it?” 10 “Do you have any idea how lame it is standing at 11 this door? You’re dodging bowling balls and my brain 12 cells are melting from boredom. You’ve gotta get me in 13 the game!” 14 “Not now, Remi! Stay focused. We’ll talk about this 15 later.” 16 Leo put his plan into high gear, setting Betty on 17 the pinball floor and running up to the kitchen with the 18 purple ball in one arm and the box in the other. He 19 could barely hold on to both and nearly dropped the 20 ball twice, which would have meant playing the whole 21 thing out again and probably getting flipped around the 22 room by an unreliable duck. 23 He got to the kitchen and saw the spot he was look- 24 ing for: a wall of lights in the shapes of bowling balls. 25S One of them was purple, and Leo felt sure he knew 26R what to do.

1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 5656 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:499:29:49 AMAM MASTER Strike the purple ball in the kitchen by the hall. 1 Three times fast. Duck! 2 3 He set the box down on the counter, careful not 4 to let it touch a bumper. Then he held the heavy 5 purple ball in front of the round light and shoved. 6 When the ball hit the light it kept right on going, right 7 through the wall, and dropped out of sight. Then the 8 light was back. 9 “Uh-oh,” said Leo. “I don’t think that was supposed 10 to happen.” 11 Betty quacked from the floor and Leo looked down. 12 The ball was back, rolling out of a different hole by 13 his feet. 14 “I guess I should do it three times, right?” he asked 15 Betty. 16 Betty just stared at the refrigerator, which was 17 shaped like a huge flipper standing on end. 18 When Leo picked up the ball, it was half as heavy. 19 “Different ball. Interesting.” 20 He shoved it at the light again, and again it melted 21 into the wall, dropped out of sight, and appeared at his 22 feet. This time it was a lot lighter, like an oversize 23 golf ball. 24 “Is it just me, or is this getting more confusing by S25 the minute?” R26

997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 5757 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:499:29:49 AMAM MASTER 1 The one-way conversation with Betty was surpris- 2 ingly calming, and Leo began to think maybe he was 3 more like Merganzer than he’d even thought. Merganzer 4 loved talking but didn’t often want anyone talking back. 5 Leo was like that, too. Speaking helped him think 6 clearly, and ducks were awfully good listeners. 7 “One more time and I bet this thing will 8 float away.” 9 Leo passed the ball through the hole one last time, 10 and when he did, Betty honked louder than Leo had 11 ever heard her honk before. 12 He was reminded in that split second of one very 13 important word in Merganzer’s note. 14 15 Duck! 16 17 In this particular case, his mind flashed a message: 18 Merganzer probably wasn’t talking about a real duck. 19 He probably meant you’re supposed to duck. 20 Not one to take chances, Leo ducked, and when he 21 did, the original purple ball (the one that felt like a 22 bowling ball) flew out of the hole in the wall and back 23 into the pinball machine where it belonged. It careened 24 through a flipping turnstile near the ceiling, an impos- 25S sible shot from any other angle, and all the lights in the 26R room went dark. The ball bounced loudly down into

1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 5858 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:499:29:49 AMAM MASTER the gutter, and when it was gone, the lights came up a 1 dark purple. A deep hum filled the room as a hole slid 2 open in the ceiling and a white light shown down on the 3 dark surface of the floor. 4 A ladder descended. 5 Leo had popped back up when the ball flew past his 6 head and had watched the pinball machine change. 7 Now he was back on the floor, crouching down as 8 another purple ball rolled out and bumped lazily against 9 his foot. Leo took a moment to thank Betty for sav- 10 ing his life, then picked up the fourth ball. It felt like a 11 ping-pong ball. Leo dropped it and it bounced right 12 back up with a hollow sound. 13 Leo thought of the other words Merganzer had writ- 14 ten on the box top. 15 16 And bring the ball. You’ll need it. 17 18 “All right, I will,” said Leo. 19 He started walking toward the ladder, worried and 20 ner vous, as Remi’s voice blasted out of the two-way 21 radio. 22 “Captain Rickenbacker is on the move! He’s headed 23 your way!” 24 Leo had turned the room a deep shade of neon pur- S25 ple and opened a hole in the ceiling in the space of half R26

997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 5959 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:499:29:49 AMAM MASTER 1 an hour. He had no idea how to make everything go 2 back the way it was. 3 So he did what any kid would do: He threw the 4 ball and the duck up into the hole, grabbed the purple 5 box, and climbed up the ladder. 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25S 26R

1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 6060 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:509:29:50 AMAM MASTER 1 2 3 4 C HAPTER FIVE 5 T HE ROOM OF RINGS 6 7 O R THE RING OF 8 ROOMS 9 10 11 12 When Captain Rickenbacker placed his yellow key 13 card into the slot for his room, he heard an unexpected 14 sequence of sounds: a swoosh, a slam, and a charge of 15 electric energy. He jumped back from the door as if it 16 were covered in Kryptonite (he considered himself dis- 17 tantly related to Superman). 18 “MR. M., I presume,” he whispered, for he was sure 19 his enemy was inside rigging all sorts of traps in his 20 beloved Pinball Machine. 21 If Captain Rickenbacker could have seen what was 22 happening on the other side of the door, it would have 23 almost surely confirmed his suspicions. 24 The ladder shot back from where it had come with S25 stunning speed. The round door in the ceiling slammed R26

997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 6161 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:509:29:50 AMAM MASTER 1 shut. The lights in the Pinball Machine went back to 2 the way they had been before. 3 The Captain’s key card had activated a fail-safe 4 to the Ring of Rooms. 5 Stealth was not one of Captain Rickenbacker’s 6 strong suits. He was more inclined to bold attacks and 7 ninja moves. And so it was that he burst open the door 8 and started shooting bowling balls into the room one 9 right after the other, yelling all the while: “Take that! 10 And that! And that!” 11 Leo was alone on floor three and one half in an air- 12 tight room. There was no noise from above or below. 13 Both the secret two-way radio and his walkie-talkie had 14 lost their signals. He could not hear Captain Rickenbacker 15 trying with all his superhero might to flush out MR. M. 16 The only noise Leo could hear was Betty’s soft breath- 17 ing, which was very soft indeed. 18 “I think it’s time I opened the box,” Leo said. Betty 19 didn’t quack, but she seemed to approve of the idea, 20 and Leo slid the cover off, staring inside. Over dinner 21 he had figured out that the lid would slide onto the 22 back of the box as well, and this he did so as not to 23 leave it behind if he got lost in the maze. 24 “I think I’m standing right here,” he said, setting the 25S box and the very large purple ping-pong ball on the floor 26R

1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 6262 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:509:29:50 AMAM MASTER next to him. He was pointing to a small, round mark 1 on the floor of the model while Betty waddled off 2 behind him. 3 The box was full of colored rings of different sizes, 4 and so was the room. All the walls in the real room 5 were bright white, lit from behind frosty glass. And 6 all the rings were positioned exactly where they were 7 in the box. The advantage to having the box, it seemed 8 to Leo, was that he knew how to navigate the complex 9 maze before him. 10 Betty quacked from farther away than Leo was com- 11 fortable with. She was a mischievous companion, known 12 to wander off on her own, and he felt sure she was 13 about to somehow open the door and send the ladder 14 back into the room below. But when he looked over his 15 shoulder, he saw that she was simply staring at a white 16 wall of frosty glass, where a message had started to 17 appear. Leo took three steps toward her through the 18 only ringless space in the whole maze and watched as 19 the words appeared. It was as if someone were behind the 20 glass, writing on a foggy window with his finger. 21 22 Did you bring the ball? 23 Make it fly, make it fall. 24 MR. M. S25 R26

997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 6363 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:509:29:50 AMAM MASTER 1 Something fell out of the ceiling, missing Betty by a 2 hair, and a dark shadow moved behind the glass. Leo 3 jumped back, afraid of something in the Whippet Hotel 4 for the first time in his life. 5 He wasn’t alone in the Room of Rings, as he’d 6 supposed. And what was more frightening still: 7 MR. M. wasn’t a figment of someone’s imagination. He 8 was real. 9 Maybe Captain Rickenbacker wasn’t totally off his 10 rocker after all. 11 Leo gathered his nerves and picked up what had 12 fallen out of the ceiling. It looked like it had been 13 designed to work with the box. It had a metal platform 14 and two handles sticking out, like the handles of a 15 motorcycle. He took up the box and placed it carefully 16 on top of the square platform between the handles. A 17 perfect fit, if ever there was one. A new sound rose 18 from behind him — the sound of wind. When Leo 19 turned, the giant purple ping-pong ball had floated up 20 into the air. 21 “I know what I’m supposed to do!” he said excit- 22 edly. “I understand!” 23 Leo told Betty to stay right behind him and to do 24 exactly as he did, and somehow he knew she’d under- 25S stood. She fell in line as Leo held the handles on the 26R box and stared into the model.

1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 6464 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:509:29:50 AMAM MASTER “I know the way out of here, but there must be 1 some trick to it, and the trick must involve the ball.” 2 As he neared the floating ball, he felt what he’d 3 expected: A strong channel of air was coming out of the 4 floor, holding up the ball. Leo twisted the right handle 5 as if he were actually riding a motorcycle and watched as 6 the ball moved slowly forward. Twisting it the other way 7 brought the ball right back. He tilted the front edge of 8 the box down and the ball descended, the flow of air 9 from the floor growing weaker. Then he tilted the front 10 of the box up faster than he should have and the ball 11 bounced off the ceiling. He leveled the box, and the 12 ball was back, holding steady in front of his eyes. 13 “Well, Betty, I know how to get this ball through the 14 maze. I just don’t know why I’m doing it.” 15 Leo shrugged. There was nothing to be done but 16 guide the ball and follow it through, and so he began. 17 Everything started out fine, twisting and turning through 18 one green, then one yellow, then two red rings, Betty 19 hopping through the rings behind him. But then he 20 came to a place in the round maze where there were 21 two rings to choose from. They were in the open- 22 ing that would send him deeper into the maze, closer 23 to the middle and the very end. Would it matter 24 which one he chose? He thought not, and sent the ball S25 through the blue ring on the right. When he did, the R26

997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 6565 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:509:29:50 AMAM MASTER 1 ring filled with spires of electricity and the ball exploded 2 into dust. 3 Leo lurched back, nearly falling into one of the rings, 4 and stared in shock at the purple dust particles flying 5 every where. If there were such a thing as fairy dust, 6 Leo thought, it would look like this. The electric charge 7 had turned the ball into sparkling purple mist that stuck 8 in Leo’s round tuft of hair and danced on the wind. 9 He tried to calm himself down, but could only imag- 10 ine what would happen to him if he went through the 11 wrong ring. Would he, too, be turned to dust, never to 12 escape the Ring of Rooms or the Room of Rings? 13 “At least now I know what the purple ball was for,” 14 he said. “But it’s gone now.” 15 Leo was aware of the time ticking away, and this 16 only added to his anxiety. Checking his watch, he saw 17 that he’d already been gone a full hour. Ms. Sparks 18 would be furious about the ducks being left in the pond. 19 Then she’d find that Betty was missing and go ballistic. 20 And what about his father — what would he say if Leo 21 couldn’t be found? 22 Leo was looking at Betty like she might have the 23 answer to all his problems, but it turned out she had 24 the key to a different question. She was staring at one 25S of the frosty glass walls again, watching a new message 26R

1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 6666 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:509:29:50 AMAM MASTER appear. Leo joined her as an unseen finger wrote out six 1 words before the shadow moved off again. 2 3 Turn the handle back three times fast. 4 5 Leo was beside himself with worry, but he couldn’t 6 give up now. For starters, he didn’t know how to get the 7 round door back open again. And even if he could get it 8 open, there would be Captain Rickenbacker and his fly- 9 ing bowling balls to deal with. 10 He turned the handle back once, a second time, 11 then once more. A big blue ball, round and perfect, 12 dropped out of the ceiling and held on the wind in front 13 of the two rings. 14 “I wonder how many of these I get,” Leo said to 15 Betty, excited to have another ball but realizing he had 16 to be extremely careful. If he got too far into the maze 17 and ran out of balls, he might never get out. He’d have 18 to remember exactly which rings were capable of turn- 19 ing him into fairy dust. 20 Leo twisted the handle forward and sent the blue 21 ball safely through the opening on the left, then stepped 22 through himself. Betty flew carefully through the ring 23 as well, and they were safely into the second circular 24 layer of the maze. Looking at the model in the box, Leo S25 R26

997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 6767 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:509:29:50 AMAM MASTER 1 saw many openings that led to the next inner level, but 2 only one had an arrow pointing inside. He was excited 3 again, less nervous, realizing that no one else but he 4 could complete the maze and live to tell about it. 5 During the next twenty minutes, Leo blew up four 6 more giant ping-pong balls on his way to the center of 7 the Room of Rings. He began to anticipate seeing them 8 explode and felt less anxious when they did. Watching 9 the orange ball blast into dust was particularly enjoy- 10 able, because orange was his favorite color. 11 He couldn’t have known, for there were no mirrors 12 in the maze, but his hair was starting to look like a rain- 13 bow, dusted with purple, green, orange, yellow, and 14 blue as he arrived in the inner circle of the maze. 15 He’d exploded the green ball on the way into this 16 chamber, and passing through the opening into the cen- 17 ter of the maze, he felt as if he were standing in the 18 middle of an igloo. The walls were frosty white and 19 perfectly round, curved into a dome at the top. He 20 stood there with his box and his duck and wondered 21 what he should do, for the room was completely 22 empty. 23 The opening to the room, which he had just passed 24 through, was suddenly gone, filled by a curved wall slid- 25S ing down from above. Leo was trapped in a half circle 26R

1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 6868 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:509:29:50 AMAM MASTER of pure white, his heart beating faster as a terrible 1 thought crossed his mind. 2 No one knows I’m here. 3 But that wasn’t entirely true. There was one person 4 who knew, and whoever it was began writing a message 5 on the ceiling, just like he’d written the other messages 6 before. 7 “Is that you, Merganzer?” asked Leo, setting the 8 purple box and the handles on the floor and reaching up 9 toward the ceiling. “Won’t you please come out?” 10 He’d had his suspicions, but there was no way he 11 could know for sure. It was a dangerous path he’d 12 taken to the white room, and it would be unlike his 13 old friend to place him in harm’s way. Then again, who 14 else could it be, helping him along and pretending to be 15 MR. M. all this time? 16 It was a short message, only three words: 17 18 Take the ring. 19 20 At first the message made no sense, because there 21 were no rings in the room to take. But then something 22 small dropped through a hole in the ceiling. Quickly 23 thrusting out his hand, Leo caught the object before it 24 hit the floor. S25 R26

997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 6969 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:519:29:51 AMAM MASTER 1 There was a deep silence then. Even Betty seemed 2 to understand that something important had just hap- 3 pened. Leo knew it, too, but he didn’t say anything. 4 There was something very special about the ring that 5 had fallen into his hand. Something so special, it nearly 6 made him cry, but not quite, as he placed it in his pocket 7 next to his mother’s watch. 8 “Thank you, whoever you are.” 9 Without any warning at all, the hole in the ceiling 10 got bigger and a blue box fell through. It was the exact 11 same shape and size as the purple box sitting in the cen- 12 ter of the room. Leo caught the blue box as it was falling, 13 finding it heavier than the purple box, but not by much. 14 On the lid was a message. 15 16 Don’t turn me upside down. Don’t open me 17 until morning. 18 19 The emblem of Merganzer’s head was also on the 20 box, right in the middle. 21 “I got another box,” said Leo, very proud of himself 22 for what he’d done. “What do you think of that, Betty?” 23 Betty was growing very bored and extremely hun- 24 gry. She honked irritably, staring up at Leo as if to say 25S I’ve had it with rings and rooms and boxes. Get me to 26R the roof or I’ll chew on your shoes.

1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 7070 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:519:29:51 AMAM MASTER “We have been in here a while, haven’t we? But I 1 don’t know how to get out.” 2 Leo wanted desperately to open the blue box, but 3 he’d been told not to, so instead he took the handles off 4 the purple box and set them aside. He put the lid back 5 on the purple box and set the boxes next to each other. 6 And then he sat there for about a minute, unsure what 7 to do, until a new message appeared on the ceiling. 8 9 Connect the boxes. 10 Pick them up. 11 12 Like all the earlier messages, this one appeared, then 13 slowly drifted away, the frost returning to the glass. 14 It took only a moment for Leo to figure out that the 15 blue box slid snugly on top of the purple box on little 16 wooden rails he hadn’t paid any mind to before. The 17 two were one now, inseparable unless they were inten- 18 tionally slid apart. 19 There was one last message being drawn with a fin- 20 ger on the glass, and this one worried Leo greatly. 21 22 Hold on tight! 23 24 He didn’t see any reason to hold on tight, so the S25 message unnerved him. Should he hold the boxes tight, R26

997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 7171 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:519:29:51 AMAM MASTER 1 or pick up Betty and hold her tight, or was the floor 2 about to fa — 3 The third thing Leo thought — the thought about 4 the floor falling away — was the reason he was sup- 5 posed to hold on tight. He found himself on a twisting 6 slide and wondered if he was inside one of the tubes of 7 the Double Helix. Those were far too narrow, he knew, 8 but things had gotten so terribly strange at the Whippet 9 Hotel that he couldn’t tell up from down. Wherever he 10 was, he was falling fast, turning sharply every few sec- 11 onds, barely keeping hold of the two boxes that had 12 become one. He came to a harrowing U-turn and was 13 tossed from the tube, landing squarely on top of the 14 duck elevator. He made the mistake of turning toward 15 the echoing sound of Betty sliding down behind him, 16 and she crashed into his face, feathers flying as she 17 regained her webbed footing and quacked angrily. 18 Leo threw open the trapdoor atop the duck elevator 19 and jumped inside, landing with a bouncy thud. He 20 grabbed the boxes first, then the duck, and shut himself 21 inside. 22 “It’s getting awfully crowded in here, wouldn’t you 23 say?” he asked Betty. Two boxes, a boy, and a duck did 24 take up some space when there wasn’t much to be had. 25S There was plenty of good news, though, as the small 26R elevator lurched to life and started its slow decent to

1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 7272 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:519:29:51 AMAM MASTER the lobby. Leo was in possession of the second of four 1 boxes. He was halfway to somewhere, though he had 2 no idea where. He had a special ring in his pocket. And 3 he was free of the Room of Rings or the Ring of Rooms, 4 whichever it was called. 5 The bad news? 6 The walkie-talkie had started working again, and 7 Ms. Sparks was screaming at him. 8 9 Bernard Frescobaldi was back in the hotel across the 10 street, staring at the huge, nearly empty block that held 11 the Whippet Hotel. Something was troubling him. 12 “Milton, a cappuccino, if you please.” 13 “Right away, sir. Right away.” 14 Milton went to work at the rather elaborate coffee- 15 making machine in the corner of the room. It had been 16 brought over from Italy, along with Italian espresso 17 beans, cups, saucers, spoons, and a grinder. The room 18 filled with the smells and sounds of good, strong 19 coffee. 20 “Something’s not right over there,” said Bernard as 21 Milton delivered the small red cup topped with foam. 22 “How do you mean, sir?” 23 Milton returned to the machine to make his own 24 drink, for he knew his boss would take some time S25 answering the question. R26

997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 7373 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:519:29:51 AMAM MASTER 1 “Someone is set against us, though I can’t see who,” 2 Bernard continued, still staring out the window as 3 Milton returned. 4 “I think our plan is going to work,” Milton assured 5 him, sipping carefully from his own cup. “How can we 6 lose with you-know-who on the job?” 7 “True enough. Still, I can’t help but want to stack 8 the deck more in my favor. Read me that travel 9 entry again, will you, Milton? I think it may be of 10 some help.” 11 Milton went to his silver briefcase, rifled through 12 the contents, and found the entry in question. He 13 sipped his strong coffee, cleared his throat, and began 14 reading out loud. 15 16 Merganzer D. Whippet, travelogue 3 17 I’m traveling with George once more, on the train 18 between New York and Washington DC. George keeps 19 telling me how much money I’ve gotten hold of and how 20 hard it will be to spend it all. I keep reminding him I have 21 plans equal to the task. 22 I’ve only ridden two train systems, the one that leads 23 to the boarding school in Pittsburgh and the one I’m on 24 now. I adore one train, loath the other, a true love/ 25S hate relationship. 26R

1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 7474 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:519:29:51 AMAM MASTER No travel was ever so dreary as the train ride to and 1 from the boarding school. 2 But the second train — the one I’m riding now — 3 was mine and my mother’s for a brief time. She’d been 4 tired a lot for some reason, so I said we didn’t have to go, 5 but she insisted. Being five, I was all too happy to agree. 6 We should go! 7 We took the train to the Smithsonian in Washington 8 DC, and she pointed out all sorts of things along the 9 way, which surprised me. When had she ever been out 10 and about? I’d always imagined her folding my clothes and 11 making my breakfast. Funny how I didn’t realize how 12 remarkable she was, how much she’d accomplished. 13 Dad had said of DC, “Take him to the mint to watch 14 them make money. It might teach him a thing or two,” 15 but my mother had other ideas. She liked rockets, history, 16 art, music, and especially robots. Or could it be, she knew 17 I loved those things best, and wanted me to see them? 18 Either way, we never went back. 19 One time on the better train of the two was all I 20 ever got. 21 After that, my mother was tired all the time. She hardly 22 got out of bed, and I thought a terrible thought: Our one 23 great adventure had worn her out. I’d exhausted her. 24 M.D.W. S25 R26

997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 7575 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:519:29:51 AMAM MASTER 1 PS. I have a plan for a hotel, and in the hotel will be 2 a Railroad Room. I don’t think I’ll let anyone inside the 3 Railroad Room. At least not for a while. 4 5 Bernard shook his head. 6 Milton scrunched his nose. “I’ve been all through 7 the place, top to bottom. There is no Railroad Room. 8 Right?” 9 “Either way, our plan is in motion. Things will get 10 interesting starting tomorrow.” 11 Milton sipped the last of his coffee. 12 “I can hardly wait.” 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25S 26R

1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 7676 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:519:29:51 AMAM MASTER 1 2 3 4 C HAPTER S IX 5 T HEODORE BUMP AND 6 7 THE TROUBLESOME 8 ROBOT 9 10 11 12 By the time Leo reached the lobby, the hotel was 13 ready for the night. Remi had fallen asleep in one of the 14 big chairs while his mother quietly dusted the brass 15 handrails. Ms. Sparks was nowhere to be seen, off on a 16 rampage searching for Leo all over the hotel. 17 Leo tucked the two boxes beneath the nearest 18 sculpted green bush (it was in the shape of a rabbit) and 19 turned to send the duck elevator back up to the roof. 20 Betty was sitting down, nestled in a ball, which was 21 very unlike her. 22 “Are you okay? You must be hungry.” 23 Leo felt terrible. He loved animals, and he’d put 24 Betty through quite an adventure. The poor thing could S25 barely keep her eyes open. R26

997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 7777 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:519:29:51 AMAM MASTER 1 “I’m sending you back to the roof now,” Leo whis- 2 pered. “You’ll find some food in the pond.” 3 He closed the duck elevator and pushed the button 4 for the roof. 5 “Where’ve you been? Everyone’s looking for you!” 6 Remi had woken and tiptoed over in the dim light of 7 the lobby, scaring Leo half to death. 8 “Don’t sneak up on me like that!” 9 “Sorry, it’s a habit of mine. I like to sneak.” 10 Remi’s mop of dark hair was messy from sleep, and 11 he’d loosened his kid-size bow tie. 12 “Sneaking might come in handy,” said Leo. “Just 13 don’t sneak up on me.” 14 Remi smiled widely and stole a look back into the 15 main lobby. 16 “I’m going to leave in a minute,” he said, “but I’ll be 17 back in the morning. Can I keep the two-way radio?” 18 “Of course you can,” said Leo. “You are my partner 19 after all, right?” 20 Remi was growing on Leo, but more importantly, 21 Leo was going to need his help in order to find all the 22 boxes and get to the bottom of what was going on. 23 “I could sneak away from the door if you want,” 24 Remi offered. 25S “How?” asked Leo, assuming Ms. Sparks’s evil eye 26R was on the door all day long.

1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 7878 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:529:29:52 AMAM MASTER “Ms. Sparks has errands tomorrow afternoon, so 1 my mom will work the front desk. She said she’d watch 2 the door so I could explore if I wanted to, as long as I 3 didn’t go looking for cupcakes. Are there cupcakes up 4 there?” 5 Remi looked up at the ceiling curiously, licking 6 his lips. 7 “You’ve never been upstairs?” asked Leo. He had 8 such free rein of the hotel, it hadn’t occurred to him 9 that others might not share the same privilege. 10 “Are you kidding? I’ve only been here one day, and I 11 spend every waking moment standing at that dull front 12 door. It’s torture.” 13 Remi looked at the ceiling again. 14 “How many cupcakes are up there?” 15 “Forget about the cupcakes, Remi. We’ve got more 16 important things to think about. Right now I have to get 17 these boxes to the basement and avoid Ms. Sparks.” 18 “Boxes?” said Remi, for he’d only seen the pur- 19 ple box. 20 Leo cringed — he’d spilled the beans. 21 “You found another box! That’s awesome!” Remi 22 glanced around the lobby, searching for the hidden 23 boxes. “They must be important, right? They’ve got 24 Merganzer’s head on them and everything. Wait a sec- S25 ond. . . . You said the purple box had duck food in it.” R26

997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 7979 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:529:29:52 AMAM MASTER 1 “I barely knew you way back then,” said Leo. “I had 2 to come up with something. For all I knew, you were 3 working for Ms. Sparks.” 4 “Are you kidding? She won’t even give me a bath- 5 room break!” 6 But Remi wasn’t hurt. He understood that it took at 7 least six or seven hours to cultivate a trusting 8 friendship. 9 “So what’s in the boxes?” he asked. 10 Before Leo could answer, a voice, splashed with a 11 rich Spanish accent, filled the lobby. 12 “Remilio? Time to go, sweetie.” 13 “Mom! Please don’t call me that. It’s embarrassing.” 14 “Leo?” Pilar said, finding them at the duck elevator. 15 “You’d better head for the basement before Ms. Sparks 16 finds you. She needs some cooling-off time.” 17 Leo couldn’t help thinking Remi’s mom was about 18 to see the two boxes tucked beneath the rabbit bush, 19 but it was Remi who spied them. Leo could see it in his 20 round saucer eyes. 21 “And you, little hombre,” said Pilar, putting an arm 22 around her son. “We better get you home. You have a 23 long day at the door tomorrow.” 24 Remi groaned in agony at the thought of standing in 25S the lobby with Ms. Sparks all day, but he brightened 26R when he remembered what his mother had told him.

1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 8080 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:529:29:52 AMAM MASTER “I’ll show him around the place tomorrow after- 1 noon,” said Leo, reading Remi’s thoughts. “I know the 2 Whippet inside and out.” 3 Pilar was happy to see her son had made a friend in 4 Leo, whom she had always adored. And Leo liked her, 5 too. She’d covered for him with Ms. Sparks lots of 6 times. 7 “Skip the Cake Room, okay?” she said playfully, 8 messing Remi’s hair. 9 “You got it,” said Leo. 10 “You guys can team up all you want,” Remi smiled. 11 “But if there’s a Cake Room in this place, I’ll find it.” 12 Remi left with his mom and Leo grabbed the boxes, 13 heading for the basement. When he came to the bot- 14 tom step and creaked the door open slowly, he peeked 15 inside, hoping not to see his dad drinking iced tea and 16 reading the New York Times, old copies of which stood 17 in three towering piles next to his bed. 18 “Dad, you in there?” Leo whispered. The basement 19 wasn’t huge, but it was very cluttered. Pipes, boxes, the 20 call center, the boiler, the washer, the clothesline, and a 21 lot more. 22 No one answered, so Leo crept inside, took the 23 boxes apart, and hid them under his cot, sighing with 24 relief. At least the boxes were safely hidden, even if he S25 was in trouble for going missing for several hours. R26

997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 8181 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:529:29:52 AMAM MASTER 1 Leo heard the sound of the toilet flushing in the 2 small bathroom off in the corner and realized he wasn’t 3 alone after all. He had a few seconds, though, which 4 was just enough time to leave something on his dad’s 5 pillow. 6 “I thought I heard you come in,” Leo’s dad said. It 7 was true Clarence Fillmore was a big guy, but he was 8 more of a teddy bear than a growler. He didn’t have it 9 in him to scold Leo for disappearing. 10 “You know,” he said as he sat down, “you’re getting 11 older now. If you need time to yourself, it’s okay. Just 12 let me know where you are, so I don’t worry that you’ve 13 fallen down the elevator shaft.” 14 “Sorry, Dad,” said Leo. “It won’t happen again.” 15 “And I got the ducks back to the roof for you. You 16 know how Ms. Sparks gets if we leave them on the 17 grounds too long.” 18 “Thanks, Dad.” 19 Even at his young age, Leo knew his dad was a little 20 bit broken, a little bit sad. There were reasons for this 21 that Leo didn’t like to think about, but one thing he 22 knew for sure: He wouldn’t lie to his dad, because 23 he loved him too much. There would be no elaborate 24 yarn about where he’d been that his father would prob- 25S ably believe. 26R

1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 8282 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:529:29:52 AMAM MASTER “Good luck avoiding the wrath of Ms. Sparks, 1 though,” Mr. Fillmore said. “I can’t save you 2 from that.” 3 Leo held his breath, waiting for his dad to see, won- 4 dering if he’d done the right thing. 5 “What’s this?” the big man said, seeing the ring on 6 his pillow and picking it up. The moment he did, Leo 7 knew he’d made the right choice. 8 “I found it for you,” said Leo, which was true. 9 Leo’s dad didn’t say anything. He stared at the ring 10 as he lolled over and lay down on the sinking cot, mov- 11 ing it in the light. 12 “I don’t know how you did it, but thank you.” 13 They looked at each other then, smiling in a bitter- 14 sweet sort of way. The ring had been missing a long 15 time, but it was back now. 16 It had belonged to Leo’s mother. 17 18 Leo got up before light the next morning and went 19 straight to the roof. He was too ner vous to look inside 20 the blue box with his dad snoring so nearby, but he 21 knew by midmorning the basement would be empty 22 and he could safely investigate. Leo brought the ducks 23 down and walked them through the lobby, all in a per- 24 fect line, out the door and onto the vast grounds. It was S25 R26

997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 8383 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:529:29:52 AMAM MASTER 1 a short walk, partly because he knew Ms. Sparks would 2 soon arrive and he wanted to avoid seeing her, but also 3 because Betty was in a foul mood. 4 “You miss Merganzer, don’t you?” Leo asked, but 5 she wouldn’t look at him. Leo took the ducks safely 6 back to the roof and returned to the basement, intent 7 on starting his father’s coffee brewing. 8 “How about we go to the big breakfast this morn- 9 ing,” he said. “I have a feeling we’re going to need it.” 10 Leo began to protest, because it would mean seeing 11 Ms. Sparks. But then he reasoned that a) he could not 12 avoid her forever, b) breakfast at the Whippet was hard 13 to resist, and c) it was a good sign that his dad wanted 14 to eat breakfast with everyone. He’d been keeping to 15 himself more and more, staying in the maintenance 16 tunnels, avoiding contact with just about everyone. 17 Breakfast at the Whippet was brought over from the 18 restaurant and served family style in the Puzzle Room, 19 which was just off the lobby, across from the duck ele- 20 vator. It was the one time when all the guests and staff 21 members were invited to dine together. Often Leo was 22 so busy during the day that he neglected lunch alto- 23 gether and scarfed down a late dinner, so the big 24 breakfast was a must if he could get it. 25S “Leo Fillmore,” said Ms. Sparks as he stepped foot 26R into the Puzzle Room. “Sit here, next to me.”

