Duke's Den Page 4

  “Merde!” Amelia pulled her pillow over her head. Today was her dentist appointment.

  Two years ago, Amelia had gone in to have a cavity filled, and something went wrong with the freezing, only no one knew that until the drill hit a nerve. Amelia had screamed. Her mom, who was in the waiting room, had been furious. They had changed dentists, and Diane had promised it would never happen again.

  But Amelia’s stomach still turned in somersaults on dentist days. She stumbled to the kitchen, where Diane was watching something pale green swirl in the new blender.

  “I’m going to guzzle this and run.” Diane poured the green mess into a glass. “Make sure you eat some breakfast. I’ve left bus money on the table by the door. There’s enough so you can go to Dairy Queen after, if you want.”

  Amelia brightened. “I don’t have to go to school?”

  “Your reward for going to the dentist without making a fuss. Besides, I have an ulterior motive. I’d like someone to be here this afternoon. One of the women in my class is giving me a massage table she doesn’t want anymore. Her husband, Frank, is going to drop it off, and I’d rather it wasn’t left outside.” Diane hesitated. “You won’t miss any important tests, will you?”

  A quiz on capital cities wasn’t exactly a test. So it wasn’t exactly a lie. “Don’t worry. I won’t miss anything,” Amelia said.

  The dentist appointment was a breeze. When Dr. Phillips finished, she made Amelia smile into a mirror. “Now you look like a human being again. We’ll put a permanent crown on when you’re older. This will do you for a few years.”

  Amelia headed straight to DQ. Her strawberry milkshake was hard to drink because of the freezing in her mouth. She moved the straw to the good side of her mouth and checked her watch. She was missing social studies and library and…science. She’d forgotten about science. The class was making posters on global warming. She was Roshni’s partner, and the posters absolutely had to be finished today. Mr. Howard was going to give a prize (movie tickets, the rumor was!) for the best one.

  One more reason for Roshni to want to kill her.

  “Do you think Duke is selling drugs?” Diane said.

  She was standing at the kitchen window, watching the street and dipping a spoon into a tub of yogurt.

  “Mom!”

  “He was very evasive when he talked about his clients. And some guy on a motorcycle was just here. I thought he was wearing a flowered shirt, and then I realized it was tattoos. His arms were covered in them! They left together a few minutes ago.”

  “That doesn’t mean anything,” Amelia said. “And why aren’t you at Miss Jane’s?”

  “I decided to come home for lunch. Less temptation. Now smile for me. Let me see.”

  Amelia smiled.

  “Perfect! How was it?”

  “Fine.”

  Amelia was disappointed that Duke had gone out. She’d planned to leave a note on the door for the man with the massage table and then hang out at the apartment.

  “I don’t know what time I’ll be back,” Diane said. “Late for sure. I’m helping Miss Jane with the inventory. And then, hallelujah, I can sleep in for a whole month!”

  Diane’s holidays started the next day. It was a slow time at the clothing store, and Diane always said how much she liked being home with Amelia for at least part of the summer. She tossed the empty yogurt tub into the recycling bin. “I’ll call that woman who rented us the cabin at Cultus last year. It’s probably taken, but she might know someone else who has a cabin.”

  “Let’s just stay home.” Amelia’s memories of Cultus Lake weren’t great.

  “You’re sure?”

  “Yup.”

  “Okay then, I’m off. Remember, Frank’s coming with the table.”

  Amelia waited until her mother was safely gone before she turned on the laptop. She was supposed to use it only for homework. One of the advantages of being home alone. She brought up the website for Camp Soar Like an Eagle and clicked on the link for registration. There were still places available for August, but the price made her heart sink. It hadn’t changed—$1,500 for two weeks.

  One of Gabriella’s coupons would be perfect. Camp Soar Like an Eagle. Two weeks for the price of one. She turned the laptop off and flipped on the TV.

  The massage-table man arrived in the middle of the afternoon. When the doorbell rang, Amelia peered sideways through the living-room window. Diane always went on and on about Amelia not opening the door until she knew who it was. She could see the front step and a man standing there with something that looked like it could be a fold-up table.

