Theo agreed, and then talked about the Finn boys and their parents’ ugly divorce.

“My brother is in the tenth grade,” Woody said. “I wonder if he knows Jessie Finn.”

“We gotta find out,” Theo said. “That’s our project right now—to find out all we can about these two guys.” Chase left to go upstairs and get his laptop. Woody pulled out his cell phone and called his brother, Tony, but got voice mail. Theo called Griff who reported he had made no progress in getting the name of the ninth grader who was trying to sell black market 0-4 Tablets for fifty dollars. Griff promised to keep trying.

Mrs. Whipple, who was also a lawyer and close friend of Mrs. Boone, brought down a platter of cookies and a carton of milk. She asked how the Chemistry project was going and all three claimed to be excited with their progress. After she left, Chase went to the website of Strattenburg High School, and after a few minutes of browsing said, “There are three hundred and twenty ninth graders at SHS. Guess how many are named Jessie?”

“Four,” Woody said.

“Three,” Theo said.

“Two,” Chase answered. “Jessie Finn and Jessie Neumeyer. We need to get the name from Griff.”

“I’m trying,” Theo said.

“Griff,” Woody hissed. “I’m going to punch that kid out next time I catch him off campus. I can’t believe he jumped on me like that. What a little twerp.”

“Knock it off,” Theo said. “As of now Griff is on our side. Besides, he apologized. So did Baxter.”

“Baxter hasn’t apologized to me. I’d like to see his eye right now. Probably black-and-blue.”

Chase went to Google Earth and typed in the Finn’s address on Edgecomb Street, near the college. He zoomed in and said, “Here’s their house.” Theo and Woody huddled behind Chase, and all three looked at the screen. The Finn home was a two-story white frame on a street lined with several just like it. There was nothing different or remarkable about it. In the backyard there was a small, aboveground pool, and along the back fence there was a storage shed. The information was nice to have, but of no real value.

Theo’s cell phone vibrated in his pocket. He yanked it out, opened it, looked at the screen, and said, “It’s Griff.”

Griff told Theo that his sister had finally made contact with Benny, and Benny had called Gordy, and Gordy had reluctantly said that the guy peddling the 0-4 Tablets was named Jessie somebody, didn’t know his last name and really didn’t know much about him. Griff assured Theo that his sister had not revealed the reason for her interest. Theo again stressed the need for secrecy.

“Now we’re getting somewhere,” Woody said.

“Why don’t we go to the police?” Chase asked. “They can talk to both Jessies in the ninth grade and find out which one is trying to sell the stuff.”

“It’s too early,” Theo said. “Suppose it’s Jessie Finn. When the cops approach him, what’s he gonna do? Admit he’s got a stash of stolen computers and cell phones? Fall on his knees and confess everything? No way. He’ll just deny it all, and if the cops can’t find any of the loot in his backpack, they can’t do anything. He’ll get scared and we’ll never find the stuff.”

“Theo’s right,” Woody added. “We have to buy it from him. Then we give it to the police and they check the registration numbers.”

“How are we going to buy it?” Chase asked.

“That’s the big question,” Theo said. “First, we start with Gordy. If he’ll agree to help us, then he can hook up with Jessie Finn and buy the tablet.”

“I don’t know this Gordy guy,” Woody said, “but I doubt if he’s that stupid. Why would anyone get involved in this mess? We can’t really expect him to buy a tablet he knows is stolen, and then hand it over to us when we’re taking it straight to the police.”

“He won’t get into trouble,” Theo said. “Not if he’s helping solve a crime.”

“I don’t think so,” Woody said.

“I agree with Woody,” Chase said.

“What about Tony, your brother?” Theo asked.

“Are you sure he won’t get into trouble?”

“I’m positive. If he helps the police find stolen goods, they’ll thank him and pat him on the back. I happen to know the law, remember?”

“How could we ever forget,” Chase said.

“Well, as you know, Tony will do anything. He’s an idiot and loves to meddle in everybody else’s business. That’s a great idea, Theo. But where do we get fifty bucks?”

“I’ve already got it,” Theo said.

Woody looked at Chase, who said, “Why am I not surprised?”

“Call him again,” Theo said, and Woody pulled out his cell phone. He smiled as it was ringing, then said, “Hey, Tony, it’s me.” They talked for a few minutes and Woody did not mention their idea of getting Tony involved. Woody explained that they needed some inside dirt on a ninth grader named Jessie Finn. Tony did not know him but said he would start digging.

For half an hour, the gang of three kicked around ideas of how to nail the Finn boys, who by now were guilty beyond any doubt. Chase found their photos from a student directory and printed enlarged copies of their faces. Theo stared at the two, certain he had never seen them before. Jessie Finn had a Facebook page (Jonah did not), and Chase scanned it but found nothing that would interest them or help in their search for clues. Woody, who was sprawled on the sofa playing catch with a Ping-Pong ball, remembered a story. “You know, this makes perfect sense. I have two cousins who live near Baltimore, and last year their parents went through a nasty divorce. It was awful. I remember my two cousins saying bad things about their father’s divorce lawyer. They really hated the guy, and I guess he was just doing his job. Does your mother worry about such things, Theo?”

“I’m sure she does, but she never talks about it.”

“It’s her job,” Chase observed. The son of a lawyer.

Chapter 21

Sunday morning, Theo sat in church between his parents and tried to listen to the sermon being delivered by the Reverend Judd Koker, but it was a challenge. In a cruel twist, the message was on the evils of thievery, of stealing, and Theo felt as though he might be the target. He had caught a few stares before the service began, and almost bolted from the sanctuary when Mrs. Phyllis Thornberry happened by their pew and let it slip that they were “ . . . praying for Theo.” Mrs. Thornberry was an ancient member of the church and a terrible gossip, and Theo’s parents somehow resisted the urge to inform her that Theo was fine. Save your prayers for those who are truly in need.

Theo liked Reverend Koker because he was young and energetic, and his sermons were sprinkled with humor and mercifully short. The old dude before him, “Pastor Pat” as he was known, had led the church for thirty years and was an awful preacher, in Theo’s opinion. His sermons were long and dull and could force even the most devout worshipper into a near-comalike trance in a matter of minutes. Koker, though, knew the art of the short sermon, and so far in his brief ministry at the church, he had been well received.

The point of his sermon was that there are various ways in which we steal, and all of them are wrong in God’s eyes. The Eighth Commandment proclaimed by Moses was Thou Shall Not Steal, which, of course, means it is wrong to take something that belongs to another person. Koker was expanding on this, though, to include other forms of theft. Stealing time away from God, family, friends. Stealing the gift of good health by pursing bad habits. Stealing from the future by missing opportunities in the present. And so on. It was pretty confusing. Theo glazed over fairly quickly and began thinking about the Finn boys, and, specifically, how he and his little gang might get their hands on some of the stolen goods the Finns were perhaps trying to sell.

Theo knew quite well that the first thing his father would say when they were in the car was, “Theo, how did you like the sermon?” For that reason, and none other, Theo tried desperately to pay attention.