pretty good job of it, any-way!”
“We're just here to ask you to leave the Byrds and Mr. Green alone. They're innocent.”
“Oh, yeah? Well, how would you know?”
“I know because—”
But before I could say more, she said through a smirk, “And what are you gonna do if I don't, huh? Sic your
calculator
on me?”
“Hey!”Trinity said. “That's cold!”
“Yeah!”Ian yelled. “Why don't you
listen
to him?”
But she wasn't about to. We were just kids. Annoying little kids.
Little did she know that Shredderman was a kid!
I moved my backpack so the camera was angled at Chatty. From the look on her face, I could tell that with one more little nudge it would be showtime!
I reached inside my pocket and pressed the camera's remote control.
Movie mode, go!
And then good ol' Vinnie shouted, “Yeah! What's your problem?”
And… action!
“My problem?”Chatty said, winding up. “My
problem
is you, you twerp.”She started pointing around, picking on us one at a time. “And you, you geek! And you, you wannabe Barbie! And you, you big-beak brat! And you, you fatso! And especially
you,
you annoying knuckleheaded
nerd.
Can't you tell I'm busy? Get
away
from me!”
“Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa-
whoa
. ”Roy was pulling her away, trying to calm her down. “Easy, sweetheart. It's okay. Everything's ooooookay.”Then he called over to us, “I'm sorry about that, kids. She didn't mean any of that. She's just under a lot of pressure.”
But then Chatty spotted a police car zooming across the parking lot.
Her eyes got sharp.
Her nostrils flared.
She wrestled free from Roy and started moving like a barracuda after blood.
“They've got someone else!”she cried to her cameraman. “Come on!”
The rest of us ran after the police car, too. And when we caught up, I saw that Chatty was right. They
did
have someone in the backseat.
Someone I recognized!
Chapter 17
Sweating Bullets
Harry Kane got to the police car about the same time Chatty and the rest of us did. Chatty shoved Harry aside and shouted, “Can you tell us who you've got there?”
Two policemen had pulled their prisoner out of the backseat. It was the shabby guy who had left the papers in the boulder and taken the money!
He was handcuffed!
“What is he charged with?”Chatty shouted. “Is this one of the international spies?”
Both the policemen shook their heads, telling her they weren't going to answer her questions.
She chased after them anyway. “Is he Shredderman?”
Shredderman?
How could she think
that
? Shredderman had blown the whistle on this guy!
How stupid could this lady be?
One of the police officers seemed to be thinking the same thing, because he stopped in his tracks and gave her a long, steady look. Then he let the other policeman take their prisoner into the sta-tion while he stayed outside. He came a few steps our way, then cleared his throat and said, “I under-stand that you've got a lot of questions concerning this case, and we
will
answer them to the best of our ability when the time is right—”
“When will
that
be?”Chatty snapped. “You expect us to wait out here all night?”
The policeman took a deep breath. “How about we give you a statement in… oh, half an hour?”
“Can't you give us
any
thing now? Who is that man? Why was he arrested? Are you going to—”
Harry cut in. “Hey, Don, can you tell us if this arrest means you'll be releasing the Byrds andElmo Green?”He glanced at us. “There are some people here who'd really like to know.”
“Hi, Harry,”the policeman answered. “I'd like to help you on that, but right now I can't say. Someone'll be back out in half an hour, okay?”
“Good enough, Don,”Harry said.
“Hey, Don!”Chatty called.
The policeman put up a hand before she could say anything more. “Please, Ms. Adams. That's enough. I'll have someone back here in half an hour.”
Chatty practically stomped her foot. Then she stormed off, muttering, “Bunch of good
“We're just here to ask you to leave the Byrds and Mr. Green alone. They're innocent.”
“Oh, yeah? Well, how would you know?”
“I know because—”
But before I could say more, she said through a smirk, “And what are you gonna do if I don't, huh? Sic your
calculator
on me?”
“Hey!”Trinity said. “That's cold!”
“Yeah!”Ian yelled. “Why don't you
listen
to him?”
But she wasn't about to. We were just kids. Annoying little kids.
Little did she know that Shredderman was a kid!
I moved my backpack so the camera was angled at Chatty. From the look on her face, I could tell that with one more little nudge it would be showtime!
I reached inside my pocket and pressed the camera's remote control.
Movie mode, go!
And then good ol' Vinnie shouted, “Yeah! What's your problem?”
And… action!
“My problem?”Chatty said, winding up. “My
problem
is you, you twerp.”She started pointing around, picking on us one at a time. “And you, you geek! And you, you wannabe Barbie! And you, you big-beak brat! And you, you fatso! And especially
you,
you annoying knuckleheaded
nerd.
Can't you tell I'm busy? Get
away
from me!”
“Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa-
whoa
. ”Roy was pulling her away, trying to calm her down. “Easy, sweetheart. It's okay. Everything's ooooookay.”Then he called over to us, “I'm sorry about that, kids. She didn't mean any of that. She's just under a lot of pressure.”
But then Chatty spotted a police car zooming across the parking lot.
Her eyes got sharp.
Her nostrils flared.
She wrestled free from Roy and started moving like a barracuda after blood.
“They've got someone else!”she cried to her cameraman. “Come on!”
The rest of us ran after the police car, too. And when we caught up, I saw that Chatty was right. They
did
have someone in the backseat.
Someone I recognized!
Chapter 17
Sweating Bullets
Harry Kane got to the police car about the same time Chatty and the rest of us did. Chatty shoved Harry aside and shouted, “Can you tell us who you've got there?”
Two policemen had pulled their prisoner out of the backseat. It was the shabby guy who had left the papers in the boulder and taken the money!
He was handcuffed!
“What is he charged with?”Chatty shouted. “Is this one of the international spies?”
Both the policemen shook their heads, telling her they weren't going to answer her questions.
She chased after them anyway. “Is he Shredderman?”
Shredderman?
How could she think
that
? Shredderman had blown the whistle on this guy!
How stupid could this lady be?
One of the police officers seemed to be thinking the same thing, because he stopped in his tracks and gave her a long, steady look. Then he let the other policeman take their prisoner into the sta-tion while he stayed outside. He came a few steps our way, then cleared his throat and said, “I under-stand that you've got a lot of questions concerning this case, and we
will
answer them to the best of our ability when the time is right—”
“When will
that
be?”Chatty snapped. “You expect us to wait out here all night?”
The policeman took a deep breath. “How about we give you a statement in… oh, half an hour?”
“Can't you give us
any
thing now? Who is that man? Why was he arrested? Are you going to—”
Harry cut in. “Hey, Don, can you tell us if this arrest means you'll be releasing the Byrds andElmo Green?”He glanced at us. “There are some people here who'd really like to know.”
“Hi, Harry,”the policeman answered. “I'd like to help you on that, but right now I can't say. Someone'll be back out in half an hour, okay?”
“Good enough, Don,”Harry said.
“Hey, Don!”Chatty called.
The policeman put up a hand before she could say anything more. “Please, Ms. Adams. That's enough. I'll have someone back here in half an hour.”
Chatty practically stomped her foot. Then she stormed off, muttering, “Bunch of good
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