  Frank carried the table into the laundry room, where there was just enough room to set it up beside the washer and dryer. He showed her how to snap on the piece for people’s heads, which looked like a doughnut. He was very chatty. “My wife, Jeannie, has really enjoyed meeting your mom. She’s always telling me what a riot Diane is. How she gets the whole class screaming with laughter.”

  Mom? Amelia looked at him in disbelief. Then she studied the table, which looked awfully rickety. Diane planned to practise on her. “Is this thing safe?”

  Frank laughed. “A jokester. Just like your mom.”

  Frank left, and Amelia went back to the TV. Three minutes later the doorbell rang again. “Now what does he want?” she muttered. She peered through the living-room window.

  It wasn’t Frank. It was a girl with pink spiky hair and a lot of piercings.

  Her arms were full of something brown and orange. Something that was moving as slow as syrup, twisting and coiling around the girl’s neck and shoulders.

  Amelia’s mouth fell open.

  A snake!

  NINE

  The girl shouted something at Amelia through the window. Amelia thought she might have said, “Where’s Duke?” She decided it was safe to open the door.

  “I’m looking for Duke,” the girl said.

  “He lives downstairs. But he’s not home right now.”

  Amelia couldn’t take her eyes off the snake. It was at least six feet long and all different shades of brown and orange swirled together. It never stopped moving, slowly slithering around the girl.

  “I was supposed to be here hours ago,” the girl said. “Duke probably thought I wasn’t coming. My car conked out on me, and I had to walk miles because the stupid bus driver wouldn’t let me on the bus. I got a lot of weird looks, I can tell you!”

  “You can come in here and wait for Duke.”

  “I guess so. But I don’t have a lot of time. I’m Pia, by the way.”

  “Amelia.”

  Pia’s hands were constantly moving, keeping up with the snake. “This is King Kong. He’s not exactly light. But it was easier to carry him this way than in a box.”

  “Is he trying to get away?”

  “No. He’s just a bit stressed.”

  Pia followed Amelia into the house. “We’ll go in the kitchen,” Amelia said. “Do you want a glass of water or something? Or I could make some iced tea.”

  “Water’s good. I’m parched.” Pia peeled the snake off her shoulders. “Okay if I put him on the table?”

  “Sure.” Amelia set a glass of water in front of Pia. She did a quick inventory of Pia’s piercings. Six earrings in each ear, a nose stud, and two silver spikes in her lower lip.

  King Kong took up most of the table. He curled up like a coil of thick rope and rested his head.

  “Will he stay there?” Amelia said.

  “I think so. He’s getting tired.”

  Pia looked at her watch and groaned. “It’s quarter after four! You don’t happen to know when Duke’s coming back, do you?”

  “No. Sorry. Is King Kong sick or something?”

  Pia looked surprised. “King Kong? No way. Duke’s just going to look after him for the summer. I’m going up the coast to a fly-in fishing camp tomorrow. I go there every year and cook. And get this—they think King Kong would freak out their clients, so I can’t bring him. That’s so lame.”

  “Yeah,” Amelia agreed. “What kind of snake is he?”

  “Carpet python.”

  “He’s amazing.”

  “You got that right.” Pia drummed her fingers on the table. “How’s old Beaker doing?”

  “Good.”

  Pia whipped a phone out of her pocket. Her fingers flew as she texted. “Okay, okay,” she muttered. “I’m coming.”

  She stuck her phone back in her pocket, drained her glass of water and looked at her watch again. “God, I’ve got a million things to do today. I’m gonna have to go.”

  “Right now?”

  “’Fraid so. You’ll have to watch King Kong for me until Duke gets back.”

  “Me? By myself?”

  “That’s okay, isn’t it?”

  “No! It’s not okay. What if he wants to get up? It’s not like he’s asleep. His eyes are still open.”

  “Snakes don’t have eyelids, so it’s kind of hard to tell. He might be asleep.” Pia yanked her phone out again and texted madly. She stood up. “Trust me, he’s wiped. He’ll crash for hours. Honestly, I have to go. I haven’t even packed yet, and I’m leaving at, like, four in the morning. I haven’t even cleaned out my fridge!”

