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Authors: Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
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Caroline observed.
“Well, he's different from Jake. He's nicer,” Beth said.
They stayed on the floor about five minutes in the dark, and had just about decided that nothing was going to happen, that the boys had figured out they were joking, when they suddenly heard a siren coming from downtown Buckman. It seemed to be coming across the road bridge from the business district and heading up Island Avenue. The siren grew louder and louder, and instead of going on past the house, it sounded as though the police car had turned into the driveway. Caroline could see the reflection of the revolving light on the wall of Beth's room.
“Eddie!” she cried in horror, bolting straight up.
Two car doors slammed, one right after the other,and there were hurried footsteps across the ground, then a loud knock at the front door.
“Dear, can you get that?” the girls heard their mother call.
There was the sound of their father's footsteps crossing the living room, entering the hall, and then the creak of the front door opening.
“Good evening, Coach,” came a man's voice. “Is everything all right here?”
“As far as I know,” said Mr. Malloy, sounding surprised. “Why? Come on in.”
“We got a report about an attack in an upstairs bedroom.”
“What?” cried Father.
“Someone was attacked with a hammer. It was an anonymous call.”
“Eddie?” came Father's voice from the bottom of the stairs. “Is everything okay up there?”
And before the girls could answer, one of the policemen said, “Do you mind if we look around?”
“Go right ahead,” said Father. “Beth? Caroline? The officers are coming up.”
The girls were already on their feet, lunging for the light switch. The hammer, the pliers, and the screwdriver were kicked under Beth's bed, and by the time the officers reached the top of the stairs, three girls were seated on the rug in Beth's room, making bows out of Christmas ribbon.
“What's going on?” asked their father, following the policemen into the room.
“What do you mean?” asked Eddie. “We're wrapping presents.”
“Did you girls have a fight or anything?” one of the officers asked.
“A fight?” asked Caroline innocently.
“What would we fight about?” asked Beth, putting one arm around Caroline's shoulder, the other around Eddie's.
“Well, we got an anonymous call about an attack up here in one of the bedrooms and thought we ought to check it out,” said the policeman.
“I'll bet it was those Hatford boys!” said Eddie. “They're always causing trouble.”
“Mind if we check the other rooms to make sure?” an officer asked Dad.
“Please do,” said Father. “If there's a body lying around up here, I want to know about it.”
The policemen took a quick look in the other rooms, then tipped their caps to Mother, who had come upstairs to see what was going on.
“Sorry to have bothered you folks. Have a good Christmas, now,” one of the men said as they went back downstairs.
When the door closed after them, Mother exclaimed, “Now what was that all about, do you suppose?”
“I have no idea,” said Father. “You know, Jean, maybe it's a good thing we had all girls. If those Hatford boys belonged to us, we'd be in a mental ward.”
And upstairs in the bedroom, Eddie, Beth, and Caroline pressed their faces to their knees and rocked with silent laughter.
When all the fuss had died down, however, Eddielooked mischievously around her. “Call the police on us, will they? I think we're entitled to revenge.”
The very words made the hair on Caroline's arms stand up in anticipation.
“What are we going to do?” she whispered.
“I'm not sure. I'm thinking,” said Eddie. “But maybe, just maybe, the next time they have a meeting of the Explorers' Club—Spy Club, we should call it— we could sneak out there and trap them.”
Twelve
Calling 911
“H oly smoke!” gasped Jake. “Did you see that?”
Even without the binoculars, Josh and Wally saw
“Well, he's different from Jake. He's nicer,” Beth said.
They stayed on the floor about five minutes in the dark, and had just about decided that nothing was going to happen, that the boys had figured out they were joking, when they suddenly heard a siren coming from downtown Buckman. It seemed to be coming across the road bridge from the business district and heading up Island Avenue. The siren grew louder and louder, and instead of going on past the house, it sounded as though the police car had turned into the driveway. Caroline could see the reflection of the revolving light on the wall of Beth's room.
“Eddie!” she cried in horror, bolting straight up.
Two car doors slammed, one right after the other,and there were hurried footsteps across the ground, then a loud knock at the front door.
“Dear, can you get that?” the girls heard their mother call.
There was the sound of their father's footsteps crossing the living room, entering the hall, and then the creak of the front door opening.
“Good evening, Coach,” came a man's voice. “Is everything all right here?”
“As far as I know,” said Mr. Malloy, sounding surprised. “Why? Come on in.”
“We got a report about an attack in an upstairs bedroom.”
“What?” cried Father.
“Someone was attacked with a hammer. It was an anonymous call.”
“Eddie?” came Father's voice from the bottom of the stairs. “Is everything okay up there?”
And before the girls could answer, one of the policemen said, “Do you mind if we look around?”
“Go right ahead,” said Father. “Beth? Caroline? The officers are coming up.”
The girls were already on their feet, lunging for the light switch. The hammer, the pliers, and the screwdriver were kicked under Beth's bed, and by the time the officers reached the top of the stairs, three girls were seated on the rug in Beth's room, making bows out of Christmas ribbon.
“What's going on?” asked their father, following the policemen into the room.
“What do you mean?” asked Eddie. “We're wrapping presents.”
“Did you girls have a fight or anything?” one of the officers asked.
“A fight?” asked Caroline innocently.
“What would we fight about?” asked Beth, putting one arm around Caroline's shoulder, the other around Eddie's.
“Well, we got an anonymous call about an attack up here in one of the bedrooms and thought we ought to check it out,” said the policeman.
“I'll bet it was those Hatford boys!” said Eddie. “They're always causing trouble.”
“Mind if we check the other rooms to make sure?” an officer asked Dad.
“Please do,” said Father. “If there's a body lying around up here, I want to know about it.”
The policemen took a quick look in the other rooms, then tipped their caps to Mother, who had come upstairs to see what was going on.
“Sorry to have bothered you folks. Have a good Christmas, now,” one of the men said as they went back downstairs.
When the door closed after them, Mother exclaimed, “Now what was that all about, do you suppose?”
“I have no idea,” said Father. “You know, Jean, maybe it's a good thing we had all girls. If those Hatford boys belonged to us, we'd be in a mental ward.”
And upstairs in the bedroom, Eddie, Beth, and Caroline pressed their faces to their knees and rocked with silent laughter.
When all the fuss had died down, however, Eddielooked mischievously around her. “Call the police on us, will they? I think we're entitled to revenge.”
The very words made the hair on Caroline's arms stand up in anticipation.
“What are we going to do?” she whispered.
“I'm not sure. I'm thinking,” said Eddie. “But maybe, just maybe, the next time they have a meeting of the Explorers' Club—Spy Club, we should call it— we could sneak out there and trap them.”
Twelve
Calling 911
“H oly smoke!” gasped Jake. “Did you see that?”
Even without the binoculars, Josh and Wally saw
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