"Cookie?" Doofenshmirtz offered.

The boys took one look at the charred circles on the plate and shook their heads. Doofenshmirtz shrugged and set the plate down on the coffee table. "Your loss. So what's this about the book?"

"Perry led us to it." Phineas said. "We think it might have something to do with his poisoning."

"Since the author couldn't have done it, there must be something inside the book he wants us to find." Ferb continued.

"Do you happen to have a copy?" Phineas asked.

Doofenshmirtz shook his head. "Sorry. I'm a huge fan of evil literature, but that book was just creepy. I'm not a huge Knap fan. She had this huge band of evil followers back before L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N."

"Your organization is called… Lovemuffin?" Ferb asked.

"Yes, the League Of Villainous Evildoers Maniacally United For Frightening Investments in Naughtiness. Anyway, the O.W.C.A locked her up many, many years ago, back when my nemesis was this little brown dog named Declan or something. She was kind of crazy. She'd take hostages and stuff. Her book was really strange. It was about these two rival companies who get mad at each other and try to put each other out of business and then they go out for pizza. Wait… never mind, that was in the movie I saw last night. I honestly don't remember much about the book, but her evil followers loved it. I gave my copy away."

"Well, that stinks." Phineas said. "We had a copy, too. But Perry sold ours."

"Don't blame him." Doofenshmirtz said. "I heard it goes for about five hundred dollars on the Internet these days."

"Do you know where we might possibly get our hands on a copy?" Ferb asked.

"They stopped selling it after Knap was locked up." Doofenshmirtz said. "Sorry. I don't think there's really any place that sells it anymore. Maybe some used bookstores would have it lying around or something."

"Excuse me, sir." Said a loud voice. Norm came around the corner. "I couldn't help but overhear your conversation."

"Shut it, Norm." Doofenshmirtz said. "I'm talking."

"I just wanted to let your guests know that you can get great deals at used bookstores." Norm said, holding up a pale blue paperback. "I just got this book for only five dollars."

Phineas jumped up. "That's it! That's the book! Can we have it, Mr. Giant-Robot-That-I-Think-We-Chased-Into-A-River-Once?"

"Do you have anything to trade?" Norm asked.

"Uh…" Phineas reached into his pocket and pulled out a gummy candy. "How's this?"

"Thank you for your business." Norm handed Ferb the book and took the gummy candy from Phineas. He placed it on his head. "Look, sir, I have procured a new hat!"

Doofenshmirtz rolled his eyes.

Ferb opened up the book and started scanning the pages.

"Anything?" Phineas asked after a few minutes.

Ferb shrugged. "The prologue's all about how the narrator's company was about to get shut down because of another one, so she decided to take action."

Phineas sighed. "All that and we still don't have anything?"

"I'll keep reading." Ferb said. "There must be something Perry wanted us to find in this book."

Doofenshmirtz's large cuckoo clock started to chime. A crow popped out of the clock.

"CAW! CAW! IT'S NINE O'CLOCK PM! TIME FOR SOME EVIL TELEVISION!"

"Oh my gosh." Phineas said. "Mom and dad are probably worried. Ferb, I completely forgot. We've gotta get home! Thanks, Doofenshmirtz."

Ferb gave Doofenshmirtz a nod. He stuck the book in his pocket, and the two of them rushed home.

"So Perry sent you on this huge chase after some random book about this girl who hates her uncle's yogurt company?" Candace asked as she, Phineas and Ferb entered the O.W.C.A hospital.

"Yeah." Phineas said. "So I figured we'd ask him about it… now that we have the book, at least. Monogram said he was awake today."

Candace sighed. "Why couldn't we have just gotten a normal pet?"

Phineas rang the bell at the front desk. "Excuse me. Can we see Perry the platypus? He's the one that was poisoned."
The woman nodded. "Room 205. He's a little tired and cranky today because of his medication, just so you know."

"Thanks." Phineas said. They started down the hall.

"A little cranky?" Candace asked. "Are you sure you want to see him today, Phineas?"

"Perry doesn't get too mad." Phineas said. "And he's never mad at us. He'll probably just be a little tired, is all."

Phineas knocked on door 205. There was no response.

They entered anyway.

The room looked more like a hotel room than a hospital room. It was decorated in pale greens and yellows, and there was a television sitting in front of Perry's bed. Paintings of boats and pine trees lined the walls. The IV drip and heart monitor near the bed kind of ruined the mood, but not by much.

Perry narrowed his eyes at them as they came in.

"Why are you here?"

"Um… they told us we could visit you today." Phineas said.

Perry looked out the window.

"We brought you some stuff." Phineas said. "We brought Snugglebear and some of your books. We couldn't get Hugglebear through the d-"

"That's fine."

"Okay." Phineas said quietly. He set Snugglebear down on the bed next to Perry. "Um… Perry, we found the book…"

"Good." Perry said.

"Uh… we don't really know what you were trying to tell us with it." Phineas said. He sat down in the chair next to the bed.

"Seriously? Did you even look at it?" Perry asked irritably.

Phineas bit his lip. "Yes. We did." He handed the book to Perry. "I don't understand, Perry. We tried really hard to figure it out."

Perry snatched the book from Phineas's hand and began quickly flipping through it.

