The Mummy's Curse by Penny Warner Page B

real people did that.
    Like Ms. Cassatt?
    The moan came again, this time louder, creepier. It sounded as if someone was in pain.
    Had Ms. Cassatt been injured? Had she fallen in the dark? Did she need help?
    Cody was torn between wanting to run and wanting to see if Ms. Cassatt was hurt. Still holding Luke’s arm, she took a few more steps through the twisting tunnel toward the sound.
    When she stopped, she heard someone breathing heavily. It was coming from her right side. She flashed her cell phone light toward the noise, and screamed.
    Ms. Cassatt stood tucked in a tiny alcove. Her eyes looked as wild as a feral cat’s. In her hand she held a heavy-looking statue the size of a rolling pin.
    She raised the object above her head, ready to bring it down on Cody’s skull.
    At the last second, Luke jerked Cody out of the way. She fell to the floor and scurried back on all fours.
    â€œI’ll get you, you little brats!” Ms. Cassatt screamed. She stepped out of the alcove and raised the object again.
    â€œStop!” came a voice from behind Cody. She turned to see Quinn and M.E. racing up the tunnel toward them. The light of Quinn’s cell phone bounced as he ran.
    â€œStop!” Quinn screamed again. “You can’t get all four of us, so you might as well put that down. Dr. Jordan is right behind us. He has the police with him.”
    Cody let out the breath she was holding. She was impressed at how forceful Quinn sounded—just like a cop on TV—but figured he was just as scared as she was.
    Was he telling the truth about Dr. Jordan and the police? If they were right behind him, wouldn’t she have heard them? Wouldn’t they have arrived by now?
    She had a sinking feeling Quinn was bluffing. But now what were they supposed to do?
    Cody suddenly had an idea.
    â€œInn-quay, ou-yay istract-day er-hay ith-way obestray ight-lay app-ay,” she said in pig Latin.
    â€œWhat’s all the gibberish?” Ms. Cassatt snapped, hoisting the weapon. “Knock it off or I’ll knock your blocks off!” She started swinging the statue like a baseball bat.
    Cody scrambled up and backed away. She saw Quinn tap his phone. What was taking him so long?
    Finally, he held his phone toward Ms. Cassatt. Suddenly, a strobe light appeared, lighting up the dark tunnel with a blinding, pulsing light.
    Ms. Cassatt covered her eyes.
    â€œIt’s the police!” M.E. screamed. “They’re here!”
    Great trick
, Cody thought. At least for the moment. Now there was only one thing left to do.
    â€œUn-ray!” Cody yelled.
    Code Buster’s Solution found on this page .

T he Code Busters darted through the twisting tunnel—smack into a large, dark figure. Cody shone her light on the man’s face. A police officer! In the beam of her flashlight app, Cody saw two more uniformed cops behind him. Farther back, she caught a glimpse of Dr. Jordan.
    â€œWhoa there! Slow down!” the officer said, holding up a hand. He shone his flashlight in Cody’s face. “What’s going on?”
    Cody squinted at the bright light and pointed back into the tunnel. “She tried to kill me! My friends came …” Cody stopped to catch her breath.
    â€œShe’s got a big, heavy statue,” Quinn said.
    â€œAnd she was about to hit Cody with it,” Luke added.
    â€œShe’s back there!” M.E. said, pointing into the darkness.
    The officer directed his light into the black tunnel. “I don’t see anything.”
    Dr. Jordan stepped forward. “Sergeant Casey, if the kids say Mirabel Cassatt is back there, then she is. I’d consider her desperate and dangerous.”
    â€œOkay, everyone, stand back,” Sergeant Casey said to the group. He turned to another officer. “Finsilver, stay here with these people. Parker, follow me. Let’s go.”
    Officer Finsilver began herding the kids and Dr. Jordan back toward the