Walls within Walls by Maureen Sherry Page A

notebook spread before her on the floor.
    â€œHomework?” he asked.
    â€œNot yet. But we have to get this mystery solved before it piles on. I couldn’t concentrate in school, because the treasure was all I could think about. Girls were asking me for playdates today! Playdates! I’m nine years old. Anyway, I told them I have an after-school job.”
    â€œWhat?” said CJ. “A job? Who would be hiring a nine-year-old?”
    â€œI told them I worked for a detective agency.”
    â€œBrid, they’re going to go home and tell their mothers, and you’re going to look like a big fat liar.”
    â€œBy the time they’re brave enough to ask, we’ll have solved this mystery, and then it won’t be a lie, right?”
    â€œBrid, there’s something I have to tell you,” CJ said.
    â€œWhat? Are you running away from home? If you are, take me with you!”
    â€œWhat? No! Do I seem that miserable?”
    â€œWell, yes. When you disappeared on Friday, I thought for sure that you’d decided to move back to Brooklyn. I’m so glad you aren’t leaving us.”
    â€œBrid, that’s idiotic. I have no money and nowhere else to live. And don’t you think I like my family?”
    â€œWell, it seems like you’re always mad at us, and Mom and Dad don’t really talk to us anymore, so I wouldn’t blame you.”
    â€œI’m not going anywhere,” said CJ.
    â€œThen what do you have to tell me?”
    â€œOn Friday while you were up in the apartment with Pat, I went back to the storage space, remember.”
    â€œYeah, when I was taking care of Pat.”
    â€œExactly. Don’t interrupt me.” He took a deep breath and told Brid about the night elevator man who didn’t seem to like CJ poking around. He told her about the wall seam and the keyhole. “But that’s not all,” he said.
    â€œIt’s not?”
    â€œBrid, Eloise Post is not only alive, but she still lives here.”
    â€œLiving in our apartment? Is she a ghost?” Brid’s voice was as soft as a whisper.
    â€œNo, not a ghost. She lives in the apartment just below us. She’s the lady who came up here the night we were being so noisy. She lives here.” It felt good to tell his sister at last.
    Brid was speechless. She didn’t even reach for her pink notebook to write anything down.
    â€œOkay, now you can speak,” said CJ.
    Brid’s eyes were very wide, and she still didn’t say a thing.
    CJ said, “Are you mad I didn’t take you with me to the storage room? From now on, we’ll do this stuff together. Okay, Brid?”
    Maybe he shouldn’t have told her so much at once, he thought. “I know you want to include Patrick more, andI think he can be a big help to us. We certainly have a lot of work to do,” he continued.
    But Brid didn’t answer. She simply pointed behind him with terrified, enormous eyes.
    â€œWhat?” CJ turned around just in time to see the figure of a man moving quickly down the hallway and darting into Patrick’s bedroom.

C HAPTER 16
    CJ’s legs felt like they didn’t belong to his body. Seeing a man running toward his little brother’s bedroom, realizing Patrick could be in danger, he moved like an Olympian. He grabbed the baseball bat lying by his door and raced into the back bedroom, while Brid ran for Maricel.
    â€œHey, you!” yelled CJ.
    He swung back the bedroom door. “You!” he yelled again. He gingerly peeked behind the door, seeing that the room looked empty and very quiet. Was the intruder in the closet? CJ kicked at the closed closet door. “Get out of there now. The police are on the way,” he said, wishing it were true. His voice trembled just a little bit. He positioned Patrick’s desk chair just under the doorhandle, effectively locking the thief in the closet, just as Brid and Maricel peeked into the