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“Methanol. Hydrogen bromide.” I tapped the last two groups. “These chemicals must result from combining them.”

“Exactly,” Hi answered. “Otherwise the equation doesn’t work.”

“CH3BR and H2O.” Shelton circled them both. “Same elements, just reorganized.”

“Those two chemicals are the products,” Ben said.

“H2O is easy,” Shelton said. “We all know that stands for water.”


“So the third compound must be the point of the reaction,” Hi concluded. “It’s what you’re trying to make by adding methanol to hydrogen bromide, with water as a byproduct.”

“CH3BR.” I tapped the sheet with my index finger. “That’s the answer.”

“BR is still bromine, and I know CH3 stands for methane.” Hi’s forehead creased in thought. “Together, what? Methabromine? Bromethane?”

I rifled the index a second time. Gotcha. “Bromomethane.”

“Nice.” Hi started popping head nods. “Wassup, bromo. Sup, bromo.”

I read aloud. “Bromomethane, known as methyl bromide, is a tetrahedral-shaped, odorless, colorless, nonflammable gas formerly used as a pesticide. Recognized as an ozone-depleting chemical, the widespread use of bromomethane was phased out in most First World countries by the early 2000s.”

“Bugs? That’s all it was used for?” Shelton asked.

“There’s nothing more here.” I bit my lower lip. “Check the interwebs.”

“On it,” Hi called.

Minutes passed, then Hi spoke slowly as he skimmed. “Bromomethane was used to sterilize soil, mainly for seed production . . . and for things like strawberries and almonds.” Quick glance our way. “Almonds are a crop? Man, I don’t know anything about nuts.”

I considered what we’d learned. “I’m not sure this helps. Anything else?”

Pause. Then, “For a while they used bromomethane in specialty fire extinguishers for electrical substations. On airplanes, too.” Another pause. “That’s all I can find.”

“We’re still missing something,” Shelton said.

“Don’t forget, this equation circles the number eighteen.” Ben pointed to the maddening image on the iPad. “That has to factor somehow. And the K at the top, too.”

I looked to Hi, at a loss.

“Nothing else here,” he said glumly. “I’m stumped.”

Shelton shook his head in frustration.

Then I had an idea.




“If you can spell the last name of the party you are trying to reach, please press one, otherwise, stay on the line and—”

Beep.

I began punching keys. S. U. N. D. B. Shoot. Was the next letter E, or U?

The voicemail system saved me from a guess. “If you are trying to reach ‘Dr. Anders Sundberg’—” his voice interjected, “—press one, now.”

Beep.

“One moment, please.”

Ring-ring. Ring-ring.

“We’re not allowed to ask for help,” Ben argued. “It’s against the rules.”

“This is different,” I insisted. “We aren’t revealing anything about the game.”

Shelton looked uneasy, but Hi nodded his agreement.

“I’m just going to ask about the chemical.”

“What chemical would that be?” a voice inquired on the other end of the line.

I nearly squeaked. “Dr. Sundberg! I’m so glad I caught you in your office.”

“A rarity, but you did just that.” Pause. “This is . . . ?”

“Tory Brennan. Sorry.”

“Tory?” Mild surprise. “What can I help you with?”

“Just a quick question. Regarding our school project.” I wasn’t handling this very smoothly. “Have you ever heard of a chemical known as bromomethane?”

“That’s what we found?” The surprise turned to alarm. “Tory, methyl bromide is a highly toxic substance. You need to trash the swab, then wash anything that—”

“Oh no, sorry again! That wasn’t the substance we pulled off the box. We’re still working on identifying that.”

“Well, thank goodness. Bromomethane is tough stuff. What’s your interest?”

“A case study.” Thinking on my feet. “We’ve been charged with figuring out the possible origin points of a localized contamination.”

“Ah! I see. Interesting project. My high school never did cool stuff like this.”

“Go Griffins,” I said lamely. “So, any ideas?”

“Better. I think I know the answer.” I heard a creak, as if Anders had leaned back in his chair. “Bromomethane was widely used in the Charleston area fifteen years ago, but almost solely for one purpose—golf course maintenance.”

“Golf? Seriously?”

“You bet. It was very effective at controlling Bermuda grass. Especially on the greens. But the pesticide seeped into groundwater, creeks, rivers, and estuaries, resulting in some pretty severe ecological damage. Bromomethane is now banned—the side effects are just too dangerous.”

A bell dinged somewhere deep in my brainpan. What was I missing?