to imagine things—how it would feel to be lost in the woods or to be starving to death or to be an old lady—things like that.”
Wally started to say, “Isn't that sort of crazy?” but then he remembered that when he'd said he liked to float things down the river, Caroline could have said the same thing about him.
“I suppose we should be writing some of this down,” he told her.
“Yeah,” said Caroline. They each took out a notebook and began.
On the way home that afternoon, Wally told his brothers about his interview with Caroline and how he was probably going to pass fourth grade after all. And how Caroline had really changed.
“She's not completely crazy,” was the way he put it.
“She sure bakes good cookies!” said Peter.
That evening, however, as Peter was watching a Bugs Bunny tape on the VCR, and Mother was busy at the dining room table, which was covered with wrapping paper and presents, Jake looked at Josh.
“Why don't we hold a club meeting?” he said.
“Now?” asked Josh.
“Explorers don't just go out in the daytime,” said Jake, and grinned.
“You mean, spy on the girls?” whispered Wally.
“Why not?” said Jake.
Wally thought about it. Why not? The girls knew the guys could be in the loft at any time. If they didn't want to be spied on, all they had to do was pull down their shades.
“Whose room faces the loft?” asked Josh.
“Beth's, I think.”
“Okay,” said Josh. “Let's do it. But leave Peter behind.”
They put on their jackets.
“We've got a little errand to run, Mom,” said Jake, poking his head into the dining room, where their mother was putting a label on a box for one of their aunts.
Mom winked. “Okay,” she said.
That was the nice thing about Christmas; there were secrets all over the place. If you said you had to go out for a while or you had to run an errand or you were going to your room and didn't want to be bothered, everybody understood. Mom, of course, didn't have a clue, and Dad was still out delivering packages.
Jake carried a flashlight because there was no moon at all. At the bottom of the bank where the swinging bridge began, there was only blackness. They climbed up the bank on the other side and went single file, glad they didn't have Peter to worry about, and made their way to the old garage, around Coach Malloy'scar, to the ladder on the side wall. Then they climbed up to the loft.
They crawled across the dusty floor to the window and crowded around it. Wally got the binoculars from the tin milk box and held them to his eyes.
The lights were on in Beth's bedroom. Beth was sitting on the bed talking to Caroline, who was standing in the doorway. The girls seemed to be having an argument.
“Look at the Crazie,” said Jake. “She's really teed off about something. Let me see those binoculars for a minute, Wally.”
The boys took turns watching through the binoculars. Beth would say something, then Caroline, then Beth, then Caroline. Beth stood up finally, hands on her hips, and leaned forward. Now they appeared to be shouting, though of course the boys couldn't hear what they were saying.
“Boy, I never saw Caroline this mad before,” said Wally. “I wonder what it's all about.” He didn't even need binoculars to see how angry Caroline was getting.
Through the window they watched Beth shouting back, stamping her foot. She turned her back on Caroline finally, arms folded across her chest.
Suddenly Jake and Josh and Wally gasped in horror, for at that very moment, Caroline picked up a hammer from on top of a dresser, raised it high in the air, and brought it down on her sister's head.
Beth Malloy crumpled to the floor, and the light went out.
Eleven
A Case of Murder
E ddie had been lying on her bed in the dark in her stocking feet, listening to a new CD, when she happened to look out the window and see a small yellow light bobbing across the swinging bridge and then up the hill toward the Malloys'
Wally started to say, “Isn't that sort of crazy?” but then he remembered that when he'd said he liked to float things down the river, Caroline could have said the same thing about him.
“I suppose we should be writing some of this down,” he told her.
“Yeah,” said Caroline. They each took out a notebook and began.
On the way home that afternoon, Wally told his brothers about his interview with Caroline and how he was probably going to pass fourth grade after all. And how Caroline had really changed.
“She's not completely crazy,” was the way he put it.
“She sure bakes good cookies!” said Peter.
That evening, however, as Peter was watching a Bugs Bunny tape on the VCR, and Mother was busy at the dining room table, which was covered with wrapping paper and presents, Jake looked at Josh.
“Why don't we hold a club meeting?” he said.
“Now?” asked Josh.
“Explorers don't just go out in the daytime,” said Jake, and grinned.
“You mean, spy on the girls?” whispered Wally.
“Why not?” said Jake.
Wally thought about it. Why not? The girls knew the guys could be in the loft at any time. If they didn't want to be spied on, all they had to do was pull down their shades.
“Whose room faces the loft?” asked Josh.
“Beth's, I think.”
“Okay,” said Josh. “Let's do it. But leave Peter behind.”
They put on their jackets.
“We've got a little errand to run, Mom,” said Jake, poking his head into the dining room, where their mother was putting a label on a box for one of their aunts.
Mom winked. “Okay,” she said.
That was the nice thing about Christmas; there were secrets all over the place. If you said you had to go out for a while or you had to run an errand or you were going to your room and didn't want to be bothered, everybody understood. Mom, of course, didn't have a clue, and Dad was still out delivering packages.
Jake carried a flashlight because there was no moon at all. At the bottom of the bank where the swinging bridge began, there was only blackness. They climbed up the bank on the other side and went single file, glad they didn't have Peter to worry about, and made their way to the old garage, around Coach Malloy'scar, to the ladder on the side wall. Then they climbed up to the loft.
They crawled across the dusty floor to the window and crowded around it. Wally got the binoculars from the tin milk box and held them to his eyes.
The lights were on in Beth's bedroom. Beth was sitting on the bed talking to Caroline, who was standing in the doorway. The girls seemed to be having an argument.
“Look at the Crazie,” said Jake. “She's really teed off about something. Let me see those binoculars for a minute, Wally.”
The boys took turns watching through the binoculars. Beth would say something, then Caroline, then Beth, then Caroline. Beth stood up finally, hands on her hips, and leaned forward. Now they appeared to be shouting, though of course the boys couldn't hear what they were saying.
“Boy, I never saw Caroline this mad before,” said Wally. “I wonder what it's all about.” He didn't even need binoculars to see how angry Caroline was getting.
Through the window they watched Beth shouting back, stamping her foot. She turned her back on Caroline finally, arms folded across her chest.
Suddenly Jake and Josh and Wally gasped in horror, for at that very moment, Caroline picked up a hammer from on top of a dresser, raised it high in the air, and brought it down on her sister's head.
Beth Malloy crumpled to the floor, and the light went out.
Eleven
A Case of Murder
E ddie had been lying on her bed in the dark in her stocking feet, listening to a new CD, when she happened to look out the window and see a small yellow light bobbing across the swinging bridge and then up the hill toward the Malloys'
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