doing?”
“They stuffed secret messages in coat pockets to lure kids over there, and then Jake and Josh and Eddie wrote down their names and what grades they were in to see who showed up,” Wally explained, because his mother was looking directly at him.
“You mean you boys were there while all this was going on?”
“Well, sure. We were part of the project, weren't we?” said Jake. “But all the kids I know of went home afterward. I didn't see any girl hanging around.”
Mrs. Hatford leaned against the doorway. “Why is it that whenever you boys and the Malloy girls get together something happens? I'm sure plenty of things happened when the Bensons were here that I never heard about, but I must say, the things those girls dream up take the cake! I think it would be a good ideaif you'd just leave them alone and do your own projects. Stay on this side of the river from now on. Okay?”
“Fine with me!” said Jake, but Josh didn't answer. Peter looked desperately over at Wally after Mrs. Hat-ford had gone back in the kitchen.
“No more cookies?” he asked.
“No more cookies,” Wally answered. What
he
felt was that he didn't know
how
he felt. There were plenty of times in the past six months when he could not have been happier if he had been told he'd never have to deal with Caroline again. But now that Mrs. Hatford had actually told them not to cross the swinging bridge—to hear it suggested that they couldn't treat the girls like
sisters,
with snowball fights and jokes—well, that wasn't exactly what he wanted to hear either.
It was Josh, however, who was upset.
“Next Monday is Valentine's Day,” he said. “I've got a box of Whitman's chocolates for Beth, and I'm not about to give them to her at school in front of everybody.”
“Tough,” said Jake. “We'll help you eat them.”
Mrs. Hatford put dinner on the table and called the boys to the kitchen. It was meat loaf and potatoes and green beans, but Wally didn't feel very hungry. He didn't really know Lorie Weymouth, but he knew who she was, what she looked like. It was a strange feeling to think he might be one of the last persons to have seen her alive. At that very moment, in fact, a stranger might be choking her.
“Ulp,”
went Wally as a bite of meat loaf slid down his throat unchewed.
“Maybe we should go help look for Lorie,” Josh said as he pushed a slice of meat loaf from one side of his plate to the other.
“You will stay right here in this house unless your father needs your help,” Mrs. Hatford told him. “The sheriff is out looking too, as well as the Buckman police, and as soon as they locate Lorie's brother, perhaps we'll learn something more. Eat your green beans, Peter.”
But Peter put his hands behind him and stared down at his plate. “I'll be sad if I can't go to the Malloys’ house anymore,” he said. Then he added, “Beth makes good cookies.”
“Well, I make cookies too sometimes,” said his mother, a little peeved. “You boys survived before the Malloys came here and you can get along without them now. The Malloys aren't the only kids in Buckman.”
Dinner was over, dessert eaten, and Josh and Jake were doing the dishes when they heard their father's Jeep coming home again. The boys were waiting by the back door when he walked inside, and Mrs. Hatford came out to the kitchen to warm his plate in the microwave.
“Did they find her, Tom?” she asked.
“Safe and sound at a friend's house. Seems Lorie talked a friend into going to the Malloys’ with her, and afterward the friend invited her to stay for dinner. Shecalled home and told her brother, and he was supposed to leave a note for their mother but forgot. Everyone's home now and accounted for.”
“Thank goodness!” said Mrs. Hatford.
Mr. Hatford took off his coat and sat down as the microwave dinged. “That was some fool idea, though, to invite half the kids in Buckman over to the Malloys’ and then tell them to keep it secret.
“They stuffed secret messages in coat pockets to lure kids over there, and then Jake and Josh and Eddie wrote down their names and what grades they were in to see who showed up,” Wally explained, because his mother was looking directly at him.
“You mean you boys were there while all this was going on?”
“Well, sure. We were part of the project, weren't we?” said Jake. “But all the kids I know of went home afterward. I didn't see any girl hanging around.”
Mrs. Hatford leaned against the doorway. “Why is it that whenever you boys and the Malloy girls get together something happens? I'm sure plenty of things happened when the Bensons were here that I never heard about, but I must say, the things those girls dream up take the cake! I think it would be a good ideaif you'd just leave them alone and do your own projects. Stay on this side of the river from now on. Okay?”
“Fine with me!” said Jake, but Josh didn't answer. Peter looked desperately over at Wally after Mrs. Hat-ford had gone back in the kitchen.
“No more cookies?” he asked.
“No more cookies,” Wally answered. What
he
felt was that he didn't know
how
he felt. There were plenty of times in the past six months when he could not have been happier if he had been told he'd never have to deal with Caroline again. But now that Mrs. Hatford had actually told them not to cross the swinging bridge—to hear it suggested that they couldn't treat the girls like
sisters,
with snowball fights and jokes—well, that wasn't exactly what he wanted to hear either.
It was Josh, however, who was upset.
“Next Monday is Valentine's Day,” he said. “I've got a box of Whitman's chocolates for Beth, and I'm not about to give them to her at school in front of everybody.”
“Tough,” said Jake. “We'll help you eat them.”
Mrs. Hatford put dinner on the table and called the boys to the kitchen. It was meat loaf and potatoes and green beans, but Wally didn't feel very hungry. He didn't really know Lorie Weymouth, but he knew who she was, what she looked like. It was a strange feeling to think he might be one of the last persons to have seen her alive. At that very moment, in fact, a stranger might be choking her.
“Ulp,”
went Wally as a bite of meat loaf slid down his throat unchewed.
“Maybe we should go help look for Lorie,” Josh said as he pushed a slice of meat loaf from one side of his plate to the other.
“You will stay right here in this house unless your father needs your help,” Mrs. Hatford told him. “The sheriff is out looking too, as well as the Buckman police, and as soon as they locate Lorie's brother, perhaps we'll learn something more. Eat your green beans, Peter.”
But Peter put his hands behind him and stared down at his plate. “I'll be sad if I can't go to the Malloys’ house anymore,” he said. Then he added, “Beth makes good cookies.”
“Well, I make cookies too sometimes,” said his mother, a little peeved. “You boys survived before the Malloys came here and you can get along without them now. The Malloys aren't the only kids in Buckman.”
Dinner was over, dessert eaten, and Josh and Jake were doing the dishes when they heard their father's Jeep coming home again. The boys were waiting by the back door when he walked inside, and Mrs. Hatford came out to the kitchen to warm his plate in the microwave.
“Did they find her, Tom?” she asked.
“Safe and sound at a friend's house. Seems Lorie talked a friend into going to the Malloys’ with her, and afterward the friend invited her to stay for dinner. Shecalled home and told her brother, and he was supposed to leave a note for their mother but forgot. Everyone's home now and accounted for.”
“Thank goodness!” said Mrs. Hatford.
Mr. Hatford took off his coat and sat down as the microwave dinged. “That was some fool idea, though, to invite half the kids in Buckman over to the Malloys’ and then tell them to keep it secret.
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