“There’s writing on the third bell,” I said to Diesel. “You have to look closely. It’s swirling around it.”
Diesel put his hands flat to the counter and studied the third bell. “Those whose minds are shaped by selfless thoughts give Joy when they speak or act. Joy follows them like a shadow.”
The writing disappeared, Carl swung the silver ball against the first bell, the bells chimed, and the writing swirled around the bell again. Diesel read it aloud a second time, and I copied it down.
“The J in Joy was capitalized,” Diesel said. “I imagine that’s significant.”
“So Joy might be a place.”
“Yeah, and I assume it’s in the Boston area. All the clues have led us to more Boston- or Cambridge-based clues.”
He went to my computer and typed in Joy Boston.
“I’m getting a law firm, a camp program, handbags, and a house for sale on Joy Street,” Diesel said.
I thought Joy Street sounded promising. It ran perpendicular from Beacon Street up to the top of the hill at Mount Vernon. The Massachusetts State House was on the right-hand side of the street. And Joy was relatively close to Louisburg Square, where we found the first clue.
“I like Joy Street,” I said. “I think we should go take a look at it.”
“Now?”
“Yeah.”
“In the dark of night?”
“Yeah.”
Diesel grinned. “You want to do something that will delay going to bed. You’re afraid to go to bed because you have to get naked.”
“I am not. That’s ridiculous.”
“If you want to get it over with early, we could get naked now,” Diesel said. “Get all that awkward undressing stuff out of the way.”
“And then what would we do?”
“Watch television.”
“Naked?”
“Yeah. It could be fun.”
“No one is sitting on my couch naked.”
“Carl does,” Diesel said.
That was a disturbing thought.
“I’m going to make cookies,” I said. “There’s no naked. There’s only cookies. Take it or leave it.”
“Cookies are good. And I’ll eventually get you naked.”
“That is so arrogant,” I said. And so true, I thought.
The bakery is open for a half day on Sunday. People stop in on their way home from church, on their way home from the dog park, on their way home from a morning run, bike ride, power walk. By one o’clock, everyone has gotten their sugar and gluten fix, and the bakery closes.
I slipped out of bed at 4:15 A.M. and tiptoed in the dark to the bathroom. Cat watched me from the foot of the bed. Diesel was still asleep. I took a fast shower, blasted my hair with the hair dryer, and got dressed in my usual outfit of jeans, T-shirt, and sneakers. All was quiet downstairs. Carl was sleeping on the couch. I flipped the light on in the kitchen and got coffee brewing. Cat brushed against my leg, and I bent to pet him. I gave him fresh water and some crunchy cat food.
Monroe’s Motion Machine was still sitting on my kitchen counter. It should get hidden away, I thought. Not only was it stolen, but there were other people who would love to get their hands on it. I carted it into my small laundry area, put it in my laundry basket, and covered it with dirty laundry.