The Maze of Bones (The 39 Clues #1)(51)

"As you wish." Mr. McIntyre's tone made it clear he didn't believe her. "Well, if there's anything I can do. If you need advice -- "

"Thanks, Mr. McIntyre," Dan said. "But we'll figure it out."

The old lawyer studied them both. "Very good. Very good. I fear there's one more thing I must ask of you."

He reached down for his cloth bag, and Dan noticed the claw marks on his hands.

"Whoa, what happened to you?"

The old man winced. "Yes, well..."

He plopped the bag on the table. Something inside said, "Mrrrp!"

"Saladin!" Amy and Dan cried together. Dan grabbed the bag and unzipped it. The big silver cat slinked out, looking indignant.

"I'm afraid we didn't get along." Mr. McIntyre rubbed his scarred hands. "He was not happy when you left him with me. He and I... well, he made his feelings quite clear that he wanted to be returned to you. It was quite a task getting him through customs, I don't mind telling you, but I really felt I had no choice. I hope you'll forgive me."

Dan couldn't help grinning. He hadn't realized just how much he'd missed the old cat.

Somehow, having him here made up for losing the vial. It even made him feel a little better about losing his parents' photograph. With Saladin around, he felt like his family was complete. For the first time in days, he thought maybe, just maybe, Grace was still looking out for them. "He's got to come with us. He can be our attack cat!"

Saladin stared at him as if to say,

Show me some red snapper, kid, and I'll think about it.

Dan expected Amy to argue, but she was smiling as much as he was. "You're right, Dan. Mr. McIntyre, thank you!"

"Yes, er, of course. Now if you'll excuse me, children. I wish you good hunting!"

He left a fifty-euro bill on the table and hurried out of the café, still looking around like he expected an ambush.

The waiter brought milk in a saucer and some fresh fish for Saladin. Nobody at the café seemed to think there was anything strange about sharing breakfast with an Egyptian Mau.

"You didn't tell Mr. McIntyre about the music," Nellie said. "I thought he was your friend."

"Mr. McIntyre told us to trust no one," Amy said.

"Yeah," Dan said. "And that includes him!"

Nellie crossed her arms. "Does that include me, too, kiddo? What about our agreement?"

Dan was stunned. He'd completely forgotten that Nellie had only promised to come with them on one trip. His heart sank. He'd started taking Nellie for granted. He wasn't sure what they would do without her.

"I... I trust you, Nellie," he said. "I don't want you to leave."

Nellie sipped her coffee. "But you're not going back to Boston. Which means if I go back, I'll get in huge trouble."

Dan hadn't thought of that, either. Amy stared guiltily at her breakfast.

Nellie inserted her earbuds. She watched a couple of college-age guys walking down the road. "This hasn't been a bad job, I guess -- I mean, if I have to work with two annoying kids. Maybe we could make a different deal."

Dan shifted uncomfortably. "A different deal?"

"Someday when you find your treasure," Nellie said, "you can reimburse me. For now, I'll work for free. Because if you kiddos think I'd let you fly around the world and have fun without me, you're crazy."

Amy threw her arms around Nellie's neck.

Dan grinned. "Nellie, you're the best."

"I know that," she said. "C'mon, Amy, you're messing up my street cred."

"Sorry," Amy said, still grinning. She sat down again and brought out the music score.

"Now, as I was saying -- "

"Oh, right, the composer," Dan remembered. Amy pointed at the bottom of the paper.

"Look." In the right-hand corner below the last stanza, Dan made out three scrawled letters in faded black ink:

W. A. M.

"Wam," Dan said. "Wasn't that a band?"

"No, dummy! Those are initials. I told you some famous people made music for Benjamin Franklin's armonica. This guy was one of them. Toward the end of Franklin's life, he must've met this composer. I think they were both Cahills. They must've shared secrets. Anyway, I looked it up. This was the composer's last piece of chamber music. Its official name is KV 617."

"Catchy title," Nellie muttered.

"The thing is," Amy said, "there are lots of copies of this adagio. And there's still the version carved in stone on that pedestal. The other teams will figure out the clue eventually. We have to hurry and get to Vienna."

"Whoa, hold on," Dan said. "Vienna, Austria? Why there?"

Amy's eyes twinkled with excitement. "Because that's where Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart lived. And that's where we'll find the next clue."

CHAPTER 20

William McIntyre made his appointment just in time.

He stepped out onto the observation deck of the Eiffel Tower. The day after a heavy rain, the air was clean and fresh. Paris glistened below as if all its dark secrets had been washed away.

"They didn't trust you," the man in black said.