Capture the Flag Read Online Free PDF Page B

Winooski River back home.
    â€œHey, there’s Pickersgill Diner. Let’s get burgers.” Henry stepped up to a long, long line that snaked out from a darkened, wood-paneled restaurant.
    â€œLooks like everybody had the same idea,” José said. “Get some food and settle in for a long day and night at the airport.”
    â€œMan, this stinks,” Henry said, kicking the HOSTESS WILL SEAT YOU sign.
    â€œYeah, but don’t you think it’s kind of cool to spend the whole night here?” Anna said. “It’ll make a great news story.” Anna ran her hand along the edge of the hostess sign, imagining what she’d write. She could talk about the snow, and the flag news, and the crowds. Plus, if she could manage to keep running into Snickerbottom, somewhere in that long night, he would have to give her an interview, wouldn’t he?
    And who knows who else might be stuck here? All kinds of interesting, important people visited Washington, DC. There could be other dignitaries from the history museum reopening or —
    â€œOh my gosh!” Anna said it so loudly the woman in front of them turned and stared.
    â€œSorry,” Anna said, but she could barely keep her voice down as she pulled José and Henry into a huddle. “You guys, I just had this thought. What if whoever stole the flag is stuck here, too? With the flag!”
    José pursed his lips and looked down at the diamond shaped tiles on the floor. “Not likely. You’ve seen the flag. It’s enormous. Trying to sneak it through an airport wouldn’t be too bright.”
    â€œBut you never know, right?” Anna looked around and lowered her voice. “What if the thief is waiting for burgers in this same line. Think about it! We need to investigate.” She stood up straight. “It’s our responsibility as Silver Jaguar Society members.”
    â€œWill you … shhh!” José frowned. “First of all, they’re not going to be here. And second, even if they were, it’s not our job to investigate. We’re not society members. My mom says you have to be eighteen.”
    Anna sighed. “The words you have to be eighteen should be banned from the English language. We could totally investigate. And we should . We’re here , after all, right here at the airport, and no one else from the society is, are they?” Anna forced her voice quiet again. “I mean, I know it’s probably not here, but if it is …” If it was, and if they found it … that would be the best story ever. And her mom would see that she was plenty old enough and smart enough to know more about the society. “It would be so amazing.”
    â€œHow many?” The hostess, a young woman with spiky pink hair and a small silver nose ring, tapped her clipboard.
    â€œThree, please.” Anna craned her neck to get a glimpse of the television behind the bar. Maybe there would be more flag news.
    â€œThis way.” The hostess led them to a table that almost got hit by the swinging door to the kitchen every time it opened. Anna leaned across the table toward José and Henry.
    â€œSo what do you think?”
    Henry picked up a menu. “Awesome.”
    â€œAwesome, you’ll investigate with me?”
    â€œNo, awesome, they have root beer floats.”
    â€œIt’s possible,” said José, “that someone here could know something, but …”
    â€œBut what?”
    â€œDo you have macaroni and cheese?” José asked the waitress who had appeared.
    â€œYep.”
    â€œI’ll have that.”
    â€œI’ll have a root beer float, cheeseburger, and fries,” Henry said. “With ketchup.”
    She turned to Anna. “And you?”
    â€œOh!” Anna flipped menu pages. Why when she was in the middle of a great idea did everybody need to stop to eat all the time? “I’ll have a tuna melt with fries.”
    She