“I don’t see a camera in here,” Tess said.

“Hidden cameras,” Theo said.

“This doesn’t look like the kind of place where they have hidden cameras.”

“I don’t want to steal stuff,” Theo said. “It’s not right.”

“I know,” said Tess. “But we won’t keep it. We’ll return it.”

“What if we have to keep it? What if—”

“Hey, I thought I was the one with all the questions.”

“I guess not,” Theo said, tugging on his lip.

“You’re doing that lip thing again,” Tess said.

Theo let go just as Jaime appeared. Nine rubbed against Jaime’s knees.

“How are you at diversions?” Theo asked Jaime.

“I could pretend to have a tantrum in the middle of the store,” Jaime said. “I could keep yelling for the manager.”

Tess laughed. “Subtle.”

“The guy at the counter was reading a comic book. I’m sure I can distract him for a while.” Jaime’s big brown eyes narrowed. “You guys are not going to get yourselves arrested, are you?”

“Obvi,” Tess said.

Jaime went to the front counter and said, “Hey. Is that Batman number ninety-two?”

“Yeah,” said the counterman. “An oldie but a goodie.”

“I have that one! Has Ace the Bat-Hound, right?”

While Jaime and the counterman talked about Batmen and Bat-Hounds, Tess pretended to examine the exhibits all around the puzzle. Theo stood behind her, blocking her from view so that she could slip the puzzle into her bag. When Theo glanced at the front of the store, Jaime and the counterman were still communing happily over comics.

“Did you hear about Len Wein?”

“Tragedy,” said the man, shaking his head.

“He helped create Storm,” Jaime said.

“Wolverine, too.”

“He’s cool but Storm is cooler.”

“Cooler, I get it,” the man said.

Theo tugged at his lip as Tess shifted around some of the exhibits on the shelf so that it wouldn’t appear as if anything was missing.

“Done,” whispered Tess.

His nerves balled up in his stomach like bad takeout. “The Cipher was a lot more fun when we didn’t have to solve it.”

Jaime’s nerves must have gotten to him, too, because he ended his conversation and walked back to where Tess and Theo were whispering. “We ready?”

“As we’re ever going to be,” said Theo.

“Mrrow,” chirped Nine.

On their way out, they thanked the man for his help.

“No problem, young ones,” he said. “Come back anytime!”

They slipped out the door, all of them breathing a sigh of relief when they weren’t followed. They had just reached end of the street when a woman whipped around the corner and slammed right into Tess. Before Tess could say anything, the woman started to scream.

“It bit me!” she shrieked. “Help!”