Mystery At Claudia's House

by Ann M. Martin

  Kristy and Mary Anne and Stacey and Dawn and I are all thirteen and in the eighth grade, but two members of our club are a little younger. They are our junior officers, Mallory Pike and Jessi Ramsey, who are eleven and in the sixth grade. They're also best friends. Being junior officers means 'that they can't baby-sit on weeknights, unless it's for their own families. Instead, they do a lot of afternoon sitting, which is great since it frees the rest of us up for nights.

  Mallory is energetic and smart. She has red hair and wears glasses. She also has braces, which she hates. Mal would love to have her braces removed, dump her glasses for contacts, and get some really funky clothes to wear — but she is only, eleven, and her parents have told her she'll just have to wait. I think Mal, sometimes feels older than her years, because she's the eldest in a family of eight kids and has had a lot of responsibility

  for her brothers and sisters. Mal wants to write and illustrate children's books someday, and I think she'll probably do just that. She has a lot of talent.

  I've already told you a little about Jessi. Becca is her sister, remember? She also has a baby brother, who is adorable. Like Mal, Jessi is talented; she's a dancer. She's been studying ballet forever, and she's really serious about it. Her parents are totally supportive of her, which is great. Jessi's family also includes an aunt who lives with them.

  There are two more members of our club, but they don't come to meetings. They're associate members, who help out when our schedule is overloaded. One is Shannon Kil-bourne, a girl from Kristy's neighborhood. The other is Logan Bruno, who happens to be Mary Anne's boyfriend.

  So that's the club. Great idea, great people. There's only one tiny little thing about our club that I don't love. That's the club notebook, another of Kristy's ideas, in which we each have to write up what happens on every job we go on. Then we all read the notebook every week, so we're up to date on what's going on with our clients. Good idea, right? So why don't I like it? Well, since I don't happen to be the world's best speller, sometimes I get a

  little embarrassed about how my entries look. But I write in the book anyway, because it z's a good idea. Besides, Kristy insists on it.

  Our meeting that day was almost over. In between phone calls and after we'd taken care of club business, I told everyone about how I thought someone had been in my room. Nobody took this seriously; maybe they didn't believe me. After all, my room didn't look all that different to them. Jessi jokingly suggested that the FBI must be after me for some reason, and Dawn thought maybe it was the work of a ghost. (She loves ghost stories.) Kristy wanted me to set up an elaborate trap to catch whoever might have been in my room, but the others didn't think it was worth the work. I decided they were right. In fact, I decided the whole thing probably had been in my head.

  Just as the meeting was ending, guess who called. Derek Masters' mom! So he was back in town. Mrs. Masters said she'd be needing sitters quite often, since she and Mr. Masters were very busy managing Derek's career. I have to admit that we squabbled just a little over who would get the first job — everybody was kind of excited about sitting for a STAR — but Kristy was actually the only one free that Friday, which was the day Mrs. Masters was calling about. So she got the job.

  After the meeting, I put my room back in

  order, checking again to make sure nothing was missing. Nothing was. I figured I had just imagined the whole thing. After all, why would anyone be interested in my makeup and stuff? It didn't make sense.

  Chapter 3.

  Kristy was a little nervous about being the first to sit for the Masters boys. She hadn't seen Derek for a long time. For all she knew, he might have changed a lot.

  "What if he thinks of himself as a big star now?" she'd asked Mary Anne and me at lunch. "After all, his show's more popular than ever now. Maybe he won't even talk to normal people anymore. He probably has a car phone and a swimming pool and all kinds of things out there in Hollywood. He's going to be so bored in Stoneybrook. How'm I supposed to entertain a kid like that? He's probably ten times more sophisticated than I'll ever be." Kristy sounded so panicked that I was tempted to giggle. I was sitting next to her in the school cafeteria, Mary Anne was across the table, and Stacey, Dawn, and Logan were scattered around us.

  "Kristy," said Mary Anne. "You're getting carried away. He's only a kid, remember? I'm sure he hasn't changed at all. He was really friendly to Jessi, that time she visited him when we were all out in California. Anyway, you can handle him, whatever he's like. You're a great baby-sitter."

