Spyhole Secrets by Zilpha Keatley Snyder Page B

now, since she was definitely going to need Mrs. Myers’s help, she picked out some books figuring that librarians were probably friendly to people who checked out lots of research-type books.
    Sure enough, the librarian in charge was Mrs. Myers again, but she didn’t seem to recognize Hallie when she handed over the three books. “Hello, Mrs. Myers,” Hallie said, flashing her best starch-removing smile. “I was wondering if a little boy named Zachary has been in the library today.” The librarian wasshaking her head. “He has short brown hair and he’s about this high.” Hallie held out her hand to show Zachary’s height. “He comes in here a lot to read books about stuff like shamanism.”
    The librarian had begun to nod. “Oh yes, that Zachary,” she said, smiling. She ran Hallie’s books across the scanner. “So you’re looking for Zachary Crestman.” She turned Hallie’s card over and glanced at her name. Then, looking puzzled, she asked, “You’re not his sister?”
    “No.” Hallie discarded the smile as she said, “I’m
not
his sister.” She couldn’t hold back an impatient sigh as she added, “Does that matter?”
    “Oh,” the librarian said, “I remember you now.” Her eyes narrowed. “The Sinai Peninsula, wasn’t it?” She glanced at Hallie’s card again. “Why do you want to—?”
    “I just want to see him, okay?” Hallie was feeling frustrated. “I just wanted to …” She paused, trying frantically to think of a good reason why she should be given information about Zachary, but nothing came to mind. She briefly considered saying “His sister asked me to give him a message.” But then, what if the librarian wanted to know his sister’s name? She was still hesitating when, just at that crucial moment, the phone rang. Making a “wait just a minute” gesture, the librarian turned her back and began to talk on the phone. Hallie picked up her books and walked away.
    She was fuming as she ran down the front steps of the library. Angry at the nosy librarian, for one thing, but mostly at herself for blowing it. For not managing to find out anything except… except… what was it she’d called him? Zachary Crestman. So that was his last name. She
had
managed to discover something after all. By the time she got home, she had another plan in mind. A plan that involved the telephone.
    There were, it turned out, three Crestmans in the Irvington phone book. One of the listings gave an address that wasn’t on Warwick Avenue, so that left just two. No one answered at the first number she dialed, and the answering machine message gave the names of the people who weren’t home right then. There was no Zachary, so that left just one possibility. Triumphantly, without stopping to figure out what she was going to say—impulsively, Ellen would say— Hallie punched in the number.
    “Hello, who is it?” The voice sounded young and breathless. Was it Zachary? No, more like a girl’s voice. A teenager’s voice, maybe? Realizing that she was probably talking to the mysterious Rapunzel made it even harder to think clearly.
    “Uhh …” Hallie hesitated, frantically trying to decide what to say.
    “Hello,” the voice said again, and then even more softly, almost in a whisper, “Tony? Tony, is that you?” Before Hallie had time to say anything at all, therewas a quick gasp, and the voice that was probably Rapunzel’s whispered, “Oh, I have to go. I have to hang up.” There was a
click
and then the dial tone.
    So that was that. Another plan down the drain. For a moment Hallie felt mostly frustration, but only for a moment, until it began to change into a curious thrill. What was it Zachary had said when they were pretending to talk about the princess in the tower? That the witch, or her father maybe, wouldn’t let her see the prince because he was too old and had a ring in his nose. Hallie shivered. Maybe the prince’s name was Tony, and Rapunzel had thought the phone call was