The Impossible Clue by Sarah Rubin Page A

soon.
    â€˜Why don’t you call Mom?’ I asked. ‘It’s around dinner time in Italy now. It’s the perfect time to talk.’
    Della hit me with her megawatt smile. ‘You’re a genius, Alice! I’ll be upstairs. Don’t interrupt me until dinner. We’ll be dancing at the callback, so I’ll need something carb heavy. Pasta, around six.’ And with that she turned around and went back upstairs.
    Dad lifted his glasses and massaged the bridge of his nose. ‘And now that that crisis is over, I need to get back to the office.’
    â€˜Did they approve your story?’
    â€˜Not exactly,’ he sighed. ‘A corporate espionage storyhas to be vetted by the legal team. There’s no way they could do that in time.’ Dad walked over to the fridge and got himself a fresh water bottle. ‘The editor said I could keep working on it, but he needs something to fill the news hole for tomorrow. So now I have until the end of today to write a heart-warming tale of a man doing whatever it takes to find his friend.’
    Puff pieces always made Dad cranky. They didn’t fit his Arthur Jones Crusader for Truth persona. Plus we both knew Mr Delgado was anything but heart-warming.
    â€˜I’m sorry Dad,’ I said. ‘Is there anything I can do to help?
    I saw the trap as soon as the words were out of my mouth, but it was already too late.
    â€˜I’m so glad you asked. Yes, Alice, there is something you can do. I need you to get down to Dr Learner’s apartment and interview his neighbours. Get me some background details, you know, sniff out a personal angle.’
    Overhead, Della started tap-dancing. I think she was showing Mom her kick-ball-change. It sounded like a million angry neighbours pounding on the ceiling. Or maybe that was me having a premonition. Dad took my momentary distraction as a chance to make his escape out of the front door. I only just managed to catch up with him.
    â€˜Are you serious? You want me to go to Learner’s apartment building alone and interview the neighbours? What do you think I’m going to find?’
    Graham Davidson’s voice popped into my head: He even took his notes home in a locked briefcase every night .
    â€˜Do you think I’ll find Dr Learner’s top secret research? Wouldn’t the police have searched his apartment already?
    â€˜Dr Learner’s only been missing for twenty-four hours. There’s no way the police have been to his place yet. At least not to do more than check and see that he’s really missing. Go on, have a look. Maybe you’ll get lucky.’ Dad smiled. ‘Just get me something sympathetic. Who was the man behind the scientist? That sort of thing. The neighbours will open up to you. No one wants to tell things to a reporter. It makes them feel bad.’
    He climbed into the Plymouth and started the engine.
    I ran down the steps and stood in front of the car with my hands on the bonnet, blocking him in.
    I wanted to ask him why he didn’t get Della to go do his interviews; she is way more likeable than I am. But I didn’t. I knew why Dad asked me. We were a team. We had been since the day I came back to live with him in Philadelphia.
    â€˜Come on Alice, we’re on a deadline. If you’re worried about going alone, call a friend.’ Dad leant out of the window and wiggled his eyebrows at me.
    â€˜Don’t be ridiculous. Who’s going to go on such a crazy errand?’ I asked. ‘And don’t say Sammy. I just got rid of him.’
    I could tell Dad wasn’t going to give up. When there wasa story at stake, he was a man on a mission. I had about thirty seconds before he’d start nudging me with the front bumper to get me out of the way. But just because I was going to help him didn’t mean I had to make it easy.
    â€˜All right,’ I said. ‘I’ll do your background research for you. But I want