"How was your after-school suspension?" Evan sat in his car in front of the school as Andrew walked out.

"Suck it."

"Swallow it."

"You kiss your mother with that mouth?"

"No, I kiss your mother with this mouth."

"Ha, ha, ha. You're hilarious." Andrew shook his head and pointed at the car. "Linda's home, huh?"

"Yep. Did you know Vegas isn't any fun if you run out of money?"

"Go figure."

"Whatever. I have my car back."

"Hide the keys."

Evan grabbed the trash container to haul back to the side of the garage after he parked in Andrew's driveway.

"Your mom should pay me."

"She pays you the same amount she pays me." Andrew pulled the front pocket of his jeans inside out. Silence greeted him when he unlocked the front door and stepped inside. He dropped his bag on the stairs as he passed through to the kitchen. Evan tagged along and took a seat on a kitchen stool while Andrew made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

"Okay, so look. I did some research. Here's the deal." Evan took the sandwich Andrew held out and took a bite. "Milk?"

Andrew reached into a cupboard, handed a glass to Evan, and spun to pull a jug of milk from the fridge.

"Military bases and oil fields and all kinds of stuff around the world are censored on maps like Google and MapQuest. They're the same places that have no-fly zones. Follow me?" He took a long drink. "Nobody's allowed to show these places even though the satellites they rent or whatever can take snapshots from 1,200 miles up."

"But we know where the military bases are. Those aren't really secret."

"True. But the government doesn't want us to see what's there. National security is on the line."

"Blackstar and Stealths." Andrew raised his hand and flew it down to his sandwich for another bite.

"Well, yeah. And whatever else they're making these days. Drones probably." Andrew nodded. The peanut butter was sticking to the roof of his mouth, and Evan took advantage of his silence to continue in a low conspiratorial voice. "On Google Maps these places look like giant pixelated Minecraft scenes, but without the trees and cows and zombies that are trying to kill you. Of course. And it's not just military bases."

"It's not?"

"Nope. In some places, you move the cursor around to slide the maps back and forth and the area on the map is just gone. Blind spots."

"Blind spots."

Evan nodded. "We have to call them something. There are 23 blind spots on the chain of Hawaiian islands and a whopping 276 of them in Alaska. Ready for this?"

Andrew stopped chewing and stared at Evan. "Uh huh."

"One of those spots is right here in New Mexico. Where's your laptop?"

Andrew put the last big bite of sandwich in his mouth and pointed toward the hallway. Evan set his sandwich on the counter and when he came back with the laptop, he set it in front of Andrew. He opened the lid and picked up his sandwich for another bite.

"Jesus. Are you serious?" Evan set his sandwich down.

"What?" Andrew ran his finger over the biometric scanner on the laptop to log in.

"You can't just leave everything on the counter like that. It's like you're a five-year-old." He walked over and twisted up the bread bag, then put the lids on the peanut butter and jelly. He rinsed off the knife and put it in the dishwasher. "Seriously. Your mom should pay me to teach you this stuff. I'd make so much money. It would be a never-ending cash flow trying to teach you how to pick up after yourself. I could–what?"

"Did you hear that?" Andrew stood up and held his finger up to his lips. He walked around the counter and slid a knife out of the butcher block. "Shh..."

Evan turned off the running water and cocked an eye at him. He whispered, "Hear what?"

A thump sounded above them.

"That," Andrew whispered back.

"The guy? You think it's the guy from this morning? Where's your phone?" Still whispering, he patted his pockets. "Where's my phone? Call 9-1-1."

Another dull thump answered him.

Andrew moved past Evan to the front of the house, knife held tightly in his hand. He paused at the banister to peek his head around and look up the stairs. Evan pulled at his arm and pointed to the door.

"Bonsoir chers! I didn't hear you come in."

Andrew thrust the knife behind his back. "Rosita! I didn't know you'd be here today."

She came down the steps and ruffled Andrew's hair. "Got a call from your mom to be here to make dinner. I'm here for a couple days to keep you out of trouble. Speaking of which, what are you two up to? Evan, you need to spend more time in the sun. You're pale as a ghost under all those freckles."

"Homework. We were just heading up to my room to get a notebook. Evan was supposed to bring my laptop." He turned around and slipped the knife to Evan so Rosita wouldn't see it, then pushed him toward the kitchen.

