“A clock store! It’s another scavenger hunt, Andrew. We have to go to a clock store and find another clue – like we had to go to the record shop and the shoe store.” Evie grabbed a San Francisco phone book from the neatly organized shelves beside her desk. “Clocks…” she said, rifling through the pages.

Sshhhhhhckkk.

A sudden scraping noise made her stop.

Outside. Against the shingles of the back wall.

Andrew and Evie both turned to look. Through the half-open window, the leaves on the overgrown backyard maple rustled.

“Is it…windy out today?” Andrew whispered.

Before Evie could answer, the tree shook violently, as if the trunk had been twanged by a giant finger.

A voice gasped.

A dull thud sounded from below. The tree was suddenly still.

Evie ran for the window and threw it open. Through the thick canopy of leaves, she and Andrew could see a dark figure disappear around the corner of the house.

“You take the front, I’ll take the back!” she shouted, racing out of the room.

They barreled downstairs. As Andrew headed for the front door, Evie shot out the back.

At the base of the tree was a slight indentation in the grass and a couple of dropped candy wrappers.

Evie knelt to pick one up.

Andrew’s footsteps sounded from the side of the house. “He’s gone,” he said breathlessly, running into the yard.

“It’s not a he,” Evie said softly. “Look what I found.”

She held out the candy wrapper to her brother.

It was a Skor bar.

Andrew smiled. “Mom’s favorite,” he said.