“When did you last open your locker?” Hamilton asked.

“When I got to school this morning. Around eight thirty.”

“So, about two hours ago.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And did you notice anything unusual at that time?”

“No, sir.” Theo wanted to mention the fact that a stranger had been in his locker on Monday, but he was suddenly in a hurry. He was terrified that someone might see him with two cops and the principal.

“You can open it now,” Hamilton said.

Theo punched in the code—58343 (Judge)—and pulled open the door. Nothing appeared to be missing, but something had certainly been added. On the left side, leaning against some textbooks, were three slender objects Theo had never seen before.

“Don’t touch anything,” Hamilton said as he leaned down and in and breathed on Theo’s neck. Vorman and Mrs. Gladwell huddled close, and for a few seconds no one moved or said a word. Finally, Hamilton asked, “See anything unusual, Theo?”

With a dry mouth, Theo managed to say, “Yes, sir. Those are not mine.”

The slender objects were Linx 0-4 Tablets, the hottest and lightest personal computers dominating the marketplace. With stunning graphics, unlimited memory, a million applications, and a price tag of $399, the 0-4 was cheaper, yet far more sophisticated than its current competition. Detective Vorman, wearing surgical gloves and treating the 0-4s like rare diamonds, placed them side by side on Mrs. Gladwell’s desk. Big Mac had been called and was on his way to identify his stolen property.

“Please call my mother,” Theo said to Mrs. Gladwell. “Or my father. It doesn’t matter.”

“Not so fast,” Hamilton said. “We have some more questions.”

“I’m not answering any more questions,” Theo said. “I want my parents here.”

“If Theo says he didn’t steal these tablets, then I believe him,” Mrs. Gladwell said.

“Thank you so much,” Hamilton said.

“How did you know they were there?” Theo asked.

“And once again, young Theo, please, we’ll handle the questions,” Hamilton said. His tone and attitude had been lousy to start with; now, with the evidence in hand and the crime apparently solved, he was becoming unbearable.

“Can I call his parents?” Mrs. Gladwell asked.

“Sure you can,” Theo said. “They don’t run this school. They can’t tell you what to do.”

“Knock it off, kid,” Vorman said.

“I beg your pardon!” Mrs. Gladwell said. “Don’t talk to my student in such a manner. Theo is no criminal. I believe whatever he says.”

Theo walked to a spot beside Mrs. Gladwell, who was seated at her desk, and removed his cell phone. Using speed dial, he called the offices of Boone & Boone. Elsa answered, and Theo, staring straight into the angry eyes of Detective Hamilton said, “Hey, Elsa, it’s me, Theo. I need to talk to Mom.”

“Something wrong, Theo?”

“No. Just let me talk to Mom.”

“She’s in court, Theo. She’ll be tied up all morning.”

“Okay, then let me talk to Dad.”

“He’s not here. He’s in Wilkesburg closing a land deal. What’s going on, Theo?”

Theo did not have the time to chat with Elsa, and she could not help him anyway. The detectives were fuming and Theo figured he was almost out of time. He canceled the call to Elsa, punched another number for speed dial, and said, “Ike, it’s me, Theo.”

Ike replied, “Good morning, Theo. Why are you calling me at ten thirty?”

Theo said, “Ike, I’m at school and there are two detectives here accusing me of stealing computers that someone put in my locker. Can you get down here?”

“That’s enough, kid,” Hamilton growled. Ike did not respond but his office line went dead.

Theo slapped his phone shut and returned it to his pocket. Technically, this was a violation of school rules. Only eighth graders were allowed to have phones on campus, and a few of them did. Their use was strictly controlled. All cell phones had to be turned off during classes and could be used only during recess and lunch. Under the circumstances, though, Theo doubted if Mrs. Gladwell would be upset with him. She was not.

“We haven’t accused you of anything,” Hamilton said. “We’re just doing our investigation, and when we find stolen goods in someone’s possession, then we have to ask questions. Doesn’t that make sense?”

“Theo didn’t steal the computers, okay?” Mrs. Gladwell said firmly.

Vorman decided to play the nice cop and offered a sappy smile. “So, Theo, if you didn’t place these computers in your locker, then someone else obviously did. Who else has the entry code to your locker?”

Safe question. Theo replied, “No one that I know of, but someone was in my locker Monday. They stole a Twins baseball cap and some other items. I didn’t report it at that time, but I was planning to.”

Mrs. Gladwell turned and looked at Theo. “You should have told us, Theo.”

“I know, I know. I’m sorry. I was going to discuss it with my parents first, then report it to you, but I never got the time.”

“And the school has a list of all entry codes?” Vorman asked.

“Yes, but it’s protected in a secure file in our main computer,” Mrs. Gladwell said.

“Has anyone ever hacked into it?”

“Not to my knowledge.”

“Has the school had a problem with people breaking into lockers?”

“No,” she replied. “Occasionally a student will fail to properly close a locker, and the door will be left slightly open. This might lead to a missing item or two, but I cannot recall a situation where a student obtained an entry code and went into another student’s locker.”

“How about you, Theo?” Vorman asked. “Do you know of anyone who got somebody else’s code and broke into their locker?”

“No, sir.”

Hamilton glanced at his notes, then looked at Theo and said, “During the break-in last night at Big Mac’s Systems, the thief or thieves took ten of these tablets, six fifteen-inch laptops, and about a dozen cell phones. You have any idea where this stuff is now?”

Theo gritted his teeth and said, “I don’t know anything about the break-in last night because I wasn’t there, and I don’t know how these tablets got into my locker. I said I wanted to talk to a lawyer, and I’m not answering any more questions until my lawyer is present.”

“Things will go smoother if you cooperate with us, Theo,” Hamilton said.

“I am cooperating. I allowed you to search my locker, and I’m telling the truth.”

Chapter 8

Big Mac was a small man, only slightly taller than Theo, and when he entered Mrs. Gladwell’s office he glared at the suspect as if he wanted to shoot him. Theo stood his ground behind the principal’s chair and watched as the detectives offered Big Mac a pair of surgical gloves.

“Why don’t you two wait outside?” Hamilton said, and Theo and Mrs. Gladwell stepped outside into the reception area. When the door was shut, she said, quietly, “I don’t know why they have to be so rude.”

“They’re just doing their job,” Theo said.

“Do you want to call your parents again?”

“Maybe later. They’re not in the office and they’re busy.”

The bell rang loudly, and Theo looked for a place to hide. Students would be changing classes, and it was not unusual for several of them to rush into the front office for urgent business. Someone might see him sitting there, looking guilty, detained for some reason. He found a magazine, hid his face behind it, and cowered near the watercooler as the noise from the halls rose through the school.

Inside Mrs. Gladwell’s office, Big Mac removed a small plate on the back of each tablet and checked the registration numbers. Using gloves to avoid smudging any possible fingerprints, he compared the number to his inventory list. “Yep, these came from my store,” he said. “Looks like you got your man.”

“We’ll see,” Hamilton said.

“What do you mean by that? You found these in that kid’s locker, right? Looks to me like you got him nailed, caught red-handed. I want to press charges right now. Let’s put the squeeze on him so we can find all the other stuff he stole.”