The Unwilling Umpire by Ron Roy

Author:Ron Roy [Roy, Ron]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3, mobi
ISBN: 978-0-307-54860-3
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2004-09-18T04:00:00+00:00

Buddy looked up. “It was just a joke. Pete’s fun to tease,” he said. “Anyway, I saw Pete leave the game to go after his medicine. When he didn’t come back, I went inside to see if he was okay. But Pete wasn’t there. The glass case was busted and the balls were missing. I figured Pete must have thought I stole ’em and came to the trailer looking for me. So I ran back, but Pete wasn’t here.”

“Officer Fallon picked up Pete in his truck,” Dink said. “That’s when your brother said he took the balls.”

“Yeah, to keep me out of trouble,” Buddy muttered. “Just like he did before we left Maine.”

“What happened in Maine?” Ruth Rose asked Buddy.

“Something really dumb,” Buddy said. He stared into the trees that surrounded the clearing.

“Pete and I live together because our folks died in a car crash a few years ago,” Buddy said. “Ever since then, I keep messing up and Pete keeps trying to get me out of trouble.”

Buddy scooted down the steps and reached out to pet Pal. The dog licked Buddy’s hand and rolled over on the ground.

“Last winter I was hanging out with my friend Fizzo,” Buddy said. “Pete doesn’t like Fizzo. Says he’s a bad influence on me. Anyway, it was cold, and we saw this delivery van in the alley next to Sugar’s Bakery. The engine was running, and Fizzo says, ‘Let’s sit in it to get out of the cold.’ We sat there for a few minutes, smelling the warm bread. Next thing you know, Fizzo’s driving the van.”

Buddy looked up at Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose. “It was just supposed to be a joke on Mr. Sugar,” he said. “Fizzo wanted to park the van around the corner, for laughs. Only the road was icy, and the van slid into a snowbank. Fizzo got out to try to shove us free. I slipped behind the wheel to put the van in reverse. That’s when the police came, and we got busted.”

“So … Pete didn’t take the van?” asked Ruth Rose.

“No way!” Buddy shouted. “I told you, my big brother’s the most honest guy in the world.”

Buddy stroked Pal’s silky ears. “Anyway, Fizzo and I are at the police station, scared to death,” he continued. “I called Pete and told him what happened. Five minutes later, he came flying into the police station.”

Buddy shook his head. “I still can’t believe what happened next. Pete lied, probably for the first time in his life. He told the police officers he was the one who drove the van into the snowbank. Pete said, ‘The whole thing was my idea. I took the van, not my little brother or Fizzo.’”

The three kids just stared at Buddy.

“When they asked Pete to explain why only Fizzo and I were in the van, Pete said he panicked and ran,” Buddy went on. “They believed him. Then Fizzo’s folks came to get us, and Pete sat in jail overnight.”

Buddy scratched Pal’s belly and the dog let out a big sigh.

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