  Good old Mary Anne. She always knows just what to say. There I was, ready to laugh at Kristy's fears, but Mary Anne kept a straight

  face and calmed Kristy right down. I'll never be as sensitive as Mary Anne.

  "Mary Anne's right',” I said. "Just treat him like a regular kid, and you'll be fine." Then I remembered something and started to laugh. "Did you see the show last night? The one where Waldo gets new glasses and starts to think he has X-ray vision? It was so funny."

  Mary Anne giggled. "Dawn and I were watching,” she said. "We were both practically dying from laughing so hard."

  Kristy just looked at us. "See what I mean?" she said. "He's a big star. Everybody talks about that show all day after it's on." She shook her head and took another bite of her peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich. Kristy hadn't said one word about what my friends and I were eating, which was very unusual. Normally she would have spent the whole lunch period teasing about how gross the chicken chow mein looked. Instead, she just talked about how worried she was. It was unlike Kristy to be so nervous about a sitting job, but I guess anybody can get starstruck.

  Kristy spent that whole day worrying about her job at the Masterses'. I noticed during our meeting that afternoon that she seemed distracted, and later I found out why.

  "I was trying to figure out what I should wear," said Kristy. "It seemed like I should

  dress up a little, since Derek is so famous." I was shocked. Kristy never dresses up. But that night she changed out of her .jeans and into freshly ironed dress pants, just for Derek.

  By the time Kristy knocked on the Masterses' door, she had butterflies in her stomach. Mrs. Masters answered the door. She was flustered because she and Mr. Masters had a big meeting planned with Derek's agent. They ran out with hardly a word to Kristy. But just as the door slammed behind them, Derek appeared in the hall and a funny thing happened. The second Kristy saw him, her nervousness melted away. For one thing, she'd forgotten that Derek looks nothing like the character he plays on TV. He doesn't wear glasses, or have a spiky haircut. He's just a normal, friendly looking kid. And for another thing, he looked awfully glad to see Kristy. "Derek!" she said. "How are you?"

  "I'm great," he said, smiling. "I'm so happy to be back in Stoneybrook. I get bored in Hollywood."

  Kristy stifled a giggle. "I thought your life out there was glamorous and exciting," she said.

  "Not really," he answered. "I work hard, you know. And then, I get tutored on the set with the other kids from the show. Sometimes I just really miss being with regular kids at a normal school!"

  "I'll bet," said Kristy. "Well, I'm sure your old Stoneybrook friends are happy to see you." Kristy was glad she could say that — and mean it. She knew it was true. But Derek hadn't always been so popular in Stoneybrook. When he first became famous, he'd had a hard time in school for quite a while. Jessi had been his main baby-sitter at the time, and she was amazed at how mean to him the other kids were. According to Derek, they teased him and picked fights with him all the time. The meanest kid was one named John. After hearing all the stories about what John did, Jessi nicknamed him "Superbrat." But you know what? John didn't really exist. And all those mean things he had supposedly done were actually done by — get this — Derek! He was just having a hard time adjusting to being a star. He wasn't sure anymore how a "normal" kid was supposed to act. But Derek got through that phase with a little help from Jessi. And Kristy knew that, this time around, the kids at Stoneybrook Elem
entary were thrilled to have him back at school.

  Derek started to tell Kristy about the teepee his class was building, but just then Todd, who's four, came running into the room.

  "Hi!" he said, stopping short when he saw Kristy. "Who are you?"

  Kristy laughed. "I'm Kristy," she said. "I

  used to baby-sit for you, but I guess you don't remember. Anyway, I'm here to watch you and Derek."

  "Oh, okay," said Todd. He gave Kristy a big smile. "Want to come see what I made with my Legos?"

  "Sure," said Kristy. She and Derek followed Todd into the living room. "Hey, that's great," she said, when she saw what Todd had made. It was a big castle, with towers and everything.

  "My dad helped," admitted Todd. "So did Derek." He squatted down and started to take apart the drawbridge.

  Kristy and Derek sat on the couch to watch him. "Your show was great last night," said Kristy shyly. "You were really funny."

  "Thanks," said Derek. "I have fun doing that show, but sometimes I get a little tired of playing Waldo. He's such a geek!"

  Kristy laughed.