  “No.”

  “Pleeease.”

  Amelia sighed. Gabriella was always home by five, which was only a half hour away. She’d know what to do with King Kong. “Oh, all right.”

  Pia’s face lit up. “You’re a lifesaver! I owe you one!” She patted the snake’s head. “See you, King Kong. Be good.” She hesitated. “Maybe you should stay beside him. Just in case. I’ll let myself out. And tell Duke I’ll call him.”

  When the front door clicked shut, Amelia’s heart started to race. King Kong with Pia was not too scary. King Kong by him
self was a different story. She eyeballed the snake. He wasn’t moving. Not at all. Asleep or…a prickle ran down her spine. Dead. It was a boiling-hot day. He could have died of heatstroke.

  Great. She was babysitting a dead snake. She stood up and pushed her chair back, which made a scraping sound on the floor. She sat down immediately. If King Kong was asleep and not dead after all, the last thing she wanted to do was wake him up. Did snakes have ears? How was she supposed to know?

  The clock on the kitchen wall made a ticking sound as the minutes clicked by. Amelia felt like a prisoner. From her chair, she could see out the window to the front walk. She kept her eyes peeled for Gabriella. She thought about dashing into the living room and getting the laptop. It would take her fifteen seconds, max. She weighed the pros and cons.

  Too risky. Snakes probably did have ears, hidden somewhere under their scales. King Kong asleep (or dead) was okay. King Kong slithering around the kitchen would be a nightmare.

  She stopped thinking about the laptop and thought about how she needed to pee.

  Five minutes later, still no Gabriella.

  She held her breath and slid off her chair. No sign of life from King Kong. She tiptoed across the floor and, with one last glance at the snake, slipped through the door and ran.

  Forty seconds in the bathroom. World record. She dried her hands on her shorts as she raced back.

  She slammed right into Diane.

  Diane dropped a handful of mail. “Really, Amelia. Slow down.”

  “Mom! What are you doing here? You’re not supposed to be home for ages.”

  “Miss Jane had a migraine.” Diane bent down to pick up the scattered letters. “We’re going to go in early tomorrow to finish the inventory. And yes, it’s nice to see you too.” She dropped the letters on the table. “I’m going to put the kettle on and make some tea, and then I’m going to have a nice cool shower.”

  “No! I mean, have your shower first!”

  “Amelia Jane, you are acting very strange.”

  “Wait! Come back! DON’T GO IN THE KITCHEN!”

  Too late! Amelia clamped her hands over her ears. Even through her closed fingers, her mother’s bloodcurdling scream sent chills down her spine.

  TEN

  “It’s okay, Mom. Trust me. You’re gonna be okay.”

  Somehow Amelia had gotten her mother out of the kitchen and onto the living-room couch. Diane was hunched over, hugging herself. She’d been crying for fifteen minutes, which was awful, and now she wasn’t doing anything, which was worse.

  “It’s okay, Mom,” Amelia repeated. “Look, I’m gonna get you some water.”

  Diane lifted her head. “Did you know that snake was in there?”

  “Um…”

  “You could have warned me!”

  “I tried! I’ll get the water.”

  Amelia hurried to the kitchen, her heart hammering. She’d left King Kong on his own for an awfully long time. Her eyes went straight to the table. Empty.

  “Omigod,” she moaned.

  She pulled the chairs back and stuck her head under the table, peered in the space between the fridge and the stove, and cautiously opened the oven door. She knew from somewhere that snakes liked warm places, but the oven was cold unless it was being used. And how would he get in the oven anyway when the door was closed? “STOP IT!” she said. “Think.”

  Water. She poured a glass and carried it to the living room.

  “He’s gone, Mom.”

  “Gone? Gone where?”

  “That’s the problem. I don’t know.”

  “I don’t believe this,” Diane snarled. “There’s a…snake, crawling somewhere inside my house?”

  “I don’t think snakes crawl. They slith—never mind. And he might just have gone somewhere to sleep. He was very tired.”