1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 8484 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:529:29:52 AMAM MASTER Leo looked at Remi, who was ashen with concern 1 for his friend, but there was nothing either one of them 2 could do. 3 “Pass the hash browns,” said LillyAnn Pompadore, 4 and Leo sat down. 5 Ms. Sparks was silent as Leo loaded his plate with 6 eggs, bacon, and blueberries. She had half a grape- 7 fruit and two vi ta mins, which struck Leo as one of 8 the saddest things he’d ever seen, given the choices 9 she had. 10 “You know, with Mr. Whippet gone, I’m in charge,” 11 she said, only loud enough for Leo to hear as the guests 12 and the staff talked and laughed. 13 “I do know that, yes,” said Leo, trying to be as con- 14 trite as he could, for he knew this would please Ms. 15 Sparks. 16 “I could hire a new maintenance man. How would 17 that be?” 18 Leo looked at Ms. Sparks, frightened of what it 19 would mean if they were tossed out on the street. 20 He would never forgive himself if he got his father fired 21 from the Whippet. 22 “Out with the old, in with the new. It has a certain 23 ring to it, don’t you think?” 24 Leo knew better than to grovel or make promises. S25 Ms. Sparks would not respond to such tactics. He took R26

997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 8585 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:539:29:53 AMAM MASTER 1 a bite of bacon, chewing quietly as her voice grew louder 2 so everyone could hear. 3 “Mr. Bump is having trouble with the robot again,” 4 she declared. “I want you up there the moment you fin- 5 ish that disgusting plate of food.” 6 “Yes, ma’am,” said Leo. 7 “And bring him some breakfast.” 8 Leo nodded. 9 Remi, who was in love with robots, piped in. 10 “You got robots up there?” he ventured, glugging 11 down some milk as he waited for an answer. 12 “Yes,” said Ms. Sparks, staring at Pilar as she contin- 13 ued. “We got robots up there. Not that you’ll be seeing 14 them any time soon.” 15 The accusing look seemed to indicate one of two 16 things: Either Ms. Sparks thought Pilar had done a poor 17 job teaching her child English, or she was sending a 18 veiled threat to the maid: Don’t let your little urchin out 19 of the lobby while I’m gone, or else. 20 Leo looked down the table and saw that everyone 21 but Mr. Bump had shown up. His dad was there, wear- 22 ing the ring on a chain around his neck, which pleased 23 Leo immensely. Ms. Pompadore was holding Hiney, 24 feeding him bits of sausage and yammering with Mr. 25S and Mrs. Yancey, the oil tycoon and his wife. The bratty 26R

1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 8686 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:539:29:53 AMAM MASTER little girl, Jane Yancey, was downing powdered white 1 donuts with frightening efficiency. And Mr. Phipps 2 stood with Captain Rickenbacker, drinking coffee and 3 staring at the puzzle. 4 The puzzle was unusual for its size: There were eight 5 hundred thousand pieces, which sat in pyramid-shaped 6 piles on the longest table in the hotel (the length of 7 twelve pool tables, to be exact). 8 “It’s coming along nicely,” said Captain Rickenbacker, 9 gazing over the long table. 10 Mr. Phipps didn’t quite agree as he stared at the 11 piles of pieces and the slight progress that had taken 12 place in the years he’d been at the hotel, which 13 were many. 14 “I would have hoped for better by now,” he said. 15 “But the edge does look nice.” 16 He’d been the one to complete the edge of the puz- 17 zle, with Merganzer’s help, about a year before, after 18 which Merganzer had whispered a secret to the old 19 gardener. 20 “There are two hundred and twenty-three ducks pic- 21 tured in the puzzle. And a pond. And I’m in there, too.” 22 He had slapped Mr. Phipps on the back, nearly knock- 23 ing the black freckles off his old, dark face, and added, 24 “That should get you moving in the right direction!” S25 R26

997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 8787 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:539:29:53 AMAM MASTER 1 Mr. Phipps loved Merganzer, but he had no illusions 2 about the puzzle. Clue or no clue, the puzzle would 3 never be finished. It was just too big, too hard. 4 “Ducks, you say?” said Captain Rickenbacker, for 5 Mr. Phipps had let slip the secret. 6 “Ducks.” 7 “Does this look like a duck?” asked the Captain, 8 holding up a single yellow piece. 9 Mr. Phipps said that he thought it did, then walked 10 to the other end of the table, leaving Captain 11 Rickenbacker to hunt for pieces on his own. 12 “Why they waste their time on that ridiculous thing, 13 I have no idea,” said Ms. Sparks, looking at the two men 14 in disbelief. 15 “It’s a Zen thing,” said Clarence Fillmore. “Like 16 meditation, or a rock garden.” 17 “What on earth are you babbling about?” said Ms. 18 Sparks, who had no patience for mystical talk of any 19 kind. She leaned over the table and turned her head to 20 stare at Leo’s father, her tall beehive hairdo precari- 21 ously close to touching a pile of pancakes. 22 “I don’t think finishing the puzzle is the idea,” said 23 Mr. Fillmore. 24 Ms. Sparks was clearly unimpressed. “I have a mind 25S to take Pilar’s vacuum to the whole mess and use the 26R table for firewood.”

1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 8888 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:539:29:53 AMAM MASTER The attention was off of Leo, so he bolted from his 1 chair, gathering a plate of baked goods for Mr. Bump as 2 he gave Remi a look that said Keep your radio on, I’ll be 3 calling you. 4 All Remi could think about was standing at the mad- 5 deningly dull door all morning, thinking about robots 6 and cupcakes. 7 Afternoon couldn’t come soon enough. 8 9 “Are you alone?” 10 The voice came from behind the door to Theodore 11 Bump’s room on the fourth floor. 12 “I am,” said Leo. 13 “Hand me my breakfast,” Mr. Bump said, his arm 14 sliding out from the cracked-open door. Leo put the 15 plate in his hand, the door swung open a bit more, and 16 then the plate and the arm were gone. A moment later, 17 the door flew open and Theodore Bump grabbed Leo 18 by the arm, hauling him inside and slamming the door 19 shut behind them. 20 “Can’t be too careful, wouldn’t you agree?” he 21 asked Leo. 22 “I agree,” said Leo. He had come to learn that more 23 often than not in the Whippet Hotel, short and agree- 24 able answers were safest. S25 The room was fabulous; there were no two ways R26

997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 8989 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:539:29:53 AMAM MASTER 1 about it. If it weren’t for its eccentric guest, Theodore 2 Bump, Leo would have liked to spend more time there. 3 He was a kid after all, and all kids love robots. 4 Theodore Bump went to his desk and sat down, typ- 5 ing something out on a computer as he munched on a 6 muffin. A familiar banging sound was coming from a room 7 in the back, but Leo ignored it for the moment. 8 “I’m right in the middle of this, you understand? 9 You’ll have to deal with the problem yourself.” 10 “Okay,” said Leo. 11 He couldn’t know if the rumors were true — no one 12 knew. According to his father (and Pilar, who cleaned 13 the room now and then), Mr. Bump was a writer. That 14 part wasn’t so unusual. It was what he wrote, and how 15 much, which made the rumors swirl. It was said that 16 Theodore Bump wrote three novels a month under a 17 total of nine assumed names. Pilar went so far as to say 18 they weren’t just any novels under any old names, but 19 famous novels and famous names. To hear it from her, 20 Mr. Bump had written about half of the most popular 21 books around. 22 Leo watched Mr. Bump type at lightning speed for 23 a moment more, then the man turned in his threadbare 24 blue robe and stared at the boy, his gray hair matted on 25S one side as if he’d gotten out of bed and gone straight 26R to the keyboard.

1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 9090 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:539:29:53 AMAM MASTER “I don’t like to be watched while I work. Do you 1 mind?” he asked. 2 “Of course not,” said Leo. When Theodore Bump 3 turned back to the screen, Leo leaned in close behind 4 him and tried to see what the man was writing. He 5 thought he saw a wildly famous writer’s name, but he 6 couldn’t be sure. 7 He left Theodore Bump and followed the banging 8 sound at the other end of the room. The place was com- 9 pletely overrun with robots. Some of the robots were 10 small and sat in clusters on tables and shelves. Others 11 were two or three feet tall and stood on the floor with 12 nothing whatsoever to do. Mr. Bump had turned them 13 all off because they made too much noise. 14 There were the bigger robots, some of them larger 15 than Leo, and most of them with minds of their own. 16 One made the bed, another vacuumed, another dusted 17 all the other robots, and one dispensed snacks. These 18 Mr. Bump allowed to work, so long as they didn’t bother 19 him. Merganzer had programmed them all himself, and 20 he’d personally kept them in tip-top shape, visiting the 21 Robot Room just about every day to check on them 22 before he’d vanished. 23 Leo passed by a large, padded room, where the 24 really big robots were kept. There were three — Klink, S25 Klank, and Klunk — and all were over ten feet tall. He R26

997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 9191 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:539:29:53 AMAM MASTER 1 was tempted to turn them on and watch them fight one 2 another, which was highly entertaining. But it made an 3 awful racket, and Theodore Bump would surely report 4 Leo to Ms. Sparks. Still, how could he see them stand- 5 ing there, heads bowed, silently staring at the floor, 6 without turning them on? He promised himself he 7 would return someday soon when Mr. Bump was out 8 for a walk and watch the robots rumble. Maybe he’d 9 even bring Remi. 10 In Merganzer’s absence, there was one particular 11 robot that was causing Mr. Bump a lot of problems. His 12 name was Blop. Blop’s job was “keeping company and 13 making conversation,” which meant he was programmed 14 to talk with guests in the room and make them feel at 15 home. Unfortunately for Blop, Theodore Bump was 16 never in the mood for conversation. In fact, Theodore 17 Bump was so antisocial that it had begun frying Blop’s 18 circuitry. The more Theodore didn’t talk to Blop, the 19 more Blop felt he needed to talk. Sometimes he would 20 go on and on and on about things no one wanted to talk 21 about. He’d gone from being an interesting companion 22 to an annoying chatterbox. 23 Leo arrived at the door to the bathroom, the loud 24 noise echoing inside. He opened the door and there was 25S Blop, standing in the bathtub, banging his head over and 26R

1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 9292 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:539:29:53 AMAM MASTER over again on the porcelain. Blop was a small robot, 1 about the size of a mug for hot chocolate. He was mostly 2 silver, with large green eyes, and his metal mouth looked 3 like it was made to eat nickels and quarters. 4 When Blop saw that Leo had come into the bath- 5 room, he rolled back and forth enthusiastically on his 6 wheels. 7 “Mr. Bump, is that you?” 8 “No, it’s me, Leo.” 9 Leo knelt down and laid his arms along the tub, set- 10 ting his chin down on his hands as he stared down at 11 Blop. One thing was clear to Leo as he looked at the 12 shiny silver robot in the tub: Mr. Bump wasn’t a violent 13 man, for if he were, he would have picked Blop up and 14 dropped him out the window long ago. 15 “Oh, Blop,” said Leo. “You really must stop bother- 16 ing Mr. Bump. You know how it upsets him.” 17 “Very good to see you, sir,” said Blop in his 18 tiny, tinny voice. “You’re looking excellent as usual. 19 Tip-top.” 20 The problem with Blop — besides the fact that he 21 really would not stop talking — was that he was a sneaky 22 little robot. 23 “Will you get me out of the tub?” he requested. 24 “There’s work to be done.” S25 R26

997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 9393 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:549:29:54 AMAM MASTER 1 “You know he won’t talk to you,” said Leo. It was 2 like trying to reason with an unreasonable child, he 3 knew, but he had to try. 4 “He’ll come around,” said Blop. “I’m going to try 5 Shakespeare.” 6 “I could leave you in there and let your batteries run 7 dry,” Leo pointed out. 8 “Oh, you don’t want to do that. My alarm will 9 go off.” 10 Merganzer had rigged Blop with a terrible alarm that 11 would sound throughout the entire building if he got 12 within five percent of a dead battery. It had only hap- 13 pened once, and Ms. Sparks had nearly lost her marbles, 14 screaming at everyone for days after. Even Merganzer 15 had said it was something to be avoided at all costs. 16 “Besides,” said Blop, “I’m solar-powered, as you 17 know, and efficient. You’d have to leave me here in the 18 tub for three days, two hours, twelve minutes, and nine 19 seconds in order to hear the alarm.” 20 Blop started carrying on about solar power and alter- 21 native energy and how he and Merganzer had talked at 22 length about putting wind turbines on the roof but that 23 he worried for the ducks . . . and on and on, until Leo 24 thought he might leave Blop where he was and shut 25S the door. 26R

1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 9494 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:549:29:54 AMAM MASTER Instead, Leo picked him up and placed him in his 1 tool bag. 2 “Might I see Mr. Bump now?” asked Blop. “I’d like 3 to begin with the sonnets, which I believe he’ll really 4 enjoy.” 5 Leo knew better than to engage Blop in conversa- 6 tion if he didn’t need to. He kept walking until he 7 reached the front door. 8 “I’ll take him for a walk,” he said to Mr. Bump. 9 “Don’t bring him back until you hit Friday at least. 10 Anything less would be a disappointment.” 11 Theodore Bump didn’t look up from his computer 12 as he kept typing with one hand and held out the empty 13 breakfast plate to Leo with the other. 14 Once in the hallway, Leo let Blop talk all he wanted. 15 It would take all day to run him out of words, which 16 was what Mr. Bump had referred to. Blop preferred to 17 say ten thousand words a day; after that he calmed 18 down considerably. He would roll off into a corner and 19 mumble quietly to himself, as if he were having robot 20 dreams and talking softly in his sleep. Friday was three 21 days away, so Leo would have to keep Blop talking for 22 at least thirty thousand words. 23 He had an idea about how he could accomplish the 24 task without having to carry the little robot around all S25 R26

997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 9595 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:549:29:54 AMAM MASTER 1 day, and he was thinking about just that when his walkie- 2 talkie came to life. 3 “Leo, get to the basement, pronto!” 4 It was his dad, who rarely sounded frantic about 5 much of anything lately. 6 “I see you have a Phillips screwdriver in your bag,” 7 said Blop, who had burrowed his way inside the satchel. 8 And then he carried on about the origins of a great 9 many tools as Leo ran down the maintenance stairs to 10 the basement. 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25S 26R

1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 9696 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:549:29:54 AMAM MASTER 1 2 3 4 C HAPTER S EVEN 5 T EN TH OUSAND 6 7 PAPER CLIPS 8 9 10 11 12 Leo found a cardboard box and a few old rags in the 13 maintenance tunnel on the second floor on his way to 14 the basement. He made a detour into the lobby to make 15 a handoff. 16 “You don’t mean it,” said Remi, staring into the box. 17 “You can’t mean it.” 18 “Oh, but I do,” said Leo. Blop was in the box, star- 19 ing up at Remi with uncharacteristic silence. 20 “You’re the best friend ever!” said Remi. Suddenly, 21 standing next to a boring door all day didn’t bother him. 22 He had a robot, a real robot, to keep him company. 23 “Just keep him talking, and stay away from Ms. 24 Sparks,” Leo instructed. Ms. Sparks knew the routine, S25 but it didn’t make her any less annoyed by Blop’s endless R26

997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 9797 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:549:29:54 AMAM MASTER 1 chatter. She’d only go for it if Remi kept the robot out- 2 side, like a pet that hadn’t been housebroken. 3 “Best day in the history of my life!” said Remi. They 4 were standing just outside the door together, where 5 Remi had placed the cardboard box on the ledge of a 6 window next to the entryway. 7 “Keep your radio on,” said Leo, heading for the base- 8 ment. “In case I need you.” 9 “You got it, partner,” said Remi. 10 Blop had begun yammering on about the meaning of 11 friendship in all its facets, but the moment Remi said 12 the word partner, the robot made a few noises — a blip, 13 a zing, a whir — and looked at Remi. 14 “What do you think of Batman and Robin?” 15 Remi lit up like a sparkler on the Fourth of July. 16 “It asked me a question!” 17 Leo was already in the lobby, his two-way radio 18 buzzing with demands, as he yelled over his shoulder. 19 “Get used to it.” 20 21 When he entered the basement, Leo thought the police, 22 the fire department, and the county health inspector 23 had all showed up at one time. Every color of light was 24 spinning and flashing on the wall, the siren was going 25S off, and streams of red ticker tape were pouring out of 26R Daisy’s mouth like an endless grocery store receipt.

1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 9898 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:549:29:54 AMAM MASTER “Leo!” yelled Clarence Fillmore. “The hotel is sick!” 1 At first this struck Leo as an odd thing to say, but 2 the more he looked at the call center, the more he had 3 to agree: The Whippet Hotel had come down with 4 something really bad. 5 “What do we do?” Leo yelled over the blaring 6 siren. 7 “We have to convince everyone to stop pulling rip 8 cords,” said Clarence Fillmore, shaking his head in dis- 9 belief. “I’ve never seen anything like it.” 10 Every guest room had a red ball hanging from a red 11 rope. On the wall near the ball was a red button. To 12 send a distress signal, a guest had to grab the ball and 13 pull the cord while simultaneously pressing the red but- 14 ton. The rope and the button were too far apart (and 15 the rope too high) for a child to make trouble. Apparently, 16 from the looks of the call center, all the guests in the 17 hotel were pulling their rip cords and pressing the but- 18 tons in their rooms at the same time, over and over 19 again. 20 All Leo could think about was how Ms. Sparks 21 would use this to try to fire his dad. She’d say it was his 22 fault the hotel was falling apart. 23 “You take Ms. Pompadore — you’re good with 24 her — and I’ll take Captain Rickenbacker. Let’s start S25 there.” R26

997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 9999 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:549:29:54 AMAM MASTER 1 The first thing they had to do was get the siren to 2 stop wailing, which would mean getting at least one 3 guest to stop pulling on his rip cord. 4 The call center had an old-fashioned–looking bank 5 of buzzer buttons across the middle under Daisy’s head. 6 Clarence pushed the button for LillyAnn Pompadore’s 7 room and Leo for Captain Rickenbacker, hoping they’d 8 let go of their rip cords long enough to answer the 9 calls. 10 Mercifully, the siren stopped wailing in the base- 11 ment boiler room as both guests picked up at once, 12 their voices distant and crackly. 13 “The Pinball Machine has gone berserk!” yelled 14 Captain Rickenbacker. “It’s trying to kill me!” 15 “WET FLOOR, HINEY CAN’T SWIM!” was all 16 Ms. Pompadore would say, although she said it so loudly 17 that both Fillmores leaned back like a strong wind had 18 blown into the basement. 19 “At least the siren stopped,” said Leo, and the 20 moment he said so, the siren began sounding again. 21 “You’ve jinxed us,” said Leo’s father, looking at the 22 call center lights flashing like mad. 23 Fifteen minutes later, Leo and Clarence Fillmore 24 had everyone calmed down. The call center was still 25S blinking red, but at least they could quietly assess 26R the damage.

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 100100 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:559:29:55 AMAM MASTER • Water leaks in at least three rooms, which Leo 1 rightly blamed on a leak in the pond pump on 2 the roof. 3 • Air-conditioning out in four rooms. It was only 4 midmorning and already the temperature was 5 pushing eighty. If it got over ninety in the Cake 6 Room, they’d be looking at a frosting disaster, 7 very hard to clean up. 8 • Electrical shorts in the Pinball Machine and the 9 Robot Room. Klink, Klank, and Klunk were in a 10 battle royale that threatened to drive Mr. Bump 11 out of the hotel and into a café with his laptop. 12 • Hot water was a complete no-show in the hotel, 13 which meant the boiler was on the fritz. 14 15 “Water first, then everything else,” said Leo’s dad, 16 staring at the strips of ticker tape and wondering how 17 they were ever going to get it all fixed. 18 Leo was just about to encourage his father — they’d 19 figure it out, he was sure — when the door to the base- 20 ment opened and the shadow of Ms. Sparks’s towering 21 beehive leaned into the room. 22 “You’re on thin ice, Mr. Fillmore. I hope, for your 23 sake, you can get things under control around here.” 24 “Absolutely, Ms. Sparks. Leo and I have it handled. S25 No need to worry.” R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 101101 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:559:29:55 AMAM MASTER 1 “Why am I not consoled?” she said, looking at the 2 Fill mores’ bunks as if she couldn’t imagine having to 3 live in such primitive quarters. She slammed the door 4 shut and Leo listened as her high-heeled shoes clanked 5 up the concrete steps to the lobby. 6 “I’ll fix the water pump, you mop up the rooms,” 7 said Clarence. 8 “Then I’ll take the duck elevator to the maintenance 9 tunnel on four and fix the electrical panel. It’s the same 10 panel for the robots and the Pinball Machine.” 11 “Perfect! We’ll meet back here in an hour to wrestle 12 the boiler into shape.” 13 Leo and Clarence loaded their tool belts and bags 14 with everything they could imagine needing, and then 15 Leo called Pilar on the maintenance line and asked her 16 to switch on the wet/dry vac system on all floors and 17 break out the mops. 18 The siren started wailing again as voices blared into 19 the basement. 20 “Let’s get out of here before she blows!” Clarence 21 joked, and he and Leo were off, fixing things on every 22 floor. 23 In all the excitement, Leo wasn’t able to get his 24 hands on the blue box, which just about drove him half 25S crazy with anticipation. He knew it would lead him 26R somewhere secret in the hotel, but he couldn’t rightly

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 102102 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:559:29:55 AMAM MASTER go exploring while the Whippet was in the fight of its 1 life. He’d never known the hotel to suffer so many 2 calamities, but then again, Merganzer D. Whippet was 3 forever tinkering with every part of the building. A 4 hundred days without him at work might have finally 5 caught up to the quirkiest hotel in New York. 6 “Yo, Leo.” 7 Remi was calling on the two-way radio as Leo 8 entered the maintenance tunnel and started up one of 9 the ladders toward the wet rooms. 10 “I’m kind of busy at the moment, Remi,” Leo said, 11 trying to climb the ladder with one hand as he held the 12 radio. 13 “Blop caught wind of the water leaks and he’s wor- 14 ried about the other robots,” Remi reported. “He keeps 15 banging his head against the cardboard box.” 16 Leo rolled his eyes. “He’s a tricky robot; don’t let 17 him fool you. He’s just trying to get back to the room 18 so he can bother Mr. Bump. Try talking about race cars. 19 He likes that.” 20 “If you say so,” said Remi. “He also taught me about 21 hot water heaters and hotel boiler rooms. He must have 22 heard Ms. Sparks talking about how nobody had hot 23 water. This little dude is smart.” 24 Leo wished Remi would leave him alone so he could S25 concentrate on getting his work done. R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 103103 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:559:29:55 AMAM MASTER 1 “He said when the boiler stops sending hot water, it 2 usually means it’s about to blow a gasket. Wouldn’t that 3 be cool?” 4 A light went off in Leo’s brain as he realized 5 Blop might be right. The boiler might start to leak, a 6 lot. The boiler was in the basement, and so was the 7 blue box. 8 “Remi, listen carefully,” said Leo, jumping off the 9 ladder into the tunnel on seven. “I need you to do some- 10 thing for me, but it’s going to mean leaving the front 11 door. Can you do that?” 12 Leo walked down the tunnel to a hidden door that 13 opened into the hotel hallway and headed for the main- 14 tenance closet, where Pilar would be waiting with the 15 wet / dry vac. 16 “Sure I can help! Ms. Sparks cancelled her errands, 17 but now she’s running around all over the place, so I’m 18 sure I can sneak off. Apparently the hotel is falling apart. 19 I’m the least of her problems.” 20 “There are two boxes under my cot in the 21 basement.” 22 “The secret boxes,” Remi said, with great emphasis 23 on the word secret. 24 “Yeah, those.” Leo couldn’t help shaking his head. 25S “Take them both and put them in the duck elevator for 26R safekeeping. No one else goes in there.”

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 104104 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:559:29:55 AMAM MASTER “Me and the Blopster are on the prowl,” said Remi. 1 “Consider it done!” 2 Pilar was already pushing her maid’s cart away from 3 the closet when Leo rounded the corner. 4 “What’s happening to the Whippet?” she asked with 5 concern in her dark brown eyes. 6 “I don’t know. I guess it’s sick,” Leo answered. 7 “Or sad,” said Pilar. “I think it misses Mr. 8 Whippet.” 9 Leo didn’t know about that, but there was no get- 10 ting around the fact that the hotel was in real trouble. 11 Leo headed for Ms. Pompadore’s room as the two- 12 way radio flared to life again. 13 “She’s gonna blow!” he heard Remi’s voice scream, 14 followed by Blop describing water survival techniques. 15 “The giant black boiler is shaking and steaming — I 16 think it might start blowing bolts and shooting water all 17 over the basement at any moment! I have to get Blop 18 out of here — it’ll fry his circuits if he gets wet!” 19 Blop began to disagree, saying he was a fine swim- 20 mer, which was utter nonsense. 21 “Did you get the boxes?” Leo asked. 22 “Who are you talking to?” Ms. Pompadore ques- 23 tioned, and Leo quickly turned the radio off, stuffing it 24 in the pocket of his overalls. She looked at him as if he S25 were hiding something. R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 105105 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:559:29:55 AMAM MASTER 1 “Just boring maintenance talk, Ms. Pompadore. I 2 should have this cleaned up in no time,” he said, trying 3 to change the subject as Hiney growled and begged to 4 be put on the floor. There was only an inch of water 5 confined to the main bathroom, but Ms. Pompadore 6 wouldn’t let the poor thing down. “It’s a little funny, 7 don’t you think?” asked Leo, trying to lighten the mood 8 under Ms. Pompadore’s steady gaze. “I mean, this being 9 the Room of Ponds and Caves and all.” 10 “I fail to see the humor,” she answered. “Water 11 belongs in the sink, the toilet, and the ponds. Not on 12 my bathroom floor.” 13 “Yes, ma’am,” said Leo. 14 “I suppose next you’ll be telling me I ought to have 15 bats landing in my hair because there are caves in 16 my room.” 17 “No, ma’am,” Leo said, although he did think that 18 sounded kind of logical. 19 Ms. Pompadore moved away and Hiney barked 20 about a thousand times while Leo worked the wet / dry 21 vac. He knew he should call his father and send him to 22 the basement in case the boiler was pouring water all 23 over their room, but Leo wanted to make sure Remi 24 had safely moved the boxes first. He finished mopping 25S up, put the wet / dry vac away, checked the fourth floor 26R

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 106106 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:559:29:55 AMAM MASTER electrical panel, and practically dove down the stairs on 1 his way to the basement. Before he could get there, his 2 dad radioed him. 3 “Better get back to the basement,” Clarence Fillmore 4 said. “There’s something weird down here I need to 5 talk with you about.” 6 Uh-oh. Leo was sure his father had found Remi and 7 the boxes, and his amazing adventure in the secret 8 rooms of the hotel would be over for good. He tried 9 calling Remi a bunch of times but he got no answer. 10 When he reached the door to the basement, he listened 11 carefully, hoping not to hear the siren or flowing 12 water. 13 “Hey, Dad,” he said, entering the room. The boiler 14 was in the darkest corner of the basement, set on a huge 15 slab of concrete. There was a drain valve that let water 16 flow out under the garden and into the sewer system, 17 and Mr. Fillmore was crouched down over the hole, 18 watching water flow out. 19 There was no sign of the two boxes. Maybe his father 20 hadn’t found them after all. 21 “Come here,” Leo’s dad said. “You’ve gotta 22 see this.” 23 Leo slowly moved across the room, leaning down 24 when he passed his cot in order to look underneath. It S25 R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 107107 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:569:29:56 AMAM MASTER 1 was too dark in the basement to tell for sure, but 2 if he had to guess, he’d have said the two boxes 3 were gone. 4 “What is it, Dad?” 5 Mr. Fillmore pointed a flashlight toward the flowing 6 water, steam rising up from the heat. He pulled a foot- 7 long magnetic tube out of his tool belt, which he used 8 for picking up nuts and bolts that had fallen into out of 9 the way places, and held it down in the water. 10 “Are those . . . ?” asked Leo, but he didn’t finish. 11 “Yup, paper clips. Tons of ‘em.” 12 The magnet was filling up with globs of metal paper 13 clips as they poured out of the boiler. 14 “I bet there’s ten thousand,” said Mr. Fillmore as 15 they both listened to the paper clips grinding their way 16 through the giant boiler. 17 “But how?” asked Leo. 18 Neither of them spoke for a long moment, because 19 they both knew the truth. There was only one reason 20 something like this would happen. And there was plenty 21 of other evidence to support what they were both 22 pretty sure of. 23 Someone was trying to sabotage the Whippet 24 Hotel. 25S 26R

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 108108 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:569:29:56 AMAM MASTER “That was our contact,” said Milton, hanging up his 1 phone. “They’ve set things in motion.” 2 “And the competition? What of them?” asked 3 Bernard. He seemed troubled. He’d been so sure of his 4 control over the Whippet, but he was less sure with 5 each passing day. His plans were moving along precisely 6 as he’d hoped, and yet he doubted. 7 Milton looked gravely through the gate into the 8 Whippet’s sprawling grounds. 9 “We’ll have to choose carefully if we hope to best 10 our enemies.” 11 “True,” said Bernard Frescobaldi. “Take me back to 12 the park. I want to take one last look around.” 13 “Yes, sir.” 14 Bernard had just read another highly confidential 15 diary entry by Merganzer D. Whippet, this one about 16 Central Park, and he thought it best to go there at 17 once to search for something he might have missed. So 18 many clues, so much to remember. And so much at 19 stake. He couldn’t let the slightest clue slip through his 20 fingers. 21 “Isn’t the Central Park Room at the Whippet a won- 22 der?” he asked, scanning the words once more. 23 “Magnificent.” 24 “Agreed,” Milton said. S25 R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 109109 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:569:29:56 AMAM MASTER 1 When they pulled to a stop at Central Park West, 2 Bernard got out of the black town car and began walking 3 alone. He brought the diary entry with him, and, after a 4 while, sat down on a bench and read it once more. 5 6 Merganzer D. Whippet, entry the nineteenth 7 Mother had an unexpected burst of energy one day. She 8 took me to the Metropolitan Museum of Art because, 9 she said, an artist was having a rare show. She was con- 10 vinced I would be captivated. She could not have been 11 more right. 12 Joseph Cornell made the most fantastic picture boxes 13 I’d ever seen. I had loved art before, but this was differ- 14 ent. My mind worked in 3-D, and seeing the picture 15 boxes filled with trinkets and words and colors left me 16 breathless. I knew then that I would make intricate boxes 17 of my own someday. 18 She grew tired, but I wouldn’t leave until I’d seen 19 every one. 20 Afterward she wanted fresh air, so we walked in 21 Central Park, talking about Cornell and trains and robots 22 and so much more. We stopped and sat beneath the spire 23 of Belvedere Castle, eating from a bag of crispy donuts. 24 “Do you really love all these things?” I asked her, 25S because I still held a deep suspicion that she talked about 26R what I loved, not what she loved.

