After school on Wednesday Ari dodged Flossie Beemis, who was posing coyly by the front door, and caught up with Arden in front of the school.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cDaylatch moved the fight,\u201d Ari said. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be on Friday.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cFriday?\u201d replied Arden incredulously. \u201cIt can\u2019t be Friday! That leaves us no time to look for the compass!\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cI\u2019m sure that\u2019s the idea,\u201d said Ari. \u201cHe must think we\u2019re closer than we think we are.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cNEWSFLASH!\u201d shouted Finbar Fenker, popping out from behind the Black Walnut tree. \u201cEllery Soffit\u2019s execution MOVED to FRIDAY! Place your bets NOW or it will be TOO LATE!\u201d Finbar sidled up to Ari and pouted like a sad puppy. \u201cWhat did your uncle do to deserve such a pounding Soffit?\u201d asked Finbar with mock sympathy. \u201cWas he a very bad boy in his Daylatch Academy days?\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cYou wanna know how bad he was Fenker?,\u201d replied Ari squaring off threateningly in front of Finbar.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cBETS!\u201d squealed Finbar scampering back into the school building. \u201cPlace your BETS!\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cAri,\u201d said Arden impatiently. \u201cForget Finbar. Do you have the map?\u201d<\/p>\n
\tAri pulled the photocopy of the map from Blackeye\u2019s Guide to Orienteering out of his bookbag. As he unfolded it, a crunched up business card fell out of the fold and fluttered to the ground.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cMiss Samms\u2019 card,\u201d said Arden, picking it up and smoothing it out. \u201cJolene Samms, reference librarian.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cJolene?\u201d asked Ari. He grabbed the card, then scrutinized the map in his other hand. \u201cLike Jolene\u2019s Four Corners. Right here. In the middle of town.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cYep,\u201d said Arden, nodding. \u201cRight about where your deli is now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cHow about that.\u201d replied Ari. \u201cDead center of town. Here\u2019s where I started,\u201d he said, pointing at Daylatch Academy on the map, \u201cat North.\u201d <\/p>\n
\t\u201cAnd then we moved East, South, and West,\u201d continued Arden pointing at St. Zita\u2019s Church, the library, and DiRosa Elementary School. \u201cAll the main compass points. And now we\u2019re supposed to look…under the rose, whatever that means.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cUnder the rose,\u201d repeated Ari. \u201cUnder the compass rose…the compass rose. The compass rose right in the middle of the compass!\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cWhich used to be Jolene\u2019s Four Corners,\u201d began Arden, \u201cbut is now…Soffit\u2019s Deli!\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cWe\u2019re so stupid!\u201d exclaimed Ari. \u201cThat\u2019s why Wilton Daylatch wants to take the deli! That\u2019s where Dewey hid the compass!\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cThe compass is hidden in your store?\u201d wondered Arden aloud. \u201cBut no one\u2019s ever seen it. You live there Ari…where could a person hide something in your store?\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cI wonder if Jolene knows,\u201d said Ari. <\/p>\n
\tThey just stared at each other without another word. Then they ran. By the time Ari and Arden got to the library they were puffing and out of breath. The lady at the information desk glared at them questioningly, but they continued to the archive room.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cYes dears?\u201d asked the lanky, gray-haired librarian.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cWe need to talk to Miss Samms,\u201d said Ari.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cMiss Samms, you say?\u201d asked Miss Simms, the chubby, white-haired librarian, waddling out from the archive room. \u201cMiss Samms retired dearies. Yesterday was her last day of work. We still have some buttercream cake left from the party though. Would you care for a slice?\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cNo!\u201d cried Arden in dismay. \u201cI mean, we really need to talk to Miss Samms!\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cDo you know where we could find her?\u201d asked Ari.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cShe\u2019s moving to Flower Lake Retirement Village,\u201d said Miss Simms smiling. \u201cLovely place. Just lovely. Just after her two-week Alaskan cruise. Are you sure you wouldn\u2019t like some cake?\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cShe\u2019s writing a book,\u201d offered the lanky gray-haired librarian. \u201cAbout DiRosa in the days of Prohibition. So many colorful characters. We\u2019re getting the first signed copy!\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cShe\u2019s on a cruise?,\u201d responded Arden. \u201cAri, we\u2019re just going to have to figure this out without her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cCome to the deli,\u201d said Ari. \u201cTomorrow. After school. We\u2019ll find it. We have to.\u201d<\/p>\n
