“Ugh,” moaned Molly. She put her pillow over her head, but it was no use. “Why is he practicing so early?” she complained. “Do you think he’ll ever be any good at it?”
“Are you still grounded?” asked Amanda.
“Nope.”
“Good. You can go with me to Ms. Tightwad’s house right after breakfast.”
An hour later, Molly led the way up the steps of Brenda Barlow’s brick row house and rang the bell. The twins listened for the sound of footsteps.
No one came to the door.
But Molly put her ear closer to the door and looked at Amanda with big eyes.
Amanda moved her ear closer, too.
“Sounds like footsteps,” whispered Molly
Annoyed, Molly rang the bell again.
No one answered.
“I guess she’s not home,” said Amanda. The twins turned and walked down the steps. As they walked away, Molly turned back and looked up.
Was someone moving the drapes upstairs?
Molly stopped walking. “I think she’s upstairs!” she whispered.
“What’s with this lady?” said Amanda. “That’s it. I’m ringing the bell one more time!”
But still no one came to the door.
“What should we do?” the twins asked their parents that night.
“Hmmm,” said Mom. “I’m not sure. I think you should give her a few more days—”
“But do we have to keep going over there?” asked Amanda.
“Give her a call tomorrow,” suggested Dad. “Ask Ms. Barlow what time you should drop by for the money.”
Both Molly and Amanda wrinkled their noses.
“Oh, I hate to call grown-ups,” whined Molly.
“Me, too,” said Amanda. “Can’t you call, Dad? Or you, Mom?”
“I think you should do it. It’s good experience!” said Mom in her “peppy” voice.
The twins groaned.
“And you shouldn’t feel weird about calling her,” added Dad. “She owes you money!”
The twins sighed.
“I’ll tell you what,” said Dad. “If you don’t have any luck on the phone with this Ms. What’s-Her-Name, then Mom and I will help you talk to her. Okay?”
The twins nodded.
“Okay,” they said.
Later that night, the twins checked their e-mail. They were surprised that Shawn hadn’t written them back.
“Wow, she must be really mad at us,” said Amanda.
“I know,” said Molly.
“Should we write her again?” asked Amanda.
Molly shook her head. “What else can we say? We already said we’re sorry. Anyway, Shawn never stays mad at us for long. She’ll probably write us tomorrow.”
“Hey, I know! I’m gonna send Justin an e-mail. Should I?” said Amanda.
“Why?”
“Oh, just because. I guess I want him to know that we’re trying to get the money out of Brenda Barlow.”
Molly shrugged. “I really don’t think he cares about the money, Amanda. Besides, how do you know his e-mail address?”
“We were all talking about our e-mail addresses in the car.”
“Go ahead,” said Molly with a sigh. She watched over Amanda’s shoulder as Amanda began to type.
“There,” said Amanda. “Do you think it’s okay?”
Molly chuckled. “You misspelled ‘sorry.”’
“Do you think he’ll write back?” asked Amanda, typing in the other ‘r’ in “sorry.”
“How should I know? Enough already. Just send it!”
Amanda sent it.
“Hey, here’s an e-mail from Shawn! It just got here.” said Amanda. She clicked on it.
Molly and Amanda look at each other and laughed.
“Kangaroo potholders?” Amanda said.
“Whatever, I’m just glad Shawn’s not mad at us anymore. What a relief!” Molly said.
“I know. At least one thing is going right for us!” Amanda said, still laughing.
“I can’t wait for Shawn to get home!” exclaimed Molly. “And for Peichi to not be grounded anymore. Things need to pick up again.”
“Are you kidding?” asked Amanda. “I still need a break.” She logged off the computer, and the twins went upstairs.
chapter 12
Early Sunday morning. Peichi called.
The Moores were in the kitchen, which was full of good smells: brewing coffee, sizzling turkey bacon, and blueberry pancakes cooking on the griddle.
“Hello?” said Amanda, answering the phone.
“Hi!” Peichi practically shouted. “I’m not grounded anymore! And we’re having a big cookout today! It’s for our family but my mom said I could invite you and Molly. Do you wanna come over at two o’clock?”