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 110110 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:569:29:56 AMAM MASTER “I love you, Leo, and that’s all that really matters.” 1 I thought then, as I do now, that it was the most per- 2 fect answer of them all. 3 It was the last time we walked together, there in the 4 park. After that she never left the apartment on Fifth 5 Avenue. 6 M.D.W. 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 S25 R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 111111 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:569:29:56 AMAM MASTER 1 2 3 4 5 C HAPTER EIGHT 6 I NTO THE PARK 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 After Remi put the boxes in the duck elevator, he 14 returned to the lobby just in time to open the door for 15 Ms. Sparks. 16 “PHIPPS!” she screamed, and Mr. Phipps, a slow 17 mover at best, began walking toward the lobby. He had 18 a wobbly gait, which Blop began talking about in cryptic 19 medical terms only a back surgeon could understand. 20 Ms. Sparks gave the little robot an icy stare, though 21 she knew it was hopeless. Shy of throwing Blop across 22 the lawn, there wasn’t much she could do to shut 23 him up. 24 “. . . and so you see, walking is far more complex 25S than one might imagine at first glance. Wouldn’t you 26R agree?” asked Blop, looking at Ms. Sparks hopefully, as

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 112112 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:569:29:56 AMAM MASTER if his only wish in the world were that she would 1 answer him. 2 Instead she turned to the gardener as he arrived at 3 the step. 4 “I need you to watch the front desk until I return,” 5 she demanded. “Something’s come up.” 6 It was a hot day, and Mr. Phipps pulled out a hand- 7 kerchief, mopping his brow. “If you insist.” 8 Ms. Sparks was not fond of sweat and made a sour 9 face, but she needed to go and Pilar wouldn’t be available 10 until two o’clock. She looked at her wristwatch — 11 noon — and scurried down the path toward the gate. 12 “I’ll be back before the dinner bell at six. Pray the 13 building doesn’t fall over before I return!” 14 Remi and Mr. Phipps watched her disappear down 15 the winding path without a word. As soon as she was 16 out of earshot, Mr. Phipps turned to Remi. 17 “I’ll be working on the puzzle. Don’t get into any 18 trouble.” 19 “I can’t get into trouble here at the door,” said Remi. 20 “Unless you count DYING of BOREDOM.” 21 “Who said anything about standing by the door?” 22 said Mr. Phipps. He was already inside, heading for the 23 Puzzle Room without the slightest care about who 24 might enter the building in the absence of a boy at the S25 door or a gardener at the front desk. R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 113113 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:579:29:57 AMAM MASTER 1 Remi looked at Blop, who was staring up at him 2 hopefully, and broke into a wide grin. 3 “Let’s go see what’s in the blue box.” 4 5 “What do you mean, you’re on the fifth floor? I thought 6 you were glued to the front door?” 7 Leo was standing before a jumble of wires at the 8 electrical panel on six. The pipes were all painted dif- 9 ferent colors and they twisted and turned around one 10 another, creating a spaghetti rainbow effect that made 11 Leo’s head spin. Add to that what looked like a thou- 12 sand miles of wires dangling from the ceiling and it was 13 a miracle the whole place didn’t self-destruct from an 14 overload of chaos. It was one of the more confusing 15 places in the maintenance tunnel, and it required Leo’s 16 full attention to get anything done. 17 His concentration blown, Leo stepped back from 18 the electrical panel and listened as Remi told him about 19 Ms. Sparks’s early departure and his exploration of the 20 blue box. When Leo understood what Remi had done, 21 he felt angry. It was his box, not Remi’s, and now Remi 22 had opened it without him. 23 “I checked the registry and no one has stayed in the 24 Central Park Room since Mr. Whippet disappeared,” 25S Remi reported. “What’s in there?” 26R

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 114114 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:579:29:57 AMAM MASTER Leo didn’t want to talk about the Central 1 Park Room. 2 “It’s not your box. You shouldn’t have opened it.” 3 “But you told me to go get it,” Remi pleaded, all the 4 excitement gone out of his voice at the thought of 5 upsetting Leo. 6 “I didn’t tell you to open it. You shouldn’t have 7 done that.” 8 “I was only trying to help.” 9 Leo looked at the mess of wires and blown fuses 10 before him and knew he couldn’t possibly fix the air- 11 conditioning in less than half an hour. After that, he’d 12 have a little time — maybe an hour — in which to dis- 13 appear in the labyrinth of the hotel. 14 “It’s okay,” he said, trying to let go of something 15 he really did think was his and his alone. “Just ask 16 next time.” 17 “Next time?” said Remi, his old zing returning. “You 18 mean there are more boxes in this place? Awesome!” 19 “We’re supposed to bring a duck,” said Leo, think- 20 ing it would be the perfect errand for Remi and Blop 21 while he finished the electrical work. “Go to the roof 22 and get Betty — she’s the smartest of the bunch. Then 23 meet me at the door to the Central Park Room. We’re 24 going in.” S25 R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 115115 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:579:29:57 AMAM MASTER 1 “Yes!” cried Remi. “You hear that, Blop? We’re 2 going in!” 3 Leo went back to work on the wiring, pulling crystal 4 fuses and electrical tape out of his maintenance bag. 5 While Remi went up the duck elevator, he told Leo 6 what was inside the blue box. 7 “Trains and tracks, mostly,” said Remi. 8 “Trains?” 9 “I know, weird, right? There’s not a train in Central 10 Park, but it says right on the inside of the lid: ‘Enter 11 through Central Park on five, under the arrow.’” 12 “Have you been to Central Park before?” asked Leo. 13 He had set the two-way radio on a ledge, pushing the 14 button when he needed to while his hands worked 15 quickly at the wires and tubes. 16 “Sure, I’ve been to the park. Who hasn’t?” said 17 Remi. He asked Leo why Blop was being so quiet. 18 “If he blows through ten thousand words in 19 under an hour, it usually shuts his voice chip down for 20 a little while. You must have had quite a chat this 21 morning.” 22 “Oh, yeah, we talked about everything. He’s my 23 travel buddy.” 24 Leo could imagine Remi in the small elevator, sitting 25S on the floor with Blop on his lap in the cardboard box. 26R The two boys were like secret spies making their way

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 116116 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:579:29:57 AMAM MASTER through a hidden world, not knowing what they’d find 1 around the next corner. 2 “‘Under the arrow,’” said Leo, running electrical 3 tape around a bunch of red and yellow wires. “I don’t 4 know about any arrows in the park. We might have to 5 do some searching to find the entrance.” 6 “I’m at the roof,” said Remi. “But Betty won’t get in. 7 She’s in a bad mood. Should I bring a different duck?” 8 Leo thought about wandering through Central Park 9 with a robot, a duck, and a buddy, and he thought bet- 10 ter of the idea. 11 “I think we can manage without Betty this time,” 12 said Leo, screwing in the last fuse and throwing the 13 electrical switch. A whirling noise ensued, and Leo 14 knew the air-conditioning on six was back up again. He 15 was a free man, at least until his dad found out he’d 16 finished fixing the AC in record time. “Head back down 17 and knock on the door. I’ll open it from the inside.” 18 “How’re you gonna do that?” 19 Leo didn’t answer. It was best if only he and his dad 20 knew about some of the undisclosed ways into the rooms 21 in the hotel. Merganzer had been clear about this when 22 he’d hired Clarence Fillmore: Some places were known 23 only to the few, the proud, the maintenance men. 24 Leo swung by the Cake Room on six and knocked S25 on the door, hoping no one would be in. His hopes were R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 117117 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:579:29:57 AMAM MASTER 1 dashed when Jane Yancey answered. She had frosting 2 on her nose. 3 “Took you long enough,” she said. Jane had attitude 4 to spare as she bit into a cupcake and talked with her 5 mouth full, spitting crumbs all over the floor. “We were 6 boiling in here. My dad’s going to get a refund.” 7 “Can I come in and check a couple of things?” 8 asked Leo. 9 Leo was surprised to hear Mr. Yancey’s voice from 10 inside, sounding exasperated. 11 “Let him in, honey. The boy’s got work to do.” 12 Jane Yancey stepped aside begrudgingly, wiping 13 frosting on her pink tank top. The room was cooling 14 down fast as Leo entered, thinking about how he’d 15 never actually seen Mr. Yancey. The guy was like a ghost, 16 normally off at some meeting. All he knew for sure was 17 what Ms. Sparks had told him: Mr. Yancey was a zil- 18 lionaire, into precious metals and oil reserves, and not 19 to be bothered. 20 The room itself was breathtaking, full of huge mod- 21 els of wildly decorated cakes and candies, which could 22 be climbed and slid down and played on. Here and 23 there were glass doors, behind which were rooms filled 24 with real cakes and treats, all replaced by the restaurant 25S staff every morning. 26R

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 118118 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:579:29:57 AMAM MASTER “Do you mind if I check the walk-ins?” Leo yelled 1 toward the bedroom, hoping Mr. Yancey would come 2 out and introduce himself. 3 “Be my guest, but don’t let Jane in there. She’s had 4 enough treats for one day.” 5 Jane scowled as Leo stepped into the cooler. When 6 he came back out, Mr. Yancey was standing next to his 7 daughter. 8 “Her mother’s out shopping, spending all my 9 money,” he said. Leo was immediately struck by how 10 dark the man’s clothing was against the bright colors of 11 the room: black suit, black hair, black shoes, a black 12 coffee mug. He was a big man with a big face and a bald 13 head. Leo could imagine him on an oil rigger, barking 14 out instructions, and wondered if that was where he’d 15 gotten his start. Mr. Yancey looked to Leo like he 16 belonged in dirty flannel shirts and thick work pants 17 smudged with black oil, drilling into a thousand feet of 18 earth, searching for treasure. 19 Leo had forgotten to turn off the two-way before 20 entering the room, and to his horror, Remi’s voice filled 21 the Cake Room. 22 “Okay, Leo, where are you? Not funny. Blop is wak- 23 ing up.” 24 “Hey, I know that voice,” said Jane Yancey. “It’s the S25 R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 119119 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:579:29:57 AMAM MASTER 1 goofy kid from the lobby. What’s he doing? And who’s 2 Blop?” 3 Leo started for the door as Mr. Yancey watched him 4 curiously. 5 “Everything’s tip-top,” he said with a nervous smile. 6 “But if you have any problems, you know how to 7 find me.” 8 9 Leo was out of the room before Jane Yancey could ask 10 him any more questions, but she turned to her father, 11 her arms folded over her chest. 12 “Those two are up to something.” 13 Mr. Yancey, for his part, sipped his black coffee and 14 wondered how much Leo Fillmore really knew about 15 the Whippet Hotel. He shrugged and went back to his 16 room, saying over his shoulder, “Don’t get into any 17 trouble until your mother gets back.” 18 But Jane Yancey had a better idea, and soon she was 19 out the door without Mr. Yancey having a clue. 20 21 The fastest way down to the fifth floor was the main 22 staircase, so Leo ran down it, nervous about having Jane 23 Yancey chase after him. When he arrived at the door to 24 the Central Park Room, Remi was gone. 25S “Oh great, just what I need.” 26R

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 120120 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:589:29:58 AMAM MASTER Leo didn’t have a key card for the door, and it was a 1 bit of a trick getting in through the maintenance tunnel 2 from where he stood. He pulled out the radio just in 3 time to hear Jane Yancey’s voice from up the stairs. 4 “Maintenance man?” She had followed him, as he’d 5 suspected she might, and it wouldn’t take long for her 6 to arrive on five and start asking all sorts of questions. 7 Without warning, the door to the Central Park Room 8 flew open and Leo heard Blop’s voice. 9 “Ah, Mr. Fillmore, welcome to the park. We’ve been 10 expecting you.” 11 Leo darted inside and the door closed silently behind 12 him. He didn’t have to ask Remi how he’d gotten in, 13 because Remi was holding a green key card in his hand. 14 He’d made it while Ms. Sparks was away and the front 15 desk unmanned. 16 Not bad, thought Leo. Not bad at all. 17 There came a knock at the door, Jane Yancey for 18 sure, but the two boys ignored her pleas and began 19 walking. 20 “I know you’re in there! Let me in!” she screamed 21 from the hall. 22 “She will prove troublesome,” said Blop, rested and 23 full of words again. “Very common for a six-year-old, 24 particularly if you spoil them.” S25 R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 121121 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:589:29:58 AMAM MASTER 1 Leo saw that Remi had brought the blue box with 2 him, carrying Blop in the pocket of his red jacket, from 3 where the robot peeked out inquisitively. 4 “One good turn deserves another,” said Leo, think- 5 ing of how Remi’s key card had gotten them into the 6 room. Opening up his maintenance bag, Leo pulled out 7 a squashed cupcake, which he had snuck out of the 8 cooler in the Cake Room. 9 “Nice!” said Remi, setting the blue box down and 10 sliding off the lid. He broke the treat in half as they 11 settled over the box and gazed inside. 12 “This Merganzer guy was a little wacky,” said Remi, 13 handing half the cupcake to Leo. Both boys were starv- 14 ing, and the cupcake vanished in one bite each. 15 “You have no idea,” Leo tried to say, but it came out 16 oo av oh ieeaa as he tried to speak through a mouthful 17 of cake. Remi thought it was hilarious and started laugh- 18 ing, then rolling around on the floor in hysterics. Leo 19 joined in and they were both sharing a good laugh, 20 which unfortunately Jane Yancey could hear from the 21 other side of the door. She marched away, determined 22 to ruin their lives or die trying. 23 When Leo and Remi calmed down, they looked 24 inside the box and found that it was filled with the most 25S intricate model train set either of them had ever seen. 26R There were rolling hills, tunnels, trees, and a farm. The

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 122122 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:589:29:58 AMAM MASTER train engine itself was the size of Leo’s thumb, with 1 two silver cars behind it. 2 “Watch this,” said Remi. He reached inside and 3 pushed a tiny lever forward and the train started to 4 move. Leo wished he’d been the one to see this first, 5 but watching the miniature train make its way around 6 the box was so magical, he could hardly stay mad. 7 “What does it mean?” Remi asked as the train con- 8 tinued round and round. 9 “There’s only one way to find out,” said Leo, stand- 10 ing up and looking out over the Central Park Room. 11 “We’ll have to find the train and climb aboard.” 12 Remi smiled, frosting in his teeth, and the two boys 13 started laughing again. Then they started walking. 14 An arrow was hidden somewhere in the Central 15 Park Room, and it wouldn’t be easy to find. 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 S25 R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 123123 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:589:29:58 AMAM MASTER 1 2 3 4 5 C HAPTER NINE 6 T HE CENTRAL 7 8 PA RK TRAIN 9 10 11 12 13 I love this hotel,” said Remi. He and Leo were stand- 14 ing in front of Balto, a statue of a dog staring out over 15 the rest of the room. The real Central Park sat on 843 16 acres in Manhattan, but Merganzer had crammed every 17 last attraction into one floor of the Whippet. For that 18 reason, Balto was only about two inches tall. As the 19 boys leaned in and looked more closely, Blop regaled 20 them with the story of the extraordinary sled dog. 21 “If you’d have told me when I woke up this morning 22 I’d be standing in a shrunken Central Park listening to a 23 robot tell me about a two-inch dog,” said Remi, “I’d 24 have said you were loco. How in the world did anyone 25S ever build this?” 26R

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 124124 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:589:29:58 AMAM MASTER “You haven’t seen anything yet,” said Leo, think- 1 ing of the Room of Rings, the Pinball Machine, the 2 Cake Room, and so much more that Remi hadn’t 3 seen yet. 4 “I believe you,” said Remi. “From what my mom 5 told me, the rooms get weirder the higher you go.” 6 Leo didn’t want to spoil the fun and give too much 7 away, but Remi was right. The seventh, eighth, and 8 ninth floors were bizarre, to say the least. 9 “Let’s keep walking, see if we can find that arrow.” 10 The winding path the two boys were on was sunk 11 into the floor so that the model lay all around them at 12 belly-button level. They could reach out and touch 13 whatever they wanted, and Leo imagined Merganzer 14 doing just that. He could see his old friend placing a 15 tree here, a statue there. 16 Real water flowed under arched bridges, and the 17 Lake was strewn with tiny boats and wobbling ducks. 18 There were fountains, the Great Lawn, the Central 19 Park Zoo, skating rinks, a carousel, baseball fields, and 20 tennis courts. Leo stopped in front of the statue of Alice 21 in Wonderland, thinking he might have seen an arrow, 22 but he was mistaken. 23 “Is it just me, or is it getting dark in here?” 24 asked Remi. S25 R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 125125 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:589:29:58 AMAM MASTER 1 “My sensors say yes, undoubtedly,” said Blop. 2 “Switching to reserve power.” 3 As if there were a quickly moving sunset, the 4 room was growing dim as they approached Belvedere 5 Castle. 6 “Look there, it’s a boy and his mom,” said Remi. 7 “The only two people in the park, right?” 8 “It’s Merganzer,” said Leo. “And that must be his 9 mom.” He could tell by the wild hair they both had, the 10 way it flipped up in the back and looked like the feath- 11 ers on the head of a merganser (the duck, not the 12 person). 13 Stars filled the ceiling and the castle lit up as the 14 room went completely dark. A moon appeared, bright 15 and round, and shadows filled the room. The lights on 16 the baseball fields came on, hundreds of tiny lampposts 17 glowed yellow, and the sound of a distant train filled 18 the room. 19 “Where’s it coming from?” asked Remi. The sound 20 was everywhere and nowhere at once. But Leo had 21 grabbed Remi by the shoulder, staring off into the dark 22 with fear in his eyes. 23 “Someone’s in here with us,” he said. In the darkest 24 corner of the room, a shadow worked the controls, 25S changing the lights, making the moon come up. 26R “Who are you?” asked Leo. He was too afraid to

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 126126 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:589:29:58 AMAM MASTER move, but he began to wonder if they’d found Merganzer 1 hiding in the Central Park Room. 2 The train whistle blew and Leo jumped. Lights 3 began to dance on the Great Lawn, spinning and cir- 4 cling like fireflies. 5 “What’s happening, Leo?” asked Remi. He was an 6 adventurous boy, but this was getting scary. 7 “He’s trying to help us,” said Leo. 8 “Who’s trying to help us?” 9 “I don’t know, but look.” 10 The lights on the Great Lawn had started to settle, 11 gathering together to form words. Leo and Remi read 12 them silently, and when they did, the words burst into 13 tiny flames and the room was light once more. 14 The sound of the train was gone, and so was the 15 shadow. 16 Leo said the words to Remi. “Every arrow 17 needs a bow.” 18 Both boys had been to Central Park enough times to 19 know what it meant right away. It had to be Bow Bridge, 20 the most famous bridge in the park, which stretched 21 across the Lake. 22 Blop went full throttle about all the bridges in the 23 park, for there were many, and for once Remi wished 24 he could get the robot to be quiet. It was no time for S25 detailed information about why they used cast iron to R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 127127 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:589:29:58 AMAM MASTER 1 build bridges in the park and how the Bow Bridge, built 2 in 1862, had been photographed about a billion times. 3 “If you put him facedown, he’s harder to hear,” said 4 Leo. Remi picked Blop out of his jacket pocket and 5 turned him upside down, dropping him back inside. His 6 wheels spun back and forth with a whir, but his muffled 7 tin voice dropped into the background. 8 When they arrived at the Bow Bridge, Leo was the 9 first to spot the hidden arrow. Under the arch, near 10 the water, a cluster of ducks were staring. 11 “There it is,” said Leo. 12 “It makes me wonder if there’s an arrow under the 13 real bridge,” Remi pondered. “I’ll have to get a boat and 14 see next time I go there.” 15 Leo smiled at this idea, because he’d been thinking 16 the same thing. Maybe the two of them could go 17 together once all the mysteries of the hotel had been 18 solved. 19 Leo reached over the grass and the trees and took 20 hold of the gold-plated arrow, which was about the size 21 of a toothpick. He pulled and nothing happened. 22 “Try pushing it in,” said Remi, who was impatient by 23 nature. 24 Leo tried and, again, nothing happened. 25S “Let me have a try,” said Remi, reaching past Leo to 26R grab the little arrow.

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 128128 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:589:29:58 AMAM MASTER “No, I can do it,” Leo said. He’d missed opening the 1 box and he wasn’t about to let Remi open a secret room 2 in his hotel. 3 Leo and Remi both reached for the arrow at once, 4 but Remi got there first. Leo, in his frustration, tried to 5 push Remi’s hand aside. When he did, the arrow 6 snapped off in Remi’s hand. 7 “Now look what you’ve done!” said Leo. 8 Remi had always been a daring, energetic boy, 9 but he was also tenderhearted, his confidence easily 10 shaken. 11 “I’m sorry, Leo. I didn’t mean for that to happen. I 12 just got so excited.” 13 Leo turned back to the Bow Bridge, his frustration 14 made worse by the fact that Remi didn’t fight back. 15 Remi turned to Blop for comfort, pulling him out of his 16 red jacket pocket and asking him for help. 17 “Blop, how do we find the train?” 18 Blop’s head spun back and forth as he scanned the 19 park, the Lake, the bridge. He seemed to be thinking. 20 “The ducks have turned, which is very odd indeed. 21 Might that be of interest?” 22 Leo, a glimmer of hope returning, moved in close to 23 the ducks. It was true; they had all turned, their minia- 24 ture heads now facing the other side of the bridge. S25 “Remi,” said Leo. “Give me the arrow.” R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 129129 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:599:29:59 AMAM MASTER 1 Remi handed the toothpick-size arrow, the tip of 2 which had been broken off, to Leo. He leaned in, too, 3 and saw what Leo saw. 4 “A bull’s-eye! No way!” Remi yelled. He was so 5 excited, in part because he realized the arrow was meant 6 to be broken off, but even more because the break 7 between him and Leo had been repaired. All was not 8 lost after all! 9 Leo stuck the arrow in the center of the bull’s-eye 10 and stepped back as a hole opened up in the ceiling over 11 their heads. 12 “Better move back — I’ve seen this happen before,” 13 warned Leo. 14 Remi was a perceptive listener, and as the ladder 15 shot down out of the ceiling, he thought he heard some- 16 thing else from the other end of the room. 17 “So cool!” he said, because it was, and then he added, 18 “I think someone might be trying to get in here.” 19 Leo stayed very still and listened. Someone was 20 fumbling with a key card in the hall, trying to get the 21 door open. Leo looked at Remi and put a finger to his 22 lips, then he started up the ladder double time. 23 24 When Jane Yancey finally got the key to work, she opened 25S the door to the room only a crack, hoping she would 26R catch Leo doing something he shouldn’t be doing and

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 130130 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:599:29:59 AMAM MASTER be able to turn him in. She thought she heard a swish- 1 ing noise, but she couldn’t be sure. The room had turned 2 completely dark, and she opened the door wide, proud 3 of herself for sneaking downstairs and making the key 4 while no one was in the lobby. I’m a crafty girl, she 5 thought to herself. She let the door go as she searched 6 for a light switch, not realizing the door was on a spring, 7 and it slammed behind her. 8 It was very dark inside, for there were no windows 9 in the room, and she felt she was not alone. 10 “Hey, Maintenance Man! You get out here right 11 now! Stop trying to scare me!” she screamed, but now 12 she wasn’t so sure. Maybe the maintenance man hadn’t 13 entered this room. Maybe she should get out, fast, and 14 never come back. 15 Jane Yancey got hold of the handle and threw the 16 door open, afraid to look over her shoulder and see 17 someone chasing her. 18 She couldn’t be sure, but as she ran down the hall, 19 Jane thought she heard the sound of a distant train. 20 21 “Oh no,” said Remi. “I’ve done it again.” 22 “Done what?” Leo asked. Neither of them had made 23 it up the ladder before it shot back up into the hole, 24 taking them with it. The hole had closed and they were S25 in Merganzer D. Whippet’s secret Railroad Room. R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 131131 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:599:29:59 AMAM MASTER 1 Remi wouldn’t say, and Leo began to feel as if he’d 2 made a mistake being so upset about the arrow. 3 “It’s okay, Remi. You were right. I shouldn’t have 4 gotten so angry about the arrow. I’m sorry.” 5 Remi seemed to perk up as he looked at the train 6 waiting to be boarded. They were standing on a plat- 7 form, the train was marked with a number 5, steam 8 pouring out from under its wheels like it wanted to go 9 but wouldn’t leave without them. 10 “I left the blue box behind,” said Remi, wincing at 11 the sound of his own words. 12 “Oh,” said Leo. “That is bad.” 13 “I know, I know — I blew it. I should never have set 14 it down. Someone else might find the box, and then 15 what will we do?” 16 But Leo was worried about something else entirely. 17 Without the box they didn’t have the model, which 18 meant they’d have to figure out how to get out of the 19 room without it. 20 “I didn’t get a very good look inside,” said Leo, try- 21 ing to put a good face on things. “Do you remember 22 anything that might help us?” 23 “Not really. I mean, it was a train. There were lots of 24 tracks and tunnels.” 25S Not helpful, thought Leo. He was beginning to think 26R inviting Remi into things had been a mistake, but then

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 132132 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:599:29:59 AMAM MASTER Remi had an awfully good idea. He pulled Blop out of 1 his pocket. 2 “Blop, this is important, okay?” 3 “Important, yes. What is it?” 4 “Did you get a good look inside the blue box?” 5 Leo and Remi held their breaths as Blop’s little head 6 turned back and forth between the two. Clearly the 7 robot wanted to please Leo and Remi. He didn’t want 8 to let them down, and they were happy to find that he 9 did not. 10 “It’s the donuts you want, that’s the trick,” 11 said Blop. 12 “What do you mean? What donuts?” asked Leo. 13 Blop’s head twisted around and faced the train. 14 “Climb aboard and I’ll show you.” 15 Leo scratched his head and looked at the train. It 16 was small, more like a roller coaster, and looking around 17 the room he saw that the course it would take was filled 18 with banks and sharp turns, ups and downs, tunnels and 19 bridges. 20 “Wow, thanks, Blop! You totally saved us!” said Remi. 21 Turning to Leo, he added, “Which car do you want?” 22 Leo wasn’t sure they could trust Blop, but he wanted 23 to, and he was glad Remi was the courageous type. He’d 24 have hated to drag an unwilling participant onto a train S25 bound for who-knew-where. R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 133133 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:599:29:59 AMAM MASTER 1 “I’ll take the back car, you take the front,” 2 said Leo. 3 “You got it,” Remi answered, setting Blop in his 4 jacket pocket and climbing over the rail into the train 5 car. Leo jumped into the last car and had a feeling of 6 déjà vu. There was something familiar about the inside 7 of the box he sat in, but he couldn’t quite place it. There 8 wasn’t time to give it much thought, because the engine 9 on the train began to lurch forward on the tracks. When 10 it did, Leo spied the seat belt in his train car and the 11 light went off. He knew this car, and so he knew he’d 12 better speak up. 13 “Put on your seat belt, Remi! You’re going to 14 need it!” 15 The engine was taller than the two cars behind it, 16 with a small round window in the back. Leo and Remi 17 were sitting in the open air, and it was Remi who real- 18 ized something first. 19 “Leo?” he said as the train pulled out of the 20 station. 21 “What is it?” 22 “Someone is driving this train.” 23 Leo’s heart raced as he looked past Remi and saw 24 the round window in the engine car. It had fogged up, 25S like the frosted glass in the Room of Rings, and some- 26R one was writing a message with their finger.

