Case File 13 #2 by J. Scott Savage Page A

minutes of frantic looking. “I think I dropped my phone in the school. And it’s got my name and address in it.”
    Dana checked her watch. “Whatever we’re going to do, we have to decide quickly. The train will be here in a few minutes and my parents will ground me if I’m not home by ten.”
    Carter pointed to a pay phone. “We can make an anonymous call. Just say we saw some kid yelling for help at Sumina Prep. The police will check it out, discover what they’re up to there, and rescue Frankenstein.”
    Nick nodded. That did sound like the best idea. “Who’s going to make the call?”
    â€œI will,” Angie said. She went to the phone, picked up the receiver, and dialed 911 while the other kids crowded around her. “Hello?” she said, sounding breathless and panicked. “I just saw a boy screaming for help outside Sumina Preparatory Academy. I think he might have been kidnapped.” She gave a little sob that sounded completely believable.
    And why not? They’d just seen something so terrifying, Nick was still trying to convince himself it couldn’t have been real.
    â€œMy name?” Angie said into the phone. Angelo shook his head. “Kimber Tidwell. The boy who was screaming is Cody Gills, he goes to my school.”
    Carter chuckled. Kimber Tidwell was the most popular girl at their school and the only kid who cared more about fashion than Tiffany.
    â€œKimber Tidwell,” Angie repeated. “T-I-D-W-E-L-L. My address? Why do you need to know my address? This happened at Sumina Prep.” Overhead, the tracks began to rumble and the light of a train could be seen in the distance. Dana tugged Angie’s jacket and pointed to her watch.
    â€œI have to go,” Angie said. “But please check on him right away. I think he’s in danger. There’s some weird stuff going on at that school. No. I’m sorry. I can’t stay on the line.”
    â€œLet’s go,” Dana yelled as soon as Angie hung up the phone. The six of them raced up the stairs with Angelo clinging to Nick’s shoulder for guidance. They reached the platform just in time to get onto the train before the doors closed.
    â€œAre you sure it was a good idea to give them a real name?” Nick panted, dropping into his seat.
    Angie took the seat across from him. “They wouldn’t have taken me seriously if I didn’t. And if Cody does end up missing, at least they’ll know what school he goes to when they look up his name and Kimber’s.”
    Nick pulled his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around his legs. Everything about this night had gone wrong. And even though Cody had beaten him up in the past more times than he could count, and was a total pain in the rear now, he couldn’t help feeling like a coward for not going after him.
    â€œIt’s going to be okay,” Angelo said, patting him on the shoulder. “I’ll bet Cody shows up tomorrow, making us promise to never do anything like that again.”
    But Cody wasn’t at school the next day. Nick came up with several excuses to go to his classroom and every time he saw Cody’s empty desk he felt more and more ill. At lunch the six of them went to the school’s computer lab and searched for any news about Cody or Sumina Prep. But the only stories that came up for Sumina were about the game. There was no mention of Cody at all.
    â€œMaybe he stayed home sick,” Carter suggested as the six of them sat on the edge of the playground eating their lunches. “I know I had a pretty bad night.”
    â€œIt doesn’t seem to have affected your appetite,” Angie said.
    Carter screwed up his face, then stared longingly at Nick’s orange cupcake. Nick ignored him. “I’m going to Cody’s house after school to check on him.”
    â€œTechnically, that might not be the best option,” said Angelo, who was