It's a Mystery, Pig Face! by Wendy McLeod MacKnight

Author:Wendy McLeod MacKnight
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Waterside Productions, Inc
Published: 2017-01-05T16:00:00+00:00

After dinner, I plunked myself down in a lawn chair in the backyard with a pad of paper and a black marker. I’d decided to work on the suspect list before we met Ralph the next day. I drew two long lines on the page so that there were three columns. At the top of the first, I wrote NAME, and at the top of the second and third, I wrote PRO and CON. I needed to think things through logically. Seeing the facts on paper helped. I knew Ralph would be impressed with my chart when I showed it to him. I was so focused on the first name on the list, Jasmine’s, that I didn’t notice that Zach was standing beside me until he spoke.

“What’s up?” His voice was a lazy drawl.

I stared up at him. In the evening light he looked kind of golden. “I was just working on the case,” I said. My voice sounded higher to me again. “How was dinner?”

“Awesome. I ate a lobster that was caught this morning. Isn’t that cool? I took a picture and texted it to my mom.” He pulled out his cell phone and thumbed through his pictures until he found the one of a good-sized lobster sitting on a bed of lettuce on a fancy plate. It was the first time I’d heard Zach sound excited since I’d met him. He thumbed to the next picture, which was of Jasmine and Hazel wearing lobster bibs and big smiles. I tried not to gag.

“Your dad couldn’t go with you?”

Zach made a face. “He was too busy working. That’s all he does. I don’t know why he wanted to bring me here. I never see him. Tomorrow I start doing yard work and odd jobs for people I don’t even know. He didn’t even give me a choice. He says if he hears I’m slacking at all he’s going to ground me. As if being stuck in this boring town isn’t grounding enough.”

“St. Stephen is not a bad town.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to rag on St. Stephen. I just miss home and my mom, ya know.”

I couldn’t help but feel a little sympathetic. I’d missed St. Stephen a lot when we were away. “It’s too bad your dad’s giving you such a hard time.”

“Yeah, well, that’s my dad.” Zach leaned over to peek at the list. He saw Jasmine’s name and winced.

“Why do you think Jasmine has something to do with the money you found?”

It took me a second to come up with a diplomatic response that wouldn’t offend him. “I’m just putting everyone that was seen at the ball field on the list, that’s all.”

“Jasmine’s too nice to steal money.”

You sure don’t know Jasmine, I thought.

“Plus, I questioned her when we were running errands for Hazel this afternoon.” When he saw the worried look on my face, he held up a hand. “No, it’s okay. I didn’t tell her that I was working with you, but I did ask enough questions that I’m convinced she’s not the thief.

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