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 134134 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:599:29:59 AMAM MASTER Hang on. 1 2 Leo’s knuckles went white against the sides of the 3 car as his grip tightened, and then the train shot out 4 of the station so fast, it felt like Leo’s face had been 5 blown off. 6 Remi howled with laughter, his jet-black hair flut- 7 tering in the wind as the train rounded the first tight 8 turn and flew over a bridge. It was a rough ride, both 9 boys being hurled back and forth in their cars as they 10 entered the first of three dark tunnels. Before they knew 11 it, they were coming back into the station, which pleased 12 Leo, because he expected the train to stop so they could 13 get off. 14 This was not to be. 15 After the third time around, Leo and Remi both 16 began to realize they weren’t getting off the train unless 17 they figured out what in the world they were supposed 18 to do. It crossed Leo’s mind that they might never get 19 off the train. 20 “I’m going to hold Blop up in the air!” yelled Remi. 21 He’d turned back to Leo, grinning from ear to ear. 22 “What? Why?!” Leo fired back. 23 Remi didn’t answer as he spun back around, pulled 24 Blop out of his pocket, and held the small robot over S25 his head. R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 135135 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:599:29:59 AMAM MASTER 1 “Don’t drop him!” Leo said, half expecting Blop to 2 catch in the wind and nail him in the forehead as he 3 flew by. 4 Around and around they went, no one speaking, all 5 three of them watching. It was a surprisingly quiet and 6 smooth ride, like a roller coaster on rails of Jell-O, 7 and both boys took note of the route: two bridges, three 8 wild turns, four ups and downs, three dark tunnels. 9 “Have either of you ever ridden a carousel?” Blop 10 asked as they rounded a corner. 11 Leo and Remi both answered yes. 12 “So you’ve grabbed the dragon rings, then?” asked 13 Blop. Remi didn’t know what this meant, so he looked 14 at Leo, who shrugged. 15 Up and down, over a bridge, and through a tunnel 16 they went, rounding the station for the fourth time. 17 “Many carousels have the dragon ring feature,” Blop 18 continued, “which works like this: As you pass the 19 dragon, you take the ring out of his mouth by hooking 20 it with your finger. Every time a ring is taken, a new one 21 appears. Take the gold ring and you get a free ride.” 22 “Sounds fun, but what’s it got to do with the train 23 we’re on?” Leo asked. 24 “The dragons are in the tunnels, or so says the blue 25S box,” said Blop. 26R

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 136136 112/21/102/21/10 9:29:599:29:59 AMAM MASTER Remi howled with delight, very happy that he’d 1 given Blop a good long look inside the blue box. Even 2 Remi hadn’t seen the tiny dragon heads in the tunnels. 3 “Here comes a tunnel now!” Remi yelled, dropping 4 Blop in his jacket pocket and leaning out of the car as 5 the world went dark. 6 But it was useless. The tunnels were so dimly lit, 7 they couldn’t see anything — at least not until Leo took 8 his flashlight out of his pocket. 9 “I’ll point the light,” he yelled. “You grab the rings!” 10 When they came to the second tunnel, Leo shined 11 the light on the walls and there it was — a magnificent 12 dragon head, its mouth open, a ring hanging from its 13 teeth. Remi took off his seat belt and leaned far out of 14 the train car, so far that he nearly tumbled onto the 15 tracks. His finger caught the ring and it popped free. 16 There was a short pause as the train went by, then the 17 dragon breathed a stream of fire, lighting up the tunnel 18 with an orange glow. Leo had to duck below the flame 19 in order to avoid having his hair set on fire. 20 “It’s white!” Remi said. 21 “If Blop is right, we’ll need a gold ring,” Leo 22 answered. 23 Around and around they went, collecting rings from 24 the fire-breathing dragons, one in each tunnel. Every S25 R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 137137 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:29:599:29:59 AMAM MASTER 1 time a ring was taken, a new one appeared, until Remi 2 had nine rings in his pocket. Through the station, up 3 and down, over the bridge, and heading into the first 4 tunnel — this time the ring was gold, as they’d both 5 hoped. 6 “That’s the one you want,” said Blop, gazing out 7 from his perch in the red jacket. “The gold ring is always 8 the winner.” 9 “Don’t miss it!” said Leo, worried that the entire 10 system would reset and they’d need to start over. He 11 was starting to feel sick from all the times around the 12 track and wanted to get off the ride more than ever. 13 Remi leaned out as they entered the darkness, Leo’s 14 flashlight guiding the way, the gold ring within his reach. 15 But this time, he leaned too far. 16 “Remi!” yelled Leo. 17 Pointing the flashlight at Remi’s car, he saw his 18 friend dangling along the tracks as they flew by. The 19 only thing holding Remi and Blop in the car was Remi’s 20 tennis shoe, which had caught on the door. They exited 21 the first tunnel as Remi’s red jacket flapped in the wind 22 and he tried, without success, to grab hold of the train 23 car door. All nine rings flew out of his pocket, bouncing 24 along the tracks behind them. 25S “Take my hand!” Leo yelled, unbuckling his seat belt 26R and holding out his arm. A sharp right turn was seconds

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 138138 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:009:30:00 AMAM MASTER away, and Leo knew if he didn’t get Remi in time, his 1 shoe would come loose and Remi and Blop would go 2 flying into the trees. 3 “Come on! Grab my hand! Now, Remi!” 4 Remi held his hands over his head just as they 5 entered the turn and the shoe came unhooked from the 6 train car. Leo had Remi by the hands, and as they 7 rounded the sharp turn, he was nearly pulled out of his 8 own car. Remi flew wide through the air, like a trapeze 9 artist holding on to a partner. When the track turned 10 straight again, Leo pulled hard and Remi tumbled into 11 the second car, knocking Leo onto the floor. 12 “I lost it!” yelled Remi, pulling Leo up onto the seat 13 by his overalls. “I lost the gold ring!” 14 But Remi needn’t have worried, because the gold 15 ring was safely held in Leo’s hand. 16 “I have it,” he said. It was big, about as wide around 17 as a billiard ball, and Remi thought it looked like a ring 18 fit for a giant. There was a string attached to the ring, and 19 attached to the string was an envelope the size of a post- 20 age stamp. 21 The train was nearing the second tunnel, and as it 22 did, both boys saw flames. 23 “You’ve got to be kidding me,” said Leo. The dragon 24 in the second tunnel was breathing a steady stream of S25 fire that filled the darkness. Without warning, the two R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 139139 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:009:30:00 AMAM MASTER 1 cars began to tilt backward, until they locked into place 2 with Leo and Remi lying flat on their backs, staring at 3 the ceiling of the railroad room. 4 “What’s happening?” Remi asked, looking to Leo 5 for help. 6 “No time for seat belts; just hold on as tight as 7 you can!” 8 When the train engine neared the tunnel, it cut the 9 cars loose, racing through the fire all by itself. A hole 10 opened in the floor, but Leo and Remi couldn’t see it. 11 “Double Helix time!” yelled Leo. 12 “What do you mean, Double Helix time?” Remi 13 yelled back. 14 The two cars dropped into the hole, missing the 15 dragon flames by inches, and careened down the center 16 of the hotel. 17 “Awesooooooooooooome!” Remi howled, for he’d 18 never been on the Double Helix before. 19 “I knew I recognized these cars,” Leo said, trying his 20 best to hold on as the Double Helix spun them down 21 five stories. Or was it six? The Double Helix lurched to 22 a stop and Remi banged his head on the padded rail. 23 “Are you okay?” Leo asked worriedly. 24 “Are you kidding? Best hour of my life!” said Remi. 25S He looked around the dark space and added, with grave 26R concern, “Where’s Blop?”

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 140140 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:009:30:00 AMAM MASTER Both boys checked the jacket and the floor of the 1 train car, but Blop was nowhere to be found. 2 “He must have flown out of your pocket in the 3 Railroad Room,” Leo said. 4 Remi looked like his dog had run away, his cat had 5 been hit by a car, and his mother had grounded him for 6 a week. 7 “What if he’s smashed to pieces? What if we never 8 find him?” 9 Leo was worried, but in a way, he was a little bit 10 relieved to have left Blop in the Railroad Room. 11 Merganzer D. Whippet built things tough, and he was 12 sure Blop was rolling around, talking to the trees and 13 the bushes and the grass. 14 “Don’t worry. Blop is a very sturdy robot. We’ll 15 find him.” 16 Remi brightened just a little. “You think?” 17 Leo put a hand on his buddy’s shoulder. “Trust me, 18 we’ll find him.” 19 Remi took a deep breath, nodded a couple of times, 20 and seemed to regain some of the excitement he’d lost. 21 “I’ve never known the Double Helix to stop below 22 ground,” Leo said, glancing from side to side. “I think 23 we’re under the Whippet.” 24 Both boys got out and stood next to the car, looking S25 up into the tunnel they’d just fallen through. They were R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 141141 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:009:30:00 AMAM MASTER 1 standing at the bottom of the shaft, where a ladder led 2 up to a metal-grated landing. 3 “That’s the lobby right there,” Leo said, pointing up. 4 “But we’re ten feet below that.” 5 Leo scratched his head and looked at the gold ring. 6 He noticed the postage stamp–size note tied with a 7 string, and he was just about to take a closer look when 8 Remi whispered. 9 “There it is.” 10 “There’s what?” 11 Leo followed Remi’s gaze into the corner of the 12 shaft. It was the same size as the others, but this one 13 was bright green. 14 They’d lost a robot, but they’d found the third hid- 15 den box. 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25S 26R

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 142142 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:009:30:00 AMAM MASTER 1 2 3 4 C HAPTER T E N 5 T H E FIELD OF 6 7 WACKY I NVENTIONS 8 9 10 11 12 No matter how hard they pulled on the wooden cover, 13 Leo and Remi could not get the green box open. They 14 were afraid of breaking whatever was inside, so rather 15 than smash it against the wall, they carried it up the 16 metal ladder. Leo went first, holding the box, and Remi 17 followed, which was how Remi saw the message first. 18 “Something’s written on the bottom.” 19 When they reached the landing, Leo lifted the box 20 over his head and read the words. 21 22 I won’t open all alone. 23 24 “What do you think it means?” asked Remi, feeling S25 R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 143143 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:009:30:00 AMAM MASTER 1 in his jacket pocket and wishing, badly, that Blop were 2 hiding there. 3 “Maybe if we slide all three boxes together, this one 4 will open,” said Leo. 5 “That’s a great idea!” 6 They opened the orange door that led back into the 7 lobby, but only a little, and saw Remi’s mom sitting at 8 the front desk. Leo left the green box behind and they 9 crept out, bruised and battered, then shut the orange 10 door behind them a little too loudly. 11 Remi’s mom turned in their direction and tilted her 12 head, staring curiously at the two boys. 13 “Ms. Sparks isn’t back yet?” asked Remi, trying his 14 best both to distract his mom and to act like nothing 15 very exciting had happened in the past hour. 16 Pilar looked at her disheveled son and wondered 17 why his hair was standing up wildly on top of his head. 18 “Leo, are you keeping my boy safe? I hope you’re 19 staying out of trouble.” 20 “Oh yes, ma’am. Ve r y safe,” said Leo, thinking as he 21 said it that he’d almost allowed Remi to fall out of a 22 moving train. 23 “I’d like to ride that thing sometime,” said Pilar, 24 staring at the closed orange door. There was no hiding 25S the fact that Leo and Remi had just ridden the Double 26R

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 144144 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:009:30:00 AMAM MASTER Helix, but she didn’t seem to mind, switching to a dif- 1 ferent topic. “Jane Yancey says you tried to scare her. Is 2 that true?” 3 Remi jumped in. “She just wants to follow us around 4 and bug us to death,” he said. “You know how spoiled 5 she is.” 6 Pilar put her finger to her lips and looked across the 7 lobby toward the Puzzle Room. “Mr. Phipps is in there 8 with Captain Rickenbacker. You know how he can be.” 9 Leo knew, all too well, that Captain Rickenbacker 10 was a terrible gossip who loved to entertain himself by 11 stirring up trouble. If he’d heard them, he’d surely tell 12 Mr. Yancey what they thought of his daughter for the 13 pure plea sure of seeing the sparks fly. 14 “Shoo,” said Pilar. “Ms. Sparks will be back at five 15 o’clock sharp. I want you back at that door before she 16 gets here.” 17 Remi nodded his agreement and hurried off with 18 Leo, glancing back at the door to the Double Helix and 19 wishing they didn’t have to leave the green box behind. 20 21 “It’s a very small letter,” said Remi. “We’re going to 22 need a magnifying glass.” 23 They had arrived in the empty basement and opened 24 the tiny envelope tied to the gold dragon ring. S25 R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 145145 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:019:30:01 AMAM MASTER 1 “I’ve got just the thing,” said Leo, going to one of 2 the many toolboxes in the basement in search of a lens 3 that had once been part of a pair of reading glasses. Mr. 4 Phipps had bought the glasses at a thrift store, thinking 5 they might help his reading, but they’d only given him 6 headaches, so he’d passed them on to Leo. 7 As Leo passed by the call center, he saw a note left 8 by his father with a list of jobs to do. 9 10 Leo, 11 Things still falling apart faster 12 than I can fix them! Can’t hail you on 13 the walkie-talkie (remind me to fix that). 14 Find me in the maintenance tunnel on 15 four if you need me, otherwise head up 16 to seven to see Ms. Pompadore as soon 17 as you can. Trouble with the fish. 18 Dad 19 PS. Check on Betty. She’s act- 20 ing odd. 21 22 “What’s it say?” asked Remi. Leo had carried the 23 note back with him to where Remi sat on the cot. 24 “I’ve got some work to do, and it sounds like Betty 25S might need another walk.” 26R Remi didn’t seem to mind.

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 146146 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:019:30:01 AMAM MASTER “I can walk the ducks if you need me to. I just wish 1 we could get our hands on those boxes.” 2 It was true; they were losing boxes almost as fast as 3 they were finding them. The purple box was tucked 4 safely under Leo’s cot, but the blue one was in the 5 Central Park Room, and the green one, which they 6 hadn’t even opened yet, was sitting in the first car of 7 the Double Helix, which gave Leo an idea. 8 “I’ll tell you what we’ll do,” he said. “I need to check 9 in with Dad and fix the trouble on seven. That shouldn’t 10 take more than an hour. We’ll tell your mom we need 11 to get to the roof and fast or Betty and the rest of the 12 ducks will revolt.” 13 “I see where you’re going,” Remi interrupted. “We’ll 14 get the green box on the way up, then split up on the 15 way down in the duck elevator.” 16 “You walk the ducks, I’ll finish my work, then we 17 meet in the Central Park Room —” 18 “— where we’ll find the blue box and rescue Blop 19 from the Railroad Room!” 20 Leo hadn’t thought about the part that included res- 21 cuing the robot, but they could cross that bridge when 22 they came to it. Remi gave him the note that was in 23 the envelope attached to the gold dragon ring, and the 24 two boys leaned in close over the makeshift magnify- S25 ing glass. R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 147147 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:019:30:01 AMAM MASTER 1 “How could anyone write so small?” asked Remi, 2 but he was beginning to understand that a great 3 many strange things could be found in the Whippet 4 Hotel. 5 “That’s odd,” said Leo. “No one has stayed in that 6 room for years.” 7 “What’s odd? What does the note say?” 8 Leo put his eye to the glass and read the note 9 aloud. 10 “You are cordially invited to a dinner party on eight. 11 Arrive 8 sharp. Do not be late! MR. M.” 12 “It has to be Merganzer! He’s here,” said Remi. 13 “He’s come back.” 14 But Leo wasn’t so sure. There had been clues, but 15 could it really be him, moving around in the hotel, 16 secretly setting things in motion? He added things up in 17 his head: 18 19 • There had been someone in the Room of Rings or 20 the Ring of Rooms. 21 • Captain Rickenbacker had been sure of seeing 22 his imaginary arch nemesis, MR. M. 23 • A dark figure had appeared in the Central 24 Park Room. 25S • Someone had set the train in motion. 26R

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 148148 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:019:30:01 AMAM MASTER And now this: A very tiny invitation to a dinner 1 party on the only haunted floor of the hotel. It was all 2 quite mad, really, but more than that, there was some- 3 thing about the whole business that didn’t feel like 4 Merganzer D. Whippet at all. 5 “I think there’s something else going on here,” Leo 6 said, stepping to the call center to make a red Double 7 Helix key card. “And I think you and I are going to get 8 to the bottom of it.” 9 “I’m with you,” Remi said, standing up and putting 10 the gold dragon ring in his jacket pocket. “Just tell me 11 one thing. What’s on the eighth floor?” 12 Leo handed Remi the red key card and started for 13 the door. 14 “It’s the Haunted Room. Didn’t you know?” 15 Remi’s face went pale. He hated ghosts and ghouls 16 of any kind. 17 “No one’s stayed on the eighth floor since I came 18 here with my dad five years ago.” 19 “Perfect,” said Remi, but he was feeling better. As 20 they came out of the basement, he could see the orange 21 door that led to the Double Helix. He knew he was 22 about to fly up the middle of the hotel. 23 Now that was the kind of thrill he liked. 24 S25 R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 149149 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:019:30:01 AMAM MASTER 1 The trouble with putting ponds in a hotel room is that 2 they require constant care. Merganzer D. Whippet had 3 long visited the ponds daily in order to keep everything 4 just so, but he’d been gone a hundred and two days and 5 counting, which was a long time when it came to ponds. 6 Not only had Leo been put in charge of walking the 7 ducks every day in Merganzer’s absence, he’d also been 8 tasked with keeping the ponds in working order. He 9 had, in the past few days, done a poor job. 10 It was for this reason that Leo had not been sur- 11 prised to see the note from his dad: Trouble with the 12 fish. Ms. Pompadore had been staying in the Room of 13 Ponds and Caves since her arrival. It had long been one 14 of the most popular and expensive rooms, and Leo had 15 to admit, it was a magnificent place to spend an 16 afternoon. 17 “You see why I called,” said Ms. Pompadore, hold- 18 ing Hiney in one arm and a drink with a tiny umbrella 19 in the other. There were seven ponds, all of which were 20 shooting water from broken valves or pipes. 21 “Yes, ma’am,” said Leo. “I can see why you called.” 22 Leo had with him his pond tools: a retractable net, 23 a hose with a latch that would let in fresh water from 24 the maintenance tunnel, and a vest from which hung all 25S sorts of wrenches, picks, and hammers. 26R

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 150150 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:019:30:01 AMAM MASTER “I’m going into the theater,” said Ms. Pompadore. 1 “Come see me when you’ve finished and I’ll have a tip 2 for you.” 3 Leo had to work not to roll his eyes, because Ms. 4 Pompadore’s idea of a tip was usually in the range of a 5 nickel and a lint-covered gum ball. 6 Ms. Pompadore set Hiney down, and the dog began 7 to bark and run around the biggest of the seven ponds. 8 Leo took a long look around, breathing in the deep green 9 air as a blue dragonfly flew past. Paths wound all about 10 the seven ponds in the room and wooden bridges crossed 11 over the tops of each pool, from which a guest could 12 look down on the lily pads, the jumping frogs, and the 13 colorful fish. The walls of the room were made of jag- 14 ged black stone, where three large openings appeared. 15 One led into the bedroom, another into a sunken pool 16 and spa, and the last into a theater cave where guests 17 could watch reality television or movies. 18 “Move aside, Leroy, and I mean it,” said Leo. All the 19 ponds were full of giant fish called koi, and Leroy was 20 the biggest of the bunch. In the time that Merganzer 21 had been gone, Leroy had gotten downright scary — 22 four feet long and fatter than a king-size watermelon. 23 The only way he would let you pass without spitting 24 water in your face was if you fed him hard candies, S25 R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 151151 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:019:30:01 AMAM MASTER 1 which Leo did. He tossed a handful of candy to one 2 side and Leroy swam lazily away. 3 When Leo arrived at the pump, he found that it was 4 blocked, one of the medium-size fish having gotten 5 close enough to be sucked inside. Its tail was still wag- 6 ging, a good sign, but getting it out would be impossible 7 without the hose. 8 Leo moved a rock on the edge of the pond and found 9 a plastic pipe, which he jammed the hose into. Then he 10 turned it on full blast and the fish burst out of the pump 11 and out of the water. If there were such a thing as a 12 screaming fish, this fish would qualify. Hiney watched 13 the fish spin through the air and belly flop into the 14 pond, and started barking all over again. Leo fed Leroy 15 another handful of candy and inspected one of the green 16 plastic pipes, which was spewing water all over one of 17 the paths like a broken sprinkler. He’d need to turn 18 off the water and wrap the pipe in a special kind of tape 19 that Merganzer had given him. 20 It took almost another hour to fix all seven ponds, 21 and somewhere along the way Leo began to wonder 22 about such a large number of problems. Pipes were 23 known to crack, but this was ridiculous. All seven ponds 24 at once? 25S “I’ve finished,” said Leo, peeking into the theater 26R cave when at last he’d fixed every pipe. Ms. Pompadore

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 152152 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:019:30:01 AMAM MASTER sat on a giant couch, watching a show that appeared to 1 be about training dogs. This struck Leo as ironic, since 2 Hiney was the least obedient dog he’d ever seen in 3 his life. 4 “Be a doll and come back again tomorrow,” said Ms. 5 Pompadore, her eyes never leaving the big-screen TV. 6 “Those pipes are breaking by the hour.” 7 “You should stop feeding Leroy,” said Leo, feeling 8 terrible for having fed the giant fish himself. “He’s get- 9 ting too big.” 10 Ms. Pompadore ignored Leo for a moment, then 11 shook her eyeballs free of the TV. 12 “Did you say something?” 13 Leo shook his own head, hoping not to get into a 14 long conversation with a bored Texas socialite. 15 “I’ve left a loaf of pumpernickel on the table for 16 Leroy,” she said, turning back to the show. “Be a dear 17 and feed him on your way out. But don’t give any to 18 Hiney — he’s on a diet.” 19 Leo’s eyebrows went up as he turned and started 20 for the door. No wonder Leroy was getting so big; 21 Ms. Pompadore was feeding him entire loaves of 22 bread. 23 As he passed over the wooden bridges and looked in 24 at the orange-and-white fish swimming lazily in the S25 ponds, Leo was certain that someone had been in R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 153153 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:019:30:01 AMAM MASTER 1 the room before him, making all the trouble with the 2 pipes. 3 But who? 4 5 It was seven thirty, and for the first time all day, every- 6 thing in the Whippet Hotel was calm. It had taken Leo 7 and his dad until then to do as Ms. Sparks demanded 8 upon her return from errands: “Put every guest request 9 to rest!” 10 Not a bad turn of phrase for such a serious woman, 11 and Leo had felt the distinct sense that Ms. Sparks was 12 in an unusually good mood. Maybe it was because din- 13 ner on the lawn had been cancelled due to lack of 14 interest from the guests. This was a common occur- 15 rence given that there were six thousand restaurants 16 one could visit in Manhattan and rich people were noto- 17 rious foodies, always on the hunt for the next great 18 restaurant. Food on the lawn at the Whippet was fine, 19 but more than a few times a week was simply unimagi- 20 nable, even for Captain Rickenbacker and Theodore 21 Bump, who liked to order in from the finest establish- 22 ments that would deliver. 23 And so it was that the Whippet was quiet as the 24 hour of the dinner party arrived. Almost everyone, it 25S seemed to Leo, was out at a restaurant of their own or 26R

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 154154 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:019:30:01 AMAM MASTER holed up in their rooms playing pinball or writing 1 romance novels. 2 “My dad is in the basement, but I’ve brought the 3 purple box,” Leo whispered into his radio. “Can you 4 sneak away?” 5 Remi was still at the door and would be expected 6 there all the way up until eight, when Ms. Sparks would 7 finally relieve him of his duty. 8 “Ms. Sparks is doing that head-bobbing thing, you 9 know what I mean?” 10 “Seen it a thousand times,” Leo answered. Usually 11 around seven o’clock, Ms. Sparks became sleepy. Her 12 head would lean forward until the giant beehive pointed 13 at the door and then she’d pop back up again. The back 14 and forth usually lasted about a half hour. 15 “Be right there,” Remi said, and the radio went 16 silent. 17 Leo was waiting on top of the duck elevator with the 18 green and purple boxes. When he heard Remi enter 19 the duck elevator below, there was only one question 20 on Leo’s mind. 21 “Did you get the blue box?” 22 “Leo?” Remi whispered. “Where are you?” 23 “Up here,” said Leo staring down through the 24 trapdoor. “Shut the door and get up here — we’ve only S25 R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 155155 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:029:30:02 AMAM MASTER 1 got a few minutes before Ms. Sparks goes looking 2 for you.” 3 Leo didn’t see the blue box until Remi leaned out of 4 the small space and pulled it in with him, handing it up 5 through the hole. 6 “Nice work, Remi! You had me worried there for a 7 second.” 8 “Still no Blop, but at least we have the box back.” 9 Remi closed them in tight and climbed up through 10 the hole, sitting with his legs dangling back into the 11 elevator. 12 “Better close it up, just in case,” said Leo. The last 13 thing they needed was Ms. Sparks discovering the duck 14 elevator had a secret door in its ceiling. The less she 15 knew, the better. 16 Leo slid the blue box on top of the purple box, and 17 Remi did the honors, pushing the green box into a set of 18 slots atop the stack. 19 “They fit together just like we’d hoped,” said Remi, 20 sliding the elevator door shut and looking at the off- 21 kilter collection of stacked boxes. “It’s starting to look 22 like the Whippet, don’t you think?” 23 Leo had been thinking the same thing and nodded 24 his agreement. The two boys stood up then, staring at 25S the top of the green box. 26R

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 156156 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:029:30:02 AMAM MASTER “Here goes,” said Leo, and he tried once more to 1 slide the top off the box. This time it worked, and Leo 2 pointed his maintenance flashlight inside. 3 “Whoa,” Remi whispered, shadows and light filling 4 the box. “It looks so real.” 5 Leo didn’t say anything at all, but he was just as 6 mesmerized as Remi was. They’d opened a box to 7 another world, and Leo could think of only one thing: I 8 hope we get to go there. 9 Inside were three main things that caught the eye: a 10 junkyard, a field of flowers, and lots of flying objects. 11 The junkyard was filled with tiny broken-down cars, 12 refrigerators, motors, and a thousand other objects in 13 rolling piles. Leo leaned in very close, practically put- 14 ting his head inside the green box, and saw tiny towers 15 that reminded him of the teetering stacks of news- 16 paper that stood next to his dad’s cot, leaning as if they 17 might fall at any moment. Remi reached in and touched 18 one of the stacks of paper and found they weren’t really 19 paper at all, but small painted sculptures. Prehistoric 20 metal creatures appeared to fly around the box, held up 21 by wires, and the field of flowers covered half the floor 22 with dazzling colors. 23 “This is a very strange box,” said Remi. “What’s 24 it mean?” S25 R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 157157 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:029:30:02 AMAM MASTER 1 Leo wasn’t sure, so he pointed the flashlight to the 2 underside of the lid, hoping for some clues. He was not 3 disappointed. 4 “It’s another note from Merganzer D. Whippet,” 5 said Leo, and then he read it out loud. 6 7 A dark and dangerous path you seek. 8 Beware the holes, the bugs, the peak! 9 A flying goat will be of use. 10 Tipping cows, a ghost, apple juice. 11 Time is short, tonight’s the night. 12 When all have gathered, make your flight! 13 M.D.W. 14 PS. To get a Flying Farm key card, visit the 15 slug cave, turn the goat two times around, push. 16 17 Remi looked stricken. All this talk of haunted rooms 18 and ghosts and dangerous paths was starting to make 19 him ner vous. “How well did you really know Mr. 20 Whippet?” he asked. 21 “Pretty well,” said Leo. The two had been very close, 22 which had made it all the more confusing and painful 23 when Merganzer had suddenly disappeared without so 24 much as a note. 25S “‘A dark and dangerous path,’” said Remi. “Beware 26R the holes and bugs? A ghost and a flying goat? You have

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 158158 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:029:30:02 AMAM MASTER to admit, it sounds like he’s not the most normal duck 1 in the pond.” 2 “And you didn’t mention the Flying Farm key card, 3 which is super rare. Know what else?” 4 “What?” 5 “I’ve been in the slug cave. It’s in the Haunted 6 Room.” 7 “Perfect.” 8 Just then, the gate to the duck elevator swooshed 9 open below them and Ms. Sparks’s voice boomed into 10 the tiny space. “Remi! Door! Now!” 11 The two boys didn’t move a muscle in their hiding 12 spot on top of the duck elevator. What if Ms. Sparks 13 got hold of the boxes? What if she figured out what was 14 going on? It would be the end of their adventure, the 15 end of Remi working at the door, the end of Leo’s dad 16 working at the Whippet Hotel. 17 It would be the end of everything . 18 There was a stillness below, and Remi was sure he 19 heard Ms. Sparks sniffing the air. 20 “I smell enchiladas,” she said. “Where are you?” 21 Ms. Sparks crawled inside and started banging on 22 the walls of the duck elevator. Her hair barely fit inside 23 and she had to turn very carefully from side to side as 24 she pounded on the walls. S25 “I know you’re in there! Remi!” R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 159159 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:029:30:02 AMAM MASTER 1 She was making a lot of noise, between the pound- 2 ing and the yelling, but she went still as a statue when she 3 hit the ceiling and felt the panel move ever so slightly. 4 “So that’s your game,” she whispered, grabbing the 5 edge of the trapdoor and sliding it over violently. Her 6 hairdo rose slowly up into the hole like a periscope. 7 Her head followed, spinning round as she crawled like 8 a dog on the floor of the duck elevator. Ms. Sparks’s 9 eyes darted back and forth, her nose wrinkled at the 10 smell of duck feathers and enchiladas. 11 But there was no one in the shaft to find. 12 Leo and Remi had fled into the maintenance tunnel 13 with the boxes. 14 15 Milton knew how worried Bernard Frescobaldi could 16 be when something big was about to happen. The hotel 17 would soon change hands, and the pivotal moment had 18 arrived. 19 “According to your schedule, we are to make our 20 move tomorrow,” said Milton. “Is that correct?” 21 Bernard was tired. It had been a demanding day, and 22 he wasn’t as young as he’d once been. So little time, so 23 much left to do. 24 “If all goes as planned with you-know-who, tomor- 25S row it is,” said Bernard. “I have my doubts. You say 26R they called again?”

