you kids take up our time, whether you meant to do it or not, it's time we might have been called on to help someone in real trouble,” said Sergeant Bogdan.
“They'll be at the police station tomorrow afternoon,” said Coach Malloy. “I think two days of helping out around the place should do it.”
“Well, we've got an inspection coming up the end ofthe month, and the reception area could use some cleaning,” said Sergeant Bogdan, warming to the idea. “It would be much appreciated.” And then, with a wink at the girls' father, he said, “Nice of you kids to volunteer. See you tomorrow.”
Caroline could hardly bear the disgust of the Hatford boys as they pulled on their soggy sneakers, picked up their raincoats, and stomped home. She closed her eyes against the disappointment of her parents, but it was the fury of her sisters she dreaded most, and they let her have it the minute they got upstairs.
“You idiot! Don't you think before you do something?” Eddie exploded. “Now we're all in trouble because of you !”
“I'm sorry,” Caroline wept.
“Sorry doesn't help!” said Beth. “What did you think would happen when someone found that note? This is not a joke, you wrote. Of course they'd call the police. Of course the police would check it out.”
Caroline went into her room, closed the door behind her, and crawled under the covers with all her clothes on. She didn't think she would ever come out again. She would go down in the Guinness World Records as the person who crawled into bed as a girl and stayed there for ninety years. Her hair would grow white and her nails long, and she'd lose all her teeth and they'd feed her through a straw, but she stillwouldn't get out of bed. Then she had a thought: How would she go to the bathroom? Well, maybe she would get out of bed for that.
After the Hatford boys had come home from church on Sunday and both families had eaten their lunch, Caroline and her sisters set off. At the end of the footbridge the Hatford boys—all but Peter— were waiting, but they were not waiting for her. Beth and Eddie walked on ahead with Josh and Jake and Wally, and they all turned their backs on Caroline.
Caroline began to sing a song her grandmother used to sing:
“Lonely and friendless and poor,
Nothing but sorrow I see,
For I'm nobody's darlin',
Nobody cares for me.”
She sang it softly at first, then more and more loudly, until the others up ahead could not help hearing her.
Eddie turned around. “ Can it, Caroline!”
“Are you guys going to stay mad at me forever?” Caroline asked plaintively. “If we all hadn't sent bottles downstream, it wouldn't have happened.”
“At least your bottle didn't go very far,” Wally told her. “At least you won't be queen.”
They walked down to the business district and into the police station. Sergeant Bogdan was talking to a new recruit. “Oh, yes. Here comes the Dirt Squad,” he said when he saw Caroline and the others. “Officer Clay, these are the Hatfords and the Malloys, who live just up the river. Coach Malloy has asked if we could give them some cleanup jobs to do around here. Where do you think they should start?”
The new officer looked around. “Seems to me about every square inch of this place could use some work,” he said, and Caroline's heart sank. Forever! That's how long she'd be here!
“Well, gang,” said Sergeant Bogdan. “How about doing the rest room and the windows to begin? The broom closet's back there—you'll find the rags and the window cleaner. We'll consider this a practice run. Then I want you back here the last Saturday of the month to get the reception area ready for inspection. Nine o'clock sharp.”
The kids quietly set to work. Anytime a look was directed at Caroline, she noticed, it was a scowl, not a smile. Wally purposely bumped into her every time he passed, Beth turned the other way, and Jake muttered, “Well, are you happy now?” as though she were the sole cause
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