my math class. I thought he was nice, but I sure don’t think so now. I’ll always believe you and Andi. Anybody related to your Aunt Alice must be trustworthy.”
“Well —” Bruce didn’t quite know how to respond to that statement. “Maybe you shouldn’t always totally believe Andi, but this time she’stelling the whole truth. She didn’t ask for that manuscript; Jerry gave it to her. He said if she made those corrections, he’d sign the release form. Now he says he won’t sign it unless I sell him Red.”
“Can we edit Jerry out of the video?” Kristy suggested.
“I thought about that, but there’s no way to do it,” Bruce told her. “He’s in the background of all the scenes with Mrs. Rinkle in them, and if we cut those, there won’t be any story left. Besides, now that school’s out, we can’t use the editing bay. And we won’t have Mr. Talbert to help us.”
“Is there anyone else who might talk to Jerry?” Kristy asked. “What about his cousin, Connor? He looked so sweet in the picture he sent to my cell phone.”
“Connor!” Bruce exclaimed in horror. “He’s even worse than Jerry!”
“Do you think it would help if I called him anyway?” Kristy asked. “I have his number from his text message. Jerry told him that I’m ‘hot stuff.’ I could offer to send him my picture if Jerry signs that release.”
“Connor’s got pretty girls hanging all over him,” Bruce said. “He’s not going to do you a favor justto get your picture. The only person who might have influence is Aunt Alice. Last summer Connor pushed her down and dislocated her shoulder. She didn’t press charges, but she did file a report with the police.”
“Let’s go ask her to phone Connor and threaten to charge him with assault and battery!” Kristy cried.
Before Bruce realized what was happening, she had grabbed his hand and was dragging him down the porch steps and onto the sidewalk. He had never held hands with a girl before and had always wondered if his hand would sweat if he did. Kristy’s hand was so cool that it wasn’t a problem. All in all, he found the experience rather pleasant.
Aunt Alice was in her yard, kneeling in the dirt, planting flowers. She looked pleased to see them, but also a little surprised.
Bruce hastily dropped Kristy’s hand and stuffed his own hand into his pocket.
“Hello, Mrs. Scudder!” Kristy said. “Would you please phone Connor Gordon and make him force Jerry to sign the release so
Bobby Strikes Back
can be on television? Maybe you could threaten to have him put in jail for shoving you.”
“Nothing would give me more pleasure than to blackmail Connor,” Aunt Alice said, laying down her trowel. “However, it would serve no purpose. As we learned from Jerry when we were filming the dog-stuffing scene, those boys are too egotistical to take threats seriously. Bruce, you might ask your father to talk to Mr. Gordon, but I doubt that that will work either. Jerry has his parents wrapped around his little finger.”
“So our video can never be aired,” Bruce said despondently.
“It sounds that way,” said Aunt Alice. “I’m just as upset as you are. All those ‘ha, ha, has’ just going to waste.”
“I feel awful for Andi,” Kristy said. “She must feel terrible. Now it will be just my video and Mr. Merlin’s.”
“I don’t think Andi will crash the way she did when she didn’t win the writing contest,” Aunt Alice said. “She’s learning how to deal with disappointment. I’ve also been having some thoughts about Mr. Merlin. I believe the time has come to run a background check on him.”
“How do you know how to do that?” Kristy asked her.
“Aunt Alice is a private investigator,” Bruce said proudly.
He helped his great-aunt to her feet, and she pulled off her garden gloves and led the way into her house and up the stairs to her office.
“Maynard Merlin,”
she said as she switched on her computer. “I’ve been meaning to check
“Well —” Bruce didn’t quite know how to respond to that statement. “Maybe you shouldn’t always totally believe Andi, but this time she’stelling the whole truth. She didn’t ask for that manuscript; Jerry gave it to her. He said if she made those corrections, he’d sign the release form. Now he says he won’t sign it unless I sell him Red.”
“Can we edit Jerry out of the video?” Kristy suggested.
“I thought about that, but there’s no way to do it,” Bruce told her. “He’s in the background of all the scenes with Mrs. Rinkle in them, and if we cut those, there won’t be any story left. Besides, now that school’s out, we can’t use the editing bay. And we won’t have Mr. Talbert to help us.”
“Is there anyone else who might talk to Jerry?” Kristy asked. “What about his cousin, Connor? He looked so sweet in the picture he sent to my cell phone.”
“Connor!” Bruce exclaimed in horror. “He’s even worse than Jerry!”
“Do you think it would help if I called him anyway?” Kristy asked. “I have his number from his text message. Jerry told him that I’m ‘hot stuff.’ I could offer to send him my picture if Jerry signs that release.”
“Connor’s got pretty girls hanging all over him,” Bruce said. “He’s not going to do you a favor justto get your picture. The only person who might have influence is Aunt Alice. Last summer Connor pushed her down and dislocated her shoulder. She didn’t press charges, but she did file a report with the police.”
“Let’s go ask her to phone Connor and threaten to charge him with assault and battery!” Kristy cried.
Before Bruce realized what was happening, she had grabbed his hand and was dragging him down the porch steps and onto the sidewalk. He had never held hands with a girl before and had always wondered if his hand would sweat if he did. Kristy’s hand was so cool that it wasn’t a problem. All in all, he found the experience rather pleasant.
Aunt Alice was in her yard, kneeling in the dirt, planting flowers. She looked pleased to see them, but also a little surprised.
Bruce hastily dropped Kristy’s hand and stuffed his own hand into his pocket.
“Hello, Mrs. Scudder!” Kristy said. “Would you please phone Connor Gordon and make him force Jerry to sign the release so
Bobby Strikes Back
can be on television? Maybe you could threaten to have him put in jail for shoving you.”
“Nothing would give me more pleasure than to blackmail Connor,” Aunt Alice said, laying down her trowel. “However, it would serve no purpose. As we learned from Jerry when we were filming the dog-stuffing scene, those boys are too egotistical to take threats seriously. Bruce, you might ask your father to talk to Mr. Gordon, but I doubt that that will work either. Jerry has his parents wrapped around his little finger.”
“So our video can never be aired,” Bruce said despondently.
“It sounds that way,” said Aunt Alice. “I’m just as upset as you are. All those ‘ha, ha, has’ just going to waste.”
“I feel awful for Andi,” Kristy said. “She must feel terrible. Now it will be just my video and Mr. Merlin’s.”
“I don’t think Andi will crash the way she did when she didn’t win the writing contest,” Aunt Alice said. “She’s learning how to deal with disappointment. I’ve also been having some thoughts about Mr. Merlin. I believe the time has come to run a background check on him.”
“How do you know how to do that?” Kristy asked her.
“Aunt Alice is a private investigator,” Bruce said proudly.
He helped his great-aunt to her feet, and she pulled off her garden gloves and led the way into her house and up the stairs to her office.
“Maynard Merlin,”
she said as she switched on her computer. “I’ve been meaning to check
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