“Okay,” said Amanda. “We’re ready to have some fun.”
After breakfast, Molly and Amanda practiced the piano and cleaned their room.
“What are you gonna wear?” Amanda asked Molly.
“Oh, I don’t know, maybe my new white shorts.” replied Molly, who was stretched out on her bed.
“With what else?” asked Amanda. She frowned as she looked into the closet.
“Um, my new ‘Brooklyn’ T-shirt.” Molly smiled. She knew Amanda didn’t like that shirt.
Amanda groaned.
“Then tell me what to wear,” said Molly.
“You’re so lazy,” Amanda giggled.
Of course Amanda tried on three different outfits before she was happy. By the time the girls got to Peichi’s, it was two-thirty.
“I thought you guys were never gonna get here!” cried Peichi when she opened the door. “There aren’t any kids here, and I’m so bored! Come on outside.”
Peichi led the girls out to the pool area where Mr. Cheng was grilling lots of food, and Mrs. Cheng was offering cold drinks.
Molly blushed when she saw Mr. Cheng. She still felt guilty about sneaking off to Chinatown with Peichi.
“Hello. Molly,” Mr. Cheng said in a friendly voice.
“Hi, Mr. Cheng,” she said, looking down at the ground.
Mr. Cheng chuckled. “Have you taken any subway rides lately?”
“No, said Molly with a little laugh. “No. I’ve, uh, been home a lot lately.”
“So has Peichi,” said Mr. Cheng. His eyes were twinkling.
“Oh, Dad!” cried Peichi. “Quit teasing us!”
Peichi introduced the twins to her Aunt Doreen and Uncle Hillman, and her grandparents.
“Ah-yeh and Ah-mah, you remember Molly. Well, this is her twin sister, Amanda!” said Peichi.
Mr. and Mrs. Cheng smiled and nodded.
“Hello,” said the twins. Just then, the doorbell rang.
“I’ll get it!” cried Peichi. “Come on, you guys.” All three girls hurried inside.
Peichi opened the door. “Hello-o-o!” she cried before the door was completely open.
It was Mr. McElroy.
“Oh, hi, Mr. McElroy!” said Peichi. She didn’t know what to say. “I thought you were going to be my cousin!”
“Is your family having a party?” said Mr. McElroy. “I’m sorry, I’ll come back on Monday.”
Just then, Mr. Cheng came to the door. “Hello. Scott,” he said. “Come on in. How can I help you? Would you care for a grilled vegetable wrap?
“No, thanks,” said Mr. McElroy. “Forgive me for interrupting your party. But I will need to speak with you very soon. Why don’t you give me a call at the office on Monday?”
“Is everything all right?” asked Mr. Cheng, looking concerned.
“Well, it’s—” began Mr. McElroy. He looked around.
“Please come in,” said Mr. Cheng. “We can go in my study.”
The two men walked down the hallway, and the girls went back outside.
“I wonder why Mr. McElroy’s here?” asked Peichi. “Especially since the McElroys have already moved out of the apartment we rented to them, and back into their own house. They’ve been
settled for a few weeks already!”
“I don’t know,” Molly said with a shrug. “It sounds kind of serious. Maybe Amanda can send Justin another e-mail and ask him!”
“Oh wow! You sent Justin an e-mail? What did you say? Did he write back? I can’t believe you sent him an e-mail!” Peichi cried. Molly and Peichi began to giggle. Amanda blushed.
“It was no big deal,” Amanda said. “I just wanted him to know I was still trying to get the money from Ms. Brenda Barlow. There wasn’t any reason for him to write back or anything.”
“That’s too bad he didn’t e-mail you back!” excalimed Peichi. “Come on, let’s go put on our suits. I want to go swimming!”
Fifteen minutes later, the girls were playing “Marco Polo” in the pool when Mr. Cheng came to get Peichi.
“Peichi, come into the house, please,” he said. His eyes weren’t twinkling anymore. “Molly, would you please come in also?”
“O-kay,” said Molly, confused.
Peichi, for once, didn’t say a word.
Peichi and Molly got out of the water, wrapped towels around themselves, and followed Mr. Cheng into the house. For some reason, Ah-mah had gone inside, too.
