A/N: This chapter is a little disgusting, therefore, I might raise it to
PG, just to be safe.
I ran as fast as I could to Jessica's house, which was a few blocks away from Susie's. I knew where it was because I had been hired to throw some, well let's just say - interesting items at the two girls while they were playing tea party. Anyway, I went up to the front door and knocked. A woman opened the door and asked, "What can I do for you?"
Still talking in a british accent, I answered, "I would like to talk to Miss Jessica." This british accent was going to kill me. What Chicago private eye called a witness 'Miss'.
The lady blushed a little like I had called her Miss. "How polite you are. I'll go get Jessica." A few minute she arrived and I turned on the tape recorder. Jessica was a girl that her looks suggested she was bright. I should know, we went to school together. Had a crush on Lu, I believe. That would make this case harder if Lu was the culprit. She might want to defend him.
"Hello," she looked back to see if her mother was behind her. Then she continued, closing the door as she went along. "Ok, who are you and what do you want?" Of course, the alter personanallity. This is what she was. I had figured it out. In front of parents and teachers, one is polite and studious, but outside of that, they are in their own little tough world.
"I'm Melvin and I've come to ask you a few questions." I shot right back. She looked somewhat impressed. I grinned triumphantly and put my hands in my pockets.
"You passed the test. I just wanted to make sure you weren't a sissy or something like that. Step into my office and we'll have a little chat." She led me down the street a little than we started to enter some woods when she looked down the street. "Oh great." She rolled her eyes. I glanced in the direction. Chad was comeing our way. He most likely had something to sell us or he just wanted to swindle us out of our money. Well, I had a few tricks up my sleeve. Maybe I could empty him of the money he swindled from me last week.
"Hello there. I'm wondering if you would be interested in a little wager." I looked at him. Sure enough, he had that crafty look in his eyes. He blew a bubble and it popped as he waited for our response.
"Depends on what it is." Beside me, Jessica asked.
"Well, it's simple. You have to do what I do. If you do, I'll give you a dollar. If you don't.." he scanned me,. looking up and down. While he looked, I was doing some staring myself. I noticed that in his backpack, the rim of a glass and a gallon of water. I think I knew what he was going to do. "Ok, if you don't win I'll take....that neat detective hat." Great, if he wasn't doing what I thought he was going to do, I'd lose my trademark hat.
"I accept." I stated. Chad looked surprised but took out of his backpack, two plastic cups and some water. He poured me a little bit, then himself a little too.
"Ok, do what I do. And if you lose, I get the hat." I nodded and the contest began. He put the glass on the ground and I followed suit. He walked around it 2 times and I copied him. Then he picked it up and drunk the entire water inside. I followed. Then..he spat it out into his cup again. (Disgusting, I know.) Ahh...that is where he would have goten most people, but I was clever. Most people would have swallowed it, thinking that was what he had done. I had read about this before in a prank book. I spat it out into the cup too. He looked shocked. I grinned and held out my hand for the dough. He opened his pack, pulled out a dollar and relectently handed it over to me. Then he started walking down the street. I looked at the dollar in my hand. I would consiter this my pay for this case, even if I didn't win.
Jessica and I were just about to enter the woods to go to her office when I glimpsed someone else, an adult, coming down the street. My eyes widen and I quickly ran into the woods after Jessica. It was the cops. They must have broken in or they asked a question I didn't expect so the recorder gig didn't work. They would have seen I was gone and would capture me again. Hopefully they wouldn't see me until this case was craked. From what I learned later, the cops had first gone to the Derkins dame and her mother. They said that they hadn't seen me. Good thing I had been disguised.
Anyway, Jessica took me to a treefort in the woods. It was a pretty good hideout. Secluded and hard to get up into. I had to climb up a different tree with only a rope, then I had to swing across like Tarzan or something. When we finally got there, we both sat down and each of us had a glass of lemonade. Now it was time to get crackin'. "So..where were you around 2:30 pm?" I just hope my recorder hadn't busted up or something during the Tarzan thing.
"I was walking toward where Susie was. We were going to meet and go to her house to check out her new computer game. "
"Did you see anything?" I asked.
"Well, when I turned the corner, I saw Susie. We waved at each other and I continued on. Then, I was about 13 yards away, she was pelted by a pinecone. I looked at where it came from and saw a boy, run away. I went to the place where the boy had thrown it from. There was bubble gum trash, a footprint and a stick of gum."
"So..our mysterious pinecone thrower likes bubble gum." I bent down over the table as I thought.
"Also, he doesn't like to wait." Jessica stated. My head snapped up. Jessica answered my quizzing look. "I found pieces of bark stripped away from the tree where he was standing. Our pinecone thrower was impatient while waiting for Susie to pass."
"Hmmmm...." I thought for a moment. "Who is impatient and loves to chew gum."
"Calvin.....and Chad. Moe is impatient, but doesn't chew gum."
"Calvin didn't do it." I was almost sounding insulted by this, but I caught myself in time.
"How would you know?" Jessica asked.
"Because he hired me." I answered. Jessica was getting to nosy. It was time for me to leave and go to the tree where the culprit hid while waiting.