  "Did you see me on Kid Detectives last month?" asked Derek. "That show is awesome. It was so great to work on something different."

  "You were on Kid Detectives!" asked Kristy. "I love that show. But I didn't see it when you were on." Kid Detectives is this show on which a real-life mystery is acted out, and then solved by, like, the victim's little brother or his best friend. It's not usually about murders or scary

  stuff like that; it's more likely to be about a stolen skateboard or something. We all love the show.

  "I was on a couple of times," said Derek. "I learned a lot about crime-solving, too. I'm an expert now."

  "Cool," said Kristy. "Boy, it sounds like you've been busy. Going to school and doing homework every night is going to seem like a vacation, right?"

  "Well, I wouldn't go that far," said Derek, laughing. "You should see the book I have to read by next week!"

  "Do you have a lot of catching up to do?" asked Kristy.

  "Yeah, but Nicky Pike is going to help me," said Derek. "So are some of the other kids."

  "Great," said Kristy. "So, no problems with any kids at school this time?"

  "Nope," said Derek. "Well, except for one thing."

  "What?" asked Kristy.

  "They all keep bugging me to tell them what's going to happen next season on P.S. 262."

  Kristy laughed. "I can understand why they're curious. I'm dying to know, myself. I mean, I heard a rumor that Lamont is going to quit the show. Is that true? That would be a shame."

  "No, no," said Derek. "He's staying."

  "Oh," said Kristy. "So what are the kids at school asking about?"

  "Nothing," said Derek, turning away. "Just forget it."

  Kristy raised her eyebrows. Derek was acting awfully sensitive all of a sudden. Then she heard a funny noise. She looked over at Todd, who was still working on his castle. Todd was making kissing noises, and grinning at Derek. Kristy looked back at Derek. He had turned bright red.

  "Cut .that out!" he yelled at Todd.

  "Oh, my darling," said Todd, in a high voice. "Kiss me again!" He puckered up his lips.

  "Todd!" said Derek. He looked angry.

  Kristy was bewildered. "What's going on?" she asked.

  "Ask Derek," said Todd, knowingly. "Or ... his girlfriend."

  "She's not my girlfriend!" cried Derek. He was still blushing. "She's just an actress."

  "Ohhh," said Kristy, beginning to understand. "I think I get it. Is Waldo going to have a crush on Jennifer?" Jennifer is this character on the show. She's good friends with Waldo. The girl who plays Jennifer is super-gorgeous, by the way. She has long black hair and blue eyes, which is an unusual combination.

  Derek folded his arms in front of his chest and didn't answer. Kristy looked at Todd, who gave her a big grin and nodded. "Well, I think that's sweet, Derek," said Kristy. "I like Jennifer, and she and Waldo have been good friends for a long time. Why shouldn't they have a little romance?"

  "I don't care if they do," said Derek. "But why does he have to — ugh!"

  Todd made the kissing noise again.

  "Kissher?" asked Kristy. "You're going to kiss Jennifer on the show?"

  "I'mnot," said Derek. "Waldo is. And it's supposed to be a secret. If you tell anybody — "

  "Right," said Kristy. Obviously, Derek had a big problem with the idea of kissing a girl, so she decided to change the subject before he became too upset. "Hey, listen," she said. "Weren't you going to tell me about that teepee you're building?"

  "Yeah!" he said, sounding relieved. "Wait here. I'll go get the book we're reading. It's all about Native Americans."

  Kristy breathed a sigh of relief as Derek ran upstairs. She told Todd to stop teasing his brother. Then she settled in for an evening of learning about Native Americans and their teepees. And that was Kristy's big night with a celebrity!

  Chapter 4.

  "Your kisses are so sweet, your lips are like honey," I sang, as I got out of the shower. I was in a good mood, since my clock radio had woken me that morning by playing my favorite new song. Don't you think it's, like, a good sign when that happens? I do. "We're so in love, we won't need any money," I went on, as I gazed into my closet. I know the words to that song are dumb, but it has a catchy melody — one you sing all day and can't get out of your head.

  Sometimes I wish I were the kind of person who thinks ahead about what I'm going to wear to school each day. Like Mary Anne. I happen to know that she lays out a whole outfit — from headband to shoes — each night before she goes to sleep. She is so organized.

