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“A Mexican fire drill?” I said

“It’s souy never came back for his car Two of the other cars that were also left behind belonged to rivals of Perrine’s Los Salvajes organization And Teodoro Salinas isThere’s been no word”

“That is ato do with it? You think he was there?” I said

“We’re not sure,” Emily said

I stared at the screen

“Well, let’s see Three dirtbags enter, no dirtbags leave,” I said “Then a bunch of people suddenly flee in panic Sounds a lot like the Manuel Perrine that I’ve come to know and love”

CHAPTER 12

“HOW LONG DO YOU think we have to stay out here?” Ricky said, watching as the beat-up Wilson football Brian tossed to him flew over his head

“Agent Parker’s car is still there, right? So at least until it leaves, du for the ball

Ricky searched for the ball in the tall grass It had been almost an hour, and here they still were, out in the back “yard” It was no yard It was a field you couldn’t see the end of It was the size of Central Park—Manhattan, maybe It had been cool at first, but noas just like everything else out here in nowhere land Extre

“What do you think they’re talking about in there?” Ricky said

“Probably how this place is too visible for us, and they need to send us somewhere really remote,” Brian said

“This sucks,” Ricky said as he finally found the ball “Even with the delay, you know Mary Catherine is going to want us to do our schoolwork anyway I wanted to catch Matlock Now it’ll be over by the time we’re done”

“No,” Brian said “What really sucks is that you actually care if you uy”

Jane, sitting with her back to the car shed, dropped her book and juht before Brian could catch it