stood in the doorway and shrugged. “Maybe.”
“If it isn’t safe we’ve got a right to know,” said Veek. “What if there’s a bunch of toxic chemicals in there? Or what if half the foundation’s crumbled and they just don’t want us to see because then they’d have to replace it.”
“Or maybe it’s something spooky and mysterious, right?” Xela grinned at them.
“ Either way,” said Nate, “wouldn’t it be cool to know for sure?”
She stuffed an armful of mixed clothes into one of the washers. “Did you think about making a hole? They’re just wooden doors, right?”
“I think Oskar might notice if we started drilling holes down here,” said Veek.
Another armful of clothes went into the machine, followed by the pillowcase they’d been in. “Did you look for one?”
“What?”
“Did you look for a hole?” Xela shrugged and fished some coins out of her shorts. “It’s an old building. There must be a hole somewhere from old pipes or a brick that fell out or something.”
Nate and Veek exchanged looks and slipped back down the hall.
“Nothing,” Veek muttered.
“The boiler room,” said Nate. He stepped back to the doorway and compared the brick wall behind the boilers to the one at the end of the hall. “It looks like they line up. And the wall doesn’t look like it’s gotten as much love in here.”
He squeezed into the room. There wasn’t much space between the thigh-high water heaters. There also wasn’t much light. “Okay,” he said. “I’m going to go get a flashlight.”
“Hang on,” said Veek. Her phone came out, she tapped the screen, and it glared white. She swept it back and forth between the squat tanks.
A handful of green shapes fled from the stark light. The roaches vanished between the heaters. Veek yelped and took a step back.
Xela leaned out of the laundry room. “You okay?”
“I have a bug thing,” said Veek.
The blue-haired woman stepped into the room after Nate. He leaned over one of the heaters and Veek panned the light across the wall. Xela followed the beam with her eyes. Veek tried to watch from the door.
Nate shifted his leg between two of the heaters and leaned deeper in. There was no room to move between them. He found himself wondering how the maintenance crew got them out if they needed to replace one.
“Wait,” said Xela. “Sweep it back the other way. Closer to the corner and down.”
Veek angled the phone’s light as best she could. They all craned their necks to look.
At the base of the farthest tank was a hole in the wall, just visible between two heaters. Red chips and dust were scattered on the floor where a brick had been shattered. Some of the mortar had come away, too. One of the emerald roaches dashed through the hole and was gone.
“Good eye,” said Veek. “How’d you spot that?”
“I didn’t,” Xela admitted. “I just saw the pieces of brick and thought we might get lucky.”
“Only thing is,” said Nate, “I don’t know how we’re going to look through.” He peered down at the rectangular hole and glanced back at Veek. “I could lower you over the heaters,” he said. “You could lean down and—”
“Nope.” She shook her head. “Bug thing, remember? I’m not putting my hair down with the cockroaches. I’ll never sleep again.”
He looked at Xela. “You up for taking a look?”
She smiled and gestured at Veek’s phone. “Just use the camera. If you can reach the hole you can take a picture through it.”
Veek shook her head. “Does your phone have a flash? It’s a dark room on the other side of the wall.”
“How do you know?”
“There’s no light coming through the hole.”
“I couldn’t reach it, anyway,” said Nate. “Not without crawling over two or three heaters and standing on my head. Maybe if I lay across them and reach down...” He shrugged, “It’s a two-person job, to be safe. And quiet.”
Xela twisted her lip, then smiled. “Wait here.” She dashed
“If it isn’t safe we’ve got a right to know,” said Veek. “What if there’s a bunch of toxic chemicals in there? Or what if half the foundation’s crumbled and they just don’t want us to see because then they’d have to replace it.”
“Or maybe it’s something spooky and mysterious, right?” Xela grinned at them.
“ Either way,” said Nate, “wouldn’t it be cool to know for sure?”
She stuffed an armful of mixed clothes into one of the washers. “Did you think about making a hole? They’re just wooden doors, right?”
“I think Oskar might notice if we started drilling holes down here,” said Veek.
Another armful of clothes went into the machine, followed by the pillowcase they’d been in. “Did you look for one?”
“What?”
“Did you look for a hole?” Xela shrugged and fished some coins out of her shorts. “It’s an old building. There must be a hole somewhere from old pipes or a brick that fell out or something.”
Nate and Veek exchanged looks and slipped back down the hall.
“Nothing,” Veek muttered.
“The boiler room,” said Nate. He stepped back to the doorway and compared the brick wall behind the boilers to the one at the end of the hall. “It looks like they line up. And the wall doesn’t look like it’s gotten as much love in here.”
He squeezed into the room. There wasn’t much space between the thigh-high water heaters. There also wasn’t much light. “Okay,” he said. “I’m going to go get a flashlight.”
“Hang on,” said Veek. Her phone came out, she tapped the screen, and it glared white. She swept it back and forth between the squat tanks.
A handful of green shapes fled from the stark light. The roaches vanished between the heaters. Veek yelped and took a step back.
Xela leaned out of the laundry room. “You okay?”
“I have a bug thing,” said Veek.
The blue-haired woman stepped into the room after Nate. He leaned over one of the heaters and Veek panned the light across the wall. Xela followed the beam with her eyes. Veek tried to watch from the door.
Nate shifted his leg between two of the heaters and leaned deeper in. There was no room to move between them. He found himself wondering how the maintenance crew got them out if they needed to replace one.
“Wait,” said Xela. “Sweep it back the other way. Closer to the corner and down.”
Veek angled the phone’s light as best she could. They all craned their necks to look.
At the base of the farthest tank was a hole in the wall, just visible between two heaters. Red chips and dust were scattered on the floor where a brick had been shattered. Some of the mortar had come away, too. One of the emerald roaches dashed through the hole and was gone.
“Good eye,” said Veek. “How’d you spot that?”
“I didn’t,” Xela admitted. “I just saw the pieces of brick and thought we might get lucky.”
“Only thing is,” said Nate, “I don’t know how we’re going to look through.” He peered down at the rectangular hole and glanced back at Veek. “I could lower you over the heaters,” he said. “You could lean down and—”
“Nope.” She shook her head. “Bug thing, remember? I’m not putting my hair down with the cockroaches. I’ll never sleep again.”
He looked at Xela. “You up for taking a look?”
She smiled and gestured at Veek’s phone. “Just use the camera. If you can reach the hole you can take a picture through it.”
Veek shook her head. “Does your phone have a flash? It’s a dark room on the other side of the wall.”
“How do you know?”
“There’s no light coming through the hole.”
“I couldn’t reach it, anyway,” said Nate. “Not without crawling over two or three heaters and standing on my head. Maybe if I lay across them and reach down...” He shrugged, “It’s a two-person job, to be safe. And quiet.”
Xela twisted her lip, then smiled. “Wait here.” She dashed
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