way they could take care of the Pruitt kid with that old bag sitting in her house across the street watching.
He nudged Alice with his elbow. "Look who's coming out to get the paper:"
Alice smiled. "Shall we go say hello?"
"Definitely," Beaupre agreed.
They walked up to Mrs. Hess. The old lady had a sour look on her face. They would have to handle this carefully. They couldn't just grab the old hag and drag her back into her house. Who knew who might be watching. Instead they would simply have to be very persuasive.
"Good afternoon" Alice said.
Mrs. Hess looked at them and frowned.
"My husband and I just moved into the neighborhood,'' Alice said. "We're renting the Crays' house on Jefferson."
Mrs. Hess looked at her like she was crazy. "What do you want from me? A Wilkie button?"
Beaupre stepped forward. "We were supposed to have an important package delivered to us, ma'am. But apparently the driver got confused. We thought maybe he brought the package here, since you have the same address on Washington as we have on Jefferson."
"Nobody brought anything here," Mrs. Hess said.
"We checked with the delivery company," Beaupre said. "They told us no one was home so the driver left it in the garage."
Mrs. Hess shook her head. "Not my garage."
"It was the day before yesterday," Beaupre pressed on. "About the middle of the day. Were you home then?"
Mrs. Hess thought for a moment, then shook her head.
"My husband is an entomologist," Alice said. "The package contains several thousand deadly parasitic worms from Central America."
"They carry some dreadful diseases," Beaupre added. "It's really important that I find it."
Mrs. Hess rolled her eyes to make sure they caught her profound disgust. "All right. Come take a look. Let me open my garage for you."
Alice took Mrs. Hess gently by the arm as if to help her back up the driveway. Beaupre followed, lagging behind.
"Of all the people in the world, I have to marry a man who's interested in parasitic insects," Alice said with a wistful sigh. "My mother asked why it couldn't have been a nice lawyer or a policeman."
Beaupre lagged farther behind. He knew Alice would take care of the old lady.
Meanwhile, Alice and Mrs. Hess reached the garage. Mrs. Hess opened it, then turned around. "Where's your husband?"
"Oh, he had to go take care of something," Alice said, calmly pulling out a gun. "Make a noise and I'll make a louder one with this gun."
Mrs. Hess began to tremble. "Wha-what do you want me to do?"
"I want you to sit in that chair," Alice said, pointing with the gun at a lawn chair being stored for the winter in the garage.
Mrs. Hess obediently sat down. Alice took out some surgical tape and taped the old lady's mouth.
"Here's a thought for your next life," Alice said sweetly. "At airport security, always make sure you have the right package."
The old lady's forehead bunched up as she started to figure out what was going on. Meanwhile, Alice tied her arms and legs to the chair.
"Oh, and one other thing," Alice said. "I sure hope you weren't fond of the little Pruitt boy who lives across the street."
33
In the attic Alex had watched Beaupre and Alice head for Mrs. Hess.
Now what? He'd wondered as he watched them stop and talk to the old lady.
The conversation seemed to go on for a while with Mrs. Hess shaking her head and giving the two burglars suspicious looks. Alex couldn't imagine what kind of lines they were feeding her.
Finally Mrs. Hess seemed to change her mind. She led Alice up her driveway and let her look in her garage. Meanwhile Beaupre lagged behind, then changed direction and headed across the street toward Alex's house.
Alex remembered the other two burglars and quickly checked his TV screens. At that very moment, the guy in the driveway, Unger, was bending over the yarn Alex had strung. Unger had a pair of wire cutters in his hands. He was looking at a sign Alex had written and placed next to the yarn. The sign said:
WARNING! DANGER!
He nudged Alice with his elbow. "Look who's coming out to get the paper:"
Alice smiled. "Shall we go say hello?"
"Definitely," Beaupre agreed.
They walked up to Mrs. Hess. The old lady had a sour look on her face. They would have to handle this carefully. They couldn't just grab the old hag and drag her back into her house. Who knew who might be watching. Instead they would simply have to be very persuasive.
"Good afternoon" Alice said.
Mrs. Hess looked at them and frowned.
"My husband and I just moved into the neighborhood,'' Alice said. "We're renting the Crays' house on Jefferson."
Mrs. Hess looked at her like she was crazy. "What do you want from me? A Wilkie button?"
Beaupre stepped forward. "We were supposed to have an important package delivered to us, ma'am. But apparently the driver got confused. We thought maybe he brought the package here, since you have the same address on Washington as we have on Jefferson."
"Nobody brought anything here," Mrs. Hess said.
"We checked with the delivery company," Beaupre said. "They told us no one was home so the driver left it in the garage."
Mrs. Hess shook her head. "Not my garage."
"It was the day before yesterday," Beaupre pressed on. "About the middle of the day. Were you home then?"
Mrs. Hess thought for a moment, then shook her head.
"My husband is an entomologist," Alice said. "The package contains several thousand deadly parasitic worms from Central America."
"They carry some dreadful diseases," Beaupre added. "It's really important that I find it."
Mrs. Hess rolled her eyes to make sure they caught her profound disgust. "All right. Come take a look. Let me open my garage for you."
Alice took Mrs. Hess gently by the arm as if to help her back up the driveway. Beaupre followed, lagging behind.
"Of all the people in the world, I have to marry a man who's interested in parasitic insects," Alice said with a wistful sigh. "My mother asked why it couldn't have been a nice lawyer or a policeman."
Beaupre lagged farther behind. He knew Alice would take care of the old lady.
Meanwhile, Alice and Mrs. Hess reached the garage. Mrs. Hess opened it, then turned around. "Where's your husband?"
"Oh, he had to go take care of something," Alice said, calmly pulling out a gun. "Make a noise and I'll make a louder one with this gun."
Mrs. Hess began to tremble. "Wha-what do you want me to do?"
"I want you to sit in that chair," Alice said, pointing with the gun at a lawn chair being stored for the winter in the garage.
Mrs. Hess obediently sat down. Alice took out some surgical tape and taped the old lady's mouth.
"Here's a thought for your next life," Alice said sweetly. "At airport security, always make sure you have the right package."
The old lady's forehead bunched up as she started to figure out what was going on. Meanwhile, Alice tied her arms and legs to the chair.
"Oh, and one other thing," Alice said. "I sure hope you weren't fond of the little Pruitt boy who lives across the street."
33
In the attic Alex had watched Beaupre and Alice head for Mrs. Hess.
Now what? He'd wondered as he watched them stop and talk to the old lady.
The conversation seemed to go on for a while with Mrs. Hess shaking her head and giving the two burglars suspicious looks. Alex couldn't imagine what kind of lines they were feeding her.
Finally Mrs. Hess seemed to change her mind. She led Alice up her driveway and let her look in her garage. Meanwhile Beaupre lagged behind, then changed direction and headed across the street toward Alex's house.
Alex remembered the other two burglars and quickly checked his TV screens. At that very moment, the guy in the driveway, Unger, was bending over the yarn Alex had strung. Unger had a pair of wire cutters in his hands. He was looking at a sign Alex had written and placed next to the yarn. The sign said:
WARNING! DANGER!
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