bite The spoon obsession was odd I’d admit but it was a harmless enough hobby My great-grandparents collected spoons until they died Then my grandparents added to the collection When Mom and I did inventory last summer we counted more than two thousand spoons on display Some of the spoons were rare some had gemstones or gold handles and all had to be dusted and polished on a regular basis And when Mom and Dad were out saving the world who do you think had to clean all of those spoons I only got a measly five dollars for the job even if it took all afternoon At least when I help Aunt Gertie she pays me in pastries and cash I thought as I savored my last bite I decided against another bun and washed my hands When Stanley finished he took two cups from the cupboard opened the refrigerator looked inside and said You’re out of milk He continued to poke around the fridge behind the yogurts and take-out containers from Mai’s Diner If we hadn’t been best friends since practically birth I wouldn’t have noticed his grunt of irritation He was used to my kitchen being fully stocked at all times We had an unspoken agreement He never mentioned my parents bizarre schedules and I never mentioned that he’d practically lived at my house ever since his dad had left and his mom had to start working two jobs Stanley closed the fridge door and with his pointer finger tapped the photo he had given to my parents of the red-winged blackbird The bird was perched on a nest of woven reeds and cattails his scarlet and yellow shoulder patch standing out against his sleek black feathers Stanley had shot the photo on a camping trip we’d taken in late spring He smiled every time he saw it on the fridge door which was practically every day I couldn’t very well tell him that my parents had been gone almost ten days much longer than anticipated While Aunt Gertie was a marvelous baker she totally flaked out on normal grocery shopping We can get milk from the café I said as Stanley put the cups away We went out my front door past the spoon museum and walked into Aunt Gertie’s shop The three buildings my house the museum and the café took up an entire block on Main Street which was only four blocks long The only other buildings of note were the old jail which now doubled as a tourist info station and Mai’s Diner
The Star’s Tale was packed Stanley and I elbowed our way to the front of the line flashing innocent smiles and exchanging nods of greeting with the regulars Like usual the café was a mess Scented candles propped up guidebooks on shelves with jewelry strewn about Packets of dried fruit and nuts sat between wool socks In the middle of it all the café served coffee hot chocolate sandwiches and pastries Luckily Aunt Gertie could find anything within ten seconds so the wacky mixed-up system worked for her One reason for the traffic jam was obvious At the table by the display of earrings an older man lingering over coffee took up a four-seater Dressed like an REI mannequin in a new green and blue plaid flannel shirt new water-resistant pants and new hiking boots he was studying a topographic map of Mount Rainier The tread on the man’s boots was not worn at all so I could understand his caution before setting out for a hike New boots meant possible blisters Noticing details like that was part of spy training so I tried to do it all I could I wanted to tell the man to pick up a map of easy day hikes from the ranger’s station But when I caught his eye cold and watchful the words stuck in my throat Something told me he wasn’t looking for advice I tried stepping back but the crowd held me in place A thought popped into my mind It was the end of October probably the last hike before many of the trails closed for the winter Sure someone might have a new vest or even new boots But an entirely new outfit Early summer was typically when novice hikers would try their luck on the mountain Dad always said that a good secret agent was constantly on the lookout for the odd sock something or someone that was seemingly meaningless but out of place This man was an odd sock Aunt Gertie’s long purple skirt twirled as she flitted from table to table coffee pot in hand When she saw Stanley and me she didn’t miss a beat She waltzed behind the counter poured milk into to-go cups waltzed back handed the cups to us and sneaked a kiss on my head You kids aren’t planning on hiking all the way to Tim Chamberlain’s warehouse are you Aunt Gertie asked as she took in Stanley’s outfit There’s not enough time this morning No ma’am That part of the path is gated off after Labor Day Stanley pulled out a paper map to show her our route about halfway on a popular path to the abandoned warehouse As they spoke the odd sock leaned in ever so slightly as if trying to
eavesdrop As Stanley folded up the map Aunt Gertie bent down to plant another kiss on my head She didn’t tell me I was going to have to work at Le Petit Musée at noon to maintain my parents cover story She didn’t need to It was protocol She would unlock the museum I would hang out in the Spoon and if anyone asked I’d say my mom had stepped out Did you have the chance to make that call the odd sock asked my aunt Aunt Gertie raised her eyebrows and motioned around the bustling café Not yet What call I asked Maybe my spy sense had picked up on something Nothing to worry about Aunt Gertie gave me a kind smile and said OK Moppet Be home before eleven-thirty Moppet Mr Odd Sock repeated in disbelief You’re Moppet It’s a nickname I said caught off guard Moppet was cute when I was six years old It’s humiliating in the fifth grade I didn’t appreciate being mocked by a total stranger especially an overdressed eavesdropping odd sock Who’s that guy I whispered to Aunt Gertie No one to worry about He’s just someone who really enjoys my coffee Fourth cup Aunt Gertie swooped in for another kiss Go on now Moppet Don’t waste your morning here She offered the man a refill Come on Mabel Stanley pulled on my sleeve Something didn’t seem right Twice my aunt told me to not worry but I knew from experience that adults only said that when there was in fact something to worry about I hesitated Do you want me to help this morning Aunt Gertie pointed to the door and said Go on your hike Once my aunt moved to another table the man stared at me holding eye contact I felt as if I had done something wrong Stanley yanked harder on my sleeve but I could barely move through the thick crowd Mr Odd Sock smirked as if he had won some type of game You heard your aunt Moppet he said in a low voice I strained to hear him over the noise of the café Get a move on now Someone stepped in front of me breaking our eye contact I ducked under a flannel-clad elbow and grabbed on to Stanley’s backpack as he guided me through the hungry horde Once outside I chanced looking into the café The
odd sock’s smirk had morphed into a full-on grin like he had just won some contest In other words I had just lost a game I didn’t even know I was playing