"Are… are you angry, Perry?" Phineas asked quietly.

"Chapter Six, Nicky. Chapter Eight, Herman. Chapter Ten, me."

"I'm not sure I understand…"

"Chapter Ten." Perry said loudly. "Joe simply had a glass that DIFFERED from the others, blah blah blah, and so, narrowed down from the FOURTEEN originally there, blah blah blah, and so I added in that which I created myself, UNTRACEABLE and WITHOUT KNOWN PAIR." He slammed the book shut and glared at Phineas. "Do you get it now?"

"Uh…" Phineas looked at Ferb, who shrugged. "No."

Perry huffed. He opened the book up again. "I ordered WATER. No one else, out of the FOURTEEN agents seated at the table the night I was poisoned, besides me ordered water. I was poisoned with something the doctors don't recognize, something that doesn't have an antidote yet."
"Wait…" Phineas said. "Are you saying… someone's attacking people based on that book?"

"Give the dog a bone." Perry muttered. He tossed the book at Ferb, who caught it to his chest. "Figured you two could stop whoever's next from being next. Stay one step ahead."

"But… but why?" Phineas asked. "Why would someone do that?"
"Someone doesn't like the agency." Perry said. "The whole book's about this lady who destroys a rival yogurt company by killing off its employees, one by one. Guess whoever's doing this figured it was a good way to destroy an organization. Fortunately, no one's died yet. I really HOPE no one's died yet, at least. You two figuring that book out a day late could have some negative effects."

"We're sorry." Phineas said softly.

"Gosh, you could be a little nicer!" Candace spat. "The boys came here because they wanted to help you. You could at least be grateful they found the stupid book!"

"I'm sorry, Candace." Perry snarled. "I'm sorry if my mood is inconveniencing you. Sure, I'm feeling incredibly sick and dizzy at the moment, not to mention I may end up stuck here for months, but you're right, you'd think I could be a little nicer. I'm terribly, terribly sorry for causing YOU any discomfort."

"Come on." Candace grabbed Phineas's hand. "Let's go."

"Nice you can leave, isn't it? I personally would love to go outside and have a great time. You guys just do whatever you want."

"Perry, if you want us to stay…" Phineas said. "I mean, we just came to see you… if we're bothering you…"

"Do whatever you want." Perry grumbled.

They sat in silence for a while.

"…Okay." Phineas finally said. "Well… um… I think we should probably let you rest. You seem kind of tired. We'll see you tomorrow, okay, Perry?"

Perry didn't answer.

"We love you." Phineas said. He lifted up Perry's arm and put Snugglebear underneath it.

"Other arm." Perry said. "If the IV leaks, I don't want it getting on him."

"Stop being so dramatic. It's not gonna leak-" Candace began.

Phineas moved Snugglebear anyway. "See you, Perry."

They left the room.

"I thought he was impossible before." Candace said. "Can you believe him?"

"He's just not feeling good." Phineas said. "And he's worried about the agency- oh, dang. I forgot to give him his card. Let's go back."

"Let's go BACK?" Candace demanded. "That's what the characters always say in horror movies. Always a stupid decision."

"You can wait here if you want." Phineas said. He and Ferb went back down the hall and entered Room 205.

Perry watched them come in and sit down. He didn't say anything.

"We forgot to give you something." Phineas said.

Perry sighed. "Look. I'm sorry about that whole thing a few minutes ago. I'm not mad at you. I just don't feel good right now."

"We know." Phineas said.

"I feel really bad now." Perry looked down at his lap. "Really… just come by in a couple days. I don't want to say something else I'll regret later. I'm just very easily irritated right now."

"We will." Phineas said. "We just wanna give you your card."

Ferb handed Perry a small paper card. The boys had drawn a picture of a platypus on the front, frolicking in a flower field.

Perry opened it up. They waited while he read it.

Perry smiled a little.

"…Thanks. It's great."

"We hoped you'd like it." Phineas smiled.

"Can you put it on my bedside table?" Perry handed the card back to Ferb. "Where I can see it even if I'm not sitting up?"

Ferb nodded. He placed the card on the table.

"Good." Perry said. He wrapped his arms around Snugglebear and closed his eyes.

"We love you, boy." Phineas said. "Get some rest. Don't worry. We'll figure out who did this."

He patted Perry gently on the head and stood up.

The boys left the room and met Candace at the end of the hall.

"He liked it." Phineas said. "Ferb, check the book. See what attack comes next."

Ferb flipped through the book, quickly scanning the first page of each chapter.

Then he stopped.

"Chapter Thirteen." He said. "The main character sneaks up on this guy while he's loading yogurt boxes into a truck. She hits him over the head with a pot and then runs away before anyone notices."

"Wait." Candace said. "I passed by this building earlier on my way to Jeremy's. It had a sign that said O.W.C.A Secret Headquarters: Pay No Attention To This Sign. Is that Perry's agency?"

"That'd be the agency." Phineas said.

"Well, then, we'd better hurry." Candace said. "I saw a large truck there on my way back from Jeremy's. It looked like it was getting ready to pick up supplies."

"Uh-oh." Phineas said. "Sounds like they're about to strike. We might still have time…"

The three of them ran out of the hospital.