Roy perched himself on a stool, folded his arms in front of him, and looked at us expectantly.
“Well?”
I did most of the talking. I explained how Mindi came to be suspicious about Mr. Braemarie and the contents of the barn and how we wanted to clear his name. Then I told him exactly what we just heard Mr. Braemarie and the men talking about. I’ll give him some credit, he at least let me finish before pronouncing judgement.
“So this confirms it,” he concluded.
“Confirms what?” I asked.
“It’s time for you two to step out and let the police deal with this. It’s become way too dangerous,” he stood up. “I’ll go with you to talk to Dad, if that helps.”
I stared at him as if he were crazy. “I’m not going to Dad with this!”
“Yes, you are.”
“Roy! He already knows. Remember the file? The one you wouldn’t let me read? Nothing I could tell him will change anything. I’d only get into trouble for being here. I’d be grounded forever — but oh, you’d like that, wouldn’t you?” I scowled.
“What file?” asked Mindi, puzzled.
I bit my lip. Yikes! I had never told her about the file. I explained sheepishly, “I looked in my dad’s briefcase one day and saw a file with Mr. Braemarie’s name on it. I was about to look inside it but Roy caught me and locked the briefcase before I had a chance.”
“So all this time you knew there was something bad going on with Colin? Why didn’t you say something?” She looked hurt.
“Mindi, it could have been anything — or nothing — and I didn’t think it was my place to say. I had no idea then that it had something to do with poaching bears,” I explained.
She still looked hurt. “I thought we were partners.”
“We are!”
“Partners tell each other everything,” she said, pouting.
“I will from now on,” I promised in earnest. “No more secrets, I swear.”
“Look, this is very nice and all,” interrupted Roy, “but what are we going to do? If what you say is true —”
“It is! Every word,” I protested.
“— then we need to let Dad know about next Saturday,” he finished.
“He’s right,” sighed Mindi. “The police need to know; we need to tell them.”
“I still can’t believe there’s a bunch of bears caged up in that barn,” said Roy, shaking his head.
“Why don’t you go and look for yourself if you don’t believe us,” I challenged him.
Roy looked thoughtful. “Maybe I should, so that when we go to Dad I can be sure you don’t forget to tell him something crucial.”
I couldn’t believe my ears. What a hypocrite!
“Oh, so it’s okay for you to go in the barn, but when we do, it’s a felony,” I said.
He shrugged. “If I’m going to Dad with this, I want to know what I’m talking about.”
I rolled my eyes. It’s always all about Roy with him. “We can’t go back in there now,” said Mindi. “It’s getting late, and we have to get the horses back to the stable. Come back tomorrow morning. Mom and Colin are planning to go into town and I was going to hang out here with the horses.”
“Tomorrow morning, then.” Roy nodded grimly. I sighed. He could be a little overdramatic.
Dad, I know you might want to blame me for Roy going into that barn, but honestly, I didn’t really think he would. In fact, I would have made a million-dollar bet that he wouldn’t go near that barn, otherwise, I would never have said that. As you read on, remember, you’re the one who made up the chaperon rule.
Besides, I think the real reason he wanted to go into the barn was plain old curiosity. I’m the one that always gets busted for this, but Roy’s got his share too. Plus, he wouldn’t want Mindi to think he was scared. You should have seen the goo-goo eyes he was making at her that day; it was sickening.
I ended up having to drag Romeo away from the farm so that we wouldn’t get shot for being late for dinner. It was rather disgusting. The worst part was that Mindi was just as bad as he was! I was starting to feel like a fifth wheel.
I really needed to talk some sense into that girl.
And as if making eyes at my friend wasn’t bad enough, Dad, let me recount for you a little conversation I had with Roy tonight. It went something like this:
“Boy, you sure write a lot of crap!” Roy said, slamming down the notebook containing the latest pages of my report.