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 160160 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:029:30:02 AMAM MASTER “Oh yes, very enthusiastic,” said Milton. “The ponds 1 were a disaster and the paper clips worked exactly as 2 we’d hoped. By all accounts, the Whippet is falling 3 apart.” 4 Milton saw that Bernard Frescobaldi was not com- 5 forted by this news, and added, “Which means the hotel 6 could be fetched for a bargain price, as you’d 7 planned.” 8 “And yet it seems so peaceful over there,” said 9 Bernard. They’d parked across the street, staring at the 10 iron gate. 11 “The boy and his father are efficient, I’ll give them 12 that,” said Milton. “But they’ll be extra distracted 13 tonight. We’ll hit them with a one-two punch that might 14 just knock them out for good.” 15 “We shall see,” said Bernard. He glanced at Milton, 16 who he thought was a bit too sure. “It’s all set, then. 17 Tomorrow we make our offer. Before someone else 18 beats us to it.” 19 The Whippet had the hotel equivalent of the flu, or 20 so it seemed. Surely there were others watching, wait- 21 ing for the perfect time to make a low offer, rip it down, 22 and build a skyscraper on the incredible lot. It was, after 23 all, Manhattan. That much property with such a tiny, 24 exclusive hotel was an affront to every developer who S25 drove by. R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 161161 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:029:30:02 AMAM MASTER 1 No, Bernard thought, it wouldn’t be long. His plan 2 was set in motion and the time had arrived. Come next 3 day, he’d make his offer and be done with it. 4 He pulled the files on Merganzer D. Whippet one 5 last time and scanned the many papers, searching for a 6 particularly troubling entry. He felt a twinge of regret, 7 reading the private words of a man he sometimes under- 8 stood, sometimes did not. A lunatic, a brilliant architect, 9 a brokenhearted eccentric. Merganzer D. Whippet was 10 many things, but mostly, Bernard had come to believe, 11 a good man with few regrets. A little sad, but mostly 12 happy. 13 Milton looked at Bernard with mixed emotions. 14 He’d known Bernard Frescobaldi a very long time. He’d 15 been good to Milton, if challenging at times. If this is 16 what he wanted, Milton would do every thing he could 17 to make sure it happened. 18 Milton watched as Bernard read the last letter once 19 more, a letter that had been written one hundred and 20 two days before, after which Merganzer D. Whippet 21 had disappeared from the hotel. 22 23 Merganzer D. Whippet, the field 24 It took me a long time to understand what my father 25S had meant. How wrong I’d been about those fate- 26R ful words.

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 162162 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:029:30:02 AMAM MASTER You will prosper in the field of wacky inventions. 1 I’d sold all of his buildings and all but one prop- 2 erty, a forgotten country estate I’d never seen nor heard 3 of. I’d spent many years building one hotel, with many 4 invented things. And when my work was done, I sat on 5 the roof with the ducks, looking at the city rising up all 6 around me. 7 “I must go to see this last piece of property before I 8 sell it.” 9 And so I did. 10 I took my dear friend, George Powell, who by then 11 was also managing most of my affairs. We drove out of 12 the city and into the far upper reaches of New York State, 13 armed only with a map and a duck. (Always bring a duck 14 if you can. They are very useful creatures). 15 We ventured out onto a distant country road dotted 16 with cows and goats, until we came over a bluff and we 17 both saw it off in the distance. We just . . . knew. It was 18 my father’s estate. It had to be. A high, rolling stone wall 19 surrounding acres of land, and as we came near the gate, 20 my heart sank. 21 The wall was old and falling down in places, over- 22 run with weeds and thistle, crawling with green ivy. I 23 had a key, which had been kept with the deed, and the 24 key unlocked the high, arching metal door, rusted at S25 the hinges. R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 163163 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:029:30:02 AMAM MASTER 1 We walked through the gate and my heart sank 2 deeper still. 3 It had the appearance of a place that was to be, but 4 never became, a place that had a special purpose, often 5 thought of but never acted on. 6 There were no buildings, not one. Not a house or a 7 red barn or a garage where a rich man might tinker with 8 a foreign sports car he never intended to finish. But there 9 were signs every where, expensive ones made of mar- 10 ble, like tombstones now, tipped over and dotting the 11 acreage. 12 This is what the first one we came to said: 13 Here I will build a country house, where my wife 14 and boy will play. And I will play with them, too. When 15 my work is through. 16 Farther still, another sign, the corner cracked and 17 broken: 18 This is where the greenhouse will go, where my wife 19 will grow rare orchids. And I will grow them, too. When 20 my work is through. 21 And more: 22 The barn will go here, with horses my son will ride. 23 And I will ride one, too. When my work is through. 24 The pond will go here, with ducks for Leo, because 25S he loves ducks. And I love them, too. I’ll love them best 26R when my work is through.

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 164164 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:039:30:03 AMAM MASTER And finally, we came to the saddest marble sign of 1 all, the one that echoed my father’s words down through 2 the years. The largest plot remained. 3 And here I will make my field, a place with tools and 4 sheds and tables of every kind, a field where we will 5 imagine the wildest things in the summer sun, my boy 6 and me. In the field of wacky inventions, my boy will 7 prosper. And I will, too. When my work is through. 8 I stood in that open field, watching the wind blow 9 through the tall weeds, and my good friend, George, put 10 an arm around me. We cried for what never was and what 11 could never be. 12 “His heart was in the right place after all,” 13 George said. 14 It was just the sort of thing a best friend should say. 15 I believe he was right. 16 M.D.W. 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 S25 R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 165165 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:039:30:03 AMAM MASTER 1 2 3 4 5 C HAPTER ELEVEN 6 A HAUNTED 7 8 D INNER PA RTY 9 10 11 12 13 Leo showed Remi how to double back through the 14 maintenance tunnel onto the grounds through a trap- 15 door in the gardening shed. Unfortunately for Remi, 16 when he opened the trapdoor, Mr. Phipps was in the 17 shed, sharpening his shears. 18 “Lost?” asked the old gardener, sliding a blade across 19 a big stone on a bench without even a glance at Remi. 20 Remi thought he might run, but what he really 21 needed was an alibi. 22 “I was helping Leo. He showed me the way out.” 23 “Uh-huh,” said Mr. Phipps, holding the shears in 24 the light and running his finger along the edge. 25S Remi gulped. 26R

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 166166 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:039:30:03 AMAM MASTER “Anyway, you know how Ms. Sparks can be. She 1 hates Leo. Any chance I could say you needed some 2 help out here instead?” 3 Mr. Phipps looked at Remi then, one dark eyebrow 4 raised, and Remi crumbled. 5 “It’s only my second day on the job, Mr. Phipps. My 6 mom will kill me if I get fired.” 7 Mr. Phipps smiled, laughed soft and deep, and 8 waved his hand toward the door. 9 “Better get back where you belong — tell Ms. Sparks 10 I needed help moving dirt bags.” 11 “Wow, thanks Mr. Phipps! I totally owe you one.” 12 Remi dug into his pocket and held out the smashed 13 remains of his enchilada, which Mr. Phipps gladly 14 accepted. Remi ran with all his might, the red jacket 15 flipping up behind him in the wind. He waited outside 16 the hotel door to catch his breath, then went inside and 17 found that Ms. Sparks had returned. 18 “Mr. Phipps needed dirt bag help,” Remi blurted. 19 He was a lousy liar. “You were sleeping so I didn’t want 20 to wake you.” 21 Ms. Sparks was fuming mad, but what could she 22 say? She’d been caught snoozing. 23 “You and that maintenance boy are up to no good. 24 Don’t think I don’t know.” S25 R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 167167 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:039:30:03 AMAM MASTER 1 “His name is Leo,” said Remi. 2 Ms. Sparks stared down at Remi with a look 3 that said Of course I know his name is Leo! I just 4 don’t care! 5 Ten minutes later, she let Remi off for the night with 6 a stern warning about sneaking around, and soon after 7 that he was standing on the eighth floor landing with 8 Leo, late by fifteen minutes for the dinner party they’d 9 been invited to. 10 “Are you ready?” asked Leo, who had put on his one 11 and only suit and tie, a sad little affair that made Remi 12 laugh. 13 “Trust me, yours isn’t much better,” said Leo, 14 pointing out that Remi was wearing a red-and-white 15 monkey suit. 16 “You got me there,” said Remi, and then added, “Do 17 you think he’ll be in there?” 18 “You mean Merganzer?” 19 “Yeah, the main mystery dude.” 20 Leo shrugged his shoulders, hoping that would be 21 exactly who they would see inside. He had already 22 imagined the dinner party. It would be Merganzer D. 23 Whippet, Leo, Remi, and Betty. The four of them would 24 talk about everything (Betty would quack a lot): all the 25S hidden floors, all the mysteries of the hotel. 26R

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 168168 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:039:30:03 AMAM MASTER “Here we go,” said Leo, taking the skull-and- 1 crossbones knocker in his hand and whapping it against 2 the door three times. 3 The door began to open, and Remi saw the darkness 4 and shadows inside. He started backpedaling toward 5 the stairs and bumped into something, which made him 6 scream. LillyAnn Pompadore had come up the stairs, 7 half out of breath. She was holding Hiney in one arm as 8 she touched up her hair with the other. 9 “Oh good,” she said, brushing past Remi as if he 10 didn’t exist. “I hate to be the last one at a party, and I’m 11 running terribly late.” 12 Before Leo and Remi could say a word, Ms. 13 Pompadore had gone through the door and slammed 14 it shut. 15 “What’s she doing in there?” asked Leo. “You don’t 16 think she was actually invited?” 17 Remi shrugged, stepping forward and knocking on 18 the door once more. 19 “Hey, if she can do it, I can definitely do it. Let’s go 20 in and see what this is all about.” 21 Leo’s heart was broken. He’d made the mistake of 22 letting himself get excited about seeing Merganzer 23 again, but it was beginning to look like the invite list for 24 the party was anything but exclusive. S25 R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 169169 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:039:30:03 AMAM MASTER 1 The door opened, and this time the two boys went 2 inside the Haunted Room. It was the least-rented floor 3 in the entire hotel; in fact, the rumor was that it had 4 never been rented. Not even once. When the door 5 slammed behind them, Remi could see why. 6 “It’s dark in here,” he whispered. “And spooky.” 7 A collection of bats — were they real or mechani- 8 cal? — flew low overhead, screeching as the boys ran 9 farther into the gloom. A dark blue moon hovered in a 10 cloudy sky as the shadow of a werewolf crept into the 11 moss-encrusted trees. The shadow (or whatever was 12 making the shadow) growled, baring its huge, shadowy 13 teeth. 14 “I can see why this room isn’t very popular,” said 15 Remi, practically jumping into Leo’s arms. 16 “Just remember it’s all fake and you’ll be fine,” said 17 Leo. “It’s like a haunted house. Embrace it.” 18 “It’s all fake, nothing is real,” Remi repeated over 19 and over. 20 They heard voices, which they followed, and entered 21 a dreary clearing with a long stone table. 22 “This can’t be,” whispered Leo, for the table was 23 very full of people. All the long-term guests were there, 24 even Theodore Bump and the Yanceys. 25S “Mom?” said Remi. 26R

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 170170 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:039:30:03 AMAM MASTER “Remilio!” She beamed with pleasure at the sight of 1 her son. She stood up ner vously, still in her maid’s 2 uniform. 3 Clarence Fillmore was also there, sitting across from 4 Remi’s mom. 5 “What’s going on here?” The question came from 6 Leo and Remi at the same time. 7 “All the invitations were the same,” said Mr. Fillmore, 8 holding up an envelope. It wasn’t tiny, like the one Leo 9 and Remi had gotten. It was a normal size. A lot of the 10 other guests held up their invitations, too, and Leo’s 11 dad read his. 12 “‘Party on the eighth floor, tell no one! Arrive 13 eight P.M. sharp.’” 14 “Really, I was only going to stop in for a moment,” 15 Pilar said again, feeling awful for not telling her own 16 son. “Mostly out of curiosity.” 17 Clarence Fillmore nodded the same, but little Jane 18 Yancey felt differently. “I don’t know why the help get 19 to come, especially those two.” She pointed in Leo and 20 Remi’s general direction. “It’s a hotel, Daddy. It’s for 21 guests.” 22 The chandelier over the table fell two feet and 23 jerked to a stop, sending all the guests into a fit of 24 screaming and laughter. S25 R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 171171 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:039:30:03 AMAM MASTER 1 Jane Yancey glared at Leo. “Hey, Mr. Maintenance 2 Man, your light fell down. Aren’t you going to fix it?” 3 There was one thing Leo and Remi were starting to 4 realize about Jane Yancey: It took a lot to scare her. 5 A single bat flew over the table and disappeared in a 6 burst of flame. When the smoke cleared, Count Dracula 7 was standing at the head of the table. Jane Yancey rolled 8 her eyes as Dracula spoke. 9 “Dinner is served.” 10 The restaurant staff was dressed in black — grim 11 butlers and maids — and they began serving the first 12 course. 13 Remi and Leo couldn’t help notice their parents 14 were sitting across from one another, ignoring everyone 15 else at the table. 16 “I think I’ll show Remi around the Haunted Room,” 17 said Leo. “We’re not hungry.” 18 “But . . .” said Remi, thinking of how little he’d 19 eaten all day. He looked at Leo and could tell he 20 didn’t want to sit at the long stone table and talk to a 21 bunch of grown-ups. Besides, they were there for a rea- 22 son the others weren’t: They had to find a Flying Farm 23 key card. 24 The two headed down a dark path sparkling with 25S fireflies, and when they were out of earshot, Leo 26R reminded Remi of Merganzer’s words.

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 172172 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:039:30:03 AMAM MASTER “Don’t you remember, from the box?” he whis- 1 pered. “‘When all are gathered, make your flight.’ This 2 whole thing is a setup so we can move around the hotel 3 unseen.” 4 “He’s helping us!” Remi said too loudly, which was 5 followed by the sound of a witch cackling off in the 6 woods. 7 “Not everyone’s here,” said Leo, who was less 8 enthusiastic than Remi. “I didn’t see Ms. Sparks or Mr. 9 Phipps.” 10 Remi punched Leo in a friendly sort of way. “Even 11 Merganzer wouldn’t invite that old witch to a party, and 12 Mr. Phipps goes to bed at, like, seven thirty. Dude’s 13 probably sleeping.” 14 “Either way, we need to get out of here,” said Leo. 15 “It’s what the box said.” 16 “Right, focus,” said Remi. “We got this.” 17 Just as he said We got this, a gathering of zombies 18 started following them on the path. Two more appeared 19 in front of them. 20 “We’re trapped!” yelled Remi. 21 “Remi, please, try to remember. It’s all fake.” 22 Leo walked up to one of the approaching zombies 23 and brushed it aside. Its arm fell off and Remi shud- 24 dered, but Leo picked it up and tossed it into the gloomy S25 trees. All the zombies followed after it. R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 173173 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:049:30:04 AMAM MASTER 1 “This is the weirdest hotel room ever,” said Remi. 2 “That’s what you said about the last one.” 3 “Yeah, but this time I really mean it.” 4 They arrived at the opening of a narrow tunnel, 5 which would require getting down on their knees. A 6 creepy slurping sound came from inside. 7 “No way,” said Remi. “Not gonna happen. Whatever’s 8 in there will eat my face off.” 9 “For crying out loud, Remi,” said Leo, sitting down 10 in front of the opening and patting the ground. “Come 11 on, sit down. Let’s just take a break and get you back in 12 the game.” 13 Remi sat on the far side of Leo, away from the open- 14 ing, and a spider the size of a tennis ball drifted down in 15 front of his face. Remi was having some trouble breath- 16 ing until Leo batted it away with his hand and it went 17 scurrying into the dark. 18 “You’re a braver man than I am,” said Remi. “I don’t 19 know how you do it.” 20 “I’ve been in here with Merganzer about a hun- 21 dred times,” Leo offered. “I’m telling you, it’s all 22 mechanical.” 23 He glanced at Remi and felt sorry for him. 24 “The first time I came in here, I came close to pee- 25S ing my pants.” 26R

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 174174 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:049:30:04 AMAM MASTER “You’re just trying to make me feel better,” 1 said Remi. 2 “No, honestly. It was pathetic.” 3 Remi started laughing as the mechanical spider 4 crawled up next to his leg. 5 “Hey, little fella,” he said, picking it up by its back 6 as the legs searched for footing. Once he had a hold of 7 it, the spider wasn’t so bad. The fact that it was robotic 8 turned it from scary to cool in a hurry. 9 “Where’s your favorite place to go, besides the 10 Whippet Hotel?” asked Remi, touching the legs and 11 finding they were cold. 12 “The New York Public Library,” Leo said without 13 the slightest hesitation. It came to him instantly, but 14 saying it sort of made him sad. 15 “You like books, huh?” 16 Leo sighed deeply, listening to the fake wind rustle 17 through the fake trees. 18 “Yeah, I like books. We didn’t — well, we don’t have 19 much money. My mom used to take me to the library 20 every Saturday. I think I liked the books more than 21 she did.” 22 Remi knew Leo’s mom had passed away a few years 23 back; his own mother had told him that much. Touchy 24 subject, she’d said. Tread lightly. S25 R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 175175 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:049:30:04 AMAM MASTER 1 “Your dad doesn’t take you? I mean, you know, 2 since . . .” 3 Remi felt like he’d totally blown it, but Leo 4 didn’t mind. 5 “He has a hard time going to places we used to go. 6 But I think he might finally be feeling a little better.” 7 Leo looked off toward the table, imagining his dad talk- 8 ing to Pilar. He thought of the ring he’d gotten back for 9 him. Maybe his dad was almost ready to start living 10 again. 11 “You’re lucky,” said Remi, setting down the giant 12 spider, which clung at his leg. “You get to live in this 13 place all the time.” 14 Remi was ner vous about saying anything more, 15 because he’d always worried his friends would judge 16 him if he told the truth. 17 “It’s a pretty good gig, I have to admit,” said Leo. 18 “Where do you live? What’s your dad do?” 19 Remi didn’t say anything for a few seconds, and Leo 20 thought maybe he should just crawl into the cave and 21 forget about it. 22 “Staten Island. That’s where we live,” Remi blurted 23 out. “After work we take the subway to Battery Park, 24 then catch the ferry, then hoof it to a crummy old build- 25S ing, then hoof it up the stairs to a crummy little 26R apartment. Dad’s not in the picture.”

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 176176 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:049:30:04 AMAM MASTER There, he’d said it. 1 “Must take a while to get home,” said Leo, figuring 2 it up in his head. 3 “An hour and a half here, an hour and a half back, 4 but it’s a good job and Mom needs it.” 5 Leo was about to say he would talk to his dad and 6 see if maybe something could be worked out, but before 7 he could say anything, he saw Jane Yancey walking 8 toward them on the path. 9 “I give her points for being brave,” whispered Leo. 10 “Nothing scares that kid.” 11 “Wanna bet?” asked Remi, picking up the spider. 12 “You wouldn’t.” 13 Jane Yancey marched right up and stood in front of 14 them with her hands on her hips. 15 “I bet you’re both too chicken to go in there,” she 16 said, staring at the hole and hearing the noise. 17 “You got that right,” said Remi. “No way we’re going 18 in there.” 19 Jane looked at Remi like he was the most pathetic 20 kid on planet Earth and crouched in front of the hole. 21 As soon as she started crawling inside, Remi set the 22 giant spider on her back. 23 Jane backed out of the hole and stood up. She had a 24 strange look on her face. The spider crawled up on top S25 of her head, then down onto her face. R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 177177 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:049:30:04 AMAM MASTER 1 Then Jane Yancey screamed and ran away. 2 “I guess there is something that scares that kid,” 3 said Leo. 4 “Come on! Let’s get out of here while the getting 5 is good.” 6 Remi went first, then Leo, and before they knew it, 7 they’d passed the foot-long slurping cave slugs and 8 entered a small room with a glowing floor. 9 “There,” said Leo. “On the wall.” 10 “You’re sure this is going to work?” 11 “I’m never sure of anything in the Whippet, but the 12 box made it clear: slug cave, turn the goat two times 13 around, push.” 14 There were hieroglyphics of flying animals on the 15 walls, one of which was a goat with wings far too small 16 to lift it off the ground. Leo pushed on the goat with his 17 palm and turned his hand. The flying goat spun once, 18 then twice, followed by a baaaah sound from the 19 ceiling. 20 “Is that it?” asked Remi, staring up into the high 21 arch of the cave. “The Flying Farm key card?” 22 Leo nodded. “Very rare. And very high.” 23 The key had descended out of a crack in the stone 24 and fallen free, only to be caught on a bed of cobwebs 25S high overhead. The key card had a dairy cow pattern on 26R it, white with black splotches.

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 178178 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:049:30:04 AMAM MASTER Remi piped in, “Let me guess — fake cobwebs from 1 the fake spider crawling on Jane Yancey’s face.” 2 “You guessed it.” 3 Remi jumped but came up short by at least a foot. 4 “Get on my back,” he said. “You can reach up 5 there.” 6 Remi leaned over and Leo climbed aboard, standing 7 on Remi’s shoulders. 8 He still couldn’t reach it, so he leapt into the air, 9 knocking Remi into a ninja death roll. After they both 10 tumbled onto the floor of the cave, they sat up, only to 11 find Jane Yancey standing at the exit, her arms crossed 12 over her six-year-old chest. 13 “You put that spider on my back. I know you did! I 14 hope you had a good laugh because I’m telling my father, 15 and when I do, both your parents are going to lose 16 their jobs. What do you think of that, Spider Boy and 17 Dumb Face?” 18 It was all Leo could do not to tie up Jane Yancey and 19 leave her with the slugs, but he stayed calm, looked at 20 Remi, and shrugged. 21 “Which one of us is Spider Boy?” asked Remi. 22 “Forget Spider Boy! You’re BOTH Dumb Faces!” 23 Remi knelt down next to Jane Yancey and looked 24 her in the eye. “I think someone of your ability could be S25 useful to us. Have you ever done any spying?” R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 179179 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:049:30:04 AMAM MASTER 1 Leo couldn’t believe his ears. “You really are a 2 Dumb Face.” 3 Jane, intrigued by Remi’s question, looked at Leo. 4 “Your dad is a Dumb Face.” 5 Leo realized the entire situation was becoming ridic- 6 ulous. He would not stoop to Jane Yancey’s level. 7 Instead of Dumb Facing her back, he said, “We’re pretty 8 sure Ms. Sparks is a double-agent superspy who wants 9 to take over the hotel, hit it with a wrecking ball, and 10 build a fur coat factory in its place.” 11 This was, in a word, brilliant. There wasn’t a six- 12 year-old in Manhattan who didn’t hate the idea of fur 13 coats, given that they always came from cuddly animals. 14 Jane Yancey looked them both over carefully, 15 searching for signs of deceit. Finding none, she put out 16 her hand. 17 “Partners.” 18 Remi shook Jane Yancey’s sticky little hand, then 19 gave her a mission. 20 “Keep an eye on Ms. Sparks,” he said. “If she tries 21 to follow us, you’ll know we’re in trouble, since we’re 22 the good guys.” 23 “Obviously,” said Leo. “We’re the good guys.” 24 Jane scowled at Leo, then returned her gaze to 25S Remi. “I’m good at following people around and 26R shin-kicking.”

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 180180 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:049:30:04 AMAM MASTER “I bet you are,” said Leo. 1 Jane Yancey hauled off and kicked Leo in the shin, 2 which felt about the same as being whacked with a 3 baseball bat. 4 “See, told you so.” 5 She laughed at Leo as he jumped around the cave, 6 then she crawled away in search of Ms. Sparks. 7 Remi laughed at Leo, but only a little. 8 “She’ll follow you around all the time,” said Leo, 9 rubbing the sting out of his shin. “Getting kicked was a 10 better deal.” 11 Remi agreed Leo was probably right, then looked 12 up at the ceiling, expecting to see the Flying Farm 13 key card. 14 “Already got it,” said Leo, holding the cow-patterned 15 card out for Remi to see. “Let’s get out of here before 16 she comes back with a weapon. I have a feeling we’ve 17 created a monster.” 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 S25 R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 181181 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:049:30:04 AMAM MASTER 1 2 3 4 5 C HAPTER T WELVE 6 T H E FLYING 7 8 FARM ROOM 9 10 11 12 13 Leo had a feeling about needing a duck. He couldn’t 14 say why, other than the fact that Merganzer had always 15 believed that a journey with a duck was safer than a 16 journey without one. But it was more than that. They 17 were exploring the higher levels of the Whippet Hotel, 18 which had always seemed more unpredictable than the 19 lower levels. And Leo had a bad feeling about the Flying 20 Farm Room, a notoriously confusing place. He needed 21 all the backup he could get. 22 And so, after sneaking away from the haunted din- 23 ner party, Leo had taken Remi through the maintenance 24 tunnels, into the duck elevator, and up to the roof, 25S detouring their entire plan by a half hour in order to 26R retrieve Betty. She was not happy to be bothered, and

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 182182 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:049:30:04 AMAM MASTER Leo thought, once again, how crabby this particular 1 duck had become of late. 2 Without Merganzer’s silver key card, the Flying 3 Farm Room was only accessible by using Flying Farm 4 key cards. The key cards weren’t made in the usual way, 5 so they were tough to come by. Ms. Sparks kept them 6 in a safe in her room, and they were only handed out 7 on exceptional occasions. In the past, when someone 8 stayed in the room (extraordinarily rarely), Merganzer D. 9 Whippet had attended to the room himself, making 10 sure every detail was in order. Certainly no one had 11 stayed in the room since Mr. Whippet’s disappearance, 12 and this worried Leo greatly. 13 “I’ve only been in this room once before,” he said, 14 standing in front of the door with his friend and his 15 duck. “It was a tad. . . .wild. I can only imagine what it 16 must be like now. I don’t think anyone has been in here 17 in quite a while.” 18 “It can’t be any worse than the Haunted Room,” 19 Remi said. “That place gave me the creeps.” 20 Leo stood back a moment and looked all around, 21 thinking how far they’d come. They were on the ninth 22 floor. Beyond that lay the roof, and between the 23 ninth floor and the roof there was the possibility of a 24 tenth floor that no one but Merganzer had ever seen, S25 not even the maintenance men. R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 183183 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:059:30:05 AMAM MASTER 1 “We’ve worked our way to the top of the Whippet,” 2 Leo observed. 3 “I was just thinking the same thing,” said Remi. 4 “Nine floors and the roof. Plus the hidden floors — how 5 many are there?” 6 Leo counted in his head: the Room of Rings or the 7 Ring of Rooms, the Railroad Room, and the secret room 8 they hadn’t found yet. “I count fourteen, if you include 9 the roof and the basement.” 10 “Not the luckiest number,” Remi said. “Maybe 11 there’s another hidden floor.” 12 “Or a hundred more.” 13 Leo had been making a joke, but saying it made it 14 seem possible. Maybe there were more rooms than 15 either one of them could imagine. 16 Betty quacked, nipping at Leo’s pant leg. 17 “Something’s wrong with your duck,” Remi noticed. 18 “Are you sure we should take her with us?” 19 “I’m sure,” said Leo. “Let’s get going before some- 20 one finds us.” 21 He placed the Flying Farm key card in the slot. The 22 key disappeared, the door made a baaaah noise, and a 23 new key card appeared. It was gray, with a goat face and 24 words printed on it: 25S 26R Come right in, we’ve been waiting for you.

