unfinished business to take care of.â
A s Abbie turned the corner from Darnell onto Main, Mrs. Merkel stiffened. She pointed to a small strip shopping center in the next block and said, âPull in there. Hurry up. And pay attention to that van at the intersection.â
Abbie drove into the parking lot and pulled up in front of a small grocery store. âI thought you wanted to go to the supermarket,â she said. She took the key from the ignition and reached for the door handle.
âDonât open that door!â Mrs. Merkel ordered.
âWhat?â
âI didnât say I wanted to go
inside
the store. I just told you to park. I can see what I want to see from here.â Mrs. Merkel opened her large handbagand put on her sunglasses. She next pulled out a small green leather notebook, turned to a clean page, and jotted down some numbers and letters. âGotcha!â she exclaimed.
âWas that a license number?â Abbie asked.
âYes,â Mrs. Merkel said. âSee that guy in the dusty gray sedan parked over there? Heâs waiting for somebody to make a cellular phone call.â
Abbie stared at Mrs. Merkel, puzzled. âHow do you know that?â
âI know because I read a lot, I know whatâs going on, and I can figure things out, which is a lot more than I can say about most peopleâincluding you.â
âI still donât get why you wrote down his license number,â Abbie said. âWonât you tell me?â
âWhy should I?â Mrs. Merkel rummaged through her handbag and pulled out a digital phone.
Mrs. Merkel dialed a number, and when someone answered she said, âMy name is Edna Merkel, and I want to talk to Officer Martin.â
There was a pause, and Mrs. Merkel added, âThatâs for Officer Martin to find out. I talk to her and no one else. Understand?â
In less than a minute Mrs. Merkel said, âOfficer Martin, I want you to arrest someone. Iâve written down his description, his carâs description, and his license number.â She read the information from her notebook.
Abbie could guess what Officer Martin responded, because Mrs. Merkel said, âOf course I have a reason for wanting him arrested. Havenâtpeople in Buckler complained enough about their cell phone numbers being used to make drug calls, with the bills going to them? The whole story was in the paper just two weeks ago.â
Smugly she continued, âWell, you can thank me for catching him for you. On two days last week his car was parked opposite one of the phone companyâs stores. The storeâs been running a two-week special, and itâs full of customers, so heâs there again. His car is dirty and grayâthe kind that doesnât stand out, so he thinks no one will notice what heâs up to. He doesnât stay long, but while heâs there, every now and then he perks up and writes something down.â
âHow do you know all this?â Abbie blurted out.
âDonât interrupt,â Mrs. Merkel snapped. She scowled. âNo, Officer Martin. I wasnât talking to you. I was talking to my driver.â
Mrs. Merkel turned her back on Abbie and continued her story. âEverybody knows that when you buy a cell phone the company does whatever they have to do to activate it. Then they tell you to make one free courtesy call, just to make sure the phoneâs working okay. You follow me, donât you?â
Without waiting for an answer, Mrs. Merkel continued. âIâm sure this guy Iâve seen has been picking up each call with his equipment, getting the cell phone number, and writing it down. Then he either gives his list of numbers to a contactor sells it. Doesnât matter which. What matters is that heâs there in front of the store right now, and if you move on it, you can nab him. But youâd better get here fast.â
âHow did you find out all that
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