Arcade Catastrophe
Page 9

“Chicken-fried steak?” Ziggy asked.
“You read my mind,” Victor responded.
Having finished all the fries he wanted, Nate got up to hunt for other food. By the time he returned, Ziggy and Victor were already back in their seats and efficiently devouring more grub with no sign of slowing. Ziggy rose so Nate could scoot in.
The Battiatos finished their sixth plates before Nate completed his meal. Their later plates were less similar as each man pursued his preferences. Nate had to push to finish his last sparerib. After the fries and a crowded meal plate, he was getting pretty full.
Ziggy patted him on the back. “You already feeling it?”
Nate nodded.
“You’re not sweating yet,” Ziggy said. “You’ve got to go until the food sweat hits. That’s how you know you did it right.”
“Who wants dessert?” Victor asked, rising.
“Me,” Pigeon said, scooting out of the booth.
“Know what you want?” Victor asked, placing a large hand on Pigeon’s shoulder.
Pigeon shrugged. “Not yet.”
Victor gave a nod. “When in doubt, follow the big guy. He’ll lead you to the good stuff.”
Nate went to find some dessert as well. In the end he settled on a slice of chocolate mousse pie and a lemon meringue tart. Victor and Ziggy returned to the table with abundant treats. Victor went heavy on sponge cake smothered in vanilla custard, while Ziggy had constructed a towering hot fudge sundae.
“Should we talk about why we’re here?” Nate asked, taking a bite of pie.
Victor held up a spoon. “All in due time. I prefer not to divide my attention.”
After Nate finished his desserts, he felt ready to burst. He probably should have left some of the lemon tart on the plate, but it had tasted too delicious to stop. Pigeon looked equally overfed, his posture awkward, a smudge of pudding at the corner of his mouth. Summer pointed out the pudding and he wiped it off.
Ziggy and Victor appeared satisfied. Both men had finished their plates first, then sat watching the kids in contented silence.
“Is everyone full?” Ziggy asked.
“I couldn’t eat another bite,” Trevor said.
“Thanks for lunch,” Summer added.
“Our pleasure,” Victor said.
“So, who took John?” Nate asked.
“We have the same question,” Victor replied.
“What do you know?” Pigeon asked.
“Our suspicions center on Arcadeland,” Ziggy said.
“The new arcade in Walnut Hills?” Trevor asked.
“Have you been there?” Victor wondered.
“Not yet,” Trevor said. “It only opened last month. It’s supposed to be awesome.”
“It’s certainly eye catching,” Victor said. “We’re not dealing with amateurs. Arcadeland was at the heart of John’s investigation. We haven’t figured out who owns it, but the arcade is almost certainly a magician’s lair.”
“Which means we can’t enter,” Ziggy added. “Not unless we want a fight. Anybody who has been magically altered would trip a number of alarms. And nobody wants to confront a magician in his lair, especially going in blind.”
“Is this why you need us?” Trevor asked.
Victor gave a nod. “We need information. Eyes on the inside. The arcade isn’t safe, but during the normal hours of operation it shouldn’t pose serious danger to the average customer, especially if you keep your guard up.”
“We need to learn what’s going on,” Ziggy said. “We’re not even sure what kind of racket they’re running. Ideally we’d like to identify the owner.”
“Would I trip the magical alarms?” Nate wondered. “Magic aged me prematurely.”
“Only if you were still an old man,” Victor replied. “Now that you have been restored to your original state, you should read the same as any ordinary kid.”
“What about Lindy?” Pigeon asked. “Do you know about her?”
“We know her story,” Victor acknowledged. “She is definitely in an altered state and would surely trip magical warning signals. Whoever founded this arcade is not one of the good guys. Letting the mystery magician learn Lindy’s secret could be dangerous for her.”
“Dangerous for all of us,” Nate clarified. “If she somehow got her memory back, Belinda would become a major threat. I saw a possible future where she was taking over the town, and that was just the first step of a bigger plan.”
“You have to keep Lindy away from Arcadeland,” Ziggy agreed. “I expect that Stott understands this.”
“He wouldn’t even let Lindy come here today,” Pigeon said.
Victor nodded as if this were expected. “You four need to help reinforce his efforts to keep her out of Walnut Hills.”
“Can we bring magical candy into the arcade?” Nate asked.
“You can and you should,” Victor said. “I don’t expect this venture to be overly dangerous, but if things go wrong, it could get messy fast. You need to be ready to make an escape. Having edible enhancers shouldn’t trigger any alarms. In fact, you should even be able to use them without setting off alarms, since you’ll have been invited into the lair.”
“Invited?” Summer asked.
“The invitation is implied with a public area,” Ziggy said. “Same with the retail portion of the Sweet Tooth Ice Cream and Candy Shoppe. The magician gives up some control over the environment upon granting public access.”
“What are we looking for?” Pigeon wondered.
“We have some cheap digital cameras for you,” Victor said. “Take pictures like you’re horsing around, but try to get the employees in the background. Look for unusual games. Talk to any kids who seem like regulars. Keep your ears open. Take note of anything fishy.”
Ziggy pulled out a fat wad of bills and began peeling off twenties. “Play lots of games. We’ll start you out with five hundred dollars. We have plenty more if you need it.”
Nate noticed Trevor gazing at the cash with wide eyes. “All for video games?”
“Whatever games you wish,” Victor said. “Sample a wide variety. Keep an eye out for any oddities.”
“I might enjoy this mission,” Nate said, glancing from Victor to Ziggy.
“Don’t get too excited,” Ziggy said. “Something crooked is going on at Arcadeland. If you have some fun along the way, no problem, but don’t forget the place is a trap. Keep in mind what Belinda White did with her candy shop. Don’t eat anything, and if a game seems to have strange effects, be an observer, not a participant.”