Virtually busted

“What? Are you sure?” Bess sounded dubious. “I mean, the NedNick avatar looks sort of college-age-ish. Maybe that’s why she said it.”

“Anyway, just because she knows that it doesn’t mean she’s UNR,” George added. “Maybe she saw it on NedNick’s profile.”

“It’s not on there — I checked it out once and it’s totally blank.” All my instincts were pinging, and I was sure that I was right about this. “And the old VirtualNancy was a middle schooler, remember? So why would ParteeGrl assume my real-life boyfriend was in college?”

“Okay, whatever. So ParteeGrl21 is UrNewReality.” George shrugged. “What good does that do us? We still don’t know who she really is.”

Bess nodded, glancing around the library at some of the students studying nearby. “Are you planning to track down every pre-med college girl in the greater River Heights area and demand to know if any of them are UrNewReality?”

“I don’t think that will be necessary,” I said thoughtfully, staring at ParteeGrl21. She was still trading lines with NedNick02 — mostly just silly, flirty stuff. “I have an idea. Bess, can I borrow your cell for a sec?”

“Why? You didn’t manage to break yours again, did you?” George asked as Bess handed over her phone.

“No. I just don’t want my name showing up on caller ID.” I flipped open my own cell phone and checked for the right number, quickly tapping it in on Bess’s keypad. “As soon as I start talking, have our avatar interrupt and start talking to ParteeGrl, okay? Let me know if she answers.”

“Okay,” Bess said, looking confused.

I got up so they could take my place in front of the keyboard. Now that I was pretty sure I’d figured out ParteeGrl21’s real-life identity, I didn’t want to wait to confirm it. I’d explain everything to my friends once I knew for sure.

I dialed the phone and waited. “Uh, hello?” a gruff voice answered after a few rings. “Who’s this?”

“Hello, Ms. Fitzgerald,” I said. “Sorry to bother you again. This is Nancy Drew — we spoke a couple of hours ago, remember?”

“Oh.” Agnes sounded decidedly underwhelmed to hear from me again. “Uh, I’m kind of busy right now….”

“This will only take a moment,” I said in my most ingratiating voice. “See, I’m very interested in that boy you said you spotted outside Shannon’s house, and I wanted to ask you a few more questions.”

“I already told you,” she said. “I didn’t get a good look at him.”

I shot a glance at George, who was bent over the keyboard typing away. “I understand that,” I said to Agnes. “But I’m working on a theory, and I just wanted to know if there’s any way you think he might have been, you know, non-American?”

“Oh!” Suddenly she sounded much more interested. “Now that you mention it, it’s definitely possible. Probable, actually. He had that look about him.”

“I see.” I glanced at George again, searching my mind for another question that might keep Agnes talking a little longer.

I needn’t have bothered. “And you know, the way things are going lately, it’s getting easier and easier to spot ’em,” Agnes went on. “I mean, every time you turn around there are more foreigners in River Heights, taking our jobs and stirring things up. I tell you, it’s enough to make you wonder if there’s anyone left in their own country….”

I let her rant on, covering the phone with my hand. “What’s happening?” I hissed at George.

“Nothing,” she whispered back. “Neither ParteeGirl or NedNick are responding to anything I try to say to them.”

Bingo, I thought.

Lifting the phone again, I interrupted the ongoing rant. “Excuse me,” I said. “I have another call. I’d better go.”

I hung up the phone and smiled. Bess and George were staring at me.

“Aunt Agnes?” Bess said. “But how did you know?”

“There were a lot of little clues, and they finally came together for me,” I replied, handing back her phone. “Plus, I realized Agnes has a motive.”

“Shannon?” George guessed.

I nodded. “She must be harassing me because I busted her ‘perfect’ niece. And it probably didn’t help that I was spending so much time with Ibrahim and his family, either.”

“What do you mean?” George asked.

I gestured toward the computer. “Do me a favor. Run a search for Agnes’s name on the Bugle ’s website.”

George did as I requested. It was only a matter of seconds before she’d pulled up a whole page of Agnes’s letters to the editor, dating back several years. Most of them were complaints about foreigners, immigration, and similar topics.

“So she’s one of the town cranks.” Bess scanned the letters and shook her head. “But then why did she jump in to save Arij that time?”

I’d already thought about that. “I’m not sure she did,” I said. “Nobody else saw that alleged red laser dot, right? She might have just seen a chance to avoid my questions and cause some trouble for the al-Fulanis at the same time.”

“Whoa.” George whistled. “So she’s not just a crank. She’s a total bigot and major troublemaker! Arij could’ve been hurt.”

“So could Nancy,” Bess reminded her. “Agnes must’ve thrown that rock at the overlook, too.”

“I know.” I bit my lip and stared at the computer screen. “The trouble is, I’m not sure how we’re going to prove anything.”

“But we have to,” Bess said. “We can’t let her get away with this!”

