CONTACT DAISY AND JESSE at 55-2245. at 55-2245.

92.***

The next morning, Uncle Joe was already out in the Rock Shop when Jesse and Daisy brought Emmy downstairs to the kitchen. Daisy gave Emmy some lettuce leaves for breakfast. The dragon was still hungry, so Jesse fed her a whole tub of cottage cheese, then a chunk of Swiss cheese, some strawberry yogurt, a pint of coleslaw, and five small b.a.l.l.s of mozzarella.

"She's like the Very Hungry Caterpillar!" Daisy declared.

"Hmmm," said Jesse thoughtfully, staring at Emmy's belly, "which was bulging now.

Daisy lifted her up and tucked her into the hood of Jesse's sweatshirt. "She feels heavier today. Does she feel heavier to you?" Daisy asked.

"Well, of course she does. She just ate practically half the refrigerator," said Jesse, adjusting his hood.

"Poppy won't notice the missing food, but my mom will for sure when she gets back," said Daisy. "I guess we'll just have to tell her we're in training for something."

"In training to be Dragon Keepers," said Jesse with a short laugh.

Daisy put the copies of the sign in a big brown envelope and fastened it to the back of her 93.bike with a bungee cord. Then they got on their bikes and rode into town. They stopped at every shop along Main Street and asked each shopkeeper if it was okay to put up a sign. Most of the shopkeepers were happy to let Jesse and Daisy post the signs. But when the owner of the dry cleaner's said he did not allow signs, that was okay with the cousins.

If n.o.body in Goldmine City ever saw a single sign, that would be fine with Jesse and Daisy. After all, Emmy had chosen them. They were the Dragon Keepers.

When they had placed the very last sign in the window of the coffee shop, Emmy, who had been watching in silence from the hood, scrambled up onto Jesse's shoulder, lifted her head, and yodeled, "Fooooood!"

"Shhhhhh!" said Daisy. "You just ate!"

"Em. Meee. Eat. More!" she said.

"Soon," said Jesse.

"Not. Soon," said Emmy. "Feed. Em. Meee. NOW!"

The cousins raced back home to boil some eggs.

"Let's boil the whole carton," said Daisy. "We can make deviled eggs for snacks, and that way we won't waste any."

94.As soon as the hard-boiled eggs were cool enough, they peeled them, put the sh.e.l.ls in a bowl, and took Emmy out into the backyard. They watched her as she sat in the old sandbox and crunched her way through the eggsh.e.l.ls.

After a while, Jesse said, "I think we need to measure her."

"I know what you mean," said Daisy. "But I'm almost afraid to." She got up, went into the house, and came back with the tape measure. She measured Emmy twice to make sure. Emmy was now eight inches long.

"Twice as long as yesterday, to be exact," said Daisy.

"Great," Jesse said gloomily. "What if she doubles her size every day?" Daisy asked.

"She's not going to fit in the sock drawer much longer, that's for sure," Jesse said.

Daisy opened up her wildflower notebook and started writing on the back page. Jesse went to sit beside her so he could see what she was up to.

Day 1-4 inches Day 2-8 inches Day 3-16 inches Day 4-32 inches 95.Daisy stopped writing and tossed her pencil over her shoulder. "Jeesh!" she said.

"How big do you think she's going to be when Aunt Maggie gets back?" Jesse asked worriedly.

Daisy dropped her head into her hands.

Jesse went on: "You know how she had that meltdown yesterday in the barn? That was a four-inch tantrum...."

Jesse didn't need to continue, because Daisy was nodding. They were both thinking, What would a sixty-four-inch meltdown look like? What would a sixty-four-inch meltdown look like?

"How are we going to afford food when she gets that big? She's eating a lot now. How much is she going to need when she gets bigger? And where are we going to put her? And how are we going to keep her hidden?" Jesse was working himself into a real sweat.

Daisy lifted her head and said with a weary smile, "Take it easy, Dragon Keeper. First Kilimanjaro, then Everest, right? Let's check in with the professor. Maybe he can help."

Daisy was just gathering up Emmy when the phone in the kitchen rang. Uncle Joe banged open the screen door of the Rock Shop and ran across the yard, up the back steps, and into the house. He caught the phone on the eighth ring. The cousins waited and crossed their fingers.