  But sometimes I'm glad I'm a disorganized slob at heart. I think the outfits I put together

  spontaneously are much more creative and fun than they would be if I planned each detail ahead of time. For instance, as soon as I looked in my closet that morning, I knew I wanted to wear this pair of black-and-white-checked stretch pants I just bought. I grabbed them and pulled them on. Next I started to look around for my red belt, since it would look perfect with the black and white. "I know it's here somewhere," I muttered as I poked around in my closet. Then I remembered: I'd been using the belt to hold my portfolio shut. The portfolio clasp was broken, but the belt held it together just fine. I found the portfolio under my bed and unbuckled the belt. I reminded myself to ask Mom for something to take the belt's place.

  Next I needed a blouse. I figured a black one or a white one would look fine, so I knew I'd have no problem finding something. But I was wrong. Believe it or not, every one of my black blouses and every one of my white blouses was in the dirty laundry. Or crumpled at the bottom of my closet, which was basically the same thing.

  I shrugged. Okay, I thought, no problem. I remembered that fashion magazines always say to be bold and mix your patterns. That's what I'd do! I checked the closet again and found a black shirt with white polka dots. I

  held it up and looked in the mirror. The dots next to the checks made me a little dizzy, but I decided that the total effect was just what I had been looking for. I pulled on my red ankle boots, put my hair into a ponytail on the side of my head (fastened with a black-and-white barrette), stuck on my favorite red heart-shaped earrings, and I was ready to go. All in under half an hour. That's how I get dressed almost every morning. I'm sure watching me do that would drive someone like Mary Anne nuts, but personally I think it's a lot of fun. It's always a challenge to come up with a super-cool outfit on the spur of the moment.

  I grabbed my notebook and my shoulder bag and headed downstairs, humming as I went. "Something smells wonderful!" I said, as I hurried into the kitchen. "What's for breakfast?" I sat down at my usual place.

  "I picked up these cinnamon rolls on the way home from work last night," answered my dad. "They looked so good I couldn't resist. They are good, too. Especially since your mom warmed them up in the oven. Try one." He pushed the plate over to my side of the table.

  I took o
ne and bit into it. "Mmmm," I said. "Yummy. Almost like junk food for breakfast."

  Dad laughed. "The more it tastes like junk

  food, the more you like it," he said, shaking his head.

  "Hey, where's Janine?" I asked. I'd suddenly realized she wasn't at the table. That was weird. Janine is always on time. "Punctuality is an expression of consideration for others, Claudia," she says, whenever I'm five minutes late for anything.

  "I'm sure she'll be down any minute," said my mom. She didn't look up at me; she was going over a report that she had to give that day. "Be sure to save her a roll."

  I pulled my hand back from the plate. I'd just been about to take the last one. How does Mom know things like that? I glanced at the clock. "Well, if she doesn't hurry, she's going to miss the bus," I said.

  "I'm sure she'll make it," replied Mom calmly. "Janine never misses the bus."

  It was true, too. Perfect Janine. She never misses the bus, her homework is always done on time, and probably if she wanted to wear a white blouse one would be hanging neatly in her closet.

  "Good morning, everyone," said Janine, as she slipped into her .seat at the table.

  "Morning, honey," said my mom, still not looking up from her report.

  "Good morning, Janine," said my father, who was just finishing the crossword puzzle

  in the newspaper. He didn't look up either. "Have a roll," he added.

  "Good m — "I stopped. short as I took a look at Janine. I could hardly believe my eyes. Janine was, as usual, dressed in a gray kilt, a pale-blue button-down shirt, and a gray crew-neck sweater. (I would fall asleep immediately if I ever put on such boring clothes.) But something was very, very different about the way she looked that morning. It was her eyes. Or, to be more specific, her eyelids. They were covered with blue eyeshadow. This was the first time I had ever seen Janine wearing any kind of makeup. And it was pretty obvious that she wasn't used to it. She kept blinking and squinting, as if she had something in her eye. Plus, I think she had just smeared the stuff on without rhyme or reason; it didn't do anything for her looks, believe me. "Janine, I — "I was just about to point out that her makeup was smeared, when she. reached for the roll I'd left her, and I saw something else that made me gasp.