What’s going on? wondered Amanda. Why wasn’t Iasked to go in? She felt a little funny being in the pool by herself. She looked around. All the adults were speaking in lower tones and had serious expressions.
Mrs. Cheng, standing near the grill, gave everyone a big smile. “Come on over, everybody. There’s lots of food here!” she called in a cheerful voice.
Amanda wasn’t hungry, but she got out and went over to Mrs. Cheng, who gave her a grateful smile. But her smile didn’t hide how worried she looked.
“Hello, girls,” said Mr. McElroy when Peichi and Molly went into the study. Peichi’s grandmother was already seated.
“Peichi, is there something you haven’t told us about? Something you may have found?” Mr. Cheng asked.
Peichi suddenly went pale.
This must be about the necklace! thought Molly. What else could it be about?
Peichi nodded slowly. “Uh-huh. I found something.”
“What was it, sweetheart?” asked Mr. Cheng.
“Um, a pendant. It looks like jade, but I don’t know if it’s real.”
“And were did you find it, Peichi?” asked Mr. McElroy in a kind voice.
“On the floor, in Ah-yeh’s and Ah-mah’s store. I was going to show it to everyone, today at the party. I really was! I didn’t mean to keep it a secret!” Tears slipped down her cheeks.
“It’s all right, Peichi,” said Mr. McElroy. “We believe you.” He turned to Molly. “And Molly, were you there when Peichi found the pendant?” he asked.
Molly nodded. “Yes, sir.” Molly never said “sir” but she felt that she should say it now.
“Please get the necklace, Peichi,” said Mr. Cheng. “Okay. Can Molly come with me?” “Of course.”
Peichi and Molly padded down the thickly carpeted hallway to Peichi’s room. “Am I in trouble? Am I in really big trouble?” asked Peichi as she opened her jewelry box.
“I don’t know if you’re in trouble,” said Molly slowly. “I guess you should have shown the pendant to your grandma when you found it.”
Peichi’s eyes filled up with tears again.
“Don’t cry now, Peichi!” said Molly in a low voice. “Let’s just go back and see what’s up, okay? Maybe it’s not that bad!”
Peichi nodded. “You go first,” she said.
She was shivering.
“Wait,” said Molly. “Are you scared, or just cold?”
Peichi laughed nervously. “I don’t know!” she said.
“Well, I’m cold,” said Molly. “Let’s ditch these wet towels. Can I borrow some sweatpants?”
The girls dressed quickly, which made them feel a little better, and Molly led the way back to the study.
“Here it is,” said Peichi, handing the pendant to Mr. Cheng. Suddenly, she felt so relieved.
Ah-mah’s eyes grew wide when she saw it.
“This looks quite old!” exclaimed Mr. Cheng, as he handed it to Mr. McElroy.
Mr. McElroy looked very serious as he studied the necklace. The room was so quiet that Molly could practically hear her heart thumping.
Finally Mr. McElroy spoke. “I’m almost certain that this piece is very, very old, probably dating back to the early Ching Dynasty. If I am correct, it’s one of a kind—worth thousands of dollars. And it was stolen from a museum in China.”
Everyone gasped.
“I’ve been working on this case for a while now,” Mr. McElroy continued. “They moved me here to New York because I specialize in cases like this. I’ve been researching Chinese antiquities for months. And when I saw Peichi with the pendant, I couldn’t believe my eyes! So, I did some more research and, sure enough, this pendant was reported stolen.”
He turned to Ah-mah.
“I believe that smugglers are using your store to stash stolen items,” he told her. “Have you seen anyone suspicious in there lately?”
Mrs. Cheng turned to her son for help, and he quickly translated what Mr. McElroy had said into Chinese.
Ah-mah looked thoughtful. She spoke in Chinese to her son.
“She says that the store is always very crowded, so it would be difficult to notice such people,” Mr. Cheng told Mr. McElroy. “Luckily, there are hidden cameras throughout the store. You can look at the recent footage.”
Mr. McElroy cleared his throat.
