Chapter 15 Dinner at the Branigan House was a lively affair that evening for two reasons.

Her father had made chicken skewers, which everyone loved and he only made in the summer,

and Abigail talked happily through the entire meal.

Now that the case of the mysterious disappearance of Ezekiel Hightower had come to a

successful resolution, Abigail did not think that her former client would mind. Mr. and Mrs. Branigan

listened in quiet amazement as Abigail rattled off the details of her adventure. And even

though Abigail carefully left out all of the parts that

might seem dangerous, or have the word murder sprinkled carelessly through them, and may

have downplayed the role of certain supporting characters who may or may not have been a boy,

it's still made for a very interesting tale. Abigail tried not to notice the way that our parents

exchanged looks and made small gestures to one another as if they were talking in some invisible

secret code and she could not see them. They seemed very pleased with themselves, as though it was

really they who had done something

terribly clever.

Abigail thought, perhaps it would be okay if both of her parents felt like letting her do

her job was their idea.

Maybe it was the cost of doing business.

The Branigan sat at the table and listened, long after the skewers had been devoured,

mostly by Abigail, who was ravenously hungry for the first time in days.

They still seemed a bit shocked by the whole thing, as if the entire adventure did not seem quite real to them.

Then, two days later, when it made the newspaper, this point of view changed

very suddenly. Abigail's father made a small, astounded noise with his mouth full of cereal,

...