• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

“Are you okay?” Simon asked.

“It still hurts a little. Not too bad.”

Winston said, “Did you talk to Carl Lester? Did he tell you why he did all this?”

Simon gave a snort of laughter. “Yeah. The guy was so nervous about getting caught, he told us the whole thing before he even knew what he was saying. Apparently, our friend Mr. Lester likes to gamble. He owed a bunch of people a lot of money. He thought if he won my contest, he could use his power as vice principal to funnel that money to himself. He was going to steal it all.”

Jake said, “And who was the other guy?”

“A buddy from one his card games,” Simon said. “Mr. Lester was going to give him a cut. We’ve got his name, and the police are going to his house right now. Personally, I can’t wait to meet him.”

Mr. Garvey was still standing at a distance, staring at them, held back by one of Simon’s partners. Simon gestured over there and said, “So. Your teacher tells me you figured out the sixth and final answer.” Simon looked at the three boys. “Is that true?”

This was apparently the big moment. “Yes,” said Winston.

“Tell me about it. Tell me how you solved the puzzle.” Simon sat back, ready to hear the story, that friendly smile remaining on his face.

Winston glanced at his friends and then started to talk. It was clear what was happening: Dmitri Simon wanted to verify what Mr. Garvey had said.

And what had their teacher said? Had Mr. Garvey tried to cut the girls out of their half of the prize money? Winston had to admit it was possible. Sure. Mr. Garvey might have decided it wasn’t fair that the girls should get so much money just because they hadn’t broken their computer. It’s not like the girls would be able to prove he’d promised them anything. And it would mean twenty-five thousand extra dollars for the school.

But that would only work if Winston didn’t tell the whole truth, right now.

He couldn’t do that.

He started to speak . . . and stopped. If his story contradicted what Mr. Garvey told them, Dmitri Simon might not give the prize money to them or the girls. Simon might decide everybody was stretching the truth, that he couldn’t figure out what really happened, and he would simply give the money away to charity or something.

Everybody was looking at him, and Winston realized he had gotten halfway through his first sentence and then stopped like his brain had winked off. He gave a little cough and started again, telling the story just as it happened: The broken computer. Winston figuring out the word square. Going to the girls for help and giving them a hint so they could solve the final puzzle, too. He told Simon they had promised to split the money with them if they won.

Dmitri Simon turned to Mal and Jake. “Is that what happened?”

Winston’s friends glanced at each other, then nodded hesitantly.

Simon gazed at them for a few more eternal moments and then smiled. “Okay. I’m satisfied.” He clapped Winston on the shoulder and stood up. “Good for you. You guys did real good.”

“We did?” Mal said.

“What just happened?” Jake asked.

“Well,” said Simon, looking amused, “you win. You’ve won the contest.”

They were all thunderstruck. Winston had convinced himself he was telling a different story from his teacher. “We did? We really did?”

“You really did,” Simon said. “You confirmed exactly what your teacher told us, and since nobody else solved the final puzzle, the prize money is yours. We’ll make the announcement in a few minutes. No giant check for you guys, because we only had one and it has the other team’s name on it. Sorry about that. But you’ll get a real check, for your half of the prize. I’m sure you’ll agree that’s a lot better.”

“Yeah!” Jake said, still looking more startled than pleased.

“Congratulations to all of you. I’ll also send all of you a case of potato chips. What do you like? Oil and vinegar? Barbecue?”

“I want to try those square chips,” Mal said.

“You got it,” said Simon. He nodded over to his assistant, who finally let Mr. Garvey pass. He all but ran back to the picnic table, as if to undo whatever