by Ronald Roy
The bank clock now read three-thirty. “At least the bank is closed,” Brian said. “They can’t get in.”
“The doors were locked at Mrs. Wong’s house, too,” Nate said. “But they still got in!”
“We don’t know that for sure,” Lucy reminded him. “Someone else could have stolen her computer.”
“They’re on the move again,” Nate said. “Let’s go.”
The kids followed the limping man and the woman in the ski mask farther down Main Street.
The strangers stopped in front of the elderly-housing building. The woman snapped a picture, and the man wrote something in his little notebook. Then they went in.
“Oh my gosh, they’re going to rob those old people!” Brian said.
“The police station is next door,” Bradley said. “Maybe we should tell Officer Fallon what’s going on!”
“But nothing is going on,” Lucy said. “Officer Fallon would get mad if we asked him to arrest two innocent people!”
Bradley shook his head. “He’d get madder if they robbed his whole town!” he said.
“So what should we do?” Nate asked.
“Let’s just wait a minute,” Brian said. “But if we hear anyone scream, we run to the police station, okay?”
They waited, and no one screamed. Three minutes later, an old man and woman came out. They had white hair and walked stooped over. One carried a big shopping bag, and they held on to each other as they walked down the steps.
The four kids watched the old couple shuffle down Main Street.
At the Shangri-la Hotel, one of them opened the bag, took out a camera, and aimed it at the hotel’s entrance.
“It’s them!” Brian yelled. “The thieves changed into different disguises!”
“Are you sure?” Bradley said. “Wasn’t one of them carrying a backpack?”
“I’ll bet it’s inside that shopping bag,” Nate said. “They must have had extra clothes and wigs in there, too.”
“Neither one is limping,” Lucy said.
“Ha!” Brian said. “That’s one of their tricks. Sometimes they limp, and sometimes they don’t!”
“Still think they’re just innocent tourists?” Nate asked Lucy.
“I really don’t know what to think,” Lucy muttered under her breath.
The white-haired couple entered the hotel.
“Maybe they’re after Mr. Linkletter’s computer!” Nate said. “We’d better warn him!”
“But we can’t let them know we’re following them,” Lucy said.
“We can watch them through the door,” Bradley said. “They’ll never notice us.”
The four kids crept up to the thick glass door and peered inside. They saw the old couple talking to Mr. Linkletter at the counter. They were smiling. Then they walked toward the elevators.
“Let’s go!” Bradley said. He shoved the door open and the kids piled in.
Mr. Linkletter’s eyes got wide when he saw the kids. His eyebrows went up an inch and his mustache twitched.
“Hello, young people,” he said. “What brings you out on New Year’s Eve? Are you checking in to our most expensive room?”
Bradley knew Mr. Linkletter was fooling with them. He was always joking around, but you couldn’t tell because he almost never smiled.
“We’re too young to check in to a hotel,” Brian said.
Bradley looked at the counter. There was the sign that said, C. LINKLETTER, MANAGER. There was the little bell that new guests rang when they came in. And there was the neat pile of green paper with SHANGRI-LA HOTEL printed at the top.
Mr. Linkletter nodded. “Indeed,” he said. “So how can I help you today?”
“That old couple you were talking to,” Nate said. “Are they staying here?”
Mr. Linkletter crossed his arms. “I never discuss my guests,” he said. “Why do you want to know?”
“Um, we’re playing a game,” Nate said.
Mr. Linkletter raised one eyebrow. He waited.
“You see,” Nate went on, “we pick someone we don’t know, and we follow them. We pretend they’re really important, like a movie star or the president.”
“Yeah, and we try to guess stuff about them,” Brian added.
“It’s practice,” Nate said, beaming his best smile at Mr. Linkletter. “In case we become detectives when we grow up!”
Bradley looked at his feet so he wouldn’t laugh.
“I assure you young, um, detectives,” Mr. Linkletter said, “that Mr. and Mrs. Gronts aren’t movie stars. And they don’t live in the White House, either.”
