Part 10 (2/2)

Daisy gave her father a scalding look.

”We decided to go to the Dell,” Jesse said flatly. ”We had something more important to do there.”

133.

St. George bared his perfect teeth in what pa.s.sed for a smile. ”I suppose you were having a wagon fiddle wagon fiddle lesson instead?” He wrenched the bandaged hand out of the pocket of his coat and jabbed a finger at them. ”You children aren't fooling me. You sneaked into my lab and you stole my lizard, and lesson instead?” He wrenched the bandaged hand out of the pocket of his coat and jabbed a finger at them. ”You children aren't fooling me. You sneaked into my lab and you stole my lizard, and I want it back!” I want it back!”

Uncle Joe cleared his throat uneasily. ”Um, guys, if what he's saying is true--and I'm not saying that it is--you need to come clean and tell me. The lizard isn't yours. It belongs to Dr. St. George.”

Jesse said in a small voice, ”But, Uncle Joe, we don't have it.”

”Honest, Poppy” said Daisy.

Uncle Joe closed his eyes and sighed. ”Well, fine, then. If that's the case, then you guys won't mind if we check the sock drawer? That was was where you were keeping the lizard?” where you were keeping the lizard?”

Without waiting for an answer, Uncle Joe went to Jesse's sock drawer and opened it. He dug around in the socks for almost a minute before he said, ”No lizard here.” Then he turned to St. George, whose figure hung in the doorway like a long, lank, big-headed bat. 'Your lizard isn't here,” he said. ”Sorry.”

St. George said icily, ”I am, too. But I'm not leaving until you've conducted a thorough search of 134.

the premises, and I mean every nook and cranny.” . ”Now, wait just a minute--” said Uncle Joe.

”If you refuse, I will go away and come back with the police. I promise you, we will turn your cozy little house upside down,” said St. George. ”My drag--er, my lizard--is here. I know it,” he said, looking pointedly at Jesse, then at Daisy. ”I can smell smell it.” it.”

Uncle Joe heaved a big sigh.

”Poppy, you're not going to let him--” said Daisy.

”I don't see that I have much choice,” said Uncle Joe. ”You know something, guys? This whole lizard thing has gotten way out of hand.”

What came next felt like the world's most un-delightful game of hide-and-seek as Jesse and Daisy nervously followed the two-man search party from attic to bas.e.m.e.nt. By the time Uncle Joe had put his hand on the doork.n.o.b of the master bedroom, the cousins were nearly sick with anxiety.

”I thought the master bedroom was off-limits,” said Jesse. (In games of hide-and-seek, they were never allowed to hide in that room.) Uncle Joe closed his eyes and shook his head sadly. ”Guys, this stopped being a game a long time ago,” he said.

The cousins slouched in the doorway as St.

135.

George looked under all the furniture and Uncle Joe went through every bureau drawer. Finally, reluctantly--and with a whispered apology to his absent wife--Uncle Joe opened the door of Aunt Maggie's closet. The closet was big enough for all of them to crowd in among Aunt Maggie's sweet-smelling racks of clothes. In such close quarters, Jesse picked up the unbearable stench of St. George's breath. Strangely, there was not a trace of the smell of hot chili peppers.

Uncle Joe took one side and St. George took the other and they worked their way down the racks. They searched every pocket and sleeve, then every drawer, every cubby, every hatbox, until at last they came to the corner where the shoes were kept.

St. George picked up the first wicker basket and dumped the shoes out onto the floor.

”Easy, buddy!” said Uncle Joe with a frown. ”Some of those shoes are Italian.”

St. George went through the shoes one by one. He even looked inside them, not that Emmy was small enough to fit in a shoe anymore.

Uncle Joe emptied the next basket himself, much more carefully. St. George tossed the shoes every which way. Then he seized the third basket and turned it upside down. Boots and pumps and 136.

sandals thundered to the floor, and St. George dropped to his knees and pawed through them. Any second now, Jesse expected him to find Emmy. Instead, he came up with an empty bottle of Turns and something else--something bright and sparkly.

”We told told you we don't have your lizard,” said Daisy, shooting Jesse a puzzled look. Jesse was too relieved that St. George hadn't found Emmy to worry yet about where she might have gone. ”She probably ran away because you treated her so badly,” Daisy said boldly. ”Or maybe somebody from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Lizards rescued her.” you we don't have your lizard,” said Daisy, shooting Jesse a puzzled look. Jesse was too relieved that St. George hadn't found Emmy to worry yet about where she might have gone. ”She probably ran away because you treated her so badly,” Daisy said boldly. ”Or maybe somebody from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Lizards rescued her.”

St. George held up the bright, sparkly thing in his fist. ”It was here. It was! And this is my proof!” he cried. ”A h.o.a.rd of gold and precious gems!”

”Actually, 'h.o.a.rd' is a misnomer,” Jesse muttered under his breath.

”Hey,” Uncle Joe said. ”That happens to be the garnet necklace I gave my wife for our twenty-fifth anniversary. And I'd like it back, if you don't mind.” He plucked the necklace from St. George's hand and added coldly, ”We're finished here.”

Dinner was a nearly silent affair. Uncle Joe had very little to say, and Jesse and Daisy kept their worries about Emmy to themselves. After they had eaten, 137.

Uncle Joe pushed his chair away from the table and said, ”I'll do the dishes. Why don't you two go upstairs and try to stay out of trouble for a while.”

Jesse and Daisy nodded and went to Jesse's room. Jesse booted up the computer while Daisy watched.

”First we let him steal her and now we lose her. Professor Andersson is going to skin us alive,” Jesse said.

The stern bearded face appeared on the screen, and Jesse clicked the mouse. He cleared his throat and started off with the good news: ”We got Emerald back from the Dragon Slayer.”

The professor's dark eyes twinkled and he stroked his beard. ”Ah! Congratulations! Very good work, you two!” he said.

Jesse took a deep breath and launched into the bad news: ”But then we lost her.” He went on to explain, as clearly and succinctly as he could, how the Dragon Slayer had searched the house and how Emmy had disappeared from the basket of shoes where they had hidden her.

To Jesse's relief, the professor didn't even look upset. ”Most intriguing!” he said. Jesse and Daisy watched his expression and waited for him to say more. At last he said, ”It's possible that she has simply found herself a more effective hiding place.”

138.

”But St. George is gone,” said Daisy, ”and Emmy still hasn't shown up.”

”Regardless of what you may have read about dragons,” Professor Andersson said, ”they are not aggressive. They are, by nature, prey. And so their first instinct when faced with danger is to run and hide.”

”All right,” Jesse said impatiently. ”We already got that.”

”Sometimes for years,” the professor added.

Daisy draped herself over the back of Jesse's chair and groaned.

”Then again,” said the professor, ”there is the very slightest chance that she might be masking.”

”What's that?” Jesse asked.

”Normally, dragons do not acquire the ability to mask until they are one or two years of age. But your dragon has already proved that she can scry, so she may also be an early masker.”

”What is masking?” Jesse asked again.

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