96.After a while, Uncle Joe kicked open the back door. He was still talking on the phone. From where the cousins were sitting, he did not look happy.

Uncle Joe crooked a finger at them.

Emmy let Jesse pop her into the pouch of his sweatshirt. As the cousins went up the steps to the back door, Jesse felt the new weight of Emmy swinging.

"No yakking," he whispered to the load in his sweatshirt.

"Em. Mee. Not. Yak," Emmy whispered back.

Uncle Joe put the phone to his chest and said to them in a low voice, "Looks like those signs of yours did the trick. This is the lizard's owner I'm talking to. He's coming over to get her."

When Uncle Joe saw the look on their faces, he held up his hand. "Easy now. You'll recall I said that I knew a lizard that rare-looking probably belonged to somebody," he said. "And this isn't just anybody. He just joined the zoology department at the College of Mining and Science. He's a well-regarded herpetologist."

"Well-regarded? A well-regarded what?" what?" said Daisy. Jesse could tell that she was fighting tears. said Daisy. Jesse could tell that she was fighting tears.

"Herpetologist," said Uncle Joe. "A scientist who studies lizards and snakes and reptiles. I'm afraid I'll have to let him come over and get his lost 97.lizard. I'm really very sorry, guys, but that's the way the limestone crumbles."

Uncle Joe shrugged sadly, then went back into the kitchen to give the herpetologist directions.

The cousins stared at each other in shock. Slowly, they turned around and walked back to the sandbox. Emmy had heard it all. When Jesse removed her from the pouch and set her down in the sand, she spat out a fine spray of eggsh.e.l.l.

"Em. Mee. Not. Go!" she growled.

"We're sorry, Emmy," said Jesse, kneeling before her. His voice was tight. "We don't have much choice."

"Em. Meee. Sad!" she keened, and keeled over into the sand.

They took her up to Jesse's room, where she curled into a tight little ball of scales. Jesse placed her gently in the sock drawer and stared at her glumly.

Daisy came to stand beside him, blinking away tears. She almost never cried, but this was a losing battle. "We need to get in touch with Professor Andersson now," she said.

"No!" said Jesse, thinking of the blazing eyes of their online advisor. "He's going to be so mad at us!"

"But don't we have to tell him?" Daisy asked.

"No. Yes. Maybe. I don't know," he said.

98."Some Dragon Keepers we turned out to be," she said.

Jesse nodded, staring down at Emmy, who was once more as silent as a thunder egg. "We've only had her, what? Not even two days? It feels like my whole life! And now we're losing her."

Not long afterward, the doorbell rang, filling the house with the melody Uncle Joe had programmed it to play: "Rock of Ages."

"What if we just say no? What if we tell him, tough luck, he can't have Emmy?" Jesse said in a panic.

"I don't think Poppy would let us do that," Daisy said, wiping her nose on her sleeve. "This guy might be a giant fibber. But so are we. And we fibbed first."

"What if we hide her and say she ran away?" said Jesse.

Daisy said, "Hasn't fibbing gotten us into enough trouble already?"

"Guys!" Uncle Joe called from downstairs. "Can you bring the lizard down?"

Daisy heaved a huge sigh. "Let's get this over with."

Jesse, nodding, reached into the sock drawer and took Emmy into his hands. She felt lifeless. He 99.didn't even need the purple kneesock, but Daisy stuffed it in her pocket anyway.

They clomped down the stairs side by side, preparing themselves to hand over their baby dragon to a complete stranger. But Jesse froze when he saw who was standing in the front hall next to Uncle Joe.

It was the man in the long black coat from High Peak. Uncle Joe had a polite smile plastered across his face. He said, "Guys, meet the man who's lost his lizard. This is Dr. St. George."

100.[Image: Dr. St. George.]

