Read Online Nobody's There by Joan Lowery Nixon - Free Book Online

unfinished business to take care of.”

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, “Pull in there. Hurry up. And pay attention to that van at the intersection.”
    Abbie drove into the parking lot and pulled up in front of a small grocery store. “I thought you wanted to go to the supermarket,” she said. She took the key from the ignition and reached for the door handle.
    â€œDon’t open that door!” Mrs. Merkel ordered.
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œI didn’t say I wanted to go
inside
the store. I just told you to park. I can see what I want to see from here.” 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. “Gotcha!” she exclaimed.
    â€œWas that a license number?” Abbie asked.
    â€œYes,” Mrs. Merkel said. “See that guy in the dusty gray sedan parked over there? He’s waiting for somebody to make a cellular phone call.”
    Abbie stared at Mrs. Merkel, puzzled. “How do you know that?”
    â€œI know because I read a lot, I know what’s going on, and I can figure things out, which is a lot more than I can say about most people—including you.”
    â€œI still don’t get why you wrote down his license number,” Abbie said. “Won’t you tell me?”
    â€œWhy should I?” Mrs. Merkel rummaged through her handbag and pulled out a digital phone.
    Mrs. Merkel dialed a number, and when someone answered she said, “My name is Edna Merkel, and I want to talk to Officer Martin.”
    There was a pause, and Mrs. Merkel added, “That’s for Officer Martin to find out. I talk to her and no one else. Understand?”
    In less than a minute Mrs. Merkel said, “Officer Martin, I want you to arrest someone. I’ve written down his description, his car’s description, and his license number.” She read the information from her notebook.
    Abbie could guess what Officer Martin responded, because Mrs. Merkel said, “Of course I have a reason for wanting him arrested. Haven’tpeople 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.”
    Smugly she continued, “Well, you can thank me for catching him for you. On two days last week his car was parked opposite one of the phone company’s stores. The store’s been running a two-week special, and it’s full of customers, so he’s there again. His car is dirty and gray—the kind that doesn’t stand out, so he thinks no one will notice what he’s up to. He doesn’t stay long, but while he’s there, every now and then he perks up and writes something down.”
    â€œHow do you know all this?” Abbie blurted out.
    â€œDon’t interrupt,” Mrs. Merkel snapped. She scowled. “No, Officer Martin. I wasn’t talking to you. I was talking to my driver.”
    Mrs. Merkel turned her back on Abbie and continued her story. “Everybody 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 phone’s working okay. You follow me, don’t you?”
    Without waiting for an answer, Mrs. Merkel continued. “I’m sure this guy I’ve 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. Doesn’t matter which. What matters is that he’s there in front of the store right now, and if you move on it, you can nab him. But you’d better get here fast.”
    â€œHow did you find out all that