He turned the register and put a long finger under a name: MR. A. GRONTS, 1212 TWELFTH STREET, MIAMI, FL.
“Great,” Bradley said. “That means I win the game! I guessed they were from Florida because of their tans!”
“The Grontses are old friends of this hotel,” Mr. Linkletter went on. “They come to Green Lawn every Christmas to visit Mr. Gronts’s sister, Mabel, who lives in the elderly-housing building.”
Bradley grabbed his brother’s arm and tugged. “Come on,” he whispered.
The kids sat on the sofa across the lobby from the check-in counter.
“I guess I was wrong about those white-haired people,” Brian said. “But when she pulled out a camera, I thought they were the thieves.”
“But what happened to the two we were following?” Nate asked. “The guy with the limp and the woman with the ski mask? They went into the elderly-housing place, but they didn’t come out.”
“They’re probably still inside, stealing stuff from old people,” Brian said.
The kids got quiet.
Bradley took the green note from his pocket and unfolded it on his knee. “Let’s try to figure this out,” he said.
Lucy put her finger on WLK. “If we put in an A, this becomes WALK,” she said.
“Okay, but what about the rest, WLK N 2 G.L.E.S.?” asked Nate.
“How about WALK NORTH?” Bradley said. “And the 2 could mean the word TO. WALK NORTH TO G.L.E.S.?”
“You’re a genius!” Brian said. “And if the N stands for NORTH, the E on the second line might be EAST!”
“I get it!” Nate said. “If you add two O’s to WDY, it could mean WOODY. We live on Woody Street. WALK EAST ON WOODY TO D AND H. Whatever that means.”
“Maybe the H stands for your last name, Hathaway,” Bradley said.
“And the D could be DUNCAN,” Lucy said. “Or DINK DUNCAN.”
“Then the P could be PINTO, our last name!” Brian said. He looked at the note, then said, “If you add three A’s and an E, you get: WALK NORTH ON FARM LANE TO PINTO.”
Bradley looked at the other kids. “I think I get this,” he said in a low voice. “The thieves wrote down directions to our houses! I’ll bet they planned to rob all of us! They checked out your house first, Nate. When they saw us through the window, they ran away.”
“Right, so they decided to go to Dink’s house next door,” Nate said. “But they saw us watching them, so they took off.”
“Where are they going next?” Bradley asked. He looked at the note again. “To this G.L.E.S. place?”
“How much do you want to bet that G.L.E.S. stands for Green Lawn Elementary School?” Brian asked. “They’re going to rob our school!”
“There are lots of computers there,” Nate said.
“And it’s closed for the holiday, so no one would notice they were stolen,” Bradley said.
“Maybe they’re at the school right now!” Brian said.
“But we saw them go into that elderly-housing building,” Lucy reminded them. “Why don’t we just go in and ask about them?”
“Good idea!” Bradley said.
The four kids waved at Mr. Linkletter and left the hotel. They passed the town hall and marched into the home for elderly people. A woman with white hair and pink cheeks greeted them from behind a desk. “May I help you, dear?” she asked Nate.
Nate smiled at the woman. “We’re l
ooking for a man and a woman who came in here a few minutes ago,” he said.
“He was tall and had a ponytail,” Lucy said.
“And a limp,” Brian added.
“He was with a short woman with a ski mask on her face,” Bradley said.
The woman’s eyes grew wide. “Yes, they came in here, and they acted very mysterious!” she said.
“They did?” Bradley asked.
“Yes, they were giggling like children,” the woman said. “Then they asked me if there was a back door. I pointed to it, and they raced out and disappeared!”
“Did they say anything else?” Nate asked.
“Well, I’m a little hard of hearing,” the woman said. “But when they ran past my desk, I think I heard the woman say, ‘Fix the clock, Artie.’ ”
The kids just looked at her.
“Fix what clock?” Brian asked.
“And who’s Artie?” Nate said.
