Amanda Lester and the Pink Sugar Conspiracy

When Amanda woke in the morning she found herself warm and toasty under a layer of quilts. Nigel was lying on Ivy’s bed and the other girls were still asleep. She looked at the clock.

  “Eeeeeeeek!” she yelled. “It’s 7:45. We’re late!”

  The two girls woke with a start and Nigel jumped off the bed. “Eeeeeeeeeee,” they all yelled, running around trying to get dressed and down to breakfast as fast as they could. Classes started at 8:00 so they’d have to inhale their food. But when they got there the dining room was closed, and a stern-looking cook, who was holding a large wooden spoon, was shaking her head.

  “Ya missed it,” she said.

  “But we’re so hungry,” said Amphora. “Do you think we might get a roll at least?”

  “Nope,” said the cook, a tall, angular woman with gray hair. She looked a bit like the wicked witch of the west. Amanda wondered where her winged monkeys were. “Yer too late, and it isn’t permitted. Get off to yer class now, and don’t let this happen again.”

  The girls grabbed the dog and started to run to their first class, when Ivy stopped. “I have to take Nigel out.”

  “Aaaaah,” said Amphora. “We’re already late. They’ll yell at you.”

  “Can’t be helped,” said Ivy, rubbing the dog’s head. “He’s a dog. He has his needs.”

  “I’ll take him out,” said Amanda, grabbing hold of Nigel’s lead. “You go on to class.”

  “Thank you, Amanda, but he’s my responsibility,” said Ivy, pulling the lead back.

  “It’s okay. I love dogs,” Amanda said, reaching for the lead again, but missing. Nigel kept looking from one girl to the other as if to say, “Make up your minds already.” “We’ll be fine. Catch you in a few.”

  Ivy reluctantly handed the lead over to Amanda and thanked her profusely. Then she and Amphora ran down the hall, the tall girl guiding her as best she could.

  Amanda headed for the closest outside door. Even the interior of the building was freezing. She wasn’t sure she’d ever get used to the cold, especially because she’d forgotten to bring her heavy jacket with her. But there was nothing for it. Nigel had to be walked and that was that.

  She hunched herself up, opened the door, and stepped out. It was co-co-cold and smelled shiny and clear, if colors, or the lack of them, could be said to have smells. She figured she’d better find an unobtrusive place to take the retriever. Even though guide dogs were allowed, she had no idea what the rules were for taking care of them and she didn’t want to risk getting into trouble.

  She headed for a stand of trees that bordered the vast lawn. Ice dotted the ground, and despite her lack of experience with cold weather she knew to avoid it. Ice had formed on the sidewalk at home once, and she’d slipped and wrenched her neck. Never again. Thank goodness Nigel was well behaved. He didn’t pull, explore, or cause trouble in any way. He seemed to sense what she wanted and accompanied her docilely.

  If she thought about it, which was hard to do when you were shivering, it really was a lovely scene. Maybe she could make something of it. She’d have to sketch out some views and see. There was a sparkle to the air from the ice crystals. The muted burnt red of the brick, the ancient deep green of the firs, even the stark branches that spread out like lace—hey, what was that? There was a flash in the distance, as if someone were signaling with a mirror. She had done that at camp one year and had become quite good at communicating by flash. She peered off into the direction the light had come from but saw nothing more.

  When Nigel had finished doing his business she said, “Come on, Nigel. Let’s hurry!” The dog looked at her as if he understood and turned back toward the school. But before they had advanced more than a few paces the flash came again, this time from the north side of the campus. Amanda scanned the view and saw a dark shape off in the distance near the woods, running. It seemed an odd thing to do when there was so much ice. You could fall and hit your head. Or not. Maybe these English people knew how to cope with it. One more thing she’d have to learn. She continued to search but the shape and the light were gone, so she went back to the building and made her way to the crime lab.