Mackenzie Blue by Tina Wells

know. They want to keep it a secret.”
    â€œA secret?” Kathi looked stunned. “From their best friend?”
    Zee shrugged. “That’s okay.” No matter what she said to Kathi, though, she couldn’t hide her fears from herself. Maybe they never really were friends. What if Jasper never cared about Zee and was just waiting for someone better to come along?
    Then Zee realized that talking to Kathi had actually helped. “The science project!” Zee said out loud, remembering something important. She had left Jasper alone with her bag the day he came over to borrow the book. The day the diary was stolen.
    â€œWhat about it?” Jen asked.
    â€œOh, nothing,” Zee said. But she knew it was much more than nothing. It was huge! If Jasper wasn’t the friend she thought he was, maybe he was the kind of person who would steal her diary.

13
Detective Disaster
    B y the time Zee had walked into her house that afternoon, she was greeted by a miracle—and her mother.
    â€œHi, honey,” Mrs. Carmichael said. “I thought you were staying after school to work on your Teen Sing song.”
    Zee opened the snack cabinet and peered inside for the perfect I-had-a-bad-day treat. “Uhhh, change of plans. I’m taking the day off.”
    â€œWell, I’m going over to help Jasper’s mother. She’s starting her party-planning business, and I promised to give her the lowdown on Brookdale since she doesn’t know the area very well yet. You know, the best caterers, halls, and florists. Want to come?”
    Does a dog bark?
    Zee had watched and studied Jasper until the end of study hall. After what had happened with Chloe, she knew she had to be careful about investigating him. She overheard the two of them talking about putting the final touches on their science project model—at Chloe’s house.
    Zee’s mother had no idea Jasper wouldn’t be home. It was the perfect opportunity.
    â€œSure,” Zee told her mother, grabbing a bag of cheddar cheese popcorn from the shelf.
    Â 
    â€œI’m sorry, Mackenzie,” Mrs. Chapman said in a British accent. She was a tall woman who always wore her long brown hair twisted up on the back of her head. She was really nice, but she always seemed a little nervous. “Jasper’s not here.”
    Zee made her most convincing disappointed face. “Darn!” she said. “Jasper borrowed a book from me a few weeks ago. Do you think it would be okay if I look for it?”
    â€œWhy don’t you ring him up and see if he knows where it is?” Jasper’s mom said.
    â€œNo!” Zee practically shouted. Mrs. Chapman flinched at the outburst. “I mean, I wouldn’t want to bother him.”
    Luckily that was all Jasper’s mother had to hear. She nodded and said, “It’s likely on his bookcase or right on top of his desk anyway.” She turned to Mrs. Carmichael andlaughed. “He’s more organized than I am.”
    Taking the steps two at a time, Zee hurried into Jasper’s bedroom. Everything was in place. It was immaculate! She checked the most obvious places—the bookcase, the desk, the nightstand. But she knew Jasper was way too smart to leave her diary out in the open.
    Zee sat in Jasper’s desk chair and pulled open the center drawer. Wow! Pencils were neatly lined up in a long plastic box. Pens were in another. Other little boxes held paper clips, erasers, and thumbtacks. Zee’s desk drawer was reserved forall the stuff she could never throw out but would never—ever—use again. When she needed a pencil, she just yelled, “Mom, where’s a pencil?”

    At least Jasper’s system made it easy to see that there was no diary. Zee bent over and pulled open the other drawers. File folders with labels TESTS, EXTRA PAPER , and REPORT CARDS hung side by side. Zee placed her hand near the back of the drawer, looking for a tab that