The Mummy's Curse by Penny Warner

‘replaced.’ ”
    â€œIs she a real forger?” Luke asked.
    Dr. Jordan shook his head. “I doubt it. That’s quite a skill to master. But she knows a lot of people inthe world of artifacts—some reputable, some not. It wouldn’t be difficult for her to find a forger to make the fakes.”
    â€œThen all she’d have to do is switch the real ones with the replicas when no one was around,” Quinn said. “I saw that in a movie once.”
    â€œYeah,” Luke said. “Then she could sell them on the black market.”
    â€œOr keep them for herself,” M.E. added, “and pretend they were reproductions. I wouldn’t mind having some fake Egyptian jewelry to wear.”
    â€œCan you get those things back from the black market?” Quinn asked.
    â€œSometimes they turn up,” Dr. Jordan said. “But often they go missing for decades. It’s a good thing you figured out what she was doing; otherwise, it could have been a lot worse.”
    â€œWhy did she do it?” Cody asked, shaking her head.
    â€œWho knows why some people become greedy?” Dr. Jordan answered, holding up the recovered Eye of Horus and admiring it. “It’s not always easy beingaround all these beautiful treasures, knowing you’ll never own them. Mirabel Cassatt loved her jewelry. I suppose she got tired of wearing imitations and wanted the real thing. And working here, she thought she could get away with it.”
    â€œBut she tried to make it look like I stole that Eye of Horus!” Cody said.
    Dr. Jordan nodded. “She must have dropped it in your pocket at some point, to take the focus off herself.”
    Cody remembered when Ms. Cassatt bumped into her, just before she accused her of stealing the artifact. That would have been the perfect opportunity to slip the Eye into her pocket. Sort of like a pickpocket, but in reverse.
    â€œWell, I’m just glad this is over,” Ms. Stad said. “We’re going to be very late getting all the students back to school. Our volunteers are calling the parents so they won’t worry. I just hope we’ll still be allowed to go on more field trips.”
    â€œMe too,” said Quinn. “ ’Cause this one was awesome!” He fist-bumped Luke.
    The adults laughed and shook their heads.
    Awesome?
Cody thought about the close call she’d had with Ms. Cassatt and shivered. If it hadn’t been for her friends, she might have ended up sharing eternal space with that old mummy. Not so awesome. But it was still nice to know she had helped save a bit of priceless history today.
    While the adults chatted, Cody turned to her friends and signed,

    Code Buster’s Key and Solution found on this page , this page .
    Then they all linked their index fingers—Cody to Luke, Luke to M.E., M.E. to Quinn, and Quinn back to Cody—to form a circle. It was the American Sign Language sign for “friendship.”

T he Code Busters, along with the other sixth graders, were tired when they arrived back at school. It was an hour past the last bell, and the rest of the student body had gone home. Luckily, the kids had the weekend to rest up before school on Monday.
    After a good night’s sleep, Cody and her friends spent most of Saturday in their clubhouse, reliving the adventure.
    â€œThat field trip was awesome,” Quinn said as he sat down on the carpeted floor.
    Luke nodded. “Dude, we actually discovered a forgery. How cool is that?”
    â€œPretty amazing,” Cody said, “even though it almost got us in trouble.”
    â€œYeah,” M.E. added. “I’m surprised Matt the Brat didn’t have anything to do with it.”
    The kids laughed.
That is a first
, Cody thought. He was the one who usually caused trouble. Maybe he was getting better. Cody shook her head. Naw, not Matt the Brat.
    M.E. looked at Cody. “Why did you shake your head just