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 184184 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:059:30:05 AMAM MASTER Leo thought the note had an ominous feel to it. 1 “This is weird,” said Remi, but he went right in, just 2 like the card said he should. Leo took the gray key card 3 and put it in the pocket of his dinner jacket, which he 4 had failed to shed after the dinner party. He wished 5 he’d had time to stop in the basement and put his over- 6 alls back on. The suit was itchy and uncomfortable, plus 7 it lacked the many tools he preferred to carry around 8 with him. Tools, he had found, were a comfort on an 9 unpredictable journey. 10 The door unlocked and they slipped through, capti- 11 vated by what lay on the other side. They would have 12 been smart to pay closer attention as the door swung 13 slowly shut, because it didn’t quite shut all the way. 14 Someone was in the hall, the toe of his boot holding the 15 door open by the tiniest of cracks. 16 As Leo and Remi entered the Flying Farm Room, 17 Remi dove for the floor, which was bright green and 18 soft like grass. 19 “Whoa! Heads up!” he yelled, but since Leo had 20 been in the room once before, he knew a few things 21 Remi did not. Betty waddled out into the flying farm 22 without them, apparently in search of a pond or a loaf 23 of pumpernickel. 24 “Was that a flying pig or have I lost my mind?” S25 asked Remi. R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 185185 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:059:30:05 AMAM MASTER 1 “Just remember, none of this is real.” 2 “It looked plenty real to me. That pig just about 3 knocked me off my feet.” 4 Remi stood up again and the two boys looked across 5 the long room. The ceiling was only ten feet overhead, 6 but it looked for all the world like an endless blue sky 7 dotted with white clouds. 8 Then Remi was back on the turf, dodging a herd of 9 oncoming sheep that had cannonballed from the sky. 10 There were eleven of them in a V formation, and they 11 were faster than the pig had been. Remi was pretty sure 12 he heard them laughing as they whooshed past like 13 eleven wool-covered fighter planes. 14 “These flying farm animals play rough!” Remi yelled, 15 but Leo was still standing, looking toward a fenced-in 16 area way off in the corner of the room. He didn’t seem 17 to take much notice of the flying pigs, sheep, or even 18 the flying bull that was heading right toward them, 19 spewing fire from its nose. 20 “Um, Leo? Please tell me you know something I 21 don’t. Otherwise a two-thousand-pound fire-breathing 22 bull is about to ram us into the turf!” 23 Remi cowered as the bull landed three feet away, 24 preparing to charge right over the top of them both. 25S “It’s been nice knowing you, Leo. Tell my mom I 26R love her, and kick Jane Yancey in the shin for me.”

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 186186 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:059:30:05 AMAM MASTER Leo was tempted to let the ruse go a little longer, 1 but they had work to do. Playing with the animals would 2 have to wait. 3 “Everything up there — the sky, the flying ani- 4 mals — it’s all fake, remember?” said Leo. 5 “Even if it’s a fancy robot, it’s still a fancy robot 6 BULL!” said Remi, opening his eyes and turning back to 7 the huge beast, which was now inches from his face. 8 “You can pet it if you want,” said Leo. “It won’t 9 hurt you.” 10 But the bull looked so real — every thing did — that 11 Remi just couldn’t bring himself to do anything but stay 12 curled up in a ball. 13 “Oh, for crying out loud,” said Leo, stepping 14 toward the bull and reaching his hand out to its fire- 15 breathing face. 16 “No! Don’t do it, Leo! It’ll fry your arm off!” 17 “Just watch,” said Leo, and Remi peeked through 18 his fingers, which were covering his face. When Leo 19 reached out, his hand went right through the bull’s 20 head. He walked around the beast, sweeping his hand 21 through its monstrous body, then slapped it on the butt. 22 The bull reared up on two legs, slamming down on top 23 of Remi. 24 “It’s a hologram,” said Leo. “Everything in the sky — S25 including the sky — they’re all holograms.” R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 187187 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:059:30:05 AMAM MASTER 1 Remi reached out his hand and ran it through the 2 flames shooting out of the bull’s nose. 3 “I am the happiest kid in New York City,” said 4 Remi, swishing his hands back and forth through the 5 bull’s legs. He got up and started taunting the bull, just 6 for fun. 7 “We don’t really have time to play with the animals 8 right now,” said Leo. “We have to find that hidden room. 9 And I think I know how.” 10 Leo and Remi walked through the middle of the fly- 11 ing farm with its rolling hills of Astroturf, its split-rail 12 fences, and the sounds of animals all around them. 13 Betty was honking at a herd of six goats that were flying 14 around a red barn (which was also the master bedroom) 15 and Leo called for her to follow. He’d been thinking 16 about the fence around the cows, and how the cows 17 weren’t moving. 18 “Let me have a look at that new key card,” Remi 19 said, seeing the herd of goats land on the red barn and 20 begin eating the shingles off the roof. Leo gave him the 21 card, warning Remi to be very quiet if he could. They 22 were approaching a group of sleeping cows, their wings 23 fluttering softly. 24 “But cows don’t sleep during the day,” said Remi. 25S He’d never been to a real farm in his life, but even he 26R knew cows only slept at night, and were easily startled.

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 188188 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:059:30:05 AMAM MASTER Leo shrugged. “I guess flying cows sleep during 1 the day and fly around at night. How am I supposed 2 to know?” 3 Remi examined the goat key card more carefully, 4 and noticed that there was a button on the edge, similar 5 to one on a cell phone. He pushed the button and the 6 key card came to life as a touch screen. 7 “Leo, you gotta see this,” said Remi. Leo and Remi 8 huddled over the screen, which showed the floor plan 9 of the room. It also showed one goat, sitting on the 10 roof of the red barn. 11 “Do you suppose . . . ?” asked Remi, putting his fin- 12 ger on the screen and sliding the goat away from the 13 barn and out over the green grass. The two boys looked 14 back at the real barn and saw that one goat had flown 15 away, following wherever Remi moved his finger along 16 the screen. 17 “This must be the goat we’re looking for,” said Leo, 18 thinking of the words from the lid of the last box: 19 20 A flying goat will be of use. 21 22 “His name is Merle,” said Remi, bringing the goat up 23 close and seeing it had a name tag around its neck. 24 “Welcome to the adventure, Merle,” Leo whispered. S25 “Be as quiet as a mouse.” R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 189189 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:059:30:05 AMAM MASTER 1 Merle baaaahed softly. 2 “Shhhhhhhh,” said Leo as they approached the pas- 3 ture gate. “We’ll need to tip them.” 4 Remi knew that it was wrong to tip cows in real 5 life — they had a hard time getting back up, making it 6 a pretty cruel thing to do. But virtual cow tipping 7 sounded like a lot of fun to Remi, and he hoped that a 8 holographic cow would tip as well as a real one. They 9 left Betty and Merle behind, hoping they wouldn’t 10 quack and baaaah too much, and tiptoed into the pas- 11 ture. The cows all had their heads down, eyes closed, 12 giant chests heaving slowly. 13 “Ready?” Leo whispered. 14 Remi put the goat key card in his red jacket pocket 15 and nodded. 16 Leo signaled with his fingers. One . . . two . . . three! 17 They pushed the biggest cow, and though their 18 hands went right through, the cow still fell over on its 19 side with a loud thud. As soon as it did, its wings began 20 flapping wildly, waking up the other five cows. Confused, 21 they flew into one another, bouncing back and forth 22 until the one the boys had tipped bounced into the ceil- 23 ing and a familiar sight appeared. 24 “I never thought I’d see a hole in the sky,” said Remi, 25S and that’s exactly what it looked like. A ladder shot 26R

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 190190 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:059:30:05 AMAM MASTER down, touching the Astroturf in the pasture, and the 1 hole in the sky waited. 2 The cows flew off noisily in the direction of the 3 front door as Leo ran back to the gate. 4 “I’ll get Betty. You get Merle up the hole as fast as 5 you can.” 6 Remi had Merle up and out of sight in no time at all, 7 but Leo had trouble with Betty. It wasn’t like her to run 8 away from him, but he found himself chasing Betty 9 around the red barn when he heard a terrible sound. 10 Someone was putting a key card in the door. 11 “Remi! Get down!” yelled Leo, catching Betty and 12 swerving into the barn for cover. When Leo peeked 13 around the corner, he saw a tall beehive hairdo leaning 14 into the room. 15 Ms. Sparks had found them. 16 “I know you’re in here,” she taunted. “I can smell 17 enchiladas.” 18 Remi, who was hiding in the cow pasture, sniffed 19 the air around him, and wondered if it was true. Even 20 though he’d given it to Mr. Phipps, he’d carried his 21 lunch around in his pocket for a long time. 22 Leo was holding Betty’s bill shut, but she was a 23 strong duck and she kept swinging her powerful neck 24 back and forth. S25 R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 191191 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:059:30:05 AMAM MASTER 1 “I’m going to count to three,” said Ms. Sparks, bat- 2 ting away an annoying pig that was trying to land in her 3 hair. She, like Leo, knew the animals in the flying farm 4 weren’t real. “I despise the flying farm,” she said under 5 her breath, and then started to count. 6 “ONE!” She took several steps into the room. 7 “TWO!” She took a few more steps, nearing the 8 red barn. 9 She was about to say THREE! when Betty finally 10 got her bill free from Leo’s hand and honked, loudly, 11 right in his face. 12 “Run for it!” yelled Leo, and Remi was up in a flash, 13 heading for the ladder. 14 “HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!” screamed Ms. Sparks, 15 stepping on a holographic cow pie the size of a Frisbee. 16 Leo ran out of the barn carrying Betty like a foot- 17 ball. Ms. Sparks was about to take chase, but she didn’t 18 have a chance. 19 Jane Yancey darted out in front of her, one hand on 20 her hip and one behind her back. 21 “I caught you!” the rich little girl proclaimed. Ms. 22 Sparks wasn’t sure what to do. The girl’s father was a 23 zillionaire. 24 “You keep all these exotic animals up here so you 25S can get their fur!” yelled Jane Yancey. She kicked Ms. 26R Sparks in the shin, then pulled the giant spider out from

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 192192 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:069:30:06 AMAM MASTER behind her back and threw it into the beehive hairdo. 1 Ms. Sparks, unaware of the earlier dinner party and 2 mortally afraid of spiders, flung her head violently back 3 and forth. The herd of flying sheep circled the beehive. 4 The bull charged. 5 It was mayhem in the Flying Farm Room. 6 “That’ll teach you!” said Jane Yancey. “I’m tell- 7 ing my dad you’re running a secret fur farm in this 8 hotel!” She marched right out of the room and slammed 9 the door. 10 Ms. Sparks ran behind her, a menagerie of flying 11 animals tailing her and a giant mechanical spider latched 12 onto her beehive. 13 When she looked back one last time, Leo and Remi 14 were gone. 15 It was as if they’d never been there to begin with. 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 S25 R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 193193 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:069:30:06 AMAM MASTER 1 2 3 4 5 C HAPTER T HIRTEEN 6 T HE GHOST ORCHID 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 I know what this is.” 14 Betty quacked at the sound of Leo’s voice, but she 15 had grown timid after being set down. Something about 16 the room didn’t agree with her. 17 “How could anyone know what this is?” asked Remi. 18 Merle the flying goat hovered over Betty’s head, watch- 19 ing the duck curiously. 20 “My grandpa, the one on my mom’s side, he was a 21 pack rat,” said Leo. 22 “And you’re telling me this because . . . ?” 23 Leo stepped out into the maze. “Because his apart- 24 ment was so full of junk, it made a path that wound 25S from room to room. Do you know what they call a thing 26R like that?”

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 194194 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:069:30:06 AMAM MASTER “A junkyard?” 1 “No, Remi, not a junkyard. It’s called a goat trail, 2 and that’s exactly what this is.” 3 The two boys gazed into the maze, which was oddly 4 frightening to behold. The entire thing appeared to be 5 made of junk, pile after pile, rising all the way to the 6 ceiling. Chairs, old dishwashers, cans of paint, picture 7 frames, books, shelves, computers, telephones, car 8 tires — it went on and on and on, and it all looked as if 9 it might crumble to the floor at any moment. 10 “Do you hear that?” Remi asked. 11 The junk was moving, like the sound of a very old 12 boat on a windswept pond. 13 “I have a feeling we better not touch any of it,” 14 said Leo. 15 The goat trail was narrow, barely wide enough for 16 two boys, a duck, and a flying goat to pass in sin- 17 gle file. 18 “Hey, Leo, check this out.” 19 Remi held the gray key card out so Leo could see it. 20 The touch screen had changed. 21 “Now I see why we needed a flying goat,” said Leo. 22 Betty quacked as if to say Merle’s not the only one that 23 can fly around here, you know! 24 “There’s the end,” said Remi, touching a flashing S25 green arrow at the far end of the screen. He might have R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 195195 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:069:30:06 AMAM MASTER 1 been smarter to point, not touch, because Merle was 2 gone around the first corner of the goat trail before they 3 could stop him. 4 Remi was just about to push on the start of the maze 5 again and call Merle back when Leo grabbed him by the 6 arm and pulled him into the maze. 7 “RUN!” 8 The towering junk teetered back and forth and 9 started to crumble, then the entryway to the maze came 10 crashing down as Betty took flight and landed in Leo’s 11 arms. An old bicycle seat flew through the air and hit 12 Leo in the back of the head. It was a soft seat, but it 13 hit him hard, knocking him forward as Betty sprung 14 free and flew away. 15 “Leo! Don’t move!” yelled Remi. They’d come 16 around the first corner, and the junk was no longer only 17 on both sides of them. Remi was the first to see that the 18 junk was now over the top of them as well. They were 19 trapped in a cocoon of garage-sale castoffs. One false 20 move and the whole room would come crashing down 21 on top of them both. 22 “I’m okay, in case you were interested,” said Leo, 23 rubbing the back of his head as he sat up. 24 “Glad to hear it.” 25S Both boys sat on the floor, staring at the fallen entry- 26R way, as Remi called Merle back with a touch of his

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 196196 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:069:30:06 AMAM MASTER finger. The key card screen now showed their progress, 1 so he knew where to touch, and Merle was hovering 2 overhead a few seconds later. 3 “There’s only one pathway out of this crazy thing,” 4 said Leo, staring down the narrow goat path that 5 branched out like veins in every direction. “Good thing 6 we have a flying goat that can lead the way.” 7 “You said it, brother,” Remi offered. He hadn’t 8 meant it to sound like they really were brothers, but 9 they both smiled awkwardly at the idea anyway. 10 “Where’s Betty?” asked Leo, suddenly realizing the 11 duck was gone. 12 They both worried over which path she might have 13 flown down, and Leo felt especially terrible. 14 “I never should have brought her in here. If she gets 15 turned around, she’ll never find her way out.” 16 Remi sent Merle back toward the exit and they fol- 17 lowed, careful not to touch the walls as they went. Each 18 time Merle got too far ahead of them, Remi called him 19 back with a touch of his finger. They went on like this — 20 in circles, it seemed — for some time, until Leo heard 21 a loud crash somewhere off to his left. Both boys could 22 only think of one thing, but neither of them would say 23 it. Betty. 24 “Let’s just keep moving — we’ll find her,” said Remi. S25 And so they did. R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 197197 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:069:30:06 AMAM MASTER 1 Ten minutes later, Leo was sure they’d come back to 2 the same spot. 3 “I saw that mailbox a while back,” he said, pointing 4 to a rusted-out box without a door, holding someone’s 5 old mail. 6 They heard another crash, this time on the right, 7 and the floor started to move. 8 “This can’t be good,” said Remi, balancing as his feet 9 wobbled back and forth. He put the gray key card in his 10 pocket for safekeeping just as the floor gave way in a 11 perfect circle ten feet back. The circle was about two 12 feet across, the path they stood on falling away into 13 black. A second later, another hole caved in. Then 14 another. 15 “Those holes are chasing us!” yelled Leo. 16 “Which way?” 17 They’d come to a fork in the path. Remi pulled the 18 key card out of his pocket once more, but Merle was at 19 the exit again. The card had told Merle where to go, 20 but the flying goat was so far ahead, he’d left Leo and 21 Remi wondering where to turn. 22 “I can’t remember which way to go!” Remi said, 23 three more holes appearing behind them. 24 Leo looked in both directions. If he chose wrong, 25S the holes might chase them into a dead end and swal- 26R low them up.

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 198198 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:069:30:06 AMAM MASTER “I say left,” said Remi. 1 “I was thinking the same thing,” said Leo. 2 “At least we’ll be right or wrong together!” 3 As a hole dropped through right behind them, Leo 4 lost his footing and began falling back. Remi grabbed 5 Leo by the hand and pulled as he felt the floor shifting 6 under his feet. Two seconds, maybe three, and a hole 7 would appear, dragging them both under. Remi pulled 8 as hard as he could and dove down the path. 9 Leo landed on top of Remi, then accidentally batted 10 the wall of junk with his hand. The ceiling made a hor- 11 rible grinding noise as everything shifted. Both boys 12 closed their eyes tight, waiting for the end. 13 Three seconds passed, then five, then ten. The ceil- 14 ing, it appeared, was going to hold. 15 “You dove right,” said Leo, sitting up and seeing 16 where they’d landed, right on the edge of the Y in the 17 path. The holes had continued to the left as far as he 18 could see. 19 “Good thing you almost fell into that hole or we’d 20 both be goners.” 21 Leo and Remi stood up, called Merle back, and wor- 22 ried about Betty. 23 “You probably saved my life right there,” said Leo as 24 they kept walking. “How about I take you to the Cake S25 Room when we get out of here?” R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 199199 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:069:30:06 AMAM MASTER 1 “Now you’re talking!” 2 Merle returned very quickly this time, which told 3 them something important: They were near the end 4 of the goat trail. In fact, as they came around the 5 next corner, they could see the exit, which bothered 6 them both. 7 “We can’t leave Betty in here,” said Leo. “What 8 would Merganzer think?” 9 But they needn’t have worried so much. They heard 10 Betty’s familiar quack, and it wasn’t coming from any- 11 where behind them. It was coming from somewhere 12 beyond the exit. 13 “Smart duck you got there,” said Remi. 14 “No doubt,” Leo answered, and they both followed 15 Merle to the end of the path. The closer they got, the 16 more they both thought they heard a new sound, like 17 rusty scissors opening and closing. It did not strike 18 either of them as a good sound. 19 “Do you see that?” asked Remi, stopping in his 20 tracks. 21 “I do,” said Leo, and then they both started 22 running. 23 The old sinks and Crock-Pots and dressers were 24 moving, not toward them, but away from them. 25S The wall of junk was coming alive. 26R

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 200200 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:079:30:07 AMAM MASTER “Bad flying creatures!” yelled Remi. “Bad bad bad!” 1 They’d run with everything they had to the exit, 2 watching as toasters and tricycles and everything else 3 sprang to life and began flying overhead. Like a host of 4 sleeping prehistoric flying beasts, the walls and the ceil- 5 ing woke up, screeching their terrible wings over a field 6 of flowers. Behind them, the entire maze fell to the 7 floor with a great crash, and Leo had to wonder whether 8 or not the whole hotel wouldn’t fall down with it. 9 Behind them lay a junkyard, before them a pristine field 10 of flowers, over their heads an unimaginable sky of fly- 11 ing garbage. 12 “Are they mechanical or are they holograms?” Remi 13 asked, hoping against all hope for the latter. 14 “I’ve never been in here before. I have no idea!” Leo 15 answered. But then a flying picture frame slammed into 16 the junk pile, sparks of glass flying everywhere. 17 “I think that answers our question,” said Remi. “This 18 stuff is real! We’re dead!” 19 They stood at the edge of the junkyard as crazy 20 flying creatures guarded the field of flowers. Merle 21 had joined in and the key card had gone totally blank, 22 so they weren’t getting any more help from the fly- 23 ing goat. 24 “What are we supposed to do?” asked Remi. The S25 key card began to vibrate in his hand, and the black R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 201201 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:079:30:07 AMAM MASTER 1 screen wasn’t totally black anymore. It looked like 2 someone was inside the card, writing on the screen with 3 his finger, as if the screen were filled with black soot 4 and it could be wiped away from another world that lay 5 hidden in the card. 6 “Um, Leo, you better check this out.” 7 Leo ducked as a giant bug with a popcorn popper for 8 a head did a kamikaze dive, crashing into the debris 9 with a flash of sparks. He leaned in close to the screen 10 and watched as a message appeared. 11 12 Always good to have a duck. 13 DUCK! 14 15 Both boys looked up and saw a swarm of flying metal 16 insects, all of them made of globs of scissors, diving toward 17 them. They ducked to the floor in the nick of time and 18 the bugs exploded against the junk pile, raining down 19 scissors as Leo and Remi fire-rolled out of the way. 20 “We were almost shish kebabs!” yelled Remi. “I 21 don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be the main 22 course at the next Whippet Hotel barbeque.” 23 “I’m with you,” said Leo, and he whistled three 24 times fast, the same whistle his father had used in the 25S hotel lobby when Betty and her buddies had gone 26R

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 202202 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:079:30:07 AMAM MASTER berserk. The sound echoed through the room, and off 1 in the distance, at the far end of the field of flowers, a 2 tiny duck head popped up. 3 Betty quacked. 4 Then she ran and took flight, calling out wildly as 5 she careened around the room. The flying junk gath- 6 ered in a line behind her, as if it was being called to 7 follow and Betty was its leader. She flew around and 8 around until all the rubbish followed her like a long, 9 whipping tail. 10 “Go, Betty, go!” Remi yelled. And go she did, over 11 the junkyard, swooping high, then diving straight down. 12 She turned at the last second, and every flying creature 13 slammed one by one into the scrap pile. 14 All was quiet then, but for the sound of Betty’s 15 wings as she flew overhead and back to where she’d 16 come from on the other end of the room. A moment 17 later, she landed in the tall flowers and Leo couldn’t see 18 her anymore. 19 “I have a feeling she knows where we’re supposed 20 to go,” he said. 21 Remi just shook his head. “‘Always bring a duck.’ 22 Words to live by.” 23 The room felt deathly still as they walked a thin 24 path through a field of orchids. S25 R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 203203 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:079:30:07 AMAM MASTER 1 “These are hard to grow,” said Leo, having a sudden 2 memory he’d all but forgotten. 3 “How do you know that?” 4 “They’re orchids. They take special care.” The 5 memory flooded back now as Leo reached out and 6 touched the weirdly shaped flowers. Some were orange, 7 some red, some blue, and all of them had long green 8 stems and oddly shaped petals. 9 “My mom tried to grow them once in our living 10 room, under a lamp,” said Leo, a dreaminess to his voice 11 that Remi hadn’t heard before. “She said it would make 12 our apartment feel like magic. And it did. I remember 13 now, she did grow an orchid.” 14 “Only one?” asked Remi. But looking at the flowers, 15 he could see how just one would be enough to make his 16 own crummy apartment feel magical. 17 “Remi, I know what the ghost is,” said Leo, a tingle 18 in his voice. 19 “What ghost?” 20 “The one from the box, remember? ‘Tipping cows, 21 a ghost, apple juice.’” 22 “Yeah, that one’s had me stumped.” 23 Leo didn’t answer; he simply kept on down the 24 path, looking back and forth over the field of orchids. 25S As they approached the end of the path, the garden 26R

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 204204 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:079:30:07 AMAM MASTER turned swampy and they waded through a foot of water 1 with fallen trees strewn about. 2 “Do you smell that?” asked Remi. “Smells like apple 3 juice.” 4 “That means it’s blooming,” said Leo, spotting Betty 5 lolling in the water contentedly. She was swimming 6 around under a branch, and on the branch sat a per- 7 fectly white box with its lid open. 8 Light was coming out of the box. 9 “Hold on a second, Leo. The finger is back.” 10 Remi held out the key card so Leo could see 11 as it vibrated, the screen filling once more with 12 black. 13 “By the way, whoever’s in the card? They can see 14 us,” said Remi. He’d been thinking about it a lot. “How 15 else would they have known to say ‘DUCK’?” 16 Leo looked all around, expecting to see MR. M. hid- 17 ing somewhere, but he did not. 18 The finger drew a message, then crossed part of 19 it out. 20 21 The box is for Leo. 22 23 “Looks like I might get this one,” said Remi. “I won- 24 der why?” S25 R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 205205 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:079:30:07 AMAM MASTER 1 But that was not to be. Instead, the finger filled in a 2 different name. 3 4 The box is for Leo Clarence. 5 6 Remi looked at Leo, who didn’t seem to mind. In 7 fact, he was smiling. 8 “The box is for your dad?” 9 “Uh-huh,” Leo answered, then he turned for the 10 box and quietly moved through the water. “Be very 11 quiet and careful; they’re sensitive.” 12 “Who are?” asked Remi. 13 “That smell of apple juice comes from only one 14 flower, Remi. My mom never dreamed of trying to grow 15 one, because it’s the rarest flower in the world. But she 16 told us about it: the ghost orchid.” 17 “Cool,” said Leo. 18 They both leaned over, staring into the white box, 19 and there it was. The rarest flower of them all, in a full 20 bloom of white. 21 “That’s a cool-looking flower,” said Remi. “And I 22 don’t even like flowers. You’re right — it’s like magic. 23 And look — the box is made to hold it. It’s got lights in 24 the lid and on the floor. It’s perfect.” 25S The key card vibrated once more, and a final mes- 26R sage appeared.

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 206206 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:079:30:07 AMAM MASTER Six A.M. tomorrow, duck elevator. 1 Only Leo. 2 3 “It’s okay,” said Remi, seeing that Leo wished they 4 could go together. “My mom and I don’t get here until 5 seven, anyway. Good luck, bro.” 6 Leo shut the lid on the box and gently picked it up. 7 When he did, a door popped open on the wall to the 8 left of the field of flowers. There were white stairs lead- 9 ing down, which would take them back to the Flying 10 Farm Room. 11 Where Ms. Sparks awaited them both. 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 S25 R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 207207 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:079:30:07 AMAM MASTER 1 2 3 4 5 C HAPTER FOURTEEN 6 F IRED! 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Leo left Remi in the upper part of the hotel and crept 14 down to the basement with the box. They both agreed 15 that Remi would play the decoy, drawing Ms. Sparks 16 away if she appeared. The last person they wanted 17 getting her hands on such a special box was old bee- 18 hive head. 19 As Leo walked, the box dimmed slowly from light 20 to dark. Night for the ghost orchid had come. Open- 21 ing the door to the basement, Leo saw lights flashing 22 against the walls. 23 “Oh no, more trouble,” he said to himself. “At least 24 the siren isn’t going off.” 25S As he crept down the stairs and peered around the 26R corner, he saw, to his relief, that his father wasn’t there.

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 208208 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:079:30:07 AMAM MASTER What was not so relieving was the state of the call center. 1 Daisy had spit out a rolling pile of twisted paper that 2 looked like it was a mile long . . . and she was still going. 3 The ticker tape of broken things in the hotel kept get- 4 ting longer and longer, and all the lights on the call center 5 wall were flashing. Leo had never seen the call center so 6 wild with activity, so wild, in fact, that steam was pour- 7 ing out of the corners of the wall. It looked like the 8 entire thing might explode at any moment. 9 But why no siren? Leo inspected the call center 10 more closely and saw that someone — probably his 11 dad — had cut all the sound wires, which dangled and 12 sparked against the wall. 13 “He must have grown tired of all the noise,” Leo 14 said, speaking this time to the ghost orchid hidden in the 15 box. “Good thing. I know how loud noises bother you.” 16 The ghost orchid was delicate. It bloomed over and 17 over in the summer, but only if the conditions were 18 right. Too much clatter or a storm — anything like that 19 and the flower would close and might not ever open 20 again. 21 “Better get you safely hidden away,” said Leo, step- 22 ping over piles of ticker tape on the way to his cot. 23 As he slid the box under his bed, he took note of the 24 four boxes that had gathered there: first the purple one, S25 then the blue, then green, and now white. Four boxes. R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 209209 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:089:30:08 AMAM MASTER 1 He was arranging them just so when the door to 2 the basement opened. He stood up, leaning against the 3 washing machine as casually as he could. He expected 4 to see his father, racing back for tools to fix this or that, 5 but when he looked up, it was Ms. Sparks. She had 6 Remi by the ear, who bounced down the stairs behind 7 her, yelling for Leo to run. 8 “Shut up, enchilada!” 9 Leo looked at the tiny window above his cot and 10 wondered if he could reach it, climb though, and run 11 for the gate. He was that scared by the look on Ms. 12 Sparks’s face. 13 “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll get to the 14 Puzzle Room,” she said. Leo could practically feel her 15 icy cold breath. “NOW!” 16 Leo was terrified that the booming voice of Ms. 17 Sparks would kill the ghost orchid before he even had a 18 chance to give it to his father. The thought sent him 19 scurrying for the door, right past Ms. Sparks as she 20 slapped him on the back of the head. 21 Looking back, Leo saw that Ms. Sparks was eyeing 22 the basement, walking farther into his home without 23 being invited. She dragged Remi behind her and stood 24 before the call center. 25S “Are you coming?” asked Leo from the top of 26R the stairs.

