always means trouble for me. Remember when I was stuck in that chimney? It all started with that dumb sound.”
Dunc shrugged. “I thought since it was your car, you might want to help find out who did it.”
“My dad says his insurance will cover it. I’m not worried. Besides, school starts tomorrow and I’ve got more important things to worry about.”
“Like what?”
“Like making sure Melissa has the desk next to mine in homeroom.”
Dunc turned off the computer. Amos Binder was his lifetime best friend. He knew if he let him get started talking about Melissa, he would talk all night.
“Let’s go to the mall and see how everybody is spending their last night of freedom,” Dunc said.
Amos jumped up. “Good idea. Maybe we’ll run into Melissa.”
The Pioneer Mall was only a fifteen-minute bike ride from Dunc’s house. They tookthe shortcut through the abandoned housing development.
They coasted into the parking lot of the mall. Red lights were flashing everywhere. Two police cars were parked behind a new yellow Mustang.
Dunc stopped his bike a few feet away. An officer was taking a statement from the woman who owned the car.
“I was only in the mall for a few minutes. My car was definitely locked. When I got back, my stereo was gone.” The woman stared at the hole in her dashboard.
The officers checked around for witnesses, but no one had seen anything.
Amos was in a hurry to get to the video games. He tapped Dunc’s shoulder. “Come on. We don’t have much time.”
Dunc held up his hand. “Wait a minute. I want to see what happens.”
Before the police officer left, he assured the woman that everything possible would be done to find her stereo.
Dunc walked his bike up closer. “Excuse me, ma’am. My friend here just had hisstereo stolen too. Would it be okay if we looked around? The police might have missed something.”
The woman nodded her head. “You might as well. I don’t see how it could hurt.”
Amos held Dunc’s bike while he looked around by the car. He searched like a bloodhound, but nothing seemed out of place. He was about to leave when he looked through the front window. Something shiny caught his eye. He opened the door, reached in, and picked up a silver bead.
“Does this belong to you?” Dunc asked.
She took it out of his hand. “I don’t recognize it. It might belong to my daughter. I’m not sure.”
“Do you mind if I keep it?”
The woman shook her head. “I don’t know what good it will do. But sure. Go ahead.”
Dunc put the bead in his pocket. “Come on, Amos. We better get going.”
There were kids all over the mall. It was an every-year, last-night-before-school ritual. Everybody came to the mall to discuss teachers, classes, clothes, and strategy.
Amos kept an eye out for Melissa while they played Galaxy Snot-Ranger at the video arcade.
“Don’t you think it’s kind of interesting that these car burglars only hit cars at the mall?” Dunc asked.
“Where would you go if you needed about a thousand empty cars?”
“It’s okay, I guess, but you’d think they’dmove around. To make sure nobody caught on.”
Amos shrugged. “They seem to be doing just fine without your help. Give me another quarter. I’m up to two hundred thousand points. I’m about to max out and break the all-time snot record.”
A group of girls walked past the entrance of the arcade.
Amos quit punching buttons and sort of floated over to the door. Melissa was one of the girls.
“Amos, what about your game?”
“You finish it for me. Mr. Smooth is now on the job.”
Oh, great, Dunc thought.
Amos hurried past the girls. He positioned himself at the end of the mall by the water fountain, leaned casually up against the wall, and waited.
Melissa and her friends were walking toward the fountain. It looked like it might actually work.
Except that the wall Amos was leaning on was a door. The door to the women’s rest room. An elderly lady with a cane pulled
Dunc shrugged. “I thought since it was your car, you might want to help find out who did it.”
“My dad says his insurance will cover it. I’m not worried. Besides, school starts tomorrow and I’ve got more important things to worry about.”
“Like what?”
“Like making sure Melissa has the desk next to mine in homeroom.”
Dunc turned off the computer. Amos Binder was his lifetime best friend. He knew if he let him get started talking about Melissa, he would talk all night.
“Let’s go to the mall and see how everybody is spending their last night of freedom,” Dunc said.
Amos jumped up. “Good idea. Maybe we’ll run into Melissa.”
The Pioneer Mall was only a fifteen-minute bike ride from Dunc’s house. They tookthe shortcut through the abandoned housing development.
They coasted into the parking lot of the mall. Red lights were flashing everywhere. Two police cars were parked behind a new yellow Mustang.
Dunc stopped his bike a few feet away. An officer was taking a statement from the woman who owned the car.
“I was only in the mall for a few minutes. My car was definitely locked. When I got back, my stereo was gone.” The woman stared at the hole in her dashboard.
The officers checked around for witnesses, but no one had seen anything.
Amos was in a hurry to get to the video games. He tapped Dunc’s shoulder. “Come on. We don’t have much time.”
Dunc held up his hand. “Wait a minute. I want to see what happens.”
Before the police officer left, he assured the woman that everything possible would be done to find her stereo.
Dunc walked his bike up closer. “Excuse me, ma’am. My friend here just had hisstereo stolen too. Would it be okay if we looked around? The police might have missed something.”
The woman nodded her head. “You might as well. I don’t see how it could hurt.”
Amos held Dunc’s bike while he looked around by the car. He searched like a bloodhound, but nothing seemed out of place. He was about to leave when he looked through the front window. Something shiny caught his eye. He opened the door, reached in, and picked up a silver bead.
“Does this belong to you?” Dunc asked.
She took it out of his hand. “I don’t recognize it. It might belong to my daughter. I’m not sure.”
“Do you mind if I keep it?”
The woman shook her head. “I don’t know what good it will do. But sure. Go ahead.”
Dunc put the bead in his pocket. “Come on, Amos. We better get going.”
There were kids all over the mall. It was an every-year, last-night-before-school ritual. Everybody came to the mall to discuss teachers, classes, clothes, and strategy.
Amos kept an eye out for Melissa while they played Galaxy Snot-Ranger at the video arcade.
“Don’t you think it’s kind of interesting that these car burglars only hit cars at the mall?” Dunc asked.
“Where would you go if you needed about a thousand empty cars?”
“It’s okay, I guess, but you’d think they’dmove around. To make sure nobody caught on.”
Amos shrugged. “They seem to be doing just fine without your help. Give me another quarter. I’m up to two hundred thousand points. I’m about to max out and break the all-time snot record.”
A group of girls walked past the entrance of the arcade.
Amos quit punching buttons and sort of floated over to the door. Melissa was one of the girls.
“Amos, what about your game?”
“You finish it for me. Mr. Smooth is now on the job.”
Oh, great, Dunc thought.
Amos hurried past the girls. He positioned himself at the end of the mall by the water fountain, leaned casually up against the wall, and waited.
Melissa and her friends were walking toward the fountain. It looked like it might actually work.
Except that the wall Amos was leaning on was a door. The door to the women’s rest room. An elderly lady with a cane pulled
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