“So you keep telling me,” I said, “but where are you when I’m cooped up in my room slugging it all out? I write what happened and that’s it. Besides, what are you complaining about? I’m making sure that you look totally innocent in all this. Don’t worry, Daddy still thinks you’re his perfect son.”
“Yeah, bribing you to buy my silence about your visits to the farmhouse, that looks really innocent,” he complained.
“It’s true though, isn’t it?” I reminded him.
He frowned. “Only at first. Once I decided to go into that barn with you, I was in it as much as you. There was nothing to bribe you about. And this stuff about Mindi and I ... you don’t have to include that in your report.”
I shrugged. “Dad said to include everything. I said that’s what I’d do.”
Roy threw up his hands in exasperation and fell back in his chair. “Okay, well, I have another complaint.”
I just rolled my eyes. “I’m sure you do.”
“That whole section you wrote about making the basketball team, what does that have to do with Mr. Braemarie’s barn?”
“Nothing.” “Why did you include it then?” “I wanted Mom and Dad to know how you treat me at school. That was really embarrassing, you know, especially with everyone there, watching all of it. You’re lucky I did make the team, it could have been really humiliating.”
Roy waved me off. “I told you, I already knew you made the team. I checked the list before you even got there. Do you really think I’d do all that if there was a chance you didn’t make it? I’m not that cold-hearted. I wouldn’t deliberately embarrass you — that much.”
“Oh, well, isn’t that the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”
“Besides,” he continued, “how would that have made me look to my fan club? I wouldn’t want the girls to think I was mean to my little sister. Where would that get me with any of them?”
“Ugh! You’re such a pig,” I said, punching his leg. “I should have known you had you in mind the whole time.”
He laughed. “I’m just joking, relax. But about this report, you can’t give it to Dad the way it is.”
“Really? Go on,” I said, while clenching my teeth.
“Like I’ve already said. You’re deliberately trying to make me look like an idiot. You make fun of Mindi and me, and you make me sound like I’m a lazy lump. I’m getting tired of this abuse.”
“Truth hurts, eh?” I shook my head as if I felt sympathy. “I suppose you could do a better job?”
“That’s goes without saying.”
That was it. I was sick of his constant whining and complaining. I threw the notebook at him. “Good. Be my guest. Take over.”
“Now wait a minute, Dad said you’re supposed to do it.” He stooped over and gathered up the fallen book.
“Do you think I care at this point? I’m tired of it. So if you think you’re capable of sitting still for longer than ten minutes, go ahead.”
“I’m capable.”
“I’ll believe it when I see it.”
“You’ll see it.”
“Uh-huh.”
And that’s how it went, Dad. That’s why the next few pages are written by His Majesty, the one and only Roy.
The Best,
Most Complete,
Most Honest
Part of this Report
by Roy
Hey Dad, I’m writing this part of the report myself because I thought you deserved to know the truth, for once, of what happened when Sarah (against my wishes!)
talked me into going into the forbidden barn with her and Mindi. Believe me, I tried to tell her that we should just go straight to you, but she seemed to think it was important to show me what was in the barn first. You know how she gets when her mind’s made up. If I didn’t go along with her, she would have just gone in alone, and who knows what kind of trouble she would have gotten into without me there keeping an eye on her.
Also, I’m getting really tired of all the written abuse I’ve been taking in this report. You know that I’m not the schmuck that Sarah keeps making me out to be, don’t you? I don’t care what she says, I don’t constantly embarrass her in front of other people — she does that to herself — and I don’t always act like a goof. In fact, I’m very responsible, and I wanted you to read that for once. You know, the truth.
So here’s the real story of the day Sarah, Mindi, and I went into the forbidden barn at Mr. Braemarie’s farmhouse.
Remember, she made me do it. And remember, I told her to go to you!
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29
Right after breakfast, Sarah and I got ready to take off for Mr. Braemarie’s farm. Just before we left, Mom pulled me aside.
“Roy,” she said, “you’ve been so terrific about taking care of your little sister all this past week. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”
“It’s been no problem, Mom,” I said, smiling in my usual charming way. “Anything to help.”
