Part 11 (1/2)
The professor frowned in thought. ”On the whole, I'd say, a very handy defense mechanism. Just as lizards such as chameleons practice camouflage, so dragons are capable of masking themselves as other creatures or things to elude predators.”
In his mind, Jesse saw those insects called walking sticks, which can look like twigs. He saw 139.
tree frogs, which can look like leaves. -Could Emmy be blending in with the kitchen canisters or the boxes of old records in the bas.e.m.e.nt? Maybe she'd been right there among Aunt Maggie's shoes all along and they just hadn't seen her.
”Do you think she's masking somewhere in the house?” Daisy asked the professor.
The professor's response was immediate and emphatic: ”NO!”
And then the screen went blank.
Jesse slammed his fists on the table. ”This guy is really beginning to bug me,” he said.
”At least that irritating grinding sound didn't happen this time,” said Daisy. ”But we still have to find Emmy on our own.”
140.
[Image: The dragon.]
CHAPTER TEN
DRAGON IN A HAYSTACK.
Uncle Joe was waiting for them when they came downstairs the next morning.
”I don't suppose you two happened to hear the phone ringing at six o'clock this morning?” Uncle Joe asked.
Daisy and Jesse looked at each other blankly and shook their heads.
”I guess we slept through it,” said Daisy.
141.
”Well, it was your buddy, St. George--.”
”He is not not our buddy,” Daisy said. ”We our buddy,” Daisy said. ”We hate hate him!” him!”
”I will grant you that he won't win any personality awards,” said Uncle Joe, ”but 'hate' is an awfully strong word. In any case, he wanted to know whether his lizard had shown up during the night. I don't suppose you'd tell me if it had.” He eyed them both with suspicion.
”She hasn't,” said Daisy.
Uncle Joe turned to Jesse with a raised eyebrow.
”No, Uncle Joe,” Jesse said. ”Honest! We haven't seen her!”
He gave them a last searching look. ”I don't know what you guys are up to, and I don't want to know. But I think it's best if there is no gallivanting around for either of you for twenty-four hours.”
Jesse's shoulders sagged. Their plan had been to search the neighborhood to see if Emmy was masking as somebody's pet or maybe even a wild bunny or a squirrel or a racc.o.o.n. How were they supposed to look for the masked Emmy if they weren't free to do a little gallivanting?
”Yes, Poppy,” said Daisy sadly.
”I've got work to do,” said Uncle Joe. ”We made a mess yesterday searching for that lizard. I want 142.
you to go through every room in this house and put it back into apple-pie order. You two guys with the program?”
”We're with the program,” Jesse and Daisy replied sulkily.
Uncle Joe stomped out the back door to the Rock Shop.
Jesse stared at the screen door. It was the first time since he had come to stay that he had seen Uncle Joe this angry. It was sort of scary.
”Don't worry,” said Daisy. ”After a while, he kind of forgets what he was mad about. He never stays mad.”
Jesse studied Daisy's face and wondered whether she actually believed that this time.
The cousins dragged themselves through the house, room by room, putting everything back into apple-pie order. The exercise also gave them the opportunity to see whether, in spite of what the professor had said, Emmy was masking somewhere nearby. After a while, Jesse felt foolish shaking couch cus.h.i.+ons and tapping bookends, calling out to Emmy to show herself.
Jesse had just finished straightening their bathroom and was about to make his bed when he happened to look out the window. The million-dollar car was, once again, idling at the curb. The 143.
drivers-side window was open and St. George was sitting at the wheel, watching their house.
Jesse fell to his knees and crawled through the bathroom into Daisy's room. ”He's out there!” he said in a loud whisper, though he knew there was no need to keep his voice down. It wasn't as if St. George could hear hear them. them.
Daisy's ears turned deep pink. ”Should I tell Poppy?”
”What good would that do?” said Jesse. ”It's not like he's trespa.s.sing on our property or anything. He's just... spying.” spying.”
”Boy,” said Daisy, narrowing her eyes. ”If my mom was here, she'd march right out there and tell him off but good!”
”Yeah!” said Jesse, imagining it. When Aunt Maggie told people off, they never forgot it. ”Where is she when we need her?”
Daisy had gone back to fluffing pillows. Jesse joined her. ”Paris, France,” she said absently.
”That's it!” said Jesse. said Jesse.
”That's what?” asked Daisy.
”That's where she is!” said Jesse.
Daisy stopped fluffing and gave him a weird look. ”Emmy's in Paris, France?”
”No! Remember the other day when Emmy was in the Dell and she was crying for her mama 144.
and everything? For some reason, she seems to think her mother is there. And that's where she is. She isn't masking! She's gone to find her mother, like everybody does when they're scared!”
Daisy's face brightened up by a few watts. ”You think?”