*****<\/p>\n
\tIt was Thursday afternoon. The last school bell rang. It took all of Arden\u2019s determination to pull Ari past Finbar Fenker, who was standing in the lobby singing \u201cPlace your bets and see if Dudge, soon pounds Soffit into sludge!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \t\u201cKilling Finbar will do absolutely nothing to help the situation,\u201d insisted Arden.<\/p>\n \t\u201cBut I\u2019d feel so much better,\u201d replied Ari.<\/p>\n \tThey hurried to the deli, jingling the front door bell as they went in. Uncle Ellery was wrapping a pound of salami for Mrs. Vibretti who was casting worried glances at him.<\/p>\n \t\u201cEllery,\u201d said Mrs. Vibretti. \u201cYou do slice salami thinner than anyone, just the way Mr. Vibretti likes it. I only hope…\u201d She trailed off, but Ari knew she was wondering if Uncle Ellery could still slice her salami once he\u2019d been pounded into a pulp.<\/p>\n \tUncle Ellery smiled, and looked unconcerned, but Ari could see the lack of sleep on his face.<\/p>\n \t\u201cUncle Ellery,\u201d said Ari. \u201cDon\u2019t mind us. Arden and I are looking for…\u201d<\/p>\n \t\u201cum…stuff…to…,\u201d continued Arden.<\/p>\n \t\u201c…measure…,\u201d said Ari.<\/p>\n \t\u201cYeah,\u201d said Arden. \u201cStuff to measure. For math homework.\u201d<\/p>\n \tThey began the search upstairs, since it was the best place to avoid having Uncle Ellery wondering what they were doing. Arden crouched and began rapping lightly on the floor. \t\u201cThe whole floor is creaky,\u201d replied Ari. \u201cBut none of it is particularly wiggly.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\u201cHow about walls?,\u201d Arden continued. \u201cAny secret hollow places in the walls? Behind pictures or something?\u201d<\/p>\n \t\u201cWe don\u2019t have pictures,\u201d said Ari. \u201cAnd if I knew about any secret places, they wouldn\u2019t be secret.\u201d<\/p>\n \tWhen the rooms above the deli stubbornly refused to reveal any secrets Ari and Arden took the quest downstairs.<\/p>\n \t\u201cThey teach some strange new measuring techniques nowadays, don\u2019t they?\u201d said Uncle Ellery, as Ari crawled along the chips and bread aisle rapping on the floor.<\/p>\n \t\u201cIt\u2019s code too,\u201d replied Arden quickly. \u201cWe\u2019re doing measuring and code.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\u201cYeah,\u201d agreed Ari. \u201cLike when you have to give the person you\u2019re working with the measurements without talking.\u201d<\/p>\n \tUncle Ellery nodded knowingly. \u201cAnd this would be useful when…\u201d<\/p>\n \t\u201cWhen you don\u2019t speak the same language,\u201d said Arden.<\/p>\n \t\u201cOr when you have laryngitis,\u201d offered Ari.<\/p>\n \t\u201cOf course,\u201d said Uncle Ellery. \u201cThese problems come up all the time when you\u2019re measuring with a partner.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\u201cYep,\u201d said Ari.<\/p>\n \t\u201cHey,\u201d suggested Uncle Ellery, \u201cMaybe next time you\u2019re down there you can repaint the floor. We\u2019ve got big bald patches in front of the counter and the cooler.\u201d<\/p>\n \tAri wondered how Uncle Ellery could even think about bald patches on the floor at a time like this. Especially when the search turned up nothing, nor did the basement prove to be any more helpful.<\/p>\n \tArden had to go home, so they had no choice but to abandon the effort and hope that tomorrow they\u2019d think of some way to stop the fight.<\/p>\n \tAri wondered if Uncle Ellery was sleeping at all that night. He was certain he himself wouldn\u2019t, and it was at least one in the morning when he began to dream that Dudge Hunker was zooming over the deli in a World War 2 fighter plane, pelting them with bombs which looked like Finbar Fenker\u2019s head, screaming and cackling as they fell.<\/p>\n \n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" After school on Wednesday Ari dodged Flossie Beemis, who was posing coyly by the front door, and caught up with Arden in front of the school. \u201cDaylatch moved the fight,\u201d Ari said. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be on Friday.\u201d \u201cFriday?\u201d replied Arden incredulously. \u201cIt can\u2019t be Friday! That leaves us no time to look for the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[9],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.emilygillespieclement.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.emilygillespieclement.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.emilygillespieclement.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.emilygillespieclement.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.emilygillespieclement.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=225"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.emilygillespieclement.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":227,"href":"http:\/\/www.emilygillespieclement.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225\/revisions\/227"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.emilygillespieclement.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=225"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.emilygillespieclement.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=225"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.emilygillespieclement.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=225"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n\t\u201cSecret removable floorboards,\u201d explained Arden when Ari looked at her questioningly. \u201cI\u2019m looking for secret removable floorboards. Are there any especially creaky or especially wiggly spots?\u201d<\/p>\n