“You don’t have to stick with Sarah today. You have a break, do what you want to do for a change. I’ll keep Sarah here with me.”
“Mom,” whined Sarah from the doorway, “we’re going to go on a bike ride, right, Roy?”
“Mom, it’s okay. I don’t mind,” I said with a sigh. She gave me a big hug. “You’re the best son a mother could have.”
She always says stuff like that.
Soon, Sarah and I were cycling down the road towards the farmhouse. I, as usual, was able to travel at a high velocity — at least Mach 2. Since I know that Sarah hates to be left behind, I patiently kept letting her catch up to me. Unlike what she thinks, I am a thoughtful guy. She was pretty red-faced and out of breath trying to keep up with me. She really needs to work out a little more.
“Anxious to get there and see your new girlfriend, Roy?” she yelled at me between breaths. That’s what I get for being nice and letting her catch up. I ignored her and pedalled a teeny bit harder so that she fell behind and stayed there.
I was leaning my bike against a tree by the driveway just as Mindi stepped out onto the front porch of Mr. Braemarie’s house. She gave me a huge smile and waved as Sarah just about fell off her bike behind me.
“Nobody’s home,” Mindi called out. “Mom and Colin went into town as planned. They’ll probably be back by lunch.”
“That’s perfect!” said Sarah. “We won’t have to worry about getting caught — again.” At that she shot me a look. I grinned back.
We headed straight for the barn. It was windy and cool that day. Mindi pulled her nylon jacket together at the front and shivered. “You know, I still can’t believe Colin would do something to hurt bears,” she said.
I could see that she was upset so I tried to make her feel better. “Maybe there’s some other explanation,” I suggested. “Maybe you guys are missing something.”
“We’re not missing anything,” retorted Sarah, cruelly.
Mindi looked even sadder at that. Sarah can be very insensitive. She didn’t even notice that she hurt Mindi’s feelings.
We walked down the side of the barn to the secret opening that I’d caught the girls coming out of the day before. Mindi bent down and pulled away the loose boards. She motioned for me to enter, but before I could, Sarah pushed in front of me and crawled through herself. Like a gentleman, I stepped aside so Mindi could go next. I followed, pulling the boards back in place behind me, just in case someone arrived home early and took a walk along the side of his barn.
By the time Mindi and I squeezed out from between the cages and the back wall, Sarah had already walked to the other end of the barn, looking for who knows what.
The barn was amazing! Very cool! There were bears everywhere, well, in their cages — you know what I mean.
“Oh, wow! I don’t believe this,” I whispered to Mindi.
“Isn’t it awesome?” she asked.
I nodded. We slowly walked down the long passage between the two rows of cages, looking inside each of them as we passed. It was like our own personal zoo. One of the bears was staring at me so I stopped and stared back.
“Here bear,” I called to him, snapping my fingers through the bars.
“They aren’t pets, Roy. You don’t call them like they’re dogs or something,” said Sarah from the other side of the barn.
The bear huffed back at me and we continued to glare at each other. I’ve never been that close to a bear before. What was he thinking? Did he wonder how I’d taste with ketchup?
“So you two actually heard Mr. Braemarie talking to people about buying parts from these bears?” I asked Mindi, keeping my eye glued to the staring bear.
“Yeah, and it sounded like some of the bears are going to be sold alive, too,” she answered.
I frowned. “I just don’t know. Are you sure that’s what he meant? Maybe you thought they were talking about these bears but they were really talking about something else,” I suggested.
“Roy!” yelled Sarah. “Look around you! What else would they have been talking about?”
“I’m just saying we have to think this through. You know, think about all possibilities and not jump to any conclusions,” I said, very reasonably and logically.