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 210210 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:089:30:08 AMAM MASTER “I’ll leave here when I please, and not a moment 1 sooner,” said Ms. Sparks, looking at the boiler, the 2 shelves of boxes, the washing machine. The cots. 3 “I’m going, then,” said Leo, trying to distract her. 4 “I’ll be in the Puzzle Room, like you asked.” 5 “Take your friend with you,” said Ms. Sparks, letting 6 Remi go with a twist of her hand, as if she were snap- 7 ping her fingers with his ear in between. 8 “Just so you know,” said Remi, “that really hurt.” 9 “GET OUT!” she screamed, and Leo’s heart broke 10 again. What rare and beautiful flower could possibly 11 live in the same space as Ms. Sparks’s shrill voice? 12 Neither boy spoke as they walked through the lobby 13 and into the Puzzle Room, having no idea what they 14 might find there. All Leo could think about was Ms. 15 Sparks finding all four boxes, which would mean she’d 16 know about the secret rooms. What then? What would 17 she do? He was sure she was behind all the trouble at 18 the hotel, sure it had been her at the gate with the black 19 car, plotting the hotel’s demise with a shady developer. 20 She was driving down the price of the hotel and getting 21 a piece of the action. Or worse, she would own the 22 Whippet with someone’s help. It was a complete and 23 total disaster in the making. Still, even those dark 24 thoughts didn’t prepare Leo for what awaited him in S25 the Puzzle Room. R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 211211 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:089:30:08 AMAM MASTER 1 “You two are slow, slow, slow!” yelled Ms. Sparks, 2 who had crept up behind them and was now pushing 3 them forward. 4 “Sit down, there,” she said, pointing to the only 5 empty chairs in the room. 6 Leo’s dad was sitting in the room, too, along with 7 Remi’s mom and Mr. Phipps. It was the entire Whippet 8 hotel staff: the hotel maid, the gardener, and the main- 9 tenance man. And Ms. Sparks, the hotel manager, was 10 about to come unglued. 11 “I understand there was a party tonight,” she began, 12 clicking her fingernails on the long table that held the 13 puzzle. “Which surprises me, since I wasn’t invited. No 14 one likes to be left out when there’s a party, wouldn’t 15 you agree, Mr. Phipps?” 16 She said it like an accusation, like she knew he 17 hadn’t attended the party. 18 “I don’t know about any party,” he said, calm and 19 collected as he always was. “You had to wake me up for 20 this meeting, remember?” 21 “Silence!” shouted Ms. Sparks, her hand in his face. 22 “Have you toured the grounds since I woke you? I sup- 23 pose not. When you do, you’ll find that someone has 24 made a fool of you!” 25S “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 26R

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 212212 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:089:30:08 AMAM MASTER Ms. Sparks knew how much Mr. Phipps liked work- 1 ing on the puzzle, futile as it was, and how he especially 2 liked to stack the pieces into groups that looked the 3 same. She swept her hand across one of the neatly 4 or ga nized piles and sent puzzle pieces flying across 5 the room. 6 “That’s just mean,” said Remi a little too loudly. Ms. 7 Sparks gave him the evil eye. 8 “I’ll deal with you soon enough,” she said, turn- 9 ing back to the gardener, who wouldn’t look her in 10 the eye. 11 “What you will find,” Ms. Sparks continued, “is that 12 someone has taken shears to your beloved bushes.” 13 “Why, that’s impossible,” said Mr. Phipps, but he 14 was clearly shaken. “I would have heard —” 15 “Ahhhh, you would have heard, if you weren’t at a 16 party.” 17 “But I wasn’t at the party!” said Mr. Phipps. All he 18 really wanted to do was get up and go look at his gar- 19 den, but Ms. Sparks wasn’t about to let him off that 20 easily. Leo and Remi glanced at each other — Mr. Phipps 21 hadn’t been at the party, or at least they hadn’t seen 22 him there. 23 “They’ve cut up all your sculpted bushes — the 24 ducks, the rabbits — all of them.” S25 R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 213213 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:089:30:08 AMAM MASTER 1 “What?!” cried Mr. Phipps. “But that’s — well, 2 it’s —” He couldn’t find the words to say. He’d spent 3 years training the bushes and he loved the garden at the 4 Whippet. It was probably the cruelest thing a person 5 could do to a gardener. 6 Ms. Sparks seemed satisfied to have tongue-tied Mr. 7 Phipps, so she moved on, pointing her long finger at 8 Remi’s mom. 9 “And you, responsible for keeping this place clean 10 and tidy. What were you doing at a party when you’re 11 being paid to clean rooms?” 12 “I . . . well . . .” Pilar looked at Mr. Fillmore, but 13 there was nothing he could do. “I’d already cleaned all 14 the rooms, and —” 15 “Save your excuses!” said Ms. Sparks. “Maybe if 16 you’d been attending to the hotel instead of dancing 17 the night away, we wouldn’t have a theft to deal with.” 18 “A what?” asked Leo’s dad, the first two words out 19 of his mouth since they’d arrived in the room. There 20 had never, ever been a theft of any kind in the five years 21 he’d been the maintenance man. This was bad. Ve r y 22 bad. They always blamed the help. 23 “A theft,” Ms. Sparks repeated, like she was talking 24 to a room full of school children. “Someone has stolen 25S Mrs. Yancey’s diamond necklace.” 26R

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 214214 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:089:30:08 AMAM MASTER Pilar gasped, for she had seen the necklace in the 1 Cake Room, lying unattended on a black velvet cloth in 2 the bedroom. She’d been dusting the pink cupcake 3 chairs and there it was. 4 “I see from your expression you know the necklace 5 of which I speak,” said Ms. Sparks, leaning over the 6 shaking Pilar. Remi couldn’t help but notice the spider 7 was gone, but oh, how he wished he had it back again. 8 What he wouldn’t give to drop it down Ms. Sparks’s 9 pants right about now. 10 “That necklace,” said Ms. Sparks, “is worth more 11 than all your salaries put together for the rest of your 12 lives. She’s convinced one of you took it. So am I.” 13 “Well, of course she is,” said Clarence Fillmore. 14 “Who else is she going to blame?” 15 “Not that spoiled kid of theirs, that’s for sure,” said 16 Leo, which earned him an evil eye of his own from Ms. 17 Sparks. 18 “Quiet! All of you!” shouted Ms. Sparks, turning 19 her attention to Pilar. “I examined the contents of your 20 pushcart, and I think you know what I found.” 21 Ms. Sparks pulled the long diamond necklace slowly 22 out of her pocket. 23 “I don’t believe you,” said Clarence Fillmore. “None 24 of us do.” S25 R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 215215 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:089:30:08 AMAM MASTER 1 But Ms. Sparks had already moved on, happy to 2 have Clarence take center stage as she put the necklace 3 back in her pocket. 4 “And finally, you, Mr. Fillmore; you with the tools 5 and the belt and the overalls. You look like a mainte- 6 nance man. What I can’t figure out is why you don’t act 7 like one.” 8 “We can’t help it if someone is sabotaging the hotel,” 9 said Leo. “Things are breaking faster than we can fix 10 them, and you know it.” 11 “All I know is that you were at a party, and while you 12 were, the hotel fell into ruin. I couldn’t find the main- 13 tenance crew, so I went searching. And do you know 14 what I found?” 15 “Uh-oh,” said Remi. 16 “Yes, uh-oh indeed, Remilio. I found you.” 17 Ms. Sparks pointed at both Leo and Remi. 18 “You were not at the party after all, were you?” 19 “We were at the party,” Leo protested. “We just left 20 for a minute.” 21 “Oh, come now. You know that’s not true. You were 22 missing a long time. Long enough to cause all sorts of 23 new problems, right? I mean, really, who would know 24 better than you, Leo Fillmore, how to break things in 25S this hotel?” 26R

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 216216 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:089:30:08 AMAM MASTER Leo and Remi and Mr. Fillmore all protested, but 1 Ms. Sparks had the loudest voice of them all, and she 2 silenced them. “Here’s what I think. I think you’re all 3 in this together. I think it’s all an elaborate setup. And 4 do you know what else?” 5 Everyone sat silently, because they knew what was 6 coming. She was the hotel manager. She could do it in 7 Mr. Whippet’s absence if she chose to. If he ever 8 returned, she would simply say they’d stolen from one 9 of the guests. She had always known how to get what 10 she wanted from Merganzer D. Whippet. 11 “Here we go,” Remi whispered to Leo. “Nice know- 12 ing you.” 13 “You are all, each and every one of you,” said Ms. 14 Sparks, drawing in a great breath of air and pausing for 15 effect, “FIRED!” 16 Mr. Phipps seemed not to care in the slightest, and 17 the moment she said the word, he left the room to 18 inspect the damage in the garden he’d put so much 19 work into. He cared an awful lot about the Whippet. If 20 he really were to leave, the grounds would never be 21 the same. 22 Pilar looked at Leo’s father, and Leo had the feeling 23 that something might have bloomed, if only they’d had 24 more time. He wasn’t sure how he felt about the idea, S25 R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 217217 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:089:30:08 AMAM MASTER 1 but he wanted more than anything for his dad to be 2 happy again. He’d been thinking that maybe the Fillmore 3 men were finally ready to move on. 4 “Thanks for everything,” Remi said, pulling Leo 5 aside where they could talk one last time without being 6 overheard.. “It was the best day of my life, and I’m not 7 just saying that. If you find Blop, tell him I said hello.” 8 The two boys might as well have lived on different 9 planets. Staten Island and lower Manhattan were worlds 10 apart. 11 “I don’t know what to say,” Leo offered. “It feels 12 like we were close to . . . something . We just can’t figure 13 out what.” 14 “You’ve got a date with destiny in the morn- 15 ing, remember? Who knows, maybe our luck will 16 change.” 17 In all the chaos, Leo had totally forgotten: Six A.M. 18 tomorrow, duck elevator. It wasn’t much, but it was bet- 19 ter than nothing. 20 Remi rejoined his mom, and Ms. Sparks escorted 21 them through the lobby and out the front doors, where 22 they stood staring through the glass. The doors were 23 locked and the two started down the path for the 24 subway. 25S “I know you didn’t take the necklace, Mom,” 26R said Remi.

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 218218 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:089:30:08 AMAM MASTER “I know you do,” said Pilar, putting an arm 1 around him. 2 They walked in silence then, both of them dreaming 3 of what might have been. 4 Ms. Sparks was back in the Puzzle Room in no time 5 flat with final instructions for the maintenance man and 6 his son. 7 “Pack your things in the morning,” she commanded. 8 “I’ll be bringing in a new crew by the afternoon. Enjoy 9 your last night at the Whippet.” 10 She patted her pocket and started for the 11 stairs. “I’ve got some good news to deliver, wouldn’t 12 you say?” 13 And then, just like that, she was gone. Leo looked 14 around the room and suddenly realized something ter- 15 rible. It wasn’t just Ms. Sparks who had left. 16 Everyone was gone. 17 Leo and his dad walked to the basement, maybe for 18 the last time. 19 “We’ve really come to the end, I guess,” said Clarence 20 Fillmore. “I had hoped we’d see him again, but I think 21 it’s really true.” 22 “What’s true?” 23 Leo’s big, lumbering father took a deep breath as he 24 opened the door to the basement. “Merganzer D. S25 Whippet isn’t coming back.” R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 219219 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:089:30:08 AMAM MASTER 1 2 Bernard Frescobaldi was waiting in his black town car 3 when Pilar and Remi unlocked the small walking gate 4 and started down the wide, empty sidewalk. He noticed 5 how unhappy they were, but made no effort to help 6 them as they started their long night journey to Staten 7 Island. 8 Milton smiled knowingly from the front seat. 9 “This is going better than I could have hoped,” said 10 Bernard, pulling his fedora down low over his eyes in 11 case they searched the street. It wouldn’t have mat- 12 tered behind the dark windows, but Bernard was an 13 exceptionally secretive man. He took no chances, espe- 14 cially when he was this close to the prize he’d worked 15 so hard for. 16 Twenty minutes later, still sitting in the car, Bernard 17 glanced at his very expensive watch. 18 “What’s taking so long?” he asked. “I thought for 19 sure the gate would open by now.” 20 Five more minutes passed with Milton calming his 21 wealthy boss, and then the driving gate opened up. 22 Someone from the inside had opened it, letting the 23 black town car in. 24 “Time to prepare for the meeting,” said Bernard 25S Frescobaldi. “Tomorrow, the Whippet Hotel will finally 26R get the new owner it deserves.”

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 220220 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:099:30:09 AMAM MASTER 1 The call center in the basement had one giant plug, the 2 head of which was bigger than a basketball with a four- 3 inch-wide cord to match. It took both Leo and his dad 4 to pull it out of the wall, but when they did, Daisy 5 stopped printing ticker tape. The shark, for the first 6 time all day, was silent. All the lights on the wall went 7 out, and for a split second, Leo imagined the Whippet 8 Hotel as it once was: full of laughter and smiles, mys- 9 tery and intrigue, not a care from the world outside. 10 Both Fillmore men got into their pajamas and 11 brushed their teeth. They went about their business 12 rather slowly, savoring every bittersweet moment in 13 the cozy basement that had been their home for a good 14 long time. 15 “Mom would have wanted a flower on a night like 16 this,” said Leo, risking the possibility of turning a very 17 bad night into a sad one to boot. But he had a feeling, 18 even with everything that had gone wrong, that some- 19 thing had changed. “Do you think about her?” Leo asked 20 as they both lay down on their cots, the washing machine 21 sitting quiet and cold between them. 22 Mr. Fillmore stood up, looked about the room, then 23 grabbed his cot by the edge and pulled the old frame 24 out from the wall. He took hold of Leo’s next, pulling S25 his cot away from the wall as well, then he got back into R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 221221 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:099:30:09 AMAM MASTER 1 bed and lay on his side, where he could see his 2 boy’s face. 3 “I should have done that years ago,” said Leo’s dad. 4 “Actually, the washer blocks your snoring, especially 5 when it’s running.” 6 “Leo, listen to me now. We’re going to be fine, and 7 none of this is your fault.” 8 Leo held back tears, because he was pretty sure it 9 was his fault. 10 “And yes, I think about your mom all the time. I 11 hope you do, too.” 12 “I do, Dad.” 13 There was a long silence in which Leo thought 14 maybe a tear had fallen from his dad’s eye, but it was 15 dark and he couldn’t be sure. 16 “I think she would have liked this place,” Leo’s dad 17 said. “But more than that, I think she would have 18 wanted us to keep living. You think?” 19 “I do, dad.” 20 Mr. Fillmore held the ring on the necklace, rubbing 21 it like it was a good luck charm. He’d had a hard time 22 forgiving himself for letting it slip away during the move 23 to the Whippet. 24 “I felt bad for losing your mother’s ring. You know 25S that, don’t you?” 26R

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 222222 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:099:30:09 AMAM MASTER “Of course I know,” Leo said. “It just happened, and 1 anyway, it’s back now.” 2 Clarence Fillmore smiled. “It’s different now. I still 3 miss her, but I’m not so sad anymore.” 4 Leo leaned over and pulled the white box out from 5 its hiding spot. He opened the lid and white light filled 6 the room. The ghost orchid bloomed to life. 7 “I found this for us,” said Leo. “I thought maybe 8 Ms. Sparks had killed it, but I guess not.” 9 The two of them couldn’t help it then; Maintenance 10 men being notoriously emotional, they both shed a tear 11 or two. 12 “Fresh start tomorrow?” asked Mr. Fillmore, his 13 voice filled with every thing the moment demanded: 14 sadness for what had been lost, unease about the future, 15 but above all, something new — a readiness to start liv- 16 ing again. 17 “Fresh start tomorrow,” said Leo, climbing back into 18 his cot one last time. 19 They watched the ghost orchid for a time, and then 20 Leo drifted off to sleep and Mr. Fillmore closed the 21 white box and silently carried it out of the basement. 22 He knew a certain gardener that needed a ghost 23 orchid even more than he did. 24 S25 R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 223223 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:099:30:09 AMAM MASTER 1 2 3 4 5 C HAPTER FIFTEEN 6 T HE THIRTEENTH 7 8 F LOOR 9 10 11 12 13 The alarm on Leo’s watch went off at five thirty 14 in the morning, but it didn’t matter. He had awoken 15 with the first light of day to find the note stuck to his 16 bedpost. 17 18 I thought Mr. Phipps could use a look 19 at the ghost orchid. Hope you don’t 20 mind. Dad 21 22 The box was gone, and for a moment Leo worried 23 he might need it for something. But barring that, he 24 didn’t plan to ask for the flower back. Mr. Phipps would 25S know how to care for it, and Leo’s dad was right: It was 26R

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 224224 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:099:30:09 AMAM MASTER the perfect gift for a displaced gardener who’d had his 1 garden ransacked. 2 Leo turned off the alarm on his watch and adjusted 3 his position in the duck elevator. He knew he had to be 4 there at six, as the message had said, but there was no 5 reason to wait. He might get sidetracked by some other 6 duty or Ms. Sparks might try to kick them out of the 7 building on sight. Better to hide in the duck elevator 8 and make sure he didn’t miss the appointment alto- 9 gether. It was an appointment, he was sure, that would 10 not be offered twice. 11 At 5:47, Leo heard Ms. Sparks come into the lobby 12 and make some keys, for what, he did not know or care. 13 A period of silence followed, and then, precisely at 14 six o’clock, the duck elevator moved. Leo did not pull 15 the lever or press the button for the roof, but either 16 way, those things would never have made the elevator 17 move as it did now. No, this was something new. The 18 duck elevator was moving sideways, not up or down. It 19 was, in fact, moving parallel to the lobby, under one of 20 the two grand staircases Leo had climbed many times. 21 The duck elevator stopped, and when it did, a sec- 22 tion of the back wall slid slowly down, revealing four 23 buttons and a frozen sheet of glass. 24 “Here we go,” said Leo. S25 R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 225225 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:099:30:09 AMAM MASTER 1 The finger was back, writing a message on the cold, 2 frosted glass. 3 4 These buttons you only push once. Push 5 them wrong at your own peril. 6 7 Leo felt supremely excited as he read the message, 8 because he knew then that his journey with Remi had 9 given them the knowledge only they could possibly 10 have. The only way a person could know the order in 11 which to push purple, blue, green, and white buttons 12 would be if they had four boxes to match. Leo had got- 13 ten the boxes in a certain order. He knew which button 14 to push first, and so he did. 15 Purple. 16 The elevator moved abruptly sideways once more, 17 this time in a different direction. 18 Leo pushed the next button. 19 Blue. 20 The elevator moved again, lurching to a stop. 21 Green was pushed and the elevator moved 22 once more. 23 “Only one button left,” said Leo. He wished Remi 24 were with him, or at least Betty, Blop, or Merle the fly- 25S ing goat. He felt suddenly very alone in the world as his 26R finger hovered over the white button.

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 226226 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:109:30:10 AMAM MASTER And then he pushed it. 1 The duck elevator began spinning in a circle, then it 2 shot up into the Whippet Hotel as fast as the Double 3 Helix had ever gone. Leo put his hands on the low ceil- 4 ing and braced himself. Either the duck elevator was 5 about to stop, or they were going right through the roof 6 and into the air. 7 The duck elevator did stop, almost as suddenly as it 8 had started. 9 The number 13 appeared above the four buttons 10 with the sound of a bell. 11 “But there is no floor thirteen,” Leo said. But even 12 as he said it, he knew there had always been thirteen 13 floors. He’d simply never been invited to any of the 14 secret floors or the very secret floor at the top. 15 Leo took a deep breath to calm himself, threw 16 open the duck elevator door, and crawled out into 17 the room. 18 He stood up, but did not speak. Overhead he saw 19 the bottom of the pond, which he now realized was 20 made of glass. He could see the duck feet flapping and 21 the fish swimming. Light poured in through the pond, 22 filling the thirteenth floor with a dreamy, golden hue. 23 There were books everywhere, on tables and endless 24 shelves winding this way and that. There were long, S25 lazy-looking couches and overstuffed chairs. There were R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 227227 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:109:30:10 AMAM MASTER 1 huge beanbags, some pink like a pig and others black- 2 and-white like dairy cows. Colored rings of every size 3 drifted near the ceiling, held by some unknowable mag- 4 netic force, and flying holographic farm animals swooped 5 high and low. But mostly there were books. Lots and 6 lots of books. 7 “It’s the Library,” Leo found himself saying, for it 8 was indeed the Whippet Library, where Merganzer 9 came to think, think, and think some more. 10 A perfectly silent train made its way around the 11 wide perimeter. There was someone on the train, and 12 Leo knew him right away. He was dressed in black, 13 which was not his normal attire, but it was him, there 14 could be no doubt. 15 “Welcome to the thirteenth floor,” said the man. “I 16 hope you like it as much as I do.” 17 “Mr. Phipps?” asked Leo, because it was none other 18 than the gardener himself. 19 “Thank you for the ghost orchid. I was hoping you 20 might let me have it.” 21 “You’re welcome,” said Leo, because he couldn’t 22 think of anything else to say. 23 “And now I have something rather important to give 24 you, something that was left in my care.” 25S Leo was so confused and amazed, he just stood in 26R the Library, gawking at the gardener, unable to speak.

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 228228 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:109:30:10 AMAM MASTER Mr. Phipps took a leather case out of his black jacket 1 and unzipped it. From inside he pulled a silver chain, 2 and on the end of the silver chain sat the Whippet 3 Hotel’s sole silver key card. 4 “Is that . . . ?” Leo began, but he couldn’t finish. 5 “Merganzer D. Whippet’s silver key card? The one 6 that unlocks every door, even the many hidden doors? 7 Yes, it is.” 8 “Why do you have it?” asked Leo. 9 Mr. Phipps took a piece of folded paper from the 10 same leather case and held it with the key card in 11 one hand. 12 “You love the Whippet Hotel, don’t you, Leo?” 13 “Of course I do.” 14 “Then take the silver key card.” 15 Leo reached out his hand, not really sure what 16 it meant to have the key, and then took the paper 17 with it. 18 “Put the silver key card around your neck and the 19 paper in your pocket,” Mr. Phipps instructed. 20 Leo hung the chain around his neck and put the 21 paper in the front pocket of his maintenance overalls. 22 “What’s the paper?” he asked. 23 “Why, it’s the deed to the Whippet Hotel, of course. 24 Why else would you have the silver key card?” S25 “The what?” R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 229229 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:109:30:10 AMAM MASTER 1 Mr. Phipps looked Leo in the eye and smiled. “Leo 2 Fillmore, you own the Whippet Hotel. At least for the 3 moment.” 4 Leo felt as if he might stop breathing. Could it 5 really be true? No, it could not. Something wasn’t 6 right. 7 “Who gave you the authority to give me the Whippet 8 Hotel? Only Merganzer can do that, and he’s missing.” 9 He hated to say the next part, because he really 10 liked Mr. Phipps. 11 “Did you steal the silver key card from Mr. 12 Whippet?” 13 Mr. Phipps was a patient man, but there were things 14 to be done and little time to do them in. 15 “Climb aboard — we’ve got someplace to be.” 16 Leo didn’t know if he could trust Mr. Phipps, but 17 there seemed to be some plan in motion, and he cer- 18 tainly didn’t know of any other way out of the Whippet 19 Library. Stepping into the train car and sitting down, he 20 asked the gardener another question. 21 “So you’re the mysterious MR. M.? It’s you who’s 22 been following me and Remi around all this time, scar- 23 ing us half to death with that finger of yours.” 24 “Helping you. And keeping Captain Rickenbacker 25S entertained, which is no easy task, let me tell you.” 26R

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 230230 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:109:30:10 AMAM MASTER “But why?” 1 Mr. Phipps wouldn’t answer as the train followed a 2 track that wound higher and higher until he had to duck 3 in order to miss the ceiling. Or did he? Was the ceiling 4 a hologram, too? It would appear so, because they went 5 right through it and came to a hidden station on the 6 other side. 7 “You’ll have to get out of the train now,” said Mr. 8 Phipps. 9 Leo stepped out onto a lonely platform, where a set 10 of stairs led up into darkness. 11 “Up there, you’ll find your way,” said Mr. Phipps. 12 “He’s a crafty one, so be careful what you say. 13 Good luck.” 14 The train pulled away, disappearing down into the 15 Whippet Library, and Leo was alone. 16 “I wish Remi were here,” he said, climbing the stairs 17 until his hand bumped up against the ceiling. He pushed 18 and light poured in. If Leo could have seen the world 19 from the other side, he would have watched as a square 20 of grass on the roof opened up and a boy peaked out. 21 “Over here, and make it snappy. You don’t want to 22 keep Mr. Frescobaldi waiting.” 23 “Mr. who?” asked Leo, stepping out onto the roof 24 and letting the trapdoor slam shut behind him. There S25 R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 231231 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:109:30:10 AMAM MASTER 1 was a short man standing before him whom he had 2 never seen before. 3 “Come, come,” said the man, waving Leo on. “This 4 way. He’s waiting for you.” 5 Leo saw the ducks in the pond, though Betty wasn’t 6 there. He thought about whistling three times fast and 7 calling her, but what good would having a duck by his 8 side do? 9 “I’m not going anywhere until you tell me who you 10 are,” said Leo. 11 The man hesitated and seemed poised to tell a lie. 12 “My name is Milton. Satisfied? Now please, come 13 quickly. This will all be over before you know it.” 14 There had always been a small outcropping of trees 15 on the roof in the far corner, away from the pond. In 16 amongst the trees was a stone bench, and on the bench 17 sat Bernard Frescobaldi. He had on a long gray coat with 18 the collar turned up, black glasses, and a black fedora. 19 He was staring out over the city. 20 “Who are you and how did you get up here?” 21 asked Leo. Leo didn’t know who these people were, 22 but he didn’t like the idea of two total strangers on the 23 roof of the Whippet. The man in the long gray jacket 24 would not turn around, but he signaled with his hand, 25S and Milton came near. Leo watched as they whispered, 26R then Milton delivered the message.

