Lucy inhaled sharply.
“What’s wrong?” Christopher asked.
She didn’t answer at first. She was too shocked to speak.
You know who you are if you know my answer to this riddle.
“Lucy?” Christopher slid out of her lap and turned around. Theresa was oblivious.
“Christopher,” Lucy whispered. A smile spread across her face so wide it made her ears wiggle.
“What?” he whispered back.
“I know the answer.”
Chapter Five
“Come on,” Lucy said.She grabbed Christopher by the hand, and they ran through the halls.
“Where are we going?”
“Computer lab,” Lucy said. “My phone’s almost dead, and we need to research.”
They found the lab empty but for the presence of Mr. Gross, their poor technology teacher. Gross was not a surname anyone who worked with small children wanted or needed.
“We’re going to borrow a computer for a couple of minutes,” Lucy said to him as they rushed to the computer in the back corner of the room.
“All yours.” He was trying to set up a new color printer, and judging from the kid-friendly curses he uttered, he wasn’t having much luck with it.
As soon as Lucy sat down, she popped Christopher onto her knee again. That lasted all of one second before he jumped off and pulled a chair next to her. Sitting on her lap was fine in private, but not when grown men were around. She was too distracted to take it personally.
Quickly, Lucy typed in her staff credentials and password. She went straight to the Clock Island Facebook fan page, but there was nothing there she hadn’t seen on Theresa’s phone. Just Jack Masterson’s announcement and thousands upon thousands of comments from readers wanting to know more.
Lucy checked her messages inbox. College friends had inundated her with questions.
Did you see the Jack Masterson thing?That was from Jessie Conners, her senior year roommate.Didn’t you meet him once?
A former co-worker from the restaurant where Lucy used to wait tables wrote,Hey, you know Jack Masterson, right? Do you know why a raven’s like a writing desk?
Lucy didn’t bother replying to any of them. She went to Google and typed in “Jack Masterson contest wish Clock Island.” Christopher looked over her shoulder while she clicked on a Twitter link. She knew she probably shouldn’t be doing this with him watching. Grown-up social media was not for little eyes, but she was too excited to stop herself.
The tweet was from a popular CNN reporter who wrote,I want to play the game! Where’s my Hogwarts letter, Jack?A link to a news article announcing Jack Masterson’s sudden return to the literary world followed.
“Hogwarts letter?” Christopher asked.
“People must be getting actual paper invitations to Clock Island or something. I wonder…”
“What?”
“Can you keep a secret?” she said.
“Yeah.”
“I mean it. This is a big one. You can’t tell anyone else.”
Lucy hated asking a child to keep a secret. It was too much pressure, and she knew it. Yet she truly did not want this story to get out. Parents would be out for her hide.
“I won’t tell anybody, I swear.” Christopher was exasperated with her already.
