A figure walked down the street. She reviewed what the neighbors had told her: that a certain family still lived in the area. The twenty-six year old woman stopped in front of a house and cut around to the side. There, she forced open a window and let herself in. But this wasn't a burglar. She sat down on the living room couch and waited. But she didn't wait long. Soon the door opened. Zack let himself in and closed the door. Then he saw the intruder and gasped. "Surprised to see me?" asked the mysterious woman, with a hint of sarcasm in her voice. "You shouldn't be. After all, I am your babysitter." Zack filled with dread. "Miss Pennybrook?" "Of course! Who'd you think I was? Your former football coaching nanny?" "This gives you no right to break into my house!" Miss Pennybrook stared at him. "Zackary? You were the little know-it-all, weren't you? Well, this is NO GAME, LITTLE CHILD!" She reached over. Zack moved out of the way and tried to flee. Miss Pennybrook gave chase. Soon Zack reached the back door. He grasped the knob and tried to open it. It wouldn't budge. "Leaving without your babysitter's permission? Naughty, naughty!" he heard Miss Pennybrook call from behind him. The former babysitter glared. "Come with me." Zack tried to run past her. But Miss Pennybrook clamped on his communicator and attempted to pull it off his wrist. The two struggled. Miss Pennybrook eventually got the upper hand and grabbed Zack by his shirt collar. "Ivy is going to crunch you like a stale corn chip!" Zack threatened. Miss Pennybrook laughed scornfully. "I'm not scared of your older sister. In fact, I've got a note that tells her exactly where to find me."She pulled out a sheet of stationery and dropped it on the couch. ****************************************************************************** *********** In Rome, Carmen Sandiego was supervising a theft. Her henchmen were almost done lifting the Trevi Fountain. She glanced at her watch. Where were Zack and Ivy? They should have been there by now. ****************************************************************************** *********** Back at ACME Headquarters, Ivy entered the control room. The Chief was awaiting her. "It's about time. I keep signaling you on the communicator! Carmen has just stolen the Trevi Fountain, and you were in the hospital testing your blood sugar!" "Cholesterol level," Ivy corrected him. "And where's Zack?" "I don't know. He went home a while ago. I tried contacting him on his communicator, but there was no answer." Ivy shrugged. "I'll go home. He's probably taking a nap and didn't hear the signal." Soon Ivy reached her house. She noticed the folded piece of paper and read it. She then found a small piece of metal on the floor. It was Zack's communicator. Somehow the band had been broken. Ivy took her own communicator and signaled the Chief. She filled him in. "It says to be at Paddy McDill's warehouse in two hours." "Ivy, that warehouse has been abandoned for years. And it could be a trap." "It doesn't matter." Ivy snapped back. "He's my brother. Besides which, he's not that heavy." "Then get one of the other detectives to accompany you." Ivy shook her head. "The note says I have to come alone. I'd hate to think of what would happen if I didn't." ****************************************************************************** ********* In Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, Carmen and her henchmen were in the middle of another theft. The stolen objects were pieces of the suit of armor worn by Ponce de Leon, in hopes they contained clues to the fountain of youth. Carmen was confused. Why weren't the detectives here? ****************************************************************************** ********* Ivy stood in the empty hallway of Paddy McDill's warehouse. She trudged quietly into a room. There was Zack, tied to a chair. "Ivy! Stop! Go away!" "Not without you. Who did this, anyway?" "Get out of here! It's Miss Pennybrook! She'll catch you for sure!" Ivy ignored Zack and began to untie the ropes. Suddenly she heard a door creak open. Miss Pennybrook stood in the doorway. "Well, well. What have we here? Ivy, don't you remember me? You look the same as ever. Everything's different, yet nothing's changed at all." With this, she reached over to grab Ivy. Ivy screamed, half in anger and half in fright, as she tried to break from Miss Pennybrook's grip. Under usual circumstances, she would have succeeded. But today, she was weak from not eating. Miss Pennybrook tied Ivy to a chair next to her brother. "You aren't going to kill us, are you?" Zack asked shakily. The babysitter stared at him like he was crazy. "How insane do you think I am? You think I would kill you for a few childish pranks? Why would a babysitter willingly take two lives? No, this will be much worse." ****************************************************************************** *********** Carmen was at the Manor. She was hacking into ACME. An occasion like this definitely required a talk with the Chief. No matter how neurotic he got. She finally managed to break through. "What is it now, Carmen?" the Chief greeted. "What happened to the detectives?" "Gee," the Chief replied. "I don't know. If you want to see them, go to Paddy McDill's warehouse in San Francisco." "What?" "Ivy went there a while ago. She hasn't returned the message. Someone kidnapped Zack. And I suspect the kidnapper is after her." "So, if anywhere, they would be at Paddy McDill's warehouse?" "Correct." ****************************************************************************** ********** At the warehouse, Carmen paused over the skylight. What was she doing, anyway? Maybe the Chief had got his facts wrong. Well, either way, she had nothing to lose. She opened the skylight. Then she leaped through the hole, using a parachute. She landed gracefully, despite her high heeled shoes. Miss Pennybrook glanced at Carmen. "Who do you think you are, bursting in here like this?" Carmen didn't answer. This was the kidnapper? It must have been true, if Zack and Ivy were tied up. "Well, answer me!" screamed Miss Pennybrook. She grabbed a large bucket. "I'll pour this ice water on you!" She tilted the tin bucket toward Carmen. The master thief saw an opportunity. She pushed the bucket toward the mad babysitter. The water spilled. Miss Pennybrook quavered. "What have I done? I must have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. Thank you, miss. I needed that." She got up and left the warehouse. Carmen breathed a loud sigh of relief. She began to untie the detectives. "Wish I could stay longer. But I have to finish what I started." With this, she vanished into the eaves, and was. A day later, Zack and Ivy had finished the case. Carmen had escaped, as usual. The Chief glanced at them. The detectives had told him everything. "Do you realize that this wouldn't have happened if you hadn't driven Miss Pennybrook insane that night? Not to mention your parents could have gone out a lot more." "Chief, let it go." Zack answered. "It was nine years ago." "Oh, fine." the Chief replied. "By the way, Ivy, you never told us what the results of your cholesterol test was." Ivy glanced up from her lunch. She gave a cry. Then she turned to her brother and grabbed his shirt collar. "Zack, I'M GOING INSANE AND I'M TAKING YOU WITH ME!" "Gee whiz, sis. Maybe you should get your blood pressure checked." "I'M IN THE DANGER ZONE! HOW CAN I BE IN THE DANGER ZONE?" "I don't know! Let go of me!" Ivy released Zack and laughed. "That's a good one. I was just kidding. My cholesterol is normal." The end.