I ran as fast as I could to Jessica's house, which was a few blocks away from Susie's. I knew where it was because I had been hired to throw some, well let's just say - interesting items at the two girls while they were playing tea party. Anyway, I went up to the front door and knocked. A woman opened the door and asked, "What can I do for you?"
Still talking in a british accent, I answered, "I would like to talk to Miss Jessica." This british accent was going to kill me. What Chicago private eye called a witness 'Miss'.
The lady blushed a little like I had called her Miss. "How polite you are. I'll go get Jessica." A few minute she arrived and I turned on the tape recorder. Jessica was a girl that her looks suggested she was bright. I should know, we went to school together. Had a crush on Lu, I believe. That would make this case harder if Lu was the culprit. She might want to defend him.
"Hello," she looked back to see if her mother was behind her. Then she continued, closing the door as she went along. "Ok, who are you and what do you want?" Of course, the alter personanallity. This is what she was. I had figured it out. In front of parents and teachers, one is polite and studious, but outside of that, they are in their own little tough world.
"I'm Melvin and I've come to ask you a few questions." I shot right back. She looked somewhat impressed. I grinned triumphantly and put my hands in my pockets.
"You passed the test. I just wanted to make sure you weren't a sissy or something like that. Step into my office and we'll have a little chat." She led me down the street a little than we started to enter some woods when she looked down the street. "Oh great." She rolled her eyes. I glanced in the direction. Chad was comeing our way. He most likely had something to sell us or he just wanted to swindle us out of our money. Well, I had a few tricks up my sleeve. Maybe I could empty him of the money he swindled from me last week.
"Hello there. I'm wondering if you would be interested in a little wager." I looked at him. Sure enough, he had that crafty look in his eyes. He blew a bubble and it popped as he waited for our response.
"Depends on what it is." Beside me, Jessica asked.
"Well, it's simple. You have to do what I do. If you do, I'll give you a dollar. If you don't.." he scanned me,. looking up and down. While he looked, I was doing some staring myself. I noticed that in his backpack, the rim of a glass and a gallon of water. I think I knew what he was going to do. "Ok, if you don't win I'll take....that neat detective hat." Great, if he wasn't doing what I thought he was going to do, I'd lose my trademark hat.
"I accept." I stated. Chad looked surprised but took out of his backpack, two plastic cups and some water. He poured me a little bit, then himself a little too.
"Ok, do what I do. And if you lose, I get the hat." I nodded and the contest began. He put the glass on the ground and I followed suit. He walked around it 2 times and I copied him. Then he picked it up and drunk the entire water inside. I followed. Then..he spat it out into his cup again. (Disgusting, I know.) Ahh...that is where he would have goten most people, but I was clever. Most people would have swallowed it, thinking that was what he had done. I had read about this before in a prank book. I spat it out into the cup too. He looked shocked. I grinned and held out my hand for the dough. He opened his pack, pulled out a dollar and relectently handed it over to me. Then he started walking down the street. I looked at the dollar in my hand. I would consiter this my pay for this case, even if I didn't win.
Jessica and I were just about to enter the woods to go to her office when I glimpsed someone else, an adult, coming down the street. My eyes widen and I quickly ran into the woods after Jessica. It was the cops. They must have broken in or they asked a question I didn't expect so the recorder gig didn't work. They would have seen I was gone and would capture me again. Hopefully they wouldn't see me until this case was craked. From what I learned later, the cops had first gone to the Derkins dame and her mother. They said that they hadn't seen me. Good thing I had been disguised.
Anyway, Jessica took me to a treefort in the woods. It was a pretty good hideout. Secluded and hard to get up into. I had to climb up a different tree with only a rope, then I had to swing across like Tarzan or something. When we finally got there, we both sat down and each of us had a glass of lemonade. Now it was time to get crackin'. "So..where were you around 2:30 pm?" I just hope my recorder hadn't busted up or something during the Tarzan thing.
"I was walking toward where Susie was. We were going to meet and go to her house to check out her new computer game. "
"Did you see anything?" I asked.
"Well, when I turned the corner, I saw Susie. We waved at each other and I continued on. Then, I was about 13 yards away, she was pelted by a pinecone. I looked at where it came from and saw a boy, run away. I went to the place where the boy had thrown it from. There was bubble gum trash, a footprint and a stick of gum."
"So..our mysterious pinecone thrower likes bubble gum." I bent down over the table as I thought.
"Also, he doesn't like to wait." Jessica stated. My head snapped up. Jessica answered my quizzing look. "I found pieces of bark stripped away from the tree where he was standing. Our pinecone thrower was impatient while waiting for Susie to pass."
"Hmmmm...." I thought for a moment. "Who is impatient and loves to chew gum."
"Calvin.....and Chad. Moe is impatient, but doesn't chew gum."
"Calvin didn't do it." I was almost sounding insulted by this, but I caught myself in time.
"How would you know?" Jessica asked.
"Because he hired me." I answered. Jessica was getting to nosy. It was time for me to leave and go to the tree where the culprit hid while waiting.