by Rob Buyea
Until I came up with one of my brilliant ideas. An idea so smart Luke would have been proud. My plan was to fail—on purpose! I’d fail sixth grade, then I’d have to repeat the year with Mr. T. It was ingenious.
I never dreamed of wanting to do that before. Make school last longer, that is. It wasn’t about school, though, just my time with Mr. T. And that’s the other thing. Since my time with Mr. T was so special to me, the days flew by.
It had to be on all our minds. Would this year be like last year? Before the snowball? Last year Mr. Terupt had one awesome idea after another. Would it be like that again? I got my answer right away.
“Okay, gang. There’s no point in waiting, so let’s get started,” Mr. Terupt announced. “I have our first book here, and with it … there will be a competition.”
I sat up straight. I looked at Jessica, and we both smiled. Yes! I thought.
“The book we’re going to use is The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin.” Mr. Terupt held the book up for us to see. “It won the Newbery Medal in 1979.”
“Oooh, Newberry,” Peter teased. “Like a real pretty teacher here.”
“There’s no connection between the medal and Ms. Newberry—thank you, Peter,” Mr. Terupt said. “Though she is just as special,” he added under his breath.
It was good to see Peter teasing Mr. Terupt. I hoped Peter could get back some of his fun self. Just not too much of it.
“What’s it about?” Marty asked.
“What’s the competition?” I asked.
“Slow down, fellas,” Mr. Terupt said. “I’m getting there. Give me a second.” Mr. Terupt took a deep breath and paused for a moment while holding on to the front table, his eyes closed. Then he continued. “This story is a murder mystery. The competition is a race to see who can solve the crime first.”
Yes! I thought again.
“As soon as you think you know, you will write down your guess along with an explanation of how you got your answer. You’ll put your solution in a sealed envelope and it will stay sealed until we finish the book. We’ll finish the last few chapters together in class, and then we’ll open each of your solutions to see who got it right, or who came the closest. We’ll make it a special ceremony.”
“This is going to be awesome!” I exclaimed.
“Calm down, Luke. Let Mr. Terupt finish,” Wendy said.
Mr. Terupt nodded. “As soon as you think you have it figured out, you can submit your solution. If two people get it right, then the person who submitted first wins. So don’t forget to date your solutions.”
Here was our first riddle. Awesome! After my summer science training, there was no way I was going to miss out on solving this mystery.
“Lastly,” Mr. Terupt continued, “since I’ve never read the book, I will also take part in this competition.” He looked right at me after saying that.
“You’re going down,” Peter said to Mr. Terupt. It was nice having Peter on my side.
Mr. Terupt chuckled. The challenge was on.
QUESTION
—How special does Mr. Terupt think Ms. Newberry really is?
Detective Luke
Mr. Terupt sent his book team (that’s what he called me and Peter after all the book moving we did this summer) to the library to get copies of The Westing Game. Lexie and Luke came with us because they had arrived early that morning as well. Mr. Terupt didn’t need to send all four of us, but the errand gave us something to do. The plan was to start The Westing Game later that day, but that didn’t actually happen because, well, something else did.
We stopped in the office on our way back from the library to pick up Mr. Terupt’s mail as a favor to him. That’s when Luke made one of his famous observations. Ever since his summer science camp he was determined to notice everything—“like a detective,” he would say. I don’t think his brain ever stops working.
“Where’s Mrs. Williams?” Luke asked. “She’s always here for the morning announcements.”
“Maybe she’s in the bathroom,” Lexie said.
“Doing what? Powdering her nose?” Peter wisecracked.
Those two never stopped going back and forth. They reminded me of that old cartoon with the coyote and roadrunner. The roadrunner always outwitted the coyote, but the coyote never learned. Lexie was the roadrunner. After Peter made his wisecrack, she reached over when he wasn’t looking and knocked all the books out of his hands.
“Hey, you jerk!” Peter yelled. “You’re gonna get it.”
“Whatever,” Lexie said. She walked out of the office with a smirk and an extra shake in her hips. In my head I heard her saying, “Beep-beep.” Like the roadrunner, she’d won again.
I helped Peter pick up his books; then we left the office behind Lexie and Luke. I did wonder where Mrs. Williams was, but Lexie’s answer made sense. I decided not to worry about it, but that changed once we got to the doors heading down to the annex. Just as we pushed them open, Ms. Newberry came rushing through in the opposite direction. She was crying. And she didn’t stop to talk.
“Must be her time of the month, all emotional and sensitive like that,” Lexie said.
“Must be your time of the month to be stupid,” Peter said. “Wait, that’s every day for you.”
I didn’t even know what they were talking about, “time of the month,” and I didn’t get a chance to ask, nor did Lexie get a chance to come back at Peter, because Luke made another one of his observations. And this was a big one.
“Look!” He pointed.
An ambulance and a police car were parked next to the annex. Peter’s books fell all over the ground (this time without anyone’s help) as he took off sprinting toward our classroom.
