Theo knew that the InfoBrief account would record an entry at 12:14 p.m., Friday, from Vince’s computer, but he doubted if it would be noticed anytime soon. If anyone questioned him, he would simply deny everything. It was, after all, Friday afternoon and there was a good chance neither Vince nor his mother nor anyone else would use InfoBrief until Monday morning, and, more importantly, the system’s entry record was not something that was routinely pulled up and examined.

Though his little crime so far seemed perfect, Theo felt lousy about it. He debated whether he would actually give Ike the password and code, and as the minutes passed he was inclined not to. It was one thing to sneak around and lift them from Vince’s lightly secured computer, but it was something far more serious for Ike to actually open the files and dig for sensitive information.

His mother arrived just before 1:00 p.m. She had brought lunch and they ate at the conference room table with Mr. Boone. The mood was somber and they talked about things other than Theo’s mess. As he nibbled on a sandwich, he was tempted to bring up the idea that the conspiracy against him could be related to one of his mother’s bad divorce cases, but Ike had told him to wait.

So he waited.

Theo was in his office, plowing through homework and watching the clock move slowly, when Elsa buzzed him through the phone intercom. “Theo, there’s someone here to see you,” she said.

“Who is it?” he asked, startled and then afraid the police were back.

“A friend.”

Theo hurried to the front of the building. Standing awkwardly by Elsa’s desk was Griff, who, when last seen the morning before, was receiving suspension from Mrs. Gladwell just like Theo. They walked into the conference room and Theo closed the door. They sat in the heavy leather chairs and Griff looked around the room. “Pretty cool,” he said. “Is this yours?”

“I use it sometimes,” Theo said. “I have a small office in the back.”

After an awkward pause, Griff asked, “Did your parents yell at you?”

“Not too bad. What about you?”

“They weren’t too happy. I’m grounded for a month, extra work around the house, no allowance for two weeks, but I guess it could’ve been worse.”

“Sounds pretty bad.”

“Look, Theo, the reason I’m here is that my parents want me to apologize for the fight. So, I apologize.”

“No problem,” Theo said. “I apologize, too. It was all pretty stupid, you know?”

“Yep, pretty stupid. Baxter’s got a big mouth and it gets him in trouble.”

“Baxter apologized, too. Let’s forget about it.”

“Done.” Another pause, but Griff had something else on his mind. “Look, Theo, the rumor is that the cops think you broke into Big Mac’s and stole a bunch of stuff and some of it was found in your locker. Is that right?”

Theo nodded.

“Well, I find it hard to believe because I don’t think you would break into a store at night and steal stuff, you know. That’s not like you.”

“Tell that to the police.”

“I will if you want me to.”

“Thanks.”

“Anyway, Big Mac has been telling people in the store that the police have caught the thief, Theodore Boone, and that they found three Linx 0-4 Tablets in your locker. I guess the guy’s got a big mouth.”

Theo’s shoulders sunk and he looked out a window. “I guess he does.”

“You wanna hear something strange? My sister Amy is in the tenth grade and she knows a guy named Benny. He’s not a boyfriend or anything like that, just a friend. This guy Benny knows a guy named Gordy, and, according to Gordy, some guy offered to sell him an 0-4 Tablet for fifty dollars a couple of days ago at school, in the parking lot. Brand new, still in the box. Those things cost four hundred dollars, and this guy is trying to sell one for fifty. You gotta figure it’s stolen, right?”

“Right,” Theo said, suddenly staring at Griff. “What’s his name?”

“I don’t know, but I can probably find out. How many of the 0-4s were stolen?”

“I’m not sure, but I think more than three, along with some laptops and cell phones.”

“Why would someone plant the stuff in your locker and then call the police?”

“That’s the key question here, Griff, the one we’re trying to answer. Look, there can’t be too many stolen 0-4s on the black market out there. We need to get the name of the guy who’s trying to sell them. And the sooner the better. Can you talk to your sister?”

“Sure I can.”

“Please do it, Griff. And hurry.”

Griff hustled away and Theo returned to his office. The suspension was really getting old.

At 3:45, his mother gave him permission to leave the office for personal reasons. Theo said good-bye to Judge and sped away on his bike. School was out, for the day and for the week, and other kids were loose on the streets of Strattenburg, ready to play and enjoy the short break. Theo was happy that the week was over. It had begun Monday with a slashed front tire and plunged straight downhill from there. He was also worried, and for obvious reasons. If he didn’t find out who was after him, and quickly, the upcoming week could be even worse.

Major Ludwig was waiting in the basement of the VFW building, the home of Boy Scout Troop 1440. The meeting was scheduled to begin at 4:00 p.m. sharp, but the Major expected his scouts to arrive at least five minutes early. He despised tardiness and was known to bark and growl if you showed up late for anything. Theo arrived at 3:57. Brian and Edward, two friends from Mr. Mount’s homeroom, were there, along with Sam, Isaac, and Bart, three seventh graders. All six Scouts had signed on for the Aviation merit badge, and Major Ludwig would be their counselor. He had flown fighter jets in the Marines and now worked part-time as a flight instructor at the city airport.

At first, Theo was a little awkward around Brian and Edward, his classmates. He wasn’t sure if he should feel embarrassed, or proud. How much gossip was making the rounds at school in his absence? Plenty, he figured. The Major sensed the unease and wasted no time in discussing his plans.

“This is going to be very exciting,” he began. “I’ve been flying for almost forty years, and I have loved every minute of it. We are going to study airplanes—piston engines, turboprops, and jets. We’re going to build a model airplane, powered by batteries and able to climb to an altitude of two hundred feet. This will teach you the principles of flight—airspeed, lift, drag, aerodynamics—as well as the control surfaces—the ailerons, elevators, and rudder. You will learn how to read an aeronautical chart and plot a course for a real flight, a flight you will make using some really cool simulator software. We will visit the airport here in Strattenburg, look at various airplanes, then climb up into the tower and watch the air traffic controller as he directs traffic. There’s not a lot of traffic here, but it will still be interesting to see how a controller handles things. Then, last but not least, when you’ve learned all the basics, we’ll go for a real flight. With your parents’ permission, I’ll take you up two at a time in my little Cessna. We’ll climb to about five thousand feet, and I’ll let you handle the airplane. I’ll keep my hands on the controls at all times, but you’ll get a real good feel for the airplane. We’ll do turns, climbs, and descents. We’ll pick a beautiful day so you’ll have a perfect bird’s-eye view of where we live and the land around us. How about it, men? Sound like fun?”

The six boys were in a trance, thoroughly engrossed in their upcoming adventure. All six nodded eagerly. For the moment, Theo forgot about his problems. The Major handed out Aviation merit badge booklets and outlined the assignment for their meeting next Friday, then he picked up a large model airplane, the same one he used for real instruction, and began describing its various parts.

Theo, ever the dreamer, began thinking of how cool it would be to fly airplanes—fighter jets and 747s. What a great life—first the adventure of dogfights high above the battlefield, then traveling the world as the captain of a luxury commercial airliner. He had always wanted to be a lawyer, but right now the law had lost some of its appeal. Being a pilot seemed far more exciting.