Kelby didn’t believe her, of course, when she charged into his bedroom, followed by Spence and Butch – Tiny Alice had gone home to pack her things. Her birth mother was on her way and Alice thought she might take her back to California.
“Prove it,” said Kelby.
“Okay, Kelby. You want proof, we’ve got proof.”
Spence displayed the pictures on his digital camera. There was Zoe, in every one, tilting across the beam like a high-wire acrobat.
“Huh,” said Kelby, trying to act unimpressed.
“And we have a witness,” said Zoe, pointing at Butch Green, who stood there in one green sock and one blue, his Adidas untied and his shirt buttoned wrong, as if he’d gotten dressed in a hurry. Which he had.
“She did it. I saw,” admitted Butch. He lowered his eyes. He knew it wasn’t what Kelby wanted to hear.
“Now, I want my badge,” said Zoe, holding out a hand.
“She wants her badge,” echoed Spence. “Let her have it.”
Kelby sighed. And pointed. “In the top drawer. My desk.”
It was there all right, gold-painted tin and glinty. But it was The Badge. It read DETECTIVE, NSC. Northern Spy Club.
It was gorgeous.
“Go ahead and pin it on her, Butch.” Kelby was lying back on his pillow, his hands cupping the back of his head.
“No. I want you to pin it on me, Kelby. Then I want a ceremony. This afternoon with the whole club here.”
“Jeezum crow. Girls,” said Kelby. Sitting up, frowning, he pinned it on.
“Ouch,” said Zoe, where he’d pricked her skin. But she smiled. She felt like a queen.
Then she thought that she felt like a real life kid-detective. For that’s what she was now. A detective.
She and Spence started out to the barn to feed the tiger kitten. Detectives, she told Spence, needed a mascot.
“What do you want a cat for,” said Spence, “when you’ve got me?” He held out a hand for chocolate peanuts.
Zoe handed over the whole bag. “You’ve earned it, partner.”
He gave her a crooked grin and did a back flip in the grass. But it backfired and he flopped over on his side.
Zoe laughed. “If you’re going to be my partner-in-crime,” she said, “you’ll have to learn how to do a back flip. Like this.” She flipped neatly backwards the way she’d learned in gym class.
And landed, like a cat, on her feet.
“Okay,” said Spence, “I’ll keep practicing. So I can be your partner. But I won’t walk that beam. And I still won’t eat any of the Bagley sisters’ pea soup.”
“It’s a deal,” said Zoe, shaking his hand. “So let’s go find that kitten. What’ll we name him?”
Spence sucked in his lower lip and thought. “Victory?” he suggested.
“Good name,” said Zoe, flinging up her arms.
Then she did three cartwheels in a row that landed her right in front of the apple barn.
Acknowledgments
Heartfelt thanks to the following, who inspired and/or generously helped with the creation of this book: Llyn Rice; Gary, Lesley, Donald, and Catharine Wright; Spencer Wright; the Collier family; the late Lachlan Field who did the cover drawing; Hilliard and Harris publishers—and Neff at Belgrave House, who artfully turned this novel into an e-book.
Dedication
For Zoe, Spencer, Alex, Zelie, Rosalie, Connor, Forrest, Austin
Copyright © 2006 by Nancy Means Wright
Originally published by Hilliard Harris [1591331625]
Electronically published in 2012 by Belgrave House
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
No portion of this book may be reprinted in whole or in part, by printing, faxing, E-mail, copying electronically or by any other means without permission of the publisher. For more information, contact Belgrave House, 190 Belgrave Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94117-4228
http://www.BelgraveHouse.com
Electronic sales: [email protected]
This is a work of fiction. All names in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to any person living or dead is coincidental.
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