When Mr. Terupt collapsed after being hit by Peter’s snowball, I was scared. Scared like I’d never been before. I didn’t know what to do. I sank to my knees in horror. My hands covered my mouth and tears ran down my cheeks. I hoped I’d never feel like that again, certainly not so soon. But the sight of that ambulance, Ms. Newberry rushing by us crying, and Peter running to our classroom, all took me back to that day in the snow.
It’s hard to believe what happened—but it did. I swear it on my brother Michael’s grave.
I was riding my bike to school, same as always. I liked riding my bike because then I wasn’t stuck in the car with Mom or Dad with nothing to talk about. And I hated taking the bus even more because all that stop-and-go always makes me sick. So I was riding my bike, and I was almost there. I was just around the bend, where there’s a field on one side and woods on the other, when I heard it. It’s lucky that I did hear it. It was a faint crying sound.
I looked over in the direction of the sound and spotted a black duffel bag with something beside it in the weeds. It wasn’t far off the road. I dumped my bike and walked over. I figured it was a kitten. But as I got closer I knew it was something else. First I saw the blue blanket, and then I saw what was tucked inside a shoe box.
It was a baby! A real live baby! On the side of the road in a shoe box! I was scared. Real scared. I didn’t know what to do. I tried helpin’ him as best I could.
He was a mess, and so was the blanket. I had no idea how long he’d been there, but he had peed and pooped all over and he felt very cold. I took my sweatshirt off and spread it on the ground. Then I lifted him out of the box and he started wailing. I wrapped him up in my shirt, grabbed the duffel bag, and picked him up.
“You’re gonna be all right, little buddy. I gotcha.”
I left my bike and walked the rest of the way to school, cradling the baby. He calmed down some, and so did I. But once I got to school, I got really nervous and scared again. I rushed to Terupt. The nice thing about being in the annex was we didn’t have to go through the whole school to get to our classroom. You could get there just by walking up to it from outside.
As soon as Terupt heard the crying, he looked up.
“I found him on the side of the road!” I said.
FADE IN: LS of the classroom. We see
JESSICA and DANIELLE sitting in the book area, with two classmates. Others sit at their desks and a few are still trickling into the classroom from the hall. MS. NEWBERRY is visiting with MR. TERUPT, like she does most mornings before the start of the school day.
CUT TO: JEFFREY rushing through the back door with a crying baby in his arms and a black duffel bag slung over his shoulder.
JEFFREY
I found him on the side of the road!
JESSICA VO
It wasn’t going to be a merry-go-round year. We were on another roller coaster that took off the moment Jeffrey walked in with that poor baby. The best roller coasters always include lots of screaming and yelling. That’s part of the fun, but I wasn’t screaming and yelling with excitement this time. I was holding on to Danielle.
PULL BACK: MS. NEWBERRY hurries to the classroom phone and calls 911. MR. TERUPT rushes over to JEFFREY and takes the baby. He kneels and gently places the crying infant down on the floor.
MR. TERUPT
Jeffrey, what’s in the duffel bag?
JESSICA VO
Jeffrey stood blank-faced, staring down at Mr. Terupt and the baby. Shock was clearly setting in. He probably hadn’t had time to think about the situation when he was busy caring for the baby, but once he handed him over to Mr. Terupt, I saw Jeffrey’s body go weak.
MR. TERUPT
(forcefully)
Jeffrey!
JEFFREY
(snapping out of his trance)
What? Oh, I don’t know.
JEFFREY bends down and opens the zipper of the duffel bag. He pulls out a diaper and wipes.
MR. TERUPT
Perfect. Let me have them.
JEFFREY hands the diaper and wipes to MR. TERUPT.
MR. TERUPT
(under his breath)
At least they left him with something.
JESSICA VO
I don’t like saying this, but when Mr. Terupt undid that little baby’s dirty diaper, it reeked worse than Danielle’s barn. I had to turn my head away to keep from gagging.
CUT TO: MRS. WILLIAMS enters the classroom—unprepared.
MRS. WILLIAMS
Oh my goodness!
Her hands fly up and cover her mouth. MS. NEWBERRY walks over and hugs her. The two women are both teary-eyed.
JESSICA VO
I understood why they were crying. This baby had been left on the side of the road. Where were his parents? I thought about Anna. How would she react to all this? I felt Danielle squeeze me, and that gave me some hope. I knew her prayers were with that baby.
CUT TO: An ambulance and police car pull up to the classroom. The paramedics and police officer hurry inside and take over for MR. TERUPT and JEFFREY. MR. TERUPT stands and puts his arm around JEFFREY and pulls him close. MS. NEWBERRY walks over and leans into MR. TERUPT. She puts her head on his shoulder and he wraps his other arm around her.
MR. TERUPT
(to both of them)
Don’t worry. Everything will be okay.
JESSICA VO
Would it? Mr. Terupt was playing the role of the comforter, trying to make everyone feel better. I wonder, would he have told us the same thing last year, when he was lying in a coma? Would he have said to us then, “Don’t worry, everything will be okay”? He would have been right. I hope he’s right this time.
Paramedics tend to the crying baby. They check him all over with various instruments, and then hook up an IV.
MS. NEWBERRY
(to Mr. Terupt)
I need to go to my classroom. My students will be wondering where I am.
MR. TERUPT
I know. Go on. It’s okay. I’ll see you after school.