George smiled. “Hang on, don’t panic. I have an idea….”

“Good thing the big subscription launch doesn’t happen for a few weeks and the game is still free,” George commented a little while later. “I’d hate to have to pay for all these new avatars.”

“You hate to have to pay for anything,” Bess pointed out.

George stuck out her tongue at her cousin. I ignored them, leaning forward for a better look at the new avatar we’d just finished creating. This one was a young male character with dark hair and eyes and olive skin.

“Looks just like Ibrahim,” I said.

“It’s like looking into a mirror,” Ibrahim agreed.

I glanced over at him and smiled. After hearing George’s plan, I’d run over to the dining hall to see if Ibrahim was still there. Luckily he was, and once I’d explained the whole situation he’d eagerly agreed to do anything he could to help.

George sent the avatar, who we’d dubbed TehranBoy, into Virtual River Heights. We’d put Dancin4Evah on inactive status some time earlier, telling ParteeGrl21 that I had to get offline because I was going out of town for the afternoon.

“May I do the typing?” Ibrahim asked as George ran a search and found that ParteeGrl21 was still on active status and was back at the virtual mall. “It will sound more convincing that way, no?”

“Sure, good idea,” I said. “Just remember the plan.”

Ibrahim took the seat George vacated in front of the keyboard. “I remember,” he said.

Soon TehranBoy was approaching ParteeGrl21. HI! he said to her. I THINK I KNOW U.

I DON’T THINK SO, she replied.

“Switch over to private mode,” I suggested, peering over Ibrahim’s shoulder.

He nodded and did so, then started typing again. I held my breath, hoping we could pull this off. Otherwise, we’re in trouble, I thought. If we blow this, Agnes will know we’re onto her, and then we might never be able to prove anything.

I KNOW WHO U R IRL, TehranBoy said. PLZ DON’T BLOCK ME UNTIL I TELL U Y. OTHERWISE I’LL HAVE 2 POST IT IN PUBLIC.

WHO R U? ParteeGrl21 demanded. TELL ME, OR I’LL REPORT U!

“Careful,” George murmured. “We have to reel her in before she bolts.”

I THINK U KNOW, TehranBoy responded. IF UR NOT SURE, MAYBE U CAN ASK MY SISTER NEXT TIME U SHOVE HER DOWN THE STEPS.

I held my breath. Would Agnes take the bait, or would she block TehranBoy from talking to her and disappear?

There was a long pause, but finally more text appeared in ParteeGrl21’s text box. WHAT DO U WANT? she asked. Y DON’T U GO BACK 2 IRAN & STOP BOTHERING PPL?

“Nice,” George said with a grimace.

I KNOW WHAT U DID TO N DREW, TehranBoy said. & I HAVE PROOF, 2. BUT DON’T WORRY, I WON’T TELL ANY1… IF U GIVE ME $100 IRL.

THAT’S BLACKMAIL! ParteeGrl21 shot back immediately.

I KNOW, Ibrahim typed back. ISN’T THE USA GR8?

Bess laughed. “Good one.”

“Thank you.” Ibrahim looked up and grinned. “I thought so!”

“Focus,” I reminded them, still worried that Agnes would sign off and disappear. After all, we were bluffing — if she refused a real-life meeting, we still wouldn’t have any actual proof.

This time there was a long, long pause. IT’S A DEAL, ParteeGrl21 responded at last. MEET ME AT THE CURVE IN THE RD BY THE OVERLOOK ON RIVER RD. I’LL B THERE AT 7 2NIGHT W/THE $$.

“Bingo,” I said out loud, finally relaxing. “Now come on. We have a couple of hours — there’s one more thing we have to do, and we don’t want to be late for that meeting.”

“See anything yet?” George stuck her head out from behind a large oak tree and peered down the road.

“Shh. Stay out of sight,” I hissed at her from the next tree over. We were just around the steep curve from the picnic spot. It was about two minutes to seven, and the rapidly fading light made it difficult to see anything more than a few yards away. I could barely see the outline of a slender, dark-haired boy standing at the edge of the road facing in the direction of town.

Was this going to work? I’m not the superstitious type, but I couldn’t help crossing my fingers just in case. If Agnes didn’t show, or got suspicious before doing anything incriminating…

George had ducked out of sight again and I couldn’t see her. Looking the other direction, I could barely see the top of Bess’s blond head behind a patch of bushes.

Just then came the roar of an engine in the distance, and I turned to look down the road again. Headlights appeared, moving very fast — too fast for the curvy road.

I held my breath, squinting to try to make out the outline of the vehicle. It looked big and boxy, just as I’d expected.

Here she comes, I thought. Does she see Ibrahim standing there?

I got my answer almost immediately. With another roar, the van accelerated even more, veering off the road and slamming right into the figure standing at the curve!

Дата добавления: 2017-01-14