Frank parked his mom's car near a light blue Nova and climbed out. Entering the restaurant he spotted his seventeen-year-old girlfriend, Callie Shaw, sitting at a table near the salad bar surrounded by three teen-aged boys.
Frank made his way over and the big, beefy blond to Callie's right stood up to let Frank sit down beside Callie. "Where's Joe?" Biff Hooper asked, taking a different seat.
"At work," Frank answered, giving his friends an I-know-something-you-want-to-know smile.
"Work?" demanded fair-haired Chet Morton, his brown eyes bulging.
"Joe?" seconded Phil Cohen, his hazel eyes twinkling in merriment behind wire-framed lenses.
"Okay, what gives?" demanded Callie swinging her head to look at Frank, causing her blond tresses to frame her graceful face. "Joe's working on a mystery and you're here?"
"Not a mystery," denied Frank with a shake of his head. "An actual job. He's working at Jennings' Hardware in the mall."
"Why?" Chet demanded.
"And how?" Phil asked. "If he has a regular job then he won't be able to solve any mysteries."
"Things have been kind of slow lately," Frank said. "But apparently, it's okay with Jennings if Joe keeps his own hours. Joe said he just had to do a good job when he was at work and not skip it without a good reason."
"Sounds like a nice boss," Biff said a bit enviously.
"Why don't we all pay him a visit?" Chet suggested. "I can't wait to see him in action."
"Not a bad idea," agreed Frank. "He gets off at three so we could drop in around two-thirty. That shouldn't disrupt things too much."
The five teens took their time eating. Normally, Tony Prito, the owner's son and manager of Mr. Pizza, would have personally handled their order and spent some time chatting but it was Tony's day off and he was nowhere to be seen.
A little before two, the teens paid their bill and headed for the mall. "At least he hasn't been fired," Chet said teasingly. "The van's over there by an oak tree."
The group entered the mall. "How about an ice cream before we go over?" Chet suggested. "We've got a little time left."
"We just ate," Phil objected. Chet shrugged and went to place his order. When he returned with a double scoop rainbow waffle-cone they continued on their way to the hardware store.
"Hi there," greeted a young man whose nametag identified him as Tim. "Can I help you?"
"Actually, we were looking for Joe," Frank said. A bad feeling began to take hold of him when he saw a frown flitter across Tim's face. "He was supposed to get off at three, right?" he asked, glancing at his watch to double-check the time. It was two forty.
"He left early," Tim said, his frown returning as he looked at Biff curiously. "Are you his brother?"
"I am," Frank corrected him. "He got to leave early on his first day here?" he asked.
"He left for a half an hour lunch break and never came back," Tim informed Frank.
"Did he say anything before he left?" queried Phil.
Tim shook his head. "He was just going to grab some lunch and come straight back."
Frank's cell phone played a tune and he pulled it from his pocket. "Excuse me," he said, stepping away from everyone. He hoped it was Joe.
"Frank!" he heard his mother's frantic voice.
"Mom," he acknowledged her. "What's wrong?"
"I think your brother is in trouble," she said. "He started to leave a message on the machine but it was cut off and he never called back."
"What did he say?" Frank asked, gripping his cell tighter.
"He said there were two suspicious men in the store this morning," Laura informed him. "One was six feet tall but that is as far as he got."
"I'm at the mall now," Frank told her. "See if you can get a hold of dad and have him meet me at the hardware store." Frank hung up then returned to the others and relayed the message.
Frank made his way over and the big, beefy blond to Callie's right stood up to let Frank sit down beside Callie. "Where's Joe?" Biff Hooper asked, taking a different seat.
"At work," Frank answered, giving his friends an I-know-something-you-want-to-know smile.
"Work?" demanded fair-haired Chet Morton, his brown eyes bulging.
"Joe?" seconded Phil Cohen, his hazel eyes twinkling in merriment behind wire-framed lenses.
"Okay, what gives?" demanded Callie swinging her head to look at Frank, causing her blond tresses to frame her graceful face. "Joe's working on a mystery and you're here?"
"Not a mystery," denied Frank with a shake of his head. "An actual job. He's working at Jennings' Hardware in the mall."
"Why?" Chet demanded.
"And how?" Phil asked. "If he has a regular job then he won't be able to solve any mysteries."
"Things have been kind of slow lately," Frank said. "But apparently, it's okay with Jennings if Joe keeps his own hours. Joe said he just had to do a good job when he was at work and not skip it without a good reason."
"Sounds like a nice boss," Biff said a bit enviously.
"Why don't we all pay him a visit?" Chet suggested. "I can't wait to see him in action."
"Not a bad idea," agreed Frank. "He gets off at three so we could drop in around two-thirty. That shouldn't disrupt things too much."
The five teens took their time eating. Normally, Tony Prito, the owner's son and manager of Mr. Pizza, would have personally handled their order and spent some time chatting but it was Tony's day off and he was nowhere to be seen.
A little before two, the teens paid their bill and headed for the mall. "At least he hasn't been fired," Chet said teasingly. "The van's over there by an oak tree."
The group entered the mall. "How about an ice cream before we go over?" Chet suggested. "We've got a little time left."
"We just ate," Phil objected. Chet shrugged and went to place his order. When he returned with a double scoop rainbow waffle-cone they continued on their way to the hardware store.
"Hi there," greeted a young man whose nametag identified him as Tim. "Can I help you?"
"Actually, we were looking for Joe," Frank said. A bad feeling began to take hold of him when he saw a frown flitter across Tim's face. "He was supposed to get off at three, right?" he asked, glancing at his watch to double-check the time. It was two forty.
"He left early," Tim said, his frown returning as he looked at Biff curiously. "Are you his brother?"
"I am," Frank corrected him. "He got to leave early on his first day here?" he asked.
"He left for a half an hour lunch break and never came back," Tim informed Frank.
"Did he say anything before he left?" queried Phil.
Tim shook his head. "He was just going to grab some lunch and come straight back."
Frank's cell phone played a tune and he pulled it from his pocket. "Excuse me," he said, stepping away from everyone. He hoped it was Joe.
"Frank!" he heard his mother's frantic voice.
"Mom," he acknowledged her. "What's wrong?"
"I think your brother is in trouble," she said. "He started to leave a message on the machine but it was cut off and he never called back."
"What did he say?" Frank asked, gripping his cell tighter.
"He said there were two suspicious men in the store this morning," Laura informed him. "One was six feet tall but that is as far as he got."
"I'm at the mall now," Frank told her. "See if you can get a hold of dad and have him meet me at the hardware store." Frank hung up then returned to the others and relayed the message.