Sarah threw a little hissy fit. If I wasn’t so embarrassed for her, I’d have laughed. “Roy, come here if you’re so smart,” she ordered, pushing open a door at the far end of the barn. I tore my eyes away from the staring contest I was having with the bear and followed Sarah into a small dark room at the front of the barn. Inside the room, there was a desk and a couple of chairs. A ladder leaned against the wall to the right, leading up to an even darker loft. Sarah pulled open the lower left-hand drawer of the desk and pointed.
“So what’s that there for?” she demanded.
I took a look.
“Whoa, cool!” I gave a low whistle when I saw the gun inside. I stepped forward to pick it up. Sarah slapped my hand away. Hard.
“Are you crazy? Don’t touch it!” she shrieked, then slammed the drawer shut.
“I can touch it, I fire Dad’s gun all the time. I know what I’m doing,” I said, pushing her aside.
“Only when you’re at the range and he’s supervising,” she argued. “Besides, haven’t you ever heard of fingerprints? Do you really want to leave yours all over the gun?”
“You’ve already left yours all over the drawer!” I yelled back.
She stared at me, then yanked down the bottom of her T-shirt and frantically wiped off the drawer’s handle with it. I shook my head. Good thing I was there to do the thinking.
“Roy, if we’re right about Colin and the men he’s been dealing with, these bears only have until next Saturday to live,” Mindi said. “And I think we might be. These men mean business. They’re scary. Why else would Colin keep a gun?” Her lower lip trembled as she pointed back to the desk.
She was really upset and she was looking at me for help. I knew just what we had to do.
“We have to tell my dad right away,” I said. “He’s a police detective, he’ll be able to deal with this properly. It’s our only option.”
Sarah stopped wiping the drawer with her T-shirt and frowned. “You’re right, Roy.”
“Pardon me, Sarah, I didn’t quite catch that.” I leaned one ear towards her as if to help myself hear better.
She scowled at me. “Grow up!” she barked, then rudely turned her back on me and spoke to Mindi.“Since I’m going to get into trouble anyway for being in this barn against orders,” she said, “then while I’m here I might as well l
ook around for more evidence to tell my dad about — you know, make it really worthwhile.”
“Does she think she’s the only one in trouble for being in here? What more evidence does she think we need anyway?” I asked Mindi as we followed Sarah back to the larger room where the bears were. She shrugged, obviously as confused as I was about Sarah’s self-centred thinking.
Mindi and I made our way towards the back of the barn as Sarah ran around and into dark corners looking for who knows what. The bears seemed well cared for. I mean, they stunk and they didn’t look the cleanest, but they all had food and water in their cages. Heck, they were lively enough. A couple of them came right up to the front of their cages to sniff at us as we passed.
Mindi sighed. “They’re such beautiful animals. I can’t believe people would want to kill them for their gallbladders and their paws and stuff.” She shuddered.
I nodded sympathetically, while looking around for Sarah.
Then I heard her yelling, “Come here, you guys!”
This unexpected noise startled the bears and the whole barn filled with grunts and the sound of claws scraping on bars. Apparently, Sarah’s voice has a soothing effect on animals.
“You gotta see this. I’m in the far corner.” Her voice came from behind one of the cages, the one to the left of the door leading to the front room. We hurried over.Suddenly, Sarah’s head appeared as if from out of nowhere. Her eyes were wide with excitement.
“I found a hidden room,” she said excitedly. “Come on!”
Sarah stood inside a room the size of a large walk-in closet. A dingy, bare bulb was the only light, a dirty string hanging from its chain. Taking up most of the space was a large rectangular deep freezer, like the one we have at home. The wall across from the freezer was lined with several shelves that were piled high with dusty tools, bottles of liquid, things that might have been medical instruments, and ...
“Wow!” I exclaimed as I forgot all about fingerprints and picked up what looked like an air rifle, turning it over in my hands. “This looks like a tranquilizer gun,” I told the girls. “I’ve seen them on the Discovery Channel. See this? That’s where you put the dart, you put in one at a time, right here.”
The Whole, Entire, Complete Truth Page 11