Forlot - Books 10-12

Chapter Twelve

I immediately grabbed Little Amy from Milo and hurried down the steps and into the kitchen. I placed her in her high chair and gave her a kiss on her chubby cheek. I spun around and was about to exit before Dad or Kira noticed me, when my baby sister reached out and grabbed one of my fingers. I turned back to her.

"Brother no go," she said, squeezing my finger. "Me love you..."

I gave her a quick pat on the head and whispered, "I will be right back, Amy. There is something I have to do. It cannot wait." She still did not release my finger, and I sighed. "I promise that I will return before dinner."

That seemed to convince her because she freed my finger from her little grasp. Though, she remained sad. I realized that she did not have Piggy.

"Where is Piggy, Amy?"

At that moment, Milo quietly walked into the kitchen, holding Gabi in one hand and Piggy in the other. He came up to the high chair and handed my sister her stuffed pig.

"I believe that this belongs to you, little dude," he whispered, for he also did not want my dad and Kira to know that we were in the same room with them.

Amy took Piggy, hugged him, and cooed loudly, but I put a finger over my lips and shushed her.

"You have to be quiet, baby girl," I explained to her. "You do not want me and Milo to get caught by the Bad Kira, do you?"

Her eyes widened, and she shook her head, sucking on her little hand.

"Good." I motioned to Milo. "Come on."

"Hold on for a second, dude." He held up the doll. "I am not about to take this doll with us."

"Why not?"

"What if this goes off again? What if there is another bomb hidden inside the doll that we do not know about and explodes while we have it in our possession?"

"If you are so worried, put it in something."

"Oh, sure. 'Cause your dad owns a special object that will keep the darn bomb from ripping the neighborhood apart. Great idea." He was being sarcastic.

"Put it in a plastic bag." I pointed to the bottom drawer. "There are bags in that drawer."

"Are you kidding me? A plastic bag is not going to keep a powerful bomb from blowing up!"

I took him by the arm, and we quickly and quietly crept out of the kitchen. "You have your bag. Put the doll in there."

"What? No!" He stroked the side of his backpack. "I am not about to lose Anita to a bomb."

From the corner of my eye, I spotted the closet - and got an idea.

I opened the closet door and went through all the stuff that had been in there and not used for months.

"Haha. I found it," I said.

I pulled out a large, black suitcase and laid it on the floor. It is Dad's suitcase, but he hardly uses it anymore. I shut the closet door, unlatched the suitcase, and opened it. Nothing was inside.

"Place the doll in here," I ordered, pointing to the suitcase.

Milo bent down and set Gabi in it and on her back. I closed the suitcase and picked it up by the handle.

"Now we go to the antique store," I instructed.

The two of us bolted out the front door and ran down the sidewalk. It was difficult to see because it was nighttime.

"So why do you think that your mom wanted someone to die?" Milo asked me. "You told me that she left Forlot right after the divorce."

"She did, but now, she is back," I admitted.

I explained to him all about my encounter with my mother. That she owned an antique house. What she told me. Why she had returned to Forlot.

Milo's face was in total shock. "Dang. That must have felt like getting hit by a rock over and over."

I shook my head. "It felt like that I got crushed by a big rock, and I could not free myself. Like I was suffocating."

"Oh, dude..."

As soon as I realized that we were in front of Mom's antique store, I skidded to a stop. Milo noticed what I was doing and did the same. We both shifted our bodies towards the shop.

"Is this the place?" Milo asked.

"Yes," I replied.

I reached out and grasped the doorknob. I turned it and tried opening the door.

"Try pushing it," my best friend suggested.

So I did. That did not work.

Milo pointed at a sign that was taped on the door. "What does that sign say?"

I squinted at it.

DONNA'S ANTIQUE STORE -

OPEN - 9:00 A.M.

CLOSED - 5:00 P.M.

"What time is it, Milo?"

He pulled out his cellphone from the pocket of his pants and turned it on. He squinted at the screen because it was bright.

"It is minutes before six o'clock, Jackson."

I slammed a fist against the glass, but too hard. "We are too late. My mom closed up her store."

"What do we do now?"

"Go back to my house, I guess."

We turned around and started making our way back to where we had just came from.

"Looks that I will be visiting Mom in the morning," I commented.

"Jackson, have you forgotten? We have school tomorrow."

"No, I have not, which is why I am heading straight to bed after dinner and waking up earlier."

My house came into view, and I stopped walking. Milo took a few more steps before looking at me.

"Dude, what is wrong?"

I had spotted a lady. She was watering flowers that were in front of the house that was next to mine. I found that strange. Did that lady live in that house? And how?

Nobody was supposed to be living in that house.