“I’m sure I have no idea,” the old woman said. “Our clock is working just fine! My brother is named Arthur, but no one calls him Artie!”
“Can we go out the back door, too?” Bradley asked the woman.
“Of course, dear,” she said, watching the kids tear down the hallway. “Goodness, everyone is in such a hurry!”
The kids ran outside. No one was there. The falling snow was covering the back-door steps.
“If there were any footprints, they’re hidden under the snow,” Brian said. He looked over a short fence at the police station next door. “I’ll bet the thieves didn’t go there!”
“Well, where did they go?” Lucy asked.
The kids stared into the falling snow. It was getting darker. They could hear music coming from Main Street. People were getting ready to celebrate New Year’s Eve.
“I guess we’d better go home,” Bradley said. “For the six o’clock party.”
“What did you say?” Lucy asked Bradley.
“Mom wants us home before six o’clock,” Bradley said. “For the party.”
“Six o’clock party,” Lucy muttered. “Oh my gosh, what if that’s what she heard?”
“What if what is what who heard?” Brian asked, shaking his head.
Lucy wiped some snow off her face. “The woman inside said she heard one of the thieves say ‘Fix the clock, Artie.’ ”
The boys looked at her. “So?” Nate said.
“Well, what if that was wrong?” Lucy asked. “What if the woman said ‘Six o’clock party’ and not ‘Fix the clock, Artie’?”
The boys stared at Lucy.
“You think they’re coming to our party?” Brian asked. “Why would they do that?”
“To rob you!” Nate said. “To tie us all up in the barn and take all your Christmas presents!”
Lucy nodded. “The crooks know where we live, right?” she asked. “That note Bradley found had directions to each house. They tried Nate’s first. Then they spied on Dink’s house. So now—”
“That’s where they went when they ran out this back door!” Bradley said. “North on Farm Lane to P. And P is for Pinto. That’s us!”
“But we don’t have anything to steal,” Brian said. “My piggy bank is empty, and—”
“Laptops, bro!” Bradley said. “Josh has one. Mom has one. Dad got a new one for Christmas. They took Mrs. Wong’s, and now they’re after ours!”
“But how do the crooks know we have laptops?” Brian asked.
“And how do they know about the party?” Nate asked. “Are these crooks mind readers, too?”
“If we’re right about them, they could be part of a ring of thieves,” Lucy said. “My dad told me about some thieves in California. The leaders send their crooks all over the country. In California, they were after gold. They’d break into houses and look for jewelry like rings and charm bracelets.”
“Come on,” Bradley said. “Let’s head home. If they come, we’ll be ready for them!”
The kids crossed Main Street and cut behind Howard’s Barbershop. Lots of people were out in the snow. Some big kids were having a snowball fight. A few other kids were building a snow fort behind the Book Nook. A man was walking his dog. The dog was wearing a green sweater with tiny bells sewn all over it. When the dog walked, the bells jingled. Everybody except the dog had a red nose and shiny eyes.
The kids passed the high school and the swan pond.
“Where do swans go in winter?” Brian asked.
“They fly to Florida,” Bradley said.
“In an airplane?” Nate joked. “It would be fun sitting in an airplane next to a big white swan!”
They came to Woody Street. There were lights on in Dink’s house and in Nate’s house. The kids peeked in the windows to make sure there were no burglars prowling around.
Bradley pulled out the note and looked at it again. “North on Farm Lane to P,” he said as they left Woody Street. They hiked up Farm Lane, leaving footprints in the snow.
“We should sneak up on our house,” Brian said. “Maybe we’ll catch them in the act!”
A few minutes later, they stood in Bradley and Brian’s front yard. It was almost dark, and snow was floating down in big, wet flakes. Lights were on in every room of the house. Behind the house, the barn stood dark and cold-looking.
“I see big footprints,” Bradley whispered, pointing at the ground.
“They’re probably Josh’s,” Brian said. “He has giant feet.”