CHAPTER SEVEN

FINDERS, CHEATERS

Jesses first thought was that Dr. St. George didn't look look like a Dragon Slayer. He looked like a movie star. Jesse and his parents had once been b.u.mped up to first cla.s.s on a flight. A famous movie actor had been sitting across the aisle from them. Jesse couldn't stop staring at him. In the movies, the star had looked tall and handsome. Up close, he was much shorter, and his head looked huge. He was like a Dragon Slayer. He looked like a movie star. Jesse and his parents had once been b.u.mped up to first cla.s.s on a flight. A famous movie actor had been sitting across the aisle from them. Jesse couldn't stop staring at him. In the movies, the star had looked tall and handsome. Up close, he was much shorter, and his head looked huge. He was 101.

still handsome, but he was almost too too handsome. handsome.

This man fascinated Jesse in much the same way. His big, handsome puppet head was covered with long, wavy hair the color of tarnished gold. Behind the round lenses of his wire-rim gla.s.ses, Dr. St. George's eyes were so dark and shiny, they looked varnished.

"My prize!" Dr. St. George said in a voice that was deep and low and sweet to the ear. Jesse sneaked a look at Daisy, who was staring at the stranger with her jaw hanging open.

"I'm glad the kids could help," said Uncle Joe. "What is this lizard anyway, Dr. St. George? The guys here thought she was a green basilisk from Costa Rica."

"An amateur might jump to such a conclusion," Dr. St. George said. "But she is a Mekosuchus inexpectatus Mekosuchus inexpectatus from the island of New Caledonia. She was found in the hold of a ship that put in from the South Seas. The captain brought her to me. He didn't realize that it was the discovery of the century. You see, there hasn't been a from the island of New Caledonia. She was found in the hold of a ship that put in from the South Seas. The captain brought her to me. He didn't realize that it was the discovery of the century. You see, there hasn't been a Mekosuchus inexpectatus Mekosuchus inexpectatus sighting since the year 1643." sighting since the year 1643."

St. George spoke in a voice so mesmerizing, Jesse found himself almost believing what he said, even though he knew it wasn't true.

"Gee," said Uncle Joe. "Did you hear that, 102.

guys? This little lizard could wind up being on the evening news!"

"Dragon piddle," Jesse managed to say.

St. George brought his face close to Jesse's. Jesse recoiled. The man had shockingly bad breath.

"What did you just say?" St. George whispered.

Jesse felt a bit faint. "I said, dra--" But he winced and broke off, feeling a searing pain in his left arm where Daisy had dug her nails into his flesh.

"He wants to learn to play the wagon fiddle," wagon fiddle," she told St. George in a steady voice. "It's his very favorite instrument, isn't it, Jess?" She gave Jesse a most stern look, and he nodded obediently. she told St. George in a steady voice. "It's his very favorite instrument, isn't it, Jess?" She gave Jesse a most stern look, and he nodded obediently.

"Oh, yeah. Wagon fiddle," Jesse said. "It's a real old instrument. The early settlers brought them here in their, um, covered wagons."

Daisy nodded enthusiastically. "Really," she said.

"Hmmm," said Uncle Joe. "That's a new one on me."

Dr. St. George turned slowly back to Uncle Joe. "I have some tests to do to prove my theory. But I am never wrong."

"Wait a sec. What kinds of tests?" Jesse blurted out.

"Far too complex for a mere child to grasp," said 103.

St. George, smiling at Jesse with perfect teeth.

Jesse seethed while Dr. St. George turned back to Uncle Joe and continued: "Some idiot a.s.sistant in my lab left the cage wide open two days ago. I gave him such a dressing-down. Imagine, letting my prize escape like that!" He opened a big black leather box by his feet and took out a cage with thick iron bars. It looked like the world's smallest jail cell.

"You're not going to put her in there, are you?" Jesse asked in a quavering voice.

"How would you suggest I transport her, other than in a cage?" St. George asked, looking down his nose.

Jesse glanced out the window. In front of the house was the big black million-dollar car.

Beside him, Daisy sniffled and blew her nose.

St. George reached out to take Emmy. Like lightning, Emmy uncurled from her ball and hissed at him.

"Whoa, Nelly," said Uncle Joe, taking one giant step backward.

St. George had leaped back, too. Without taking his eyes off Emmy, he pointed at Jesse and said, "You, boy, put her in the cage for me. She has grown violent in the last forty-eight hours."