Читаем 9e945bf3b1d705d5d70aa6e5ed9fa2ba полностью

Mr. Doorman wasn’t important. Madison’s secrets weren’t important. Butterbean couldn’t let herself get distracted. What was important was the smell. The Coin Man smell. This was it. It was up to her now. Sniffer powers, activate.

Polo watched Butterbean and Madison leave the building, and then she hung out under the potted plant, trying to look casual. Which wasn’t as easy as it sounded—she didn’t know what to do with her hands. But it didn’t really matter anyway, because no one was looking at her.

Polo was starting to have doubts about the whole plan, actually. She’d originally thought the hanging-under-the-dog’s-tummy part was going to be the worst part, but now that she’d had a little alone time with the plant, she was noticing some problems. The whole thing depended on Butterbean and Polo bumping into the Coin Man. But what if they didn’t?

Polo couldn’t help but notice that nobody in the lobby looked like their coin guy. In fact, there weren’t that many people at all, except for the doorman guy sitting on his stool humming along with the Muzak. And Polo. And she wasn’t smelling anything that smelled like gold coins.

At least she and Butterbean had come up with a new plan of their own. Plan B. But she sure didn’t want to do that. Heck, Polo wasn’t even sure they COULD do it.

Polo leaned against a leafy branch (which didn’t even look real, now that she had time to examine it) and laughed at herself softly. She was being so silly. Oscar was great at planning. Much better than Polo. That bathroom thing had been just a weird accident. His plan would work fine. Butterbean had probably smelled the guy by now. There was nothing to worry about.

Butterbean had not smelled the guy. She hadn’t smelled anything remotely like the guy, and she’d even taken extra time to smell the newspaper box and the bus stop bench. Nothing. (Well, not nothing. Lots of somethings. Biscuit, for one. But no Coin Man.)

She’d dawdled as much as she could doing her business, but unless the girl Madison wanted to do another lap around the block, the next stop would be back inside. And Plan B.

Butterbean decided to try for another lap around the block.

“Oh no, that’s it for you,” Madison said, jerking on the leash as Butterbean tried to hustle past the building entrance. “I’ve got to get myself to school, okay? I can’t walk you all day. I can’t even be late, or they might try to call my aunt and then… well, I just can’t be late.” Madison leaned down and pushed Butterbean in the direction of the building.

Butterbean hardly thought pushing was necessary. She gave up and slunk toward the entrance. Maybe the man would be in the lobby. He probably was. He was probably talking to Mr. Doorman right that minute, dropping gold coins left and right.

Madison held the door open and ushered Butterbean inside.

Butterbean stopped in the doorway and did a quick scan of the lobby. High-heel feet with too much perfume. Biscuit’s dog walker, the one with the squeaky shoes. Polo, under the plant, waving like a maniac. That was it. No Coin Man, no coin smells. Nothing. She slumped against the doorframe.

Butterbean was a failure.

“Get moving, okay? Wow, you’re a weird dog,” Madison said, scooching Butterbean over to the elevator.

Butterbean was a failure and a weird dog.

She had a hard time looking Polo in the eye. But when she finally did, Polo didn’t look disappointed. She looked freaked out. And to be honest, a little crazy.

“That’s it, then?” Polo asked. If they were going with Plan B, they had to do it now.

“That’s it.” Butterbean hung her head.

Polo took a deep breath.“Okay. Initiate Plan B.”

[Êàðòèíêà: img_3]

7

[Êàðòèíêà: img_4]

[Êàðòèíêà: img_17]

“SO, WHAT DO YOU THINK?” Walt asked Oscar as they watched the surveillance feed.

“I think it looks great! So exciting! This is better than a movie!” Marco said enthusiastically. “I just wish we had a piece of popcorn to go with it!”

Oscar shifted from one foot to the other as he side-eyed Marco.“It doesn’t appear that the man with the coins has been found.”

“No,” Walt agreed.

They’d watched as Butterbean distracted the doorman and went outside. They’d waited, trying to catch a glimpse of Polo hidden under the potted plant. But now Butterbean was back, and the only thing she seemed to be doing was standing and sniffing the lobby.

“I don’t think anyone there looks like our guy,” Walt said.

“I think that one’s a lady,” Marco said, pointing at the screen.

“What I can’t understand is why Polo and Butterbean didn’t stick to the plan,” Oscar said. “Why was Polo under that plant? Why didn’t she go outside with Butterbean?” Oscar ruffled his feathers and sighed loudly. “Well, that’s it, then.”

“Try again tomorrow?” Walt asked.

“What else is there to do?” Oscar shrugged his wings.

They didn’t know about Plan B.

They watched as Butterbean and the girl waited for the elevator. When the doors opened, Oscar leaned forward to peck the remote to turn the Television off. But a paw across the face stopped him cold.

“Walt, what—”