The kids walked up onto the porch, trying to be as quiet as mice. They peered through the windows at Bradley and Brian’s living room. A fire was in the fireplace, and a Christmas tree stood in one corner. Pal was lying in front of the fireplace, sound asleep.
“There are Mom and Dad,” said Bradley.
Everyone was wearing a party hat with HAPPY NEW YEAR! printed on the front. Bradley’s dad had on oversize yellow sunglasses.
“And my aunt and uncle,” Lucy said.
“Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose are frosting cupcakes!” Nate said. “Let’s go in and help them!”
Just then, Nate’s parents walked out of the kitchen into the living room. Mr. and Mrs. Hathaway were wearing party hats, too, and carrying a banner. They hung it from the fireplace mantel. In gold letters, it said: HAPPY NEW YEAR!
“It’s going to be a fun party,” Nate said. “Why am I standing out in the cold with my nose running?”
“Because you’re going to help catch two laptop thieves,” Bradley reminded Nate.
“But they’re not here,” Lucy said.
“Maybe they came, but when they saw how many people were in there, they got chicken and left,” Nate said.
“Let’s go in,” Bradley said. “We can’t stay out here all night.”
The four kids banged in through the front door. They shook snow off their hats, pulled off their coats, and kicked their boots into a corner.
“You’re here!” Bradley’s mom cried. “We thought you’d been kidnapped and taken to the North Pole!”
“Cool!” Josh said, grinning. He had green frosting on his lips. “More cupcakes for us!”
“Your cheeks are so pink,” Dink’s mother said. “You look like you’re freezing! Come and sit by the fire.”
“Good thing you guys showed up,” Dink said. “We were getting ready to go out looking for you.”
“Where were you, Nate?” Ruth Rose asked her brother. “I called our house an hour ago, but no one answered. You were supposed to stay there.”
“We were following a gang of thieves!” Nate answered.
“You were what?” his father demanded.
“Mrs. Wong’s laptop got stolen out of her house,” Bradley explained. Everyone was staring at him and the other younger kids. “Then the thieves came to Nate’s house and peeked in the window. We followed them all over town, but we lost them.”
“We think they’re coming here next!” Brian whispered. “Show them the note, Bradley.”
Bradley produced the note. “See, they had directions to all our houses!”
Bradley, Brian, Nate, and Lucy put the hats on, grinning at each other.
“Who wants hot chocolate?” Bradley’s dad asked.
Everyone raised a hand, and the adults went into the kitchen.
“I challenge you guys to Scrabble,” Josh said. “We’ll play in teams, boys against girls!”
“No fair,” Lucy said. “There are only two girls and five boys!”
“But the girls are smarter,” Ruth Rose said. “Lucy and I will cream you guys!”
The seven kids sprawled on the floor around the Scrabble board. They sipped hot chocolate. The fire snapped and the clock ticked. Pal snored.
Josh excused himself. “Be right back,” he said. “Don’t cheat!”
A minute later, Dink left, too. “Back in a second,” he said.
After another minute, Ruth Rose stood up, stretched, and left the room. “Don’t drink my hot chocolate, Nate,” she said.
The fire snapped. The clock ticked. Pal had left with Ruth Rose.
“Where are they?” Nate asked. “It’s Josh’s turn.”
Bradley got up and walked into the kitchen. He came right back out. “They’re gone. All our parents have disappeared, too,” he said. He looked around the room. “Even Pal is gone. We’re all alone.”
“Except for the thieves,” Brian said in a spooky voice.
“I’ll bet Mom and Dad and the others went for a walk,” Bradley said. “Grownups love to walk in the dark.”
“But what about the party? And why didn’t they say anything?” Brian asked.
“We were busy playing Scrabble,” Nate said. He looked at the wall clock. “Six o’clock.”
“Time for the thieves to come,” Brian joked. “Maybe they’ll steal Nate instead of a laptop. Maybe they’ll—”
Lucy stood up and looked out the window. “Guys, there’s a light on in your barn,” she whispered. “I saw it in one of the windows.”