The Potato Chip Puzzles_ The Puzzling World of Winston Breen - Eric Berlin [5]
Winston smiled, but with some effort. Mr. Garvey’s laugh didn’t sound altogether real. It was the laugh of a dentist looking to lighten the mood before he stuck something sharp in your mouth. Winston thought he knew why Mr. Garvey was here.
Sure enough, Mr. Garvey said next, “So, our principal has shared a fascinating story with me.”
“Oh?”
“He’s asked me to accompany you on this puzzle expedition on Friday. And of course, I agreed.”
Winston nodded, not daring to let his smile falter. This was exactly what he’d been afraid of. Mr. Garvey was nobody’s favorite teacher. The students in his advanced math class dreaded being called upon—if they got an answer wrong, Mr. Garvey was more than happy to make fun of them in front of the whole class. It was even rumored that Mr. Garvey once made his entire Mathletes team cry after they had lost a crucial match.
Winston was on track to be in Mr. Garvey’s class the following year and wasn’t looking forward to it. Now it looked like he was going to get the full Garvey Experience a few months earlier than expected.
Mr. Garvey said, “I’m looking forward to working with you on this, Winston. Of course, I’m aware of your reputation as a puzzle lover. Quick! Why did the chicken cross the road?”
Winston looked startled. “Uh,” he said. That was a riddle from first grade. Was Mr. Garvey serious?
Mr. Garvey smiled even more broadly and smacked Winston lightly on the shoulder. He said, “Just kidding. I’m sure you’re light-years beyond silly little riddles. Indeed, I think you’ll prove to be the cornerstone of the team, and I applaud Mr. Unger for bringing you on board.” Mr. Garvey beamed down at him. “Say, I’ve got a little puzzle for you, if you want to hear it. A real puzzle. Nothing to do with chickens.”
Winston nodded. “Sure.”
“A math puzzle, of course, since that’s my field. Ready?”
“Sure,” Winston said again.
Mr. Garvey cleared his throat a little and said, “I went to a horse race, and I counted all of the horses’ legs plus all of the jockeys’ legs. The total came to 108. How many horses were in the race?”
(Answer, page 239.)
After Winston had solved the puzzle, Mr. Garvey said, “I wanted to talk to you about who the other teammates should be. There are a few sharp kids on my Mathletes team. I don’t know if you know them. . . .”
Winston looked surprised. “I already chose my teammates,” he said.
Mr. Garvey stared down at him. His fatherly smile tightened but did not fade. “You did? Don’t you suppose we might have collaborated on this?”
“I didn’t know you were going to be the chaperone.”
All at once, Mr. Garvey’s smile collapsed and vanished. Without it, Mr. Garvey’s face took on a chiseled-from-stone look. He said sharply, “I’m not going to be a chaperone, Winston. I will be a coach, mentor, and guide. It’s not my job to drive you around. It’s my job to see that we win. You understand that, don’t you?”
Winston nodded and tried not to look as sick as he was starting to feel. “Yes. Sorry,” he said.
“And part of that job,” Mr. Garvey continued, “is making sure we have the best possible team. Who is it that you’ve chosen to join us?”
“My friends Mal and Jake.”
The math teacher took a deep breath. “Would I know either of these young men?”
“I don’t know. Mal is in the drama club. And Jake is on the baseball team.”
“An actor and an athlete,” said Mr. Garvey.
“Actually, Mal works backstage.”
Mr. Garvey nodded and flicked a hand in the air, not caring if Mal worked onstage, backstage, or collected tickets. “I’m sure they’re very good at what they do,” he said. “But I don’t think there’s going to be much call for moving props around or tackling the other team.”
Winston couldn’t believe it. Mr. Garvey wanted to kick Mal and Jake off the team. He tried not to let panic show in his voice. “They’re good puzzle solvers. They both are.”
Mr. Garvey sighed and stared at Winston thoughtfully.