MS. NEWBERRY leaves, her eyes welling with fresh tears.
JESSICA VO
That wouldn’t be the only time I saw Ms. Newberry with tears in her eyes this year.
CUT TO: PETER running into the classroom and stopping. LUKE, LEXIE, and ANNA burst in right after him. They all look paralyzed. They are statues, unable to move or speak.
CUT TO: A paramedic lifts the baby off the ground and carries him to the ambulance. A second paramedic walks beside them holding a bag of fluid that is attached to the baby. We see the ambulance doors close. We watch it drive away.
CUT TO: LS of the classroom. No one has moved. It remains silent. Camera zooms in on LUKE.
LUKE
Mr. Terupt, where are the baby’s parents?
FADE OUT.
I barged into the classroom just in time. The paramedics were bent over some small, softly wailing bundle. My ears told me what it was, but I took a few sideways steps so that I could see it to believe it. Sure enough, it was a baby. The baby was sucking intermittently on a wet washcloth, which explained the muffled cries. I also saw that an IV had been started. I knew from my previous science studies and Boy Scouts that the baby was suffering from dehydration. What my experience and background knowledge hadn’t prepared me for was the answer Mr. Terupt gave my question after the ambulance sped away.
“Mr. Terupt, where are the baby’s parents?” I asked.
“It appears he was abandoned, Luke,” Mr. Terupt said. “His mom and dad didn’t want him, so he was left on the side of the road. Jeffrey found him this morning.”
Our classroom was still and full of nerves when I walked in. I didn’t think there was room for any other feelings, but after Mr. Terupt said that, a shocked sadness consumed us. The air I breathed felt heavier. How could anyone do that to their baby?
That was when the police officer in attendance told Jeffrey he needed to talk to him since he had discovered the baby. It made me realize this was a case for a detective, and that everyone had made a huge blunder. Important evidence had been ruined when they cleaned up the baby.
QUESTIONS
—Who and where are the baby’s parents?
—Will we ever know?
Detective Luke
Officer Stoneley was a big man—built like a block—with buzzed hair, sideburns, and a goatee. He wasn’t a donut policeman—one of those guys with a huge belly that rubbed on his steering wheel. He looked strong.
Stoneley took my report. Basically, I just had to tell him what happened. Afterward, we took a ride in his car over to the spot where I had found the baby. He needed to see the area and he wanted me to walk him through the details again.
There were several other police cars already on the scene when Stoneley and I got there. I wasn’t expecting that, or the yellow tape that had the area marked off. This was a real investigation. A woman was taking pictures and another man and woman were inspecting the shoe box and blanket. I showed those to Stoneley. Everything was still there.
Officer Stoneley didn’t say anything, but his stone face turned soft. I could see that even behind his dark sunglasses. His body language told how terrible he felt. He grimaced and shook his head. And his shoulders slumped as he let out a sigh.
We stood there side by side for a minute, not saying anything. That was when I started thinking about Michael. Mom and Dad did everything in their power to save my brother. And today I had found a baby that somebody just threw away. How could anyone do that?
“All right,” Stoneley said. “That’s it. Let’s go.”
We threw my bike in the trunk of his car and he gave me a ride back to school.
“Okay, Jeffrey,” Stoneley said as we pulled up to the front doors, “we’re all set.”
“Will you find his parents?” I asked, still staring out the front windshield like Stoneley.
“Hard to say,” he answered. “We’ll try.” Then there was another one of those silent moments before he took off his sunglasses and looked at me. “You did good today, kid.”
That was nice of him to say, but it didn’t feel like it.
Mrs. Williams walked over to Mr. T and asked him if he was okay. He told her he’d let her know if he needed anything.
“What about them?” she asked, meaning us. She looked at our class with a worried face. We w
eren’t just any kids to her, and you could tell she really felt bad.
“We’re fine, Mrs. Williams,” Lexie said.
Mrs. Williams smiled and nodded.
“I’ll talk to them,” Mr. T told her.
“I’ll put a letter together,” she said.
He nodded. The letter was for us to take home to our parents, so they could be made aware of the crazy day we’d had. It wasn’t the first letter with shocking news to come from our classroom. My parents probably wouldn’t have time for this one either.
“Let’s talk, gang,” Mr. T said, once it was just us in the classroom. He sat on his desk. “I’m sorry I was so gruff when I answered your question, Luke. I shouldn’t have said that.”
“But it’s the truth,” Luke said. “We can handle the truth.”
Mr. T sighed. “Yes, unfortunately, I think what I said probably is the truth. But let’s keep in mind we don’t know the whole story.” He stood and walked closer to us. “This is a situation that most adults would prefer to keep from children, because it’s not something you need to know or worry about at your age. But there was no protecting you from it today. The world can be a harsh place and you witnessed that cold reality firsthand. You’ve been forced to grow up today in ways that aren’t fair to you. You had to do that last year, too.”
I looked at Mr. T’s dented head and saw myself throwing that snowball again.
“There’s no denying it,” Mr. T went on, “you’re a special group. I wish I could tell you why all this has happened, but I can’t. Someday it might make some sense. I don’t know.”