Read Online Spy Cat by Peg Kehret - Free Book Online

came an hour later in the mornings than Alex’s did. Mrs. Kendrill reminded Benjie, before he got on his own bus, that he was to go to Mrs. Sunburg’s house that afternoon. “Go straight there as soon as you get off the bus,” she said.
    “I will, Mom,” he said.
    But he didn’t.

8
    T he telephone woke Pete from his afternoon nap. It rang until the answering machine clicked on . Whoever was calling did not leave a message.
    Moments later
,
Pete heard a noise at the front door. He padded into the living room
,
jumped onto the window ledge
,
and looked out. A van had backed into the driveway and was parked facing away from the house.
    Pete’s tail thumped against the wall. Was it the same van that Pete had seen at Mary’s house Saturday night? Pete wasn’t sure. It had been a dark night
,
and he had looked at the burglar and Pearly rather than the vehicle
,
but he thought this one was the same color.
    “
Mrowr?
”
said Lizzy
,
who had followed him into the living room. She reached up and batted at Pete’s tail.
    It had been a disappointment to discover that Lizzy could not understand what the people said
,
nor could she speak any language other than Cat. Pete hoped to teach her English
,
but so far his efforts had been in vain.
    “
Mrowr
,”
Lizzy repeated
,
giving Pete’s tail another whack.
    “
Not now
,”
Pete said. He curled his tail around his haunches where the kitten couldn’t reach it.
“
I’ll play with you later.
”
    The noise continued at the door. The bell didn’t ring and nobody knocked
,
but Pete heard rubbing sounds coming through the keyhole.
    Someone’s picking the lock
,
he realized. The van does belong to the burglars.
    The front door opened. Two men walked in
,
leaving the door open behind them.
    Pete sat as still as a stump. He watched the men closely
,
noticing details of their clothing and looks. Benjie had talked so much about his spy activities that Pete knew exactly what to do. He would be a spy cat. Since the humans were not home
,
it was up to him to trap the villains. Pete’s whiskers twitched with excitement. Spy cat. He rather liked the sound of that.
    The tall man in the plaid shirt called out
, “
Hey
,
Joanie! We’re here!
”
    The short one with the beard yelled
, “
Anybody home?
”
    Joanie? thought Pete. Who’s Joanie? Have these men come to the wrong place—or are they pretending to know someone
,
as a way to make sure that nobody’s home? If someone answered their call
,
they’d probably apologize and leave in a hurry.
    Lizzy trotted toward the men.
    “
Stay away from them
,”
Pete hissed
,
but his warning was too late.
    “
Get outta here
,
cat
,”
said the tall man. He kicked at Lizzy
,
missing her by only an inch.
    The terrified kitten scuttled under the couch.
    Pete stayed on the window ledge
,
trying to decide what to do. There was no one to run to for help
;
he would have to act on his own.
    Maybe I can take something from the truck
,
Pete thought
,
an item that would help the police trace the men after they leave. If I could find a piece of mail with a name and address on it
,
and carry it into the house
,
it would be a clue for the police to follow.
    “We may not have much time,” the bearded man said.
    “Let’s start upstairs.” The one in the plaid shirt started toward the stairs.
    The bearded man followed.
    When Pete could hear both men moving about overhead
,
he jumped to the floor
,
trotted to the door
,
and went out.
    The rear door of the van was open. Pete leaped inside.
    The back of the van was empty
;
all the seats except the driver’s and front passenger’s had been removed. Pete smelled dirt
,
and grease
,
and newspaper.
    He also smelled french fries and hamburger. Those smells came from the passenger’s seat. Pete stepped into the front of the van and hopped on the seat beside a white paper bag.
    One french fry
,
he told himself. Just one
,
to keep mystrength up
,
and then I have to get down to business. He tipped the bag