can try it out Our job will be to catch the biggest fi sh in the lake We can top the giant catfi sh that we caught last year My secret bait and this new rod are the key to success I know the bait stinks Fish don’t think like us That stuff is like giving the fi sh a call Carter knew that Uncle Dan hated fi shing and would never ever buy a fi shing pole So that meant this was defi nitely a coded message The date told him which words to underline The string of numbers 12232009 meant that he needed to underline the fi rst word in the fi rst sentence the second word in the second and third sentences the third word in the fourth sentence and so on He had to skip the sixth and seventh sentences since they had zero code words When he was done he knew the coded message was You want job top secret call He fi gured the fi rst part was a question You want job The rest meant that the job was a secret and he should call his uncle 6
Carter crammed his hand in his pocket to snag his cell phone Then he remembered it was dead because he’d dropped it in the toilet at school You’d think phone companies would make those things waterproof He trotted downstairs to the phone in the kitchen to make the call His uncle picked up on the fi rst ring Speak Uncle Dan said I got your card Carter said I’d love to um go fi shing I could really use a good fi shing trip Great Uncle Dan said Come over tomorrow morning We’re taking Isabelle too Carter moaned at the click of his uncle hanging up He couldn’t think of too many things he’d enjoy less than working with his brainiac cousin Maybe Dad will spring for one more phone he muttered And I can pass on the Dizzy Izzy job Unfortunately his parents did not respond well to his ruined cell phone 7
Carter Anthony Lewis his mom said why exactly were you using your phone in the bathroom Because if I use it anywhere else one of the teachers will take it away from me he said And I needed to text Matt about something hysterical that happened in gym Well this time no one is laughing his father said And no new cell phone unless you pay for it yourself The next morning Carter was on his bike heading toward his uncle’s house He hoped the job required him to work far away from his cousin Carter could still hear his dad’s patented responsibility lecture ringing in his ears as he turned into Uncle Dan’s drive He hopped off and wheeled the bike behind the little corral that held his uncle’s garbage cans Uncle Dan insisted that they always keep their bikes from prying eyes Dizzy Izzy’s blue and silver bike already leaned against the back of the corral 8
As soon as Carter’s knuckles hit the door it fl ew open Uncle Dan stood smiling at him He was wearing a moldy orange life vest and a fl oppy hat decorated with fi shing lures Come in he bellowed cheerfully We’re making new fi shing lures Sure Carter yelled back I love fi shing He followed his uncle through the door Uncle Dan swept the hat off his head revealing close-cropped brown hair in the exact same shade as Carter’s longer mop His uncle tossed the hat on the bench just inside the door The life vest followed it Where’d you get the hat Carter asked Flea market Don’t touch it It bites Carter started to suggest that maybe it shouldn’t be left on a bench where people sit but then he pictured Izzy plopping down on it and smiled At that moment Izzy peered over the fi rst fl oor landing her long straight hair hanging around her thin face her mouth pinched Carter thought she looked like she 9
