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“Wait a minute…” the rat said, squinting at them closely. He took another step closer. “Wait just a minute. Are you… are you two PETS?”

Marco and Polo exchanged a worried glance. They didn’t know whether yes was the right answer or the wrong answer. And they sure didn’t want to give the wrong answer.

“Well, um,” Marco started, but he never got to finish.

“You are! You’re pets!” the Wild Rat interrupted, hopping up and down. “Me too! I was a pet too!”

“You were?” Polo said uncertainly. “That’s great!”

“Isn’t it? I was a pet on the second floor! Or I was until one of the children in my household squeezed my middle a bit too hard. Then I decided to take to the vents. It’s so nice to meet a fellow pet!” He clasped his hands in front of him and gazed at them with moist eyes. “So tell me. Do they still have that seed mix with the sunflower seeds and corn? I used to love that.”

“Um. Yes, that’s still pretty much the standard,” Marco said.

“Of course, it’s a classic.” The rat stared at them happily. “And the wheel? I can tell you work out. Is that still the exercise equipment of choice? How I did love a good run on the wheel.”

“Um, yes. We use the wheel almost every night,” Polo said.

“Nothing better to keep the human family awake, am I right?” the Wild Rat said, nudging Marco in the ribs with his elbow. “But how rude of me, let me introduce myself. My name is Wallace. My pet name was Fuzzy, but you know how that is. I go by Wallace in the vents.”

“I’m Marco, and this is Polo,” Marco said, extending a hand, which Wallace grabbed and immediately started to shake enthusiastically. “Are there a lot of rats in the vents?”

Wallace made a sad face.“No, not too many. Just me, actually, although I have a nice circle of friends who live out back in the loading dock. Are you all looking to relocate?”

Polo and Marco exchanged a nervous glance.“Not exactly. But our circumstances may be changing, so…” Polo hesitated. She wasn’t sure how much she should confide in Wallace. She didn’t really want to tell him about Mrs. Food, or the coin guy.

“Look, it’s like this,” Marco said. He wasn’t the least bit worried about confiding. “Our living situation is a little iffy right now, so we’re treasure hunting. Hoping to be independently wealthy, if you know what I mean. We’ve got a lead on some treasure, and we’re going to scope it out right now, in fact.”

“Way to go, Marco,” Polo muttered. Sometimes he just couldn’t keep his mouth shut.

Wallace looked skeptical.“Treasure? In the vents? I haven’t seen it.”

“Not in the vents, in one of the apartments,” Marco boasted. “We’re on a mission, see.”

“Oh,” Wallace said. “That sounds nice.”

Polo rolled her eyes.“The treasure may not even exist, okay? But the problem is that we’re lost. Can you help us find the apartment?”

Wallace shrugged.“I could probably help. What floor is it? You’re in the seventh-floor vents at the moment. That’s my preferred floor. Primo accommodations on Floor Seven.”

“It’s not seven. It’s the top floor. Apartment B,” Polo said.

Wallace went pale. Polo could actually see the blood drain out of his face as she spoke. He cleared his throat.“Apartment B?”

“That’s right,” Polo said. “On the top floor. Do you know it?”

“Oh no. No no no. No indeed no, I don’t go there. Not to that apartment. Have you SEEN that man who lives there?” Wallace took a few steps back. “If there’s treasure in that apartment, you should leave it alone. I think you should just go home. Or if your living situation changes, live here in the vents with me! There’s plenty of room. Floor Five seems quite nice.” Wallace clenched his hands together and leaned forward. “I would stay away from that apartment. I really would.”

Marco and Polo exchanged a worried glance.

“That’s the thing,” Marco said. “We really can’t. We need to at least look inside.”

“It’s important,” Polo explained. “We’ll be careful.”

Wallace clenched his jaw and sighed.“Okay. I can show you the way. But I won’t go to that floor with you. You’re on your own there.”

“That would be fine,” Polo said. The fur on the back of her neck prickled uncomfortably. And she’d thought the guy was creepy enough before Wallace freaked out. She was starting to hate Oscar’s ideas.

“It’s this way,” Wallace said, climbing into an up vent that was partially concealed by a pipe.

Marco and Polo followed silently. If this rat who had started a new life in the wild was too afraid to go to the Coin Man’s apartment, what the heck were they doing?

Wallace pulled Polo and Marco up after him into the eighth-floor vents. Then he patted Polo on the shoulder.“Remember, you always have a home in the vents. And if you wanted to bring some snacks when you moved in, that would be good too. I have some perfect storage spots for seeds and whatnot.”

“We’ll bring you some corn and sunflower seeds either way,” Marco said. “We owe you one.”

“Just be careful,” Wallace said. “Good luck.” He grabbed Marco by the hand and clasped it tightly. Then he scurried away without another word.