"Damn. Dang. I mean, dang. I forgot it. What a silly head." He tucked the knife under his arm and walked to the kitchen while Andrew danced with Rosita on the stairs so she couldn't follow Evan. He shot Andrew a silent "Well done, Sherlock," and slid the knife back in the butcher's block. As he ambled back toward the stairs and passed through the kitchen door, he abruptly ducked his head,  spun back around, and grabbed the laptop.

Andrew stepped out of Rosita's way and went up the stairs. "So, what are you making for dinner?"

"I brought fresh tomatoes to make spaghetti sauce. There's a bag in my car in the garage that–"

"Oh! Let me go get that for you." He rolled his eyes at Evan and came back down the stairs. "So your car is in the garage. Right next to my mom's. Because, why wouldn't it be since you stay here all the time and take such good care of me? Unlike a crazed murderer off the street who would park down the street and sneak upstairs to make the beds while waiting for the unsuspecting family to return home."

Rosita arched a questioning eyebrow at him as he walked by her.

Evan stopped on the bottom step and leaned back against the banister. "You look lovely today, Rosita."

"Flatterer. You'll say anything to get an invitation to dinner." She wagged a finger at him over her shoulder as she went into the kitchen.

"Never! You know, I think it's the blue of that shirt. It really brings out the color in your eyes. Homemade spaghetti, you said? Why yes, thank you, I would love to stay for dinner."

"I didn't invite you. It's not my home." She laughed from the kitchen. "You'll have to beg Andrew."

Evan gave a triumphant fist pump. "In like Flynn."

Andrew jerked his thumb at the stairs as he followed Rosita to the kitchen. Evan turned like a wooden soldier and marched up the steps.

Joining Evan after carrying in groceries, Andrew swung his door shut and threw his bag on his bed. Evan was looking at his computer and pointed to a map on the computer's display.

"See there? Watch when I zoom in. And when I shift the map left and right? The longitudinal lines just jump. They skip numbers. In this case, right here, big numbers. A big space. Miles."

"Yeah, that's big." Andrew reached over and adjusted the zoom. Evan pushed the chair back so he could get closer. He tried street view and the map turned black.

"And I checked. It's a no-fly zone. Somebody's hiding something." Evan tapped him on the shoulder. "Your bed is calling."

"I'm not that kind of friend," he smirked.

"My loss," Evan replied.

Andrew dug into his book bag and pulled out his phone and answered it. "Hi, mom."

Evan turned back to the computer and moved the page around trying to find a different angle that would reveal more information.

"Yep, she is downstairs making spaghetti." He paused listening. "Don't you think I'm old enough to stay alone now? I know but...yeah but...okay. When are you coming home?"

He moved beside the bed to stand before a large topographical map of the western United States. A gift from his mom on his tenth birthday, it covered most of his wall and had push-pins stuck all over it, many in his home state. The tacks represented all the places he had ever hiked.

A mountain range extended through the area Evan was calling a blind spot. It would take several hours to hike into the center. There might even be multiple climbs, though probably not steep. It looked like mostly dusty, hill climbing. It would be challenging, in terms of endurance, not climbing, but not any more so than other places he had been with his mom in the last couple of years. Evan would be the bigger challenge. He wasn't as experienced in climbing. And he talked. All the time.

"So we won't be going to Chaco this weekend," he said with disappointment into the phone. He pulled out a pin from the map while he listened to his mom. Evan raised his eyebrows and raised two fists like a boxer.

"After-school suspension...he's a douche." Again he paused. The pin in his hand hovered over the map. "Well, he is. He gave me another pink slip. Can I hang out at Evan's this weekend?"

Andrew pushed the pin into the map and smiled at Evan. Evan pumped his fists and mouthed at him, "Yes! Yes! Yes!"

"Okay...I love you too...Bye." He tossed his phone on the bed. "I guess we're off to see what we can see."

‐--------
Authors note:  There really are blind spots on google maps and satellite images around the world, and the conspiracy theories are many. It was fun having my conspiracy-loving Evan stumble unto them and convincing Andrew to go on an adventure to uncover the mystery. If you're interested in what the people are saying, google "conspiracies about blind spots on maps." Maybe it will spark your own imagination and I will get to read the story you create.

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