“If that thing really works,” I said.
Cheater took the device from Torchie, charged it, and pointed it at a digital clock on the corner table. Then he pressed the DISCHARGE button. The EMF gun let out a weak chirp.
“It didn’t do anything,” I said.
“It’s losing power,” Cheater said. “Maybe if I got closer.” He walked up to the clock and tried again from a foot away. This time the numbers on the clock all turned to eights, and then went dark.
“Yup, it works,” Cheater said.
“So we can knock out the disrupter,” Martin said. “This is great.”
“If we can get close enough.” I didn’t think Bowdler would let us get too near him.
“I got it,” Flinch said. “One of us has to go there first and walk past him. Someone he hasn’t seen.”
Cheater pointed at Torchie. “It’s gotta be you. He’s seen the rest of us.”
I didn’t like the idea. “Bowdler is going to be cautious. He knows there are five guys. Maybe he found a picture of Torchie. It’s too risky.”
“But he wouldn’t be suspicious if it was a girl,” Flinch said.
Martin and I protested at the same time. “No way,” he said.
“We can’t send Livy,” I said.
“Of course not,” Flinch said. “But we can send her clothes.” He looked at Torchie for a moment. “I think they’d fit you.”
“What!” Torchie backed up a step and held his hands out, as if to push away Flinch and his ideas. “Not a chance. I’ll face Bowdler. I’ll face anyone I have to. But not in a dress.”
“It doesn’t have to be a dress,” Flinch said. “A skirt would work fine.”
“We’ll need a wig, too,” Cheater said. “They sell them on the corner.” He dashed off.
Torchie looked at me, as if I’d help him find a way out. All I could do was shrug. “Hey, sometimes you just have to take one for the team.”
Cheater returned with a blond wig and tossed it to Torchie, who stared at it like he’d just been handed a warm pile of intestines. “I’ll get a skirt from Livy,” Cheater said.
“I’ll ask her for it,” Martin said. He dashed out the door and down the hall. We all crowded around the door to watch. I think he was halfway there before he realized how ridiculous a request he was about to make. Of course, by then it was too late because, somehow, he stumbled and ended up running into her door. I almost felt bad when I saw how hard he hit it. Maybe I should give him a break.
When Livy opened the door, Martin said, “Can we borrow a skirt?”
There was dead silence for a moment. Then Martin blurted out, “It’s not for me. It’s for Torchie.”
“For Torchie?”
There was this pause. I could almost hear Martin’s brain spinning desperately in search of an explanation. “He’s part Scottish,” he blurted out. “There’s this parade tonight. He forgot his kilt.”
“Oh, that explains everything.” Livy laughed and disappeared inside her apartment. She reappeared at the door a minute later and handed a plaid skirt to Martin. “Have fun.”
“Thanks.” Martin came back, tossed the skirt to Torchie, then looked over at me. “She definitely likes me.”
Grumbling, Torchie took the skirt and wig and went to change. “I hate to say it,” Flinch said when he came back out of the bedroom, “but you’d make a cute girl.”
“Then don’t say it.” A wisp of smoke curled up from the hem of the skirt. It was a good thing the material wasn’t one of those synthetic things that burn real easily. Torchie slapped the fire out and walked over to the window, turning his back onus.
“Cute and hot,” Martin said.
“I wish you guys would stop making fun of me,” Torchie said.
“I’m sorry.” I put my hand on his shoulder. “Relax. We don’t want anything catching fire.” I pointed to the roof of the building across the street where a small flame flickered. “Like that.”
He nodded, then squinted his eyes. The fire went out. I checked the time on the cell phone. It was getting close to nine. “We’d better get going.”
As we left the building and crossed the street, Cheater sniffed the air. “You guys smell smoke?”
I sniffed. There was definitely something burning somewhere. “Probably from before,” I said. Then a flicker of light caught my eye from above. “Oh no …” It looked like there was a fire in the building in front of us—the one Cheater had told me about.
“Fireworks …” Cheater said.