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 232232 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:109:30:10 AMAM MASTER “We understand that you have the silver key card and 1 the deed to the hotel, and we have an offer for you.” 2 Leo was on red alert, and thought seriously about 3 calling Betty or running for the trapdoor. Mr. Phipps 4 was a traitor, probably in on the deal with Ms. Sparks 5 and whomever these two were. 6 “You give us the silver key card and the deed,” con- 7 tinued Milton. He coughed, as if the next thing he was 8 about to say was going to hurt. “And we will give you 9 fifty million dollars.” 10 Leo’s jaw dropped. Fifty million dollars? He had no 11 idea how much the Whippet was worth, but fifty mil- 12 lion would mean . . . a lot. His dad would never have to 13 work again. He could buy Remi and Pilar a real house. 14 He could go to college. Still, if the Whippet really was 15 his, didn’t he have an obligation to protect it from a 16 wrecking ball and, more importantly, from that awful 17 Ms. Sparks? 18 Leo watched as the man in the long gray coat whis- 19 pered to Milton once more. 20 “It’s falling apart anyway,” Milton went on. “And 21 you don’t know how to run a hotel. We’ll offer fifty 22 million, not a penny more.” 23 Little did Leo know that the land the Whippet sat 24 on, not to mention the countless treasures inside, was S25 worth at least ten times that. But the truth was, it didn’t R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 233233 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:109:30:10 AMAM MASTER 1 matter. No amount of money was going to get Leo to 2 give up the Whippet Hotel. He’d already made up his 3 mind. He belonged here. He wanted to stay. 4 “You’re standing on the roof of my hotel, and I want 5 you off,” he said. “Both of you. I love this place, and 6 you can’t have it.” 7 Milton looked stunned as the man in the long 8 gray jacket stood up abruptly. He still would not turn 9 around, and Leo had just about had it with whomever 10 this guy was. He whistled three times fast, hoping to 11 get some help from a duck, and then Milton started 12 smiling. 13 “I told you this would happen. I told you!” 14 Leo whistled three times again, and this time he 15 heard Betty quacking, but she would not come. 16 “If you did anything to my duck, you’re in big trou- 17 ble,” said Leo. 18 “Betty is busy,” said the man in the long gray 19 jacket. 20 “What did you say?” Leo asked, not because he 21 hadn’t heard, but because he had. He knew that voice. 22 “She’s laid her eggs and is going to have babies!” 23 yelled the man in the long gray coat, and he threw off 24 his hat, which revealed a wild whip of hair that simply 25S would not stay down no matter how hard he tried. He 26R turned — and it was not Bernard Frescobaldi, for there

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 234234 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:109:30:10 AMAM MASTER was no Bernard Frescobaldi. It was Merganzer D. 1 Whippet, as it always had been. 2 “Merganzer?” Leo gasped, first smiling, then laugh- 3 ing and running and hugging his old friend. 4 “The one and only! Me, me, and only me! And did 5 you hear the news? Betty’s having BABIES!” 6 It was just like Merganzer to be excited about a 7 duck, but Leo had to admit, the timing couldn’t have 8 been better. There had been a lot of talk about mothers 9 lately. 10 Merganzer grabbed Leo by the hand and hauled him 11 down the path of trees, then sat down, clapping his 12 hands. “You see there, she’s built her nest.” 13 No wonder Betty had been so cranky all week, Leo 14 thought. 15 “Six eggs,” said George Powell, for Milton wasn’t 16 Milton, either; he was George, Merganzer’s oldest and 17 dearest friend. 18 “Leo, meet George. We’ve got a lot to talk about.” 19 “It would seem so,” said Leo, who still didn’t believe 20 any of it. 21 Merganzer talked and talked, as Merganzer was 22 known to do, so it was hard to get a word in edgewise. 23 But Leo tried his best. 24 “First of all,” Merganzer said, “you passed. You S25 passed, you passed, you passed! I had my doubts, really R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 235235 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:109:30:10 AMAM MASTER 1 I did. Ask George; he’ll tell you. I thought you might 2 give up. But you took everything I threw at you and 3 kept on going. Even that last part, which I simply had to 4 do. You passed that one, too.” 5 Leo didn’t quite understand, so George tried to 6 explain while Merganzer went to congratulate Betty. 7 “I’ve always stayed away from the hotel, which 8 was by design, because Merganzer knew this day 9 might come, a day when he would have to leave the 10 Whippet and move on to other, more pressing mat- 11 ters. I must say I had my doubts as well, but now that 12 I’ve seen you in action, my doubts have completely 13 vanished. It was one thing to find all the boxes and 14 overcome so very much; we thought you had that in 15 you. But to say no to so much money, when you really 16 could have used it! Well, that was the most impor- 17 tant thing. That was why we had to do things the way 18 we did.” 19 “But I still don’t understand,” said Leo, turning back 20 to Merganzer. “You can’t mean it. You can’t really want 21 to give me the Whippet Hotel.” 22 “Oh, but you’re wrong, Leo,” Merganzer replied. “I 23 do want to give you the hotel. I can’t keep it; too much 24 to do, too many places to go. You’re the only one for the 25S Whippet.” 26R

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 236236 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:119:30:11 AMAM MASTER “But what about Mr. Phipps or my dad or Ms. 1 Sparks?” 2 Even Leo couldn’t believe he’d said her name, but 3 she was the hotel manager, and she had pulled the wool 4 over Merganzer’s eyes for a long time. 5 “Leo, listen to me,” said Merganzer. “It’s you, you’re 6 the one. No one else will do. Don’t you see?” 7 But Leo didn’t see. He simply couldn’t do it. 8 Merganzer took a long silver pen from his jacket 9 pocket and held out his hand for the deed to the 10 Whippet Hotel. Leo gave it back to him. 11 “We have a lot in common, us two,” said Merganzer. 12 “We both lost our moms too soon. We both want 13 to remember. But there comes a day when we have to 14 move on.” 15 Merganzer D. Whippet signed the deed over to Leo 16 and handed the paper back, winking at George as 17 he did. 18 “And we both found that a true friend can help carry 19 us through lonely times. Am I right, George?” 20 “So right, so true.” 21 “Remi,” Leo said, thinking of his new friend and 22 wondering what he must be going through. His mom 23 didn’t have a job and his dad was a no-show. They might 24 not even be able to pay the rent. S25 R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 237237 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:119:30:11 AMAM MASTER 1 “You have the silver key card now, Leo, and that 2 means you can open any door. Not just the doors in this 3 hotel, but all the doors you’re going to find for the rest 4 of your life.” 5 Leo held the silver key card in his hand. 6 “Will you be here to help me?” he asked. “It’s an 7 awful lot to look after.” 8 “You’ll see me, once in a while. And George, too. 9 Don’t forget — you’ve got lots of help if you know 10 where to look.” 11 Leo had some thoughts about that, and suddenly he 12 couldn’t wait to get cracking on all the problems plagu- 13 ing the hotel. 14 “There’s a lot to fix around here,” said Leo. 15 “Speaking of which, we have some business to 16 attend to.” 17 Merganzer got to his feet and pulled a whistle out of 18 his pocket, blowing it twice. 19 “What sort of business?” asked Leo, running up 20 behind him. 21 “House cleaning.” 22 Leo felt a tingle in his toes at the idea of what 23 Merganzer D. Whippet might be talking about. 24 25S 26R

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 238238 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:119:30:11 AMAM MASTER 1 2 3 4 C HAPTER S IXTEEN 5 A LL IS REVEALED 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 If there was one thing Leo could say for sure about 13 Merganzer D. Whippet, it was this: The guy knew how 14 to make an entrance. It began all the way up on the 15 seventh floor, where he donned his long gray coat, hat, 16 and glasses. He knocked on all the guests’ doors, and 17 each time he turned away and flipped the collar up on 18 the coat so that his face could not be seen. 19 “Is it time already?” one of the guests said. “I trust 20 every thing went as planned?” 21 “Yes, everything, exactly as we planned it,” 22 said George, who the guest knew only as Milton, 23 Bernard Frescobaldi’s driver. “Meet us in the lobby, 24 won’t you?” S25 R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 239239 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:119:30:11 AMAM MASTER 1 “I look forward to concluding our business, Mr. 2 Frescobaldi,” said the guest, but Bernard was already 3 gone, down the stairs until he had summoned every 4 single guest to the lobby. He had sent Leo ahead to find 5 his father, and the two maintenance men waited at the 6 bottom of the wide staircase as Merganzer D. Whippet, 7 fully disguised as Bernard Frescobaldi, strode down the 8 steps. 9 Ms. Sparks saw him first. 10 “Who on earth is that?” she said, one eye on the mys- 11 terious man in the long gray coat and one on the front 12 door. She seemed to be pondering whether or not to 13 run, though it was hard to say why. There was some- 14 thing about this man she recognized. 15 Merganzer reached the bottom of the stairs as the 16 guests started arriving, some by the main elevator, some 17 by the stairs, all of them curious. 18 “I’ll have you know that mornings are my best 19 writing hours,” said Theodore Bump. “You may have 20 just cost me five thousand words. This better be 21 important.” 22 Captain Rickenbacker was not a morning person, 23 and he arrived with his red cape tucked into his trou- 24 sers. “Has anyone made coffee?” was all he said. 25S The Yanceys huddled together in their matching 26R black silk pajamas, completely confused.

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 240240 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:119:30:11 AMAM MASTER LillyAnn Pompadore set Hiney on the floor, where 1 he promptly peed. 2 “Pilar!” Ms. Sparks yelled, and it was only after she 3 heard her own voice that she remembered she’d fired 4 the maid the night before. She looked around the room 5 and her eyes landed on Leo. “You, clean that up.” 6 “Yes, ma’am,” said Leo, who always carried a can 7 of carpet-cleaning foam and rags in his tool bag, just 8 in case. 9 “Is someone going to tell us why we’re here?” asked 10 Mr. Yancey. “If not, I believe I’ll go back to my room. 11 I’d like to make sure nothing gets stolen.” 12 It was a jab Leo didn’t like to hear, especially from a 13 paying customer at the hotel he now owned. 14 Merganzer had remained quiet, seated in the dark- 15 est corner of the lobby, but now he snapped his 16 fingers. His best friend in all the world came down the 17 stairs. 18 “George Powell?” said Ms. Sparks. “What are you 19 doing here?” 20 Ms. Sparks was alarmed, because Mr. Powell never 21 came to the hotel. She’d only ever seen him in his pri- 22 vate legal office seven blocks away, and even then very 23 rarely. 24 “Who’s George Powell? You mean him?” asked S25 LillyAnn Pompadore, pointing at the short man arriving R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 241241 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:119:30:11 AMAM MASTER 1 at the bottom of the stairs. “That’s Milton, not 2 George.” 3 Ms. Sparks smelled a rat, looking at the door 4 once more, and came out from behind the check-in 5 counter. 6 “What’s the meaning of this, George?” Ms. Sparks 7 demanded. 8 “I believe I’ll let him tell you,” George said, pointing 9 to Merganzer. When he did, Merganzer threw off the 10 disguise and everyone gasped, for they all knew who it 11 was in an instant. 12 “My apologies for gathering you all so early, but I’m 13 afraid it was unavoidable,” Merganzer began without 14 the slightest hesitation. Ms. Sparks was utterly speech- 15 less as George Powell unlocked the hotel door and Mr. 16 Phipps came in, back to looking every bit the gardener. 17 “I’m only here for a moment and then I must go, 18 this time for good,” said Merganzer. “Just a few loose 19 ends to tie up, then I’m off.” 20 “But you’re not Mr. Whippet,” said LillyAnn 21 Pompadore. “You’re Bernard Frescobaldi. And he’s 22 Milton, your driver.” 23 “I’m afraid not,” said Merganzer, looking at all the 24 long-term guests. He walked over to Theodore Bump, 25S who had been with the hotel for two years running. As 26R Bernard Frescobaldi, Merganzer had called Mr. Bump

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 242242 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:119:30:11 AMAM MASTER on several occasions, offering money for causing chaos 1 at the hotel. Each time, Theodore Bump had refused. 2 “Keep writing those books,” said Merganzer. “I’m a 3 very fast reader, you know. I do hope you’ll stay on after 4 I’m gone.” 5 “Keep Blop out of my room, and you’ve got 6 a deal.” 7 Merganzer glanced at Leo, who nodded. 8 “Done,” said Mr. Whippet. 9 Leo had finished cleaning up after Hiney by then, 10 and stood next to his dad, wondering where this was 11 going. 12 “And you,” said Merganzer, stopping in front of 13 Captain Rickenbacker. “What will the Whippet do if 14 you don’t protect us from MR. M., hmmm?” 15 Bernard had called Captain Rickenbacker to the 16 gate on two occasions, asking for dastardly favors, but 17 Captain Rickenbacker had never wavered. 18 “You can count on me,” said Captain Rickenbacker, 19 saluting Merganzer enthusiastically. 20 Merganzer bent down and picked up Hiney. 21 LillyAnn Pompadore had been inching her way 22 toward the door, but when Merganzer picked up her 23 dog, she stopped. 24 “Give me my dog and I’ll be on my way,” she said. S25 “Ms. Pompadore, you were all too willing.” R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 243243 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:119:30:11 AMAM MASTER 1 “My husband has a lot of money, more than you, I’m 2 sure!” she fired back. “He might just buy this hotel right 3 out from under you!” 4 Merganzer handed Ms. Pompadore her dog. She 5 held it close and looked as if she might start crying. 6 “Then why did you do it, Ms. Pompadore? Why did 7 you agree to sabotage the hotel?” 8 “Because you said — Bernard said — it would 9 drive down the price. You said we could own it 10 together!” 11 “But LillyAnn,” said Merganzer, far too kindly for 12 someone who had totally betrayed him, “you just said 13 you could buy it out from under me.” 14 “No, that’s not true. I said my husband could buy 15 it,” said LillyAnn, and then she began to cry, holding 16 Hiney close to her chest. “My ex-husband, if you want 17 the truth.” 18 But Merganzer already knew about that. It was why 19 he knew LillyAnn might betray him, but he also knew 20 the real reason why, and this softened his heart. 21 “Where will I go?” asked LillyAnn. “The Whippet is 22 the only home I’ve got, and I’m all out of money. It’s 23 just me and Hiney now.” 24 “You love the Whippet, don’t you, LillyAnn?” asked 25S Merganzer. 26R “I do, and I’m sorry. I’m very, very sorry.”

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 244244 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:119:30:11 AMAM MASTER Captain Rickenbacker put an arm around LillyAnn 1 and patted her gently. He pet the dog, because the two 2 of them were close friends. 3 “I could use Hiney,” said Captain Rickenbacker. 4 “He’s a good sniffer.” 5 “And I see a marvelous story here,” said Theodore 6 Bump. “It could be my biggest seller yet, but I’ll need 7 to interview the young lady.” 8 LillyAnn Pompadore brightened at the sound of the 9 word young and stepped a little closer to Mr. Bump. 10 She looked at Merganzer as if he held her whole life on 11 a delicate string. 12 Merganzer glanced once more at Leo, who nodded 13 very slightly. 14 “Of course you can stay,” said Merganzer D. 15 Whippet. “But you’ll have to do some work around 16 here. No one gets by for free.” 17 LillyAnn beamed, but it was the last straw for Ms. 18 Sparks, who had watched the proceedings with increas- 19 ing discomfort. 20 “You must evict her, Mr. Whippet. She can’t be 21 trusted!” she yelled. “None of this lot can be trusted! 22 This hotel has become a den of liars, scoundrels, and 23 reckless, rude children. I will not stand for it!” 24 Merganzer was a gentle soul, but every now and S25 then, when duty called, he could be a lion. He walked R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 245245 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:129:30:12 AMAM MASTER 1 up to Ms. Sparks, looking down his long, elegant nose as 2 she leaned away from him. He stood so close, the bee- 3 hive pointed toward the wall behind her. 4 And then he spoke. 5 “I don’t want to alarm the guests, but you, Ms. 6 Sparks, are fired.” 7 “You can’t fire me! I’m the hotel manager!” she 8 shouted. Merganzer snuck his hand into her jacket 9 pocket and pulled the long diamond necklace out 10 slowly. 11 “My necklace!” said Nancy Yancey, snatching it away 12 from Merganzer almost before he could get it all the 13 way out into the open. 14 Everyone gasped at once, even Mr. Phipps, who was 15 nearly unflappable. 16 “Mr. Fillmore, would you please escort Ms. Sparks 17 out of the hotel,” asked Merganzer. Clarence Fillmore 18 was the biggest man in the room by a country mile, 19 and before Ms. Sparks knew it, he was standing at 20 her side. 21 “You can’t fire me! You can’t!” cried Ms. Sparks. 22 “Actually, you’re right about that,” said Merganzer. 23 “I can’t fire you.” 24 Ms. Sparks looked momentarily triumphant, hold- 25S ing her head high. She might prevail over this weakling 26R after all.

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 246246 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:129:30:12 AMAM MASTER “Leo, have you the key card and the deed?” asked 1 Merganzer. 2 Leo came to the middle of the room and pulled out 3 the rarest of the Whippet key cards — and Ms. Sparks 4 nearly fell over backward. Mr. Fillmore knew about the 5 card, too. They all did, and none of them could believe 6 Leo was holding it. 7 “But how . . . ?” Ms. Sparks stammered. 8 “You are all witnesses here, each and every one of 9 you,” said Merganzer D. Whippet. “I hereby sell the 10 Whippet Hotel and everything in it to Leo Fillmore for 11 the price of . . .” He glanced back and forth around the 12 room until he saw the thing Leo held in his hand. “I sell 13 the Whippet Hotel and everything in it to Leo Fillmore 14 for the price of one bottle of carpet cleaner!” 15 It was all theatrics, but Leo handed Merganzer the 16 bottle of carpet cleaner, which was then handed to 17 George Powell for safekeeping. Leo held up the deed 18 for everyone to see, and then he looked up at Ms. 19 Sparks. 20 “You’re fired,” he said. 21 Ms. Sparks started taking things off the check-in 22 desk, anything she could put her hands on — the 23 appointment book, the pens, pads of paper. Mr. Fillmore 24 took them all back, one by one, and ushered her to S25 the door. Leo smiled from ear to ear. Could it get any R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 247247 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:129:30:12 AMAM MASTER 1 better? He didn’t think so as Ms. Sparks screamed on 2 her way out. 3 “This won’t be the last you see of me, Leo Fillmore!” 4 Merganzer D. Whippet looked at George. “How did 5 I ever manage to hire that woman to begin with?” 6 “You see the best in people,” said George. “But I’ll 7 admit, you have to look awfully hard to find anything 8 good in that one. She can be quite deceptive.” 9 Merganzer leaned in close to Leo and gave him a 10 piece of advice. 11 “Know thy enemy.” 12 Leo nodded, because he understood. Ms. Sparks 13 would do almost anything to gain back control of the 14 Whippet. Maybe it wasn’t really the last time he would 15 see her. 16 A stillness invaded the lobby, and Merganzer ush- 17 ered everyone into the Puzzle Room, where he had one 18 more surprise before his departure. 19 “This one is for you, Mr. Phipps. And you, Captain 20 Rickenbacker.” 21 He took a black key card out of his pocket, swiped the 22 surface back and forth and back again with his elegantly 23 long finger, and the puzzle pieces began rising into the air. 24 All eight hundred thousand of them. It was like a puzzle 25S snowstorm over the long table, and everyone laughed. 26R “How?” asked Mr. Phipps.

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 248248 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:129:30:12 AMAM MASTER “I could tell you how each piece has its own mag- 1 net,” said Merganzer. “And I could tell you about the 2 complex system of magnets in the table and throughout 3 the room. But let’s just say it’s a bit of magic, shall we?” 4 “Works for me,” said Captain Rickenbacker. 5 Merganzer swiped the black key card again and 6 pieces started to fall into place. The room filled with 7 the sound of snapping as thousands of puzzle pieces 8 locked into place. Leo thought it was the most spec- 9 tacular thing he’d ever seen. 10 When it was done, there were Betty and the other 11 ducks, all six of them waddling toward a bright green 12 pond. There were trees and a blue sky, the grounds with 13 its carved hedge, and the Whippet Hotel right in the 14 middle of it all. 15 “Not bad,” said Leo. “Not bad at all.” 16 It had been the most magical of mornings, but Leo 17 still had a certain emptiness inside that he could not 18 shake. He tapped George on the shoulder, hoping for 19 one last favor. 20 “I wonder if you might play the part of Milton one last 21 time,” asked Leo. “There’s someone I need to go find.” 22 “I was hoping you might ask,” said George. He 23 donned his driving cap and bowed to the new owner of 24 the Whippet Hotel. “After you, sir.” S25 And they were off. R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 249249 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:129:30:12 AMAM MASTER 1 2 3 4 5 C HAPTER S EVENTEEN 6 G OOD- BYE, FOR NOW 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Leo stood in front of a door that reminded him of 14 how thankful he was to be living at the Whippet Hotel. 15 The building in which the door found its home was 16 not cared for the way a building should be. Leo had 17 spied hundreds of things he would have liked to have 18 fixed on the way up, and he was sure there were thou- 19 sands more. 20 “If I owned this building, it would be in much better 21 shape,” said Leo. 22 “That’s the spirit,” said George. “Maybe you will 23 own it one day.” 24 Leo looked across at his companion and wondered 25S how that would be possible. 26R

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 250250 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:129:30:12 AMAM MASTER “Better knock; times a-wasting,” George encour- 1 aged. And so Leo did knock, softly at first, and then 2 louder because he was so excited. 3 When Pilar saw him, her eyes brightened. 4 “Leo! How did you . . . ?” She seemed to let the 5 question go as it trailed off, suddenly happy for her son. 6 “Remilio is going to be so happy to see you. The hotel is 7 all he talks about.” 8 Pilar let them in and Leo’s heart sank a little. She 9 had done her best to fix up the one-bedroom apart- 10 ment, but there’s only so much a mom could do with 11 cracked windows, ancient appliances, and holes in the 12 walls. 13 “You’ve really fixed it up nicely,” said George, hold- 14 ing out his hand. “I’m George Powell. I work for Mr. 15 Whippet.” 16 “Oh,” said Pilar, not sure what to make of the small 17 man before her. “Are you here about the necklace?” 18 “No, no, no,” said George, feeling terrible for having 19 worried her so. “That mystery has been solved, and it 20 has nothing to do with you. We came for a different 21 reason.” 22 Remi was in the postage-stamp-size kitchen, slurp- 23 ing down a bowl of cereal, when they came around 24 the corner. S25 R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 251251 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:129:30:12 AMAM MASTER 1 “Hi, Remi,” said Leo. Remi was so excited to hear 2 Leo’s voice, he flipped around in his seat and knocked 3 the cereal bowl over. But he didn’t care. None of them 4 did, because Leo didn’t waste any time spilling the good 5 news. He told them about Merganzer’s return, Ms. 6 Pompadore, and Ms. Sparks. 7 “I knew she set us up!” said Remi, so excited that he 8 hugged his mother right there in front of everyone. 9 When Leo told them he’d inherited the Whippet Hotel, 10 Remi flipped on an old kitchen radio set to a Spanish 11 station, got up on the kitchen table, and started 12 dancing. 13 “He does that sometimes,” said Pilar, equally excited 14 but less showy. 15 “Why am I not surprised?” asked Leo, and then he 16 asked Pilar a very important question. 17 “Pilar, will you please come work for me?” He was 18 hiring his first employee, and it felt good. “And live at 19 the Whippet Hotel, too? You can have Ms. Sparks’s 20 old room.” 21 Pilar started to breathe funny. 22 “Stand back,” said Remi, still dancing, only even 23 more excitedly now. “She’s going to lose it!” 24 Pilar started to cry, then she started to dance, her 25S hands over her head. Pretty soon they were all dancing, 26R

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 252252 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:129:30:12 AMAM MASTER even George Powell, who was not known for letting his 1 emotions get away from him. 2 In the end, they decided to leave everything behind, 3 get in the black town car, and leave the old apartment 4 without looking back. Leo promised to send a moving 5 company to get each and every last thing so they could 6 decorate Ms. Sparks’s old room and make it their own. 7 Pilar sat in the front seat with George, talking 8 about her plans to make the maid ser vice more effi- 9 cient. George was immediately impressed with Leo’s 10 first hire. 11 Leo and Remi were in the backseat, whispering to 12 each other. 13 “Is there a thirteenth floor, like you thought?” 14 asked Remi. 15 “There is. I’ll show it to you.” 16 “So that’s where you’ll stay, then, you and your dad, 17 on thirteen?” 18 Leo had thought a lot about this. “No, it’s not that 19 kind of room. It’s all the secret rooms at once, and a 20 library, too.” 21 “You like libraries,” said Remi. “I’m happy for you. 22 But where will you stay?” 23 “We maintenance men like it in the basement, where 24 we can see all the action,” said Leo, and it was true. For S25 R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 253253 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:129:30:12 AMAM MASTER 1 Leo, the basement was the heart of the Whippet. It was 2 where he and his dad belonged. 3 “Thanks, Leo. For everything. You’re the best friend 4 I’ve ever had.” 5 Leo pulled out the silver key card and showed it 6 to Remi. 7 “Ditto everything you just said, times ten.” 8 9 Merganzer was making his final tour through the lobby 10 level of the hotel when he met Remi for the first time. 11 He took a good look at the boy, tapping him once on each 12 shoulder, and declared him the Whippet Hotel’s tempo- 13 rary doorman, until school started again in September. 14 “You’ll need someone to help you pass the time,” 15 said Merganzer. “I know how boring it can get now 16 and then.” 17 Merganzer had changed into a more appropriate iri- 18 descent green jacket that was two sizes too large. He 19 put his hand inside one of the great pockets, milling 20 around as many objects clanged together, and pulled 21 out a little robot. 22 “This should do,” said Merganzer, holding it out 23 to Remi. 24 “Blop! I thought I’d never see you again!” 25S “Take good care of him for me, won’t you?” asked 26R Merganzer, a wisp of a tear in his eye. He was coming

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 254254 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:129:30:12 AMAM MASTER near the end, and it was proving harder than he’d 1 thought it would be to say good-bye. 2 “Of course I will. And I’ll take care of Leo, too. 3 Don’t you worry about a thing.” 4 That was it, then, the tears were falling, and 5 Merganzer turned for the Double Helix and one last 6 meeting with the new owner of his hotel. Leo was wait- 7 ing for him there, as he expected, holding the small 8 orange door open. 9 “One last time, just for fun?” asked Leo. 10 “One last time, just for fun.” 11 Two people never laughed and screamed so loudly as 12 Leo and Merganzer D. Whippet on the way up to the 13 roof. It was too short, of course, but neither of them 14 would forget it. The ride was always best when it was 15 the two of them together. 16 “I think Betty will need to stay with the eggs,” said 17 Merganzer as they peeked around the tree and saw her 18 nesting. “Shall we take the others on their walk?” 19 “Yes, sir,” said Leo. “And don’t you worry about a 20 thing. Betty is very responsible. She’ll be a good mom.” 21 “I believe you’re right,” said Merganzer, but it was 22 still hard for him to leave without seeing the duck- 23 lings hatch. 24 Mr. Whippet smiled at Leo, thinking once again S25 what a good choice he’d made. They hailed the duck R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 255255 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:139:30:13 AMAM MASTER 1 elevator and shooed all the ducks but Betty inside, then 2 crammed in with them. It was a very tight fit, espe- 3 cially for Merganzer, whose knees touched the ceiling 4 of the elevator. All the ducks stared up at Merganzer 5 inquisitively. 6 “My, but I love a good duck. They will be missed.” 7 “If you keep talking like that, I’m going to think 8 you’re never coming back,” said Leo. If he was hoping 9 for some reassurance, he got none. 10 “I like Remi and his mom. George does, too,” said 11 Merganzer. “Take good care of them, will you?” 12 “Of course I will.” 13 When they reached the lobby, Merganzer took his 14 walking stick and hat and ushered the ducks out of the 15 elevator. They waddled in a perfect line past Remi and 16 Blop, and the robot began talking about webbed feet 17 and ducks’ bills. 18 “I’m going to miss our conversations,” Merganzer 19 said as he passed by, and Blop turned at the sound of his 20 voice, as if somehow he knew it would be the last time 21 he’d hear it. 22 Into the garden they went: the ducks, Mr. Whippet, 23 and Leo Fillmore. Merganzer took the black card out of 24 his pocket, the one that had sent puzzle pieces flying. 25S “If you want to reset the puzzle, click here, here, 26R and then here. It’s double-sided.”

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 256256 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:139:30:13 AMAM MASTER “You mean there are two sides to the puzzle?” 1 “Oh yes, of course there are. It’s quite a secret, the 2 other side. I don’t suggest you see it for a while. You’ll 3 know when the time is right.” 4 They made a wide loop on the soft trails, drinking in 5 the rolling hills of green grass. When they came to the 6 pond, they saw Leo’s dad and Pilar, talking quietly. 7 “I wonder where that will go, and how you will feel 8 about it,” asked Merganzer. 9 “I don’t know and I don’t know,” said Leo, “but I 10 think it’s going to be okay.” 11 “You’re right; it’s unwise to meddle in such things. 12 Let nature take its course and all that.” 13 “By the way,” said Leo, thinking back on the adven- 14 ture he’d had. “Where did you find my mother’s ring?” 15 Merganzer laughed quietly. “You remember last 16 year, the trip you took?” 17 How could Leo forget? Yankees versus Red Sox, 18 three game stand, Fenway Park. 19 “Your father wouldn’t take an extra penny unless he 20 worked for it, but those Fenway tickets . . .” Merganzer 21 whistled through his teeth. “Expensive. And the train, 22 the hotel, the hot dogs . . .” 23 “He sold you the ring?” 24 “Oh no, not sold. Just collateral. There was no use S25 trying to talk him out of it.” R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 257257 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:139:30:13 AMAM MASTER 1 Leo remembered the extra Saturdays his dad had 2 been working ever since, all so they could take some 3 time off and watch baseball together. 4 They walked farther still, toward the great black 5 gate, and passed by Mr. Phipps, trimming the green 6 bushes into new and interesting shapes. 7 “Could I request an elephant sometime?” asked Leo. 8 “Remi likes them.” 9 “Consider it done,” said Mr. Phipps. He smiled, the 10 old black freckles on his dark skin crumpling up against 11 his eyes. “And you, sir, what will it be?” 12 Merganzer gazed over the grounds and found, at 13 least for today, that it was just as it should be. 14 “I think that one, there on the end, would make a 15 good elephant. When the time is right.” 16 “As you wish, Mr. Whippet.” 17 “Keep Captain Rickenbacker occupied, will you?” 18 Mr. Phipps held up his finger and wrote a check 19 mark in the air, smiling wistfully. 20 Somehow, without Leo really paying attention to 21 how it had happened, they arrived at the gate to the 22 hotel. It opened, slowly, and the black town car pulled 23 up. George Powell rolled down the window. 24 “It’s time for us to go,” he said, as if they 25S were late for something they’d been waiting all their 26R lives to do.

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 258258 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:139:30:13 AMAM MASTER Merganzer D. Whippet took in a deep breath and 1 looked back at his hotel. Then he handed Leo the walk- 2 ing stick and took off his iridescent green jacket. 3 “It’s ten sizes to big,” said Leo, swimming in the 4 jacket as Merganzer draped it over his small shoulders. 5 “I have a good feeling you’ll grow into it.” 6 The ducks started to wander off toward the hotel, 7 and Leo tapped the walking stick on the path. 8 When he turned back to the gate, the car was pull- 9 ing away. 10 “If you need me,” Merganzer yelled from the back- 11 seat, “search the field of wacky inventions!” 12 The car pulled away and the gate closed. Leo 13 scratched his head, because he had no idea where the 14 field of wacky inventions was. But he felt better, know- 15 ing he could search for his old friend if he needed him, 16 which he was sure he would. He was ten and he owned 17 a hotel. Not just any hotel, the Whippet, the strangest 18 hotel in the world. 19 There would be challenges, lots of them. 20 Things would break. 21 Ms. Sparks might try to come back. 22 Someone else would probably try to buy the hotel 23 in order to build a skyscraper on the land. 24 But Leo had his dad and a peaceful memory of his S25 mother. There would be Pilar and Mr. Phipps, Captain R26

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997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd7569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd 259259 1st Pass112/21/102/21/1 0Pages 9:30:139:30:13 AMAM MASTER 1 Rickenbacker, Theodore Bump, LillyAnne Pompadore, 2 and Betty. And there would be Remi. Leo wouldn’t be 3 doing this alone. He’d have plenty of help. 4 Looking up at the Whippet Hotel, he decided what 5 he would do first. 6 He would take his dad, Pilar, Mr. Phipps, and 7 Remi to the roof. And there, in the light of the morning 8 sun, they would wave good-bye to Merganzer D. 9 Whippet. 10 A duck quacked off in the distance and Leo took 11 chase, the Whippet Hotel rising to meet him, larger 12 and closer, as Merganzer’s green jacket trailed on the 13 grass. 14 15 “Do you think he’ll be all right?” asked Merganzer. He, 16 too, was looking at the Whippet Hotel. It was getting 17 smaller and smaller as they went. 18 “I do,” said George. “I do indeed.” 19 “Maybe I should have mentioned the other floors.” 20 “I think he probably knows enough for now.” 21 Merganzer nodded and a wide smile filled his face. 22 “He’s a good boy.” 23 “They both are,” George agreed. 24 The Whippet Hotel was almost out of sight, and 25S Merganzer began to feel free. He put his head out the 26R window and let his wild hair blow in the wind.

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1st997569_01_001-262_r0nj.indd756 9_Pass01_001-262 _Pagesr0nj.indd 260260 112/21/102/21/10 9:30:139:30:13 AMAM MASTER “A good day to be outside with the rabbits,” he 1 yelled. 2 “Indeed it is,” said George. 3 They drove on, out of the city. 4 And the Whippet Hotel disappeared from view. 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 S25 R26

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