"So what are we going to do?" Bo asked.
The three friends made their way downstairs and went out through
the swinging bookcase.
Shirley was wearing her brown fedora and had her backpack slung over
her shoulder.
Dr. Holmes was on the living room couch reading a book.
As Shirley was about to open the front door to leave, she heard her
mother ask,
"Where are you going, Shirley?"
"Oh, Bo, Blake, and I are just going to hang out together for
a while
at Blake's house. To discuss the assignment," Shirley answered
innocently.
"When will you be back?" Dr. Holmes asked her daughter.
"Before dinner, Mom," Shirley answered.
Dr. Holmes thought for a moment. "Well, okay," she finally
said, returning to her book.
As Shirley and her friends left, Dr. Holmes shouted,
"And try to be home in time for dinner!"
"So, what if your mom calls Blake's house and she finds out we're not
there?"
Bo asked Shirley as they left the Holmes' house.
"Got it covered," Shirley said, looking at Blake.
"I told Rosa to tell anyone looking for us that we're studying
and
that we can't be bothered right now," Blake answered. "If my
dad comes
home, Rosa will tell him the truth."
"Is that wise?" Bo asked.
"My dad won't tell on us," Blake said.
"Besides, I think Inspector Hewitt will want a little unofficial help," Shirley said.
"What about your mom?" Bo asked Blake.
Blake's mother, Dr. Hewitt, was an archeologist who now worked at the
Redington Museum.
"She's working overtime at the Museum," Blake explained.
"A shipment
of Mayan artifacts came in this morning, and she's helping to organize
them.
There's a lot of them, so she'll be there probably until later tonight."
"See? Nothing to worry about," Shirley told Bo, who simply
shook his
head and groaned in response.
It turned out that Arthur Brock lived a few blocks from Shirley's
house.
The Brock house reminded Shirley of one of those picturesque houses
found in old 1950s TV shows.
The sides were painted white; the roof shingles were painted blue.
A well-kept flower garden was in the front. There was even a
low white picket fence surrounding the lawn.
The lawn itself was well-cared for, as shown by its trimness and its
healthy green color.
"Nice place," Bo said dryly. "If I see the Beaver, I'm leaving."
Shirley, leaving Bo and Blake standing on the sidewalk, walked
up the walkway and the porch stairs and
stood before the door. Before ringing the doorbell, she pulled
out a pair of red-tinted glasses and a short,
black wig and put them on. A red-haired woman answered the door
after she rang the doorbell.
"May I help you?" she said in a friendly manner.
Shirley smiled, showing her teeth. "Hi," she greeted cheerfully
in a high-pitched voice.
"I'm Trisha Brown, and I'm representing the Kids for a Better World
organization.
I was wondering if this is the residence of Arthur Brock?"
"Why, yes it is," the woman said. "I'm his mother. How may I help you?"
Shirley's eyes lit up behind the red glasses. "Your son,
Mrs. Brock,
is one of our candidates for 'Teen-ager of the Year' because of his
volunteer work,"
she announced with a touch of excitement.
Mrs. Brock gasped in surprise. "You must be proud of your son, Mrs. Brock," Shirley said.
Mrs. Brock took it all in, then said, "I am. Arthur's such
a good boy. Ever since he got out of juvenile hall,
he's been on the straight and narrow. His pay from his job at
Derrick's really helps us out.
Being an office clerk doesn't really pay much. When he's not
working or helping out the elderly
or the orphans, he's always helping out here. He helps me tend
our flower garden; he's got quite a green thumb.
He's been a big help since Frank, my husband, died."
Shirley nodded and took out a small notepad and a pencil.
"I need to interview Arthur so that he'll still be
in the running. Is he home?"
"Oh, I'm afraid he isn't. He went to check on the Bautistas' house," Mrs. Brock said regretfully.
"The Bautistas' house?" Shirley asked.
"Oh, the Bautistas have been good friends of ours for a long time
now. Well, Mrs. Bautista's mother,
who lives in the Philippines, died of old age, I believe. Mrs.
Bautista was devastated. The poor thing."
Mrs. Brock bowed and shook her head. "The whole family went to
the Philippines to pay their respects,
and I agreed to take care of their house. Arthur volunteered
to do this for me."
"How long has Arthur been house-sitting?" Shirley asked.
"Oh, I believe it's been two or three weeks now," Mrs. Brock recalled.
"In fact, Mrs. Bautista called about two hours ago. She
said that they'll probably be back tomorrow."
"And when will Arthur come home?" Shirley asked.
"Well, since he's off from Derrick's today, he'll be there for
a while.
He said that he was going to do some yardwork over there as well as
other stuff," Mrs. Brock answered.
"He said that he'll probably be back a little after nine or ten."
"Oh dear," Shirley said gravely. "I must turn in my interview
tomorrow.
If I don't talk to him today, he'll be out of the running."
"Oh my." Mrs. Brock looked worried. She thought for
a moment before speaking again.
"I suppose it'll be all right if I gave you the Bautistas' address
so that you can see him."
She told Shirley the address and how to get there.
Shirley wrote it all down in her notepad.
"Got it," Shirley acknowledged when Mrs. Brock was finished.
"Thank you for your time, Mrs. Brock,
and once again, congratulations on raising such an exceptional son."
Once Mrs. Brock said "Goodbye" and shut the door, Shirley muttered
under her breath,
"...who's an excellent thief."
"Well?" Bo asked as Shirley rejoined him and Blake.
"Arthur's been doing some house-sitting for a family friend,"
Shirley said, using her normal voice.
"He's over there right now."
"House-sitting?" Bo said.
"How long has he been house-sitting?" Blake asked.
"Two or three weeks," Shirley answered.
Blake thought for a moment. "Hmmm..."
"Exactly what I was thinking," Shirley said knowingly.
Bo simply looked at both of them. "Huh?" He had no
clue until he realized something.
"Wait a minute, you don't think...?"
"That the stolen items are at the Bautistas' house?" Shirley completed.
"It makes sense. There was nothing found at Brock's house, so
if he's truly the thief,
then hiding the stolen jewelry at the Bautistas' would be a clever
way to avoid getting caught."
"How can you be so sure?" Bo asked.
"We're about to find out," Shirley said.
-End of Part 3-