The Maze of Bones (The 39 Clues #1)(28)

Amy felt completely lost with all the French signs. Morning light slanted through the windows, though it felt like midnight to her. Down the hall, a crowd was gathering.

People were flashing cameras and shouting questions at somebody Amy couldn't see.

"Oh, paparazzi!" Nellie said. "Maybe it's, like, Kanye West!"

"Wait!" Amy said, but Nellie wasn't going to be discouraged. They pushed through the crowd with a lot of excusez-mois.

As they got closer, Amy stopped in her tracks. "Jonah Wizard."

He was wading through the mob, signing autographs, while his dad trailed behind like a bodyguard. Jonah wore baggy jeans, a black leather jacket over a white tank top, and his standard half ton of silver jewelry. He looked fresh and well-rested, like his flight had been a lot better than Amy's.

"Le Wizard!"

The reporters peppered him with questions. To Amy's surprise, Jonah answered them in French.

There were so many people Amy wanted to melt into the walls, but Jonah looked relaxed. He gave the crowd a brilliant smile and said something that made them laugh, then scanned the faces and locked eyes with Amy.

"Yo!" he called. "My peeps!"

Amy was mortified. Jonah started pushing his way toward them and the whole crowd turned to figure out who he was talking to.

"Oh, no way," Nellie said. "You know Jonah Wizard?"

"We're related to him," Dan grumbled. "Distantly."

Nellie looked like she was going to faint. Suddenly, Jonah was right in front of them, shaking Amy's hand and patting Dan on the back and signing Nellie's T-shirt, and the cameras started taking pictures of them.

Don't look at me!

Amy wanted to scream.

I'm covered with lasagna!

Her voice didn't work. She tried to back away but her legs were frozen.

"Jonah!" his father said. "We should get going."

"Yeah, sure." Jonah winked at Amy. "Come with, cuz. We got stuff to talk about."

Jonah's dad started to protest, but Jonah put his arm around Amy and steered her through the terminal, with Dan and Nellie and a mob of frantic paparazzi behind them, flashing pictures. Amy was sure she would die from embarrassment any second, but somehow they made it outside. The day was warm and overcast. Storm clouds were gathering on the horizon. A black limousine waited at the curb.

"We -- we shouldn't," Amy started to protest. She remembered Mr. McIntyre's warning: Trust no one.

"Are you kidding?" Nellie said. "A limo ride with Jonah Wizard? Come on!" She practically dove into the limo. A few minutes later, they were gliding down Vautoroute de Vest toward the heart of Paris.

"Man, I love this town," Jonah said.

His limo had facing backseats. Jonah and his dad sat on one side. Amy, Dan, and Nellie sat on the other. Jonah's dad typed notes on his BlackBerry, every once in a while looking up and scowling at Amy, like he couldn't believe she was still there.

Outside, rows of gold stone buildings glided by, their windows overflowing with flower boxes. The cafés were crowded with people, all the chairs facing the street like they were waiting for a parade. The air smelled like

coffee and baked bread. The cloudy skies gave everything a weird light -- as if the city weren't quite real.

"You know my TV ratings here are even better than in the States?" Jonah said.

"Eighteen points higher," his dad piped in.

"And my new album, Gangsta Life, is number three on the French charts."

"Number two," his dad said. "And climbing."

"Oh, wow, I love your album!" Nellie said.

"Thanks," Jonah said. "Now shut up."

Nellie looked like she'd been slapped.

"Hey!" Dan cried. "That's not cool!"

"What?" Jonah said. "She's not a Cahill. I'm not talking to her."

Amy was so shocked she couldn't respond, but Jonah just kept right on bragging.

"Like I was saying, I own this town. My art gallery opened last week on Rue de la Paix.

My watercolors are selling for six thousand euros a piece. I've even got a children's book coming out."

His dad whipped out a copy and showed them.

Dan squinted as he read the cover.

"Le... Li'l Gangsta Livre Instantane?"

"That means 'little gangster pop-up book,'" Jonah's dad said proudly.

Jonah spread his hands. "See what I mean? I'm more popular than" -- he smiled slyly-- "Benjamin Franklin."

Something inside Amy snapped. She'd spent several hours reading about Benjamin Franklin, and she was more convinced than ever that he was the most amazing person who ever lived.

To think she might be related to him made her so proud. Now to hear this conceited TV star jerk compare himself ... she was so angry she forgot to be shy. "B-Benjamin Franklin was way more important than you, Jonah! He was the most famous American to ever visit Paris. When he came here, people wore his picture on necklaces -- "

"Like this?" Jonah pulled out a Jonah Wizard commemorative photo necklace.

"And ... and they wore clothes like his!"

"Uh-huh. The Jonah Wizard fashion line is doing great on the Champs-élysées."