Patrick Carman - The Black Circle - 39 Clues 05

It was an oval, about two inches around and flat like a skipping rock.

[Proofreader's note: The writing on the rock says M,S -> 52 with 4 broken bones underneath.]

"No way this thing was missed all those years," said Dan.

"NRR had to put it there for us.""I agree. I just wish what was inscribed made more sense. He's not making it easy on us.""No kidding."Dan looked carefully at each of the elements on the stone and tried to piece them together. It was just the kind of thing he should be able to figure out.

"A pile of bones, the number fifty-two, an arrow, and the letters M and S separated by a comma. Cryptic to say the least.""Is the arrow pointing toward the M and the S or away from them?" asked Amy."Away from them," answered Dan. "And the bones, now that I get a better look at them, are cracked. These are broken bones."Amy slammed on the

brakes way too hard and Tiny Tim swerved along the shoulder of the road. Cars honked from behind and Dan came inches from smacking his head against the windshield.

Drivers passed by, screaming abuse and honking their horns. Amy tried to catch her breath; the near accident had really shaken her up."You almost sent me through the windshield!"

Dan yelled.

Then his eyes lit up and he turned to his sister. "My turn to drive?"Fifty yards up was a tree-lined side road that looked much more calm than the two-lane highway. Amy put Tiny Tim into low gear, crawled to the turn, and drove another hundred yards before swinging a U-turn and parking on the side of the road. She'd finally calmed down enough to talk.

"S-s-sorry about that. Obviously, I'm not ready for prime time behind the wheel. We need to retire this thing before someone gets hurt. But here's the good news -- I know what the message means. Where's the guidebook?"

"Can I drive now?" Dan asked again."Not a chance.""Come on! Let me drive! Please!"Within the space of thirty seconds, Dan asked if he could drive nine more times before finally handing over the guidebook. Amy flipped to Siberia, to a picture she'd seen with a caption that had interested her.

"Okay, check this out. A long time ago, back when they had labor camps in these Siberian outposts, they put a lot of the political prisoners to work on this one road. It was long. I mean really long, and it was a grueling job. Sometimes, when prisoners dropped dead on the job, they'd use their bones in the road itself."

"The Road of Bones," said Dan. "That's a little bit unpleasant even by my standards.""And totally real. See?"Amy held out the picture, which showed men with shovels and spades standing in the middle of nowhere with a long white road sprawling out behind them.

"Hamilton is going to love this. The Road of Bones! You can't make that sort of thing up.""The M and the S in the stone, that has to refer to Magadan, Siberia. It's one of the three places we have left to go.""And the arrow points away, toward the pile of bones. So if someone were to start in Magadan and drive, what, fifty-two miles down the Road of Bones, they might find something?""Precisely," said Amy.

Dan held the stone in the light once more and looked at all the parts inscribed. It added up. Broken bones, the number fifty-two, the arrow pointing away from M, S."We better call Hamilton," said Dan.

Amy dialed Nellie's cell phone and hoped Hamilton would be standing by, not goofing off or having a big brawl with the Kabras. He answered on the first ring."That you, Amy?" Hamilton answered. "I hope you have something for us to do.

My dad is getting so bored he's throwing rocks at the birds. He thinks we're on a wild goose chase.""Not even close!" said Amy. "And you're doing a great job. We've got to get you to Magadan as fast as we can.""Well, then, you're in luck," said Hamilton. "What do you mean?"

"We had to clear out of Omsk. That place was un-Holt friendly in the extreme. So I figured what the heck, chances are I'm probably needed in Magadan next anyway. It was the only other place you gave me to go. We hopped a plane last night and we're already here. The Kabras followed us, though. Those guys are like a wad of gum on your shoe. They keep getting a free ride."

"Hamilton! You're a genius!" said Amy. "Finally someone noticed." Amy put Hamilton on the speakerphone. "So where am I going? Give me the news," Hamilton said.Dan did the honors, after which Hamilton just about blew a gasket."No way! This thing is real? The Road of Bones? Sweet! Dan, you are SO jealous.

Don't even pretend like you're not."Dan was so frustrated he wanted to jump out of his underwear. He couldn't drive Tiny Tim, he couldn't go to the Road of Bones. He was being iced out!"Getto work, Hamilton," said Amy.

"We'll be standing by for your next lead. And don't take the Kabras lightly. They're ruthless -- they'll do anything to stop you.""The Hammer is on the job. I'll be back in touch." The line went dead.Dan stewed in the front seat while Amy tried to get up enough nerve to start Tiny Tim again.

They were either going to Moscow or Yekaterinburg. Either way, they were getting very close to the end of the hunt, and not a minute too soon. The clock was down to eight hours and counting.

Amy jumped as the phone vibrated in her hand. Number unknown. "Hello?""Hi, Amy. It's Ian. Been thinking about me?" Ian with the silky voice that sent chills down her spine."What do you want? Wait -- how did you get this number?"

"I'm worried about you. You're in way over your head, love. You should be careful who you trust."

"I can check you and your sister off my list! And don't call me love!""Look, Amy, I've been trying to play nice. You and Dan are fun to chase, but there's something you should know."

"What's that?" said Amy. She covered the mouthpiece and told Dan who it was. Dan stuck his finger down his throat and started fake puking."You're hopelessly behind," said Ian. "I don't want to hurt your feelings, but lots of clues have already been found, including the one you're looking for."

"You're lying!" said Amy. "You don't even know where we're going. Yeah, I know all about it. You're stuck out in Siberia somewhere. Well, here's a little surprise for you, Ian. You're three thousand miles from where you need to be."There was a slight pause on the line, then a classic Kabra laugh, sly and almost imperceptible.

"Oh, Amy. If only you knew the truth. You can't say I didn't warn you."The phone clicked off, and Amy started up Tiny Tim.

She was so angry she jammed on the gas and spun the tires, her fear of driving a distant memory."He's lying. They don't have any more clues than we do, right, Dan?"But Dan wouldn't meet her eyes. For the rest of the drive they were both completely silent.

CHAPTER 10

"This way," whispered Reagan Holt, "stay low or they'll see us coming."Against all his natural tendencies, Eisenhower Holt crept along as quietly as a mouse. His huge frame was much more suited to tackling someone from behind and beating the tar out of him."Do you see anyone?" he asked."No. I think they went this way."Reagan was peering around the corner of an aqua concrete building that hadn't seen a fresh coat of paint in fifty years.

She and her father were tracking two people down a potholed street lined with decaying buildings.

"Where did they go?" boomed Eisenhower Holt. "They're like cats, those two!""Dad, will you please keep it down? Don't you know the meaning of the word whisper?"Eisenhower Holt was about to retort when he and Reagan were jumped from behind.

The bigger of the two attackers landed on Eisenhower's back, put an arm around his neck, and wouldn't let go. Reagan and a smaller assailant rolled around in the dirt while Eisenhower spun in a great circle, his captor's legs swinging in the air behind him."Sneak attack! I told you to zip it!" yelled Reagan.

She was in a serious fight, punching and kicking from below a girl her exact same size."I'll save you!" said Eisenhower."Too late," said the person on his back. "I got it!""And that's the game!" said Mary-Todd, throwing her hands up as she appeared from out of nowhere.