“I’ll need to bring you and your husband in for questioning right away,” he told Ah-mah. “This is strictly routine, you understand. And I apologize for breaking up the party.”
Mr. Cheng quickly translated again, and his mother nodded her head. She spoke to her son.
“She says that she is very concerned, and that of course they will come. They will do what they can to help you,” Mr. Cheng told Mr. McElroy.
“Thank you very much,” Mr. McElroy said to Ah-mah. “Please take your time. We will leave when you and your husband are ready.”
Mr. Cheng translated one more time, and his mother nodded.
Mr. McElroy turned to Peichi. “Thank you, Peichi,” he said. “You were a big help today.”
Ah-mah and Mr. Cheng smiled at Peichi, and then everyone went back downstairs.
Suddenly, Peichi turned around and ran upstairs. Molly wasn’t sure what to do, so she followed her.
“Peichi, are you all right?”
“My grandparents are going to jail, and it’s all my fault!” cried Peichi. She threw herself on her bed and hid her face.
Molly sat on the edge of the bed. “They aren’t going to jail, Peichi. Mr. McElroy just needs to ask them some more questions. Everything’s going to be okay.”
Amanda appeared at the door. “Mr. Cheng told me to come up,” she said. “What’s going on?”
“I got my grandparents in lots of trouble, that’s what’s going on!” cried Peichi. “I found a pendant in the store and it was stolen and it’s a zillion years old.”
“What!” said Amanda.
That’s when Mrs. Cheng appeared at the door, looking very concerned.
“Hi, Mrs. Cheng.” said the twins softly. Molly got up from the edge of the bed so that Mrs. Cheng could sit there.
“Don’t worry, Peichi, your grandparents have nothing to hide,” Mrs. Cheng said soothingly, stroking Peichi’s hair. “They’re not smuggling anything, and they aren’t going to jail. Okay?”
Peichi was silent. Finally, she asked, “Then why did they have to go away with Mr. McElroy?
Suddenly the twins felt that they should leave Peichi and Mrs. Cheng to themselves.
“Well, we should probably get going,” said Molly.
“All right,” said Mrs. Cheng. She smiled. “Peichi will call you girls later, okay?”
“Okay. Bye. Bye, Peichi.”
“Bye,” said Peichi without looking up.
Molly and Amanda walked down the
stairs. The party was over.
“I cant believe you were with Peichi when she found that pendant,” Amanda said to Molly. “Didn’t you think it was real? Why didn’t you tell anyone about it?”
Molly stopped walking and faced her sister. “Give it a rest, will you Amanda? Can’t you see I’m upset enough over this? Why do you have to make everything worse?”
She took off down the street.
Amanda was speechless.
chapter 13
“Hey, Molls! Wait up,” Amanda called after a minute.
Molly didn’t stop walking, but she did slow down.
Amanda caught up to her. “Sorry,” she said. “I know you, and especially Peichi, are really freaked out over what happened. I wasn’t trying to make you feel bad. It’s just that everything’s such a mess!”
“What else is wrong?” Molly asked.
“Well, things have just been weird since Shawn left. It seemed like she didn’t even care that she was leaving for a month. And then she got really mad at us for not e-mailing her. I kinda feel like everything we do is wrong,” Amanda said.
Molly thought for a minute. “I know what you mean, Manda. But I don’t think it’s such a huge deal. Remember when Shawn went to South Carolina before? We sort of felt the same way back then, but everything was normal as soon as she came home. I think it’s all gonna be fine.”
“Yeah, I guess. But our business hasn’t been so great, either. I mean, how can we even have a business when we don’t get paid?”
“It was just one person,” Molly said. “Everyone else has been paying us. And tipping us, foo!”
“True,” said Amanda. “But Dish has been a major stress for me lately. First Natasha bails on us, then Shawn moves away for a month, and then Peichi gets grounded and can’t even help. I don’t know how the two of us can do it all! I know I can’t do it by myself.”
Molly sighed. “I know it’s been rough, Manda. But it’s not going to be like this all the time. This was just a bunch of weird things happening at once, you know? Shawn will be back soon, and I know one thing: Peichi and I won’t be getting grounded again anytime soon!”
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