  “If that’s supposed to make me feel better, it’s not working.” Diane staggered to her feet. “I’m getting out of here. And I’m not coming back inside until you find it. Is that clear?”

  “Crystal.”

  This was one of the few times when Amelia was glad that Great-Aunt Mildred’s house was tiny. She’d already eliminated the kitchen, and King Kong couldn’t be in the living room or they’d have seen him. She kept her eyes peeled as she headed down the narrow hall. She searched the laundry room first, counting to ten and then pulling all the dirty clothes out of the hamper. Nothing. Phew! Then she peeked behind the washer and dryer.

  Bathroom next. Sink—empty. Nothing lurking behind the stack of towels on the counter. She eyed the pink shower curtain pulled across the tub. She held her breath and yanked it back. No King Kong.

  Her bedroom had tons of potential hiding places, including her closet (the door was open a snake-sized crack), the crumpled blankets on her unmade bed and the heaps of clothes scattered on the floor. As she searched, she became more and more frantic. She sank back on her heels after checking out the floor under her bed and brushed a dust bunny from her face. Where was he?

  The phone ringing in Diane’s room sent her flying across the hall.

  “Hello…Oh, hi, Roshni.”

  “Where were you?” Roshni demanded.

  “What?” Amelia’s eyes scanned the room. Her mom was a neat freak, which helped. No snakelike bulges sticking up in the smooth, flat bedspread…closet door shut…

  “I had to finish our poster all by myself, and it looked crappy because I was in such a rush, so goodbye prize!”

  Amelia flipped back the curtains. She could see her mom standing in the middle of the front yard.

  “Are you even listening to me?”

  “No. I mean, yes. I can’t talk now. I’ll tell you everything later.”

  “That poster was important to me. Free movie tickets, Amelia!”

  “I gotta go.”

  “Fine.”

  “Like I really need this right now,” Amelia muttered. She opened the window and yelled, “Did you leave the front door open when you got home from work?”

  “What?” Diane called back. “No, I don’t think so—wait a minute, maybe I did! I think I wanted to get some air in the house.”

  “Then he must be outside somewhere. I’ll be right out!”

  By the time Amelia got outside, Diane had moved to the other side of the street, squeezed between a parked red mini and a van. “You have a lot of explaining to do, Amelia Jane,” she shouted.

  Amelia stared hard at the van. She was positive she’d seen a flash of orange.

  “Mom! DON’T MOVE!”

  She raced across the street, got down on her hands and knees and peered between the tires. “There you are!” she cried.

  She lay flat on her stomach and wiggled partway under the van. She filled her arms with thick, rubbery coils of snake and carefully inched her way back out. “Easy boy, easy boy,” she murmured.

  “Mon dieu!” said Gabriella’s voice. “That is King Kong!”

  Amelia looked up. Gabriella was crossing the street, her high-heeled sandals clacking on the pavement.

  Diane stared at Gabriella. “You know this snake?”

  “He’s gentle, Mom. He wouldn’t hurt—”

  “STAY BACK!” Diane said. “Don’t take ONE STEP closer! Okay, you two. I want to know what’s going on. NOW!”

  ELEVEN

  Diane and Amelia waited outside the apartment door while Gabriella disappeared inside with King Kong. When she came back, she flashed her megawatt smile, which faded quickly when she saw Diane’s tight lips, and said, “There. King Kong is locked in the bathroom. He cannot escape. And now, please come in.”

  Gabriella rushed Diane through the kitchen (“Excuse the dirty dishes,” she apologized. “Did not hear the alarm this morning”), past the plastic bin of turtles and into the living room.

  “Why are there ribbons hanging from all the doorways?” Diane said.

  “Duke keeps hitting his head. The ribbons remind him to duck. But we are not complaining,” Gabriella added hastily. “It is Duke’s fault that he is so tall, not yours. And now, please sit down.”

  “I can see everything standing, thank you very much.”

  The living room wasn’t too scary, Amelia thought. Zak and Lysander, peering through the wire mesh of their cage, weren’t at all how one imagined rats would look. The ferrets were asleep in their hammock, Mary was hiding behind her plastic bush, and Georgia was Georgia—fluffy and adorable.