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The principal took the paper back. “So then J plus five is the letter O . . . S plus two is the letter U . . . and Q plus one is R.”

“That spells FOUR,” Winston said, getting more and more excited.

They went through the whole code, counting out the alphabet again and again like students in a very strange nursery school. When they were done, they sat back and looked at what they had written:

FOUR ZERO EIGHT SEVEN FOUR EIGHT SIX

Winston was elated, but the principal was frowning at the answer. “Seven numbers,” said Mr. Unger. “That’s not a very satisfying solution. What does it mean?”

Winston said, “Maybe it’s a phone number.”

Mr. Unger rubbed the top of his balding head. “What is this? If somebody wanted me to call them, why not just give me the number? Or, heck, why not call me? What’s with all this spy movie stuff ?”

“I don’t know,” said Winston. “Let’s call it and see.”

A look of bewilderment on his face, Mr. Unger reached over and hit the speaker button on his sleek black telephone. A dial tone filled the room. The principal booped in the seven digits. There was a long, tense pause as the phone rang several times, and then a gentle click, followed by a booming megaphone of a voice. Mr. Unger hastily lowered the volume a couple of notches.

“You did it!” said the voice. “You, my friends, have broken the code! And now I would like to warmly invite you to a very special contest. I am Dmitri Simon, the president of Simon’s Snack Foods. And I am going to give fifty thousand dollars to one lucky school.” Mr. Unger’s jaw dropped open. “You’ve solved the first puzzle, but there will be many more puzzles to solve. On this Friday, May 18, at ten A.M., send three students and one teacher to Simon’s Snack Foods, 1 Livingston Avenue, in Maplewood. At the tone, please tell me the name of your school, so that I know who to expect. And congratulations on making it this far. I will see you soon!”

There was a sudden beep, and the principal leaned in and said quickly, “Walter Fredericks Junior High, Glenville. Bernard Unger, principal.”

Mr. Unger turned off the phone. His eyes were wide open and dazzled. “Fifty thousand dollars. Did he say fifty thousand dollars? If we solve a puzzle contest?” He gripped his armrests as if he thought his chair might suddenly fly. “Can this be real?” he said.

“You can call the company and find out,” Winston said.

The principal nodded. “I will. I definitely will.”

A slow smile crept to Winston’s face. “If it is real, I volunteer to be one of those students,” he said.

“What? Of course you do. You better,” said Mr. Unger. “Get two more kids. Whoever you want. Fifty thousand dollars!” The principal stood up, his eyes full of wonder. He looked like he had just seen a magician do the most amazing trick ever. “I’ll find a teacher to go with you,” he said. “It’s the day after school ends, and technically, everyone will be on vacation. But I know a few of them won’t mind. Yes. Let me think. . . .” He gazed thoughtfully up at the ceiling. After a moment, he began pacing again.

Winston got the feeling his meeting with the principal was over. Mr. Unger now looked positively giddy, like a man who has just arrived at his own surprise birthday party. “We can’t lose, can we? We just can’t lose!”

“I don’t know,” said Winston. “I don’t want to promise anything—”

“Oh, I know, I know,” said the principal. “But I can feel it. Go! Get your team together! We don’t have much time! Just a couple of days! We’re going to win!”

Winston nodded enthusiastically and backed out of the office. He didn’t tell the principal that he didn’t need to get his team together—he knew exactly who his teammates were going to be. All he had to do now was tell them. Winston took off running down the hallway.

CHAPTER TWO

THE NEXT PERIOD WAS social studies, the one class he shared with Mal and Jake, his two best friends. The bell rang, and the hallway filled with kids. Winston ran as fast as he could through the crowd, weaving between groups of kids like someone in urgent need of a bathroom. That wasn’t the problem, but