Swindle

Griffin knocks on the glass and wakes Ben, who successfully bypasses the security system and opens the door. Griffin is surprised that Ben fell asleep while in the crate. Ben asks if Luthor gave Griffin trouble, and Griffin tells him that Luthor was not there. When they look behind the register for the safe, they realize it is gone. Griffin is stunned because in all his contingency plans, he had never considered that the safe might not be there.

Chapter 12 switches back to Ben’s point of view. He sadly watches prospective buyers visit Griffin’s house. Griffin’s parents need excuses to be out of the house while the realtor is working, so they take the boys to parks, malls, carnivals, and other activities. On the way from one of these trips, Griffin notices a black guard dog lunge at them from behind a homeowner’s fence. This encounter sparks that idea that Luthor may be guarding the baseball card at Swindle’s house. Griffin gains renewed confidence and redoubles his efforts on making a new plan to steal the card.