Partners in Crime (9780545463119) by Kim Harrington Page B

crowbar.”
    Dread churned in my stomach. Who would want to break into my locker? And why? I never left anything valuable in there. I’d brought most of my books home last night. Only two were left behind, and who’d want to steal those?
    Or maybe … did Hunter or Slade leave something gross inside?
    My hand trembled as I opened the door all the way. My two books were right as I’d left them in a neat pile. But on top of them was a folded piece of paper.
    I pulled it out and looked at Darcy. Her eyes were wide. “Open it,” she said.
    I licked my lips nervously. My mouth felt so dry. I unfolded the paper. The words were typed, in a large font that took up the whole page.
    Â 
    NORAH & DARCY
BACK OFF THE CASE
    Â 
    The bell rang and the crowd all rushed inside their classrooms like a herd of animals heading for the stable. Darcy and I silently joined the stampede. A wave of nausea swept over me. Even Darcy seemed shaken. Her face was paler than usual and she was strangely quiet. We didn’t speak until we slid into our desks at the start of first period.
    â€œI can’t believe that message,” I said.
    â€œIt was more than a message,” Darcy whispered back. “It was a threat.”
    â€œWho would’ve written that?” I asked.
    Darcy slowly shook her head. “Someone who knows the truth and doesn’t want us to find it.”
    Who could possibly know? I looked around the classroom. Was it someone in here? We had no evidence to tie to anyone. We couldn’t compare handwriting samples because the note was typed.
    The more I thought about the message, though, I felt angry rather than nervous. Who did this person think he or she was? Demanding that we back off. We were only trying to help someone. Someone who’d asked for our help. The nerve!
    Mrs. Feldman walked to the front of the classroom and started writing on the board. Class was going to start any moment. I opened my textbook and clicked my pen.
    â€œWell, we know one thing for sure,” Darcy whispered, pulling out her notebook. “Someone doesn’t want us to investigate anymore.”
    â€œBut their plan is backfiring.” I looked at Darcy with determination. “Because now I want to get to the bottom of this even more.”

In the hallway, on the way to second period, I found Fiona. She had her hair up and she fiddled with one of her long, dangly silver earrings as I approached.
    â€œWe need to meet again after school,” I said in a low voice. “There have been … developments.”
    Fiona’s face fell. “I have cheering practice after school.”
    Oh, man. We’d have to meet during the day, then. I thought for a moment. “We all have library fifth period, right?”
    Fiona nodded with excitement. “Yeah. We can ‘coincidentally’ need to use the bathroom at the same time and have a short meeting in there.”
    I was surprised by Fiona’s quick thinking. Maybeshe was sharper than I’d given her credit for. “See you there,” I said and rushed off to my next class.
    I filled Darcy in on our secret bathroom meeting plan over lunch. Fiona was acting her usual confident, giggly self over at the popular table. Now I understood that it was a good thing we didn’t wave or acknowledge each other. Someone could be watching. Maybe the person who wrote that message.
    I gave everyone second glances in fourth period — Hunter, Slade, Maya, even the teachers. I had to know …. Who wrote that message? And why did they so badly want us to stop investigating?
    In library, Darcy and I sat at our usual round table. Fiona was at a different table a few bookcases away. She nodded at me. I cleared my throat. It was time.
    Darcy stood first and quietly asked the librarian to be excused. A minute later, I asked. Mrs. Wixted, the librarian, didn’t even raise an eyebrow. I wasn’t known to waste precious study time, so she