Read Online The Pet Show Mystery by Julie Campbell - Free Book Online
Authors: Julie Campbell
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to that sign-up table, for sure. Let’s hurry before we’re trapped!” As Trixie spoke, she broke into a fast walk. Honey hurried to keep up.
The mystery of the nice man from the mall was left behind—but not forgotten.
8 * Dressed for Waiting
THE MYSTERIOUS RUMOR, the aggressive woman at the World Anti-Hunger Foundation, Paul Gale, and the nice man from the mall were very much on Trixie’s mind that evening—much more so than the French Revolution, which was the subject of the chapter she was supposed to be reading for her world history class. Only her brothers’ heavy concentration, as they sat in the den with her, made her try to keep her mind on her textbook.
A peculiar noise from Mart—a combination of a groan and a growl—made her look up. “What is it? What’s wrong?” she asked, eager for a momentary distraction.
“A mere comment on the complexity of computers,” Mart said loftily.
“Are you still having problems?” Trixie asked.
“There are problems, but I have no doubt that I’ll be able to correct them,” Mart said confidently.
“How do you know where to find them?” Trixie asked, closing her textbook as she got up and moved over to the chair in which her brother was sprawled.
“The computer, in its vast wisdom, tells me where they are.” Mart produced a sheaf of printout paper and handed it to his sister.
Trixie began to read it aloud. “ ‘Caution— word is not set above. Fatal—missing end statement. Caution—incorrect argument type. Warning—substring constant outside bounds.’ Gleeps, are all of these ‘cautions’ and ‘warnings’ and ‘fatals’ errors in the program?” Trixie asked.
“Errors or potential errors. One simply corrects them or ignores them. Unfortunately,” Mart added, “another error seems to crop up
to take the place of each corrected one.” It seemed to Trixie that a slight frown had replaced Mart’s usually confident look.
“But will it finally work?” Trixie asked. “The pet show is less than a week and a half away!”
“The program will be functioning by then, I assure you.” Mart spoke calmly, but he took the program out of Trixie’s hands with a little more energy than was necessary.
Trixie rose and walked slowly back to the chair she’d abandoned along with her attempts at studying. She had just settled in when the phone rang. She jumped to her feet again. “I’ll get it!” she called.
When she answered the phone, she was surprised to hear Nick’s voice. “How’s everything going?” he asked.
“Fine,” Trixie said. “How’s everything with you?”
There was a slight hesitation before Nick spoke again. “I’m fine, too. But, um, has something gone wrong with the pet show?”
Trixie felt a cold clutch of fear in her stomach. “N-no. Not that I know of. Why?”
“Well, I had the radio on while I was studying just now, and the announcer on WSTH said that the pet show had been canceled. But I guess I just misunderstood, since you didn’t say you called it off.”
“The show is on—but maybe you did hear it was canceled,” Trixie said.
“I don’t understand,” Nick told her.
“I don’t, either. But I’m going to find out. Thanks for calling, Nick.” Trixie said goodbye quickly, hung up the phone, and hurried into the den. “Nick Roberts just heard on the radio that the pet show has been canceled,” she told her brothers.
“Canceled?” Brian said. “Who’d do a thing like that?”
“I don’t know,” Trixie said grimly, “but I intend to find out.”
She was on her way back to the telephone when it rang again. This time when she answered it, she heard Honey Wheeler’s distraught voice: “Trixie, the most awful thing has happened!”
“You heard the announcement on the radio,” Trixie guessed.
“Did you hear it, too?” Honey asked.
“I didn’t. Nick Roberts did, and he called to tell me about it. It’s another act of sabotage, Honey. I’m sure of it.”
“What will we
The mystery of the nice man from the mall was left behind—but not forgotten.
8 * Dressed for Waiting
THE MYSTERIOUS RUMOR, the aggressive woman at the World Anti-Hunger Foundation, Paul Gale, and the nice man from the mall were very much on Trixie’s mind that evening—much more so than the French Revolution, which was the subject of the chapter she was supposed to be reading for her world history class. Only her brothers’ heavy concentration, as they sat in the den with her, made her try to keep her mind on her textbook.
A peculiar noise from Mart—a combination of a groan and a growl—made her look up. “What is it? What’s wrong?” she asked, eager for a momentary distraction.
“A mere comment on the complexity of computers,” Mart said loftily.
“Are you still having problems?” Trixie asked.
“There are problems, but I have no doubt that I’ll be able to correct them,” Mart said confidently.
“How do you know where to find them?” Trixie asked, closing her textbook as she got up and moved over to the chair in which her brother was sprawled.
“The computer, in its vast wisdom, tells me where they are.” Mart produced a sheaf of printout paper and handed it to his sister.
Trixie began to read it aloud. “ ‘Caution— word is not set above. Fatal—missing end statement. Caution—incorrect argument type. Warning—substring constant outside bounds.’ Gleeps, are all of these ‘cautions’ and ‘warnings’ and ‘fatals’ errors in the program?” Trixie asked.
“Errors or potential errors. One simply corrects them or ignores them. Unfortunately,” Mart added, “another error seems to crop up
to take the place of each corrected one.” It seemed to Trixie that a slight frown had replaced Mart’s usually confident look.
“But will it finally work?” Trixie asked. “The pet show is less than a week and a half away!”
“The program will be functioning by then, I assure you.” Mart spoke calmly, but he took the program out of Trixie’s hands with a little more energy than was necessary.
Trixie rose and walked slowly back to the chair she’d abandoned along with her attempts at studying. She had just settled in when the phone rang. She jumped to her feet again. “I’ll get it!” she called.
When she answered the phone, she was surprised to hear Nick’s voice. “How’s everything going?” he asked.
“Fine,” Trixie said. “How’s everything with you?”
There was a slight hesitation before Nick spoke again. “I’m fine, too. But, um, has something gone wrong with the pet show?”
Trixie felt a cold clutch of fear in her stomach. “N-no. Not that I know of. Why?”
“Well, I had the radio on while I was studying just now, and the announcer on WSTH said that the pet show had been canceled. But I guess I just misunderstood, since you didn’t say you called it off.”
“The show is on—but maybe you did hear it was canceled,” Trixie said.
“I don’t understand,” Nick told her.
“I don’t, either. But I’m going to find out. Thanks for calling, Nick.” Trixie said goodbye quickly, hung up the phone, and hurried into the den. “Nick Roberts just heard on the radio that the pet show has been canceled,” she told her brothers.
“Canceled?” Brian said. “Who’d do a thing like that?”
“I don’t know,” Trixie said grimly, “but I intend to find out.”
She was on her way back to the telephone when it rang again. This time when she answered it, she heard Honey Wheeler’s distraught voice: “Trixie, the most awful thing has happened!”
“You heard the announcement on the radio,” Trixie guessed.
“Did you hear it, too?” Honey asked.
“I didn’t. Nick Roberts did, and he called to tell me about it. It’s another act of sabotage, Honey. I’m sure of it.”
“What will we
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