Wally.
Jake thought a minute. “The Hatford Hooligans,” he decided, and they all signed their names.
“Who’s going to deliver it?” asked Josh. “Peter?”
“Are you crazy?” said Jake. “They’ll simply kidnap Peter!”
“We’ll all deliver it” said Josh. “All four of us will go over there together. Caroline can’t escape, don’t worry.”
The boys looked toward the toolshed again.
“Hey, Caroline!” Wally called.
No answer.
“Hey, Crazie!” called Josh.
Still no answer.
“Maybe she dug her way out,” said Peter.
The boys started across the lawn. Wally was feeling a little uneasy, the sun was shining right on the metal shed; and he knew how hot it got in the summertime, it wasn’t summer any longer, but it was still warm. Maybe she had overheated. Maybe she was dead!
“Listen, guys, I don’t know if we ought to keepher in there,” he said. “That shed gets awfully hot in the afternoons.”
“Did we put her there?” Jake said. “It was her idea. She would have stayed all day, I’ll bet, if we hadn’t found her. All we did was put a padlock on the door.”
“But suppose she got sick or something?” Wally said. “Man, we’d really catch it.”
They stopped outside the shed.
“Hey, Caroline,” Josh said again. “Are you dead?”
“Oh, she’s just playing possum to make you open the door,” said Jake.
“Remember that hot day in August when our old dog got distemper?” Wally reminded them. They looked at each other uneasily.
“Hey, Caroline, you want some water?” Wally called.
No answer. No sound at all.
Jake dialed the combination on the lock and opened the door, just a little.
They all stepped backward. Caroline was sitting on the floor of the shed, her eyes closed. White foam was oozing out one corner of her mouth.
“What’s the matter with her?” asked Peter.
“I don’t know,” said Jake. “Hey, Caroline, come on out. You can go home now.”
Caroline opened her eyes once, and they looked wild. Then they closed again.
“Jake … I,” Wally said worriedly.
“Go on home, Caroline.” Jake said.
The girl didn’t move.
“What are we going to do?” asked Wally, and his heart began to pound.
“Forget the note,” said Jake, and Wally knew he was worried too. “Go call her sisters, Wally, and tell them to come and get her. That Caroline’s over here sick.”
Wally made a beeline for the house, and went up the steps two at a time.
He quickly dialed the Malloys’ number. What if the parents answered? What was he supposed to say? That Caroline was locked in the toolshed foaming at the mouth?
The phone rang five times before anyone answered.
“Hello?” It sounded like Eddie.
“Your sister’s sick,” said Wally.
There was a pause. “Who is this?” Eddie asked.
“Wally. Caroline’s in our toolshed. You better come and get her.”
“Yeah? What kind of a trick is this?” Eddie said. “I saw your folks drive away. You must think we’re really stupid.”
Wally’s hand felt sweaty on the telephone. “Listen,” he said again. “I mean it. She’s foaming at the mouth.”
“What?”
“We just unlocked the shed and I think she’s got distemper. There’s white stuff all over her lips.”
“Hold on.” It sounded as though Eddie had her hand over the receiver and was talking to somebody else. Then Beth came on the line.
“What’s the matter with Caroline?” Beth asked.
“I already said! She’s foaming at the mouth and acting weird, and you better come get her.”
“How did she get in your shed?” asked Beth.
“She went there herself. We didn’t put her there. She was spying on us.”
“Then how did the shed get locked?”
“After we found her, we locked the door.”
“Well, if you locked her in there and she’s sick, you better call an ambulance,” Beth said, and hung up.
Wally stared at the phone in his hand. Then slowly replaced the receiver and went out to the others on the back steps.
“Are
Jake thought a minute. “The Hatford Hooligans,” he decided, and they all signed their names.
“Who’s going to deliver it?” asked Josh. “Peter?”
“Are you crazy?” said Jake. “They’ll simply kidnap Peter!”
“We’ll all deliver it” said Josh. “All four of us will go over there together. Caroline can’t escape, don’t worry.”
The boys looked toward the toolshed again.
“Hey, Caroline!” Wally called.
No answer.
“Hey, Crazie!” called Josh.
Still no answer.
“Maybe she dug her way out,” said Peter.
The boys started across the lawn. Wally was feeling a little uneasy, the sun was shining right on the metal shed; and he knew how hot it got in the summertime, it wasn’t summer any longer, but it was still warm. Maybe she had overheated. Maybe she was dead!
“Listen, guys, I don’t know if we ought to keepher in there,” he said. “That shed gets awfully hot in the afternoons.”
“Did we put her there?” Jake said. “It was her idea. She would have stayed all day, I’ll bet, if we hadn’t found her. All we did was put a padlock on the door.”
“But suppose she got sick or something?” Wally said. “Man, we’d really catch it.”
They stopped outside the shed.
“Hey, Caroline,” Josh said again. “Are you dead?”
“Oh, she’s just playing possum to make you open the door,” said Jake.
“Remember that hot day in August when our old dog got distemper?” Wally reminded them. They looked at each other uneasily.
“Hey, Caroline, you want some water?” Wally called.
No answer. No sound at all.
Jake dialed the combination on the lock and opened the door, just a little.
They all stepped backward. Caroline was sitting on the floor of the shed, her eyes closed. White foam was oozing out one corner of her mouth.
“What’s the matter with her?” asked Peter.
“I don’t know,” said Jake. “Hey, Caroline, come on out. You can go home now.”
Caroline opened her eyes once, and they looked wild. Then they closed again.
“Jake … I,” Wally said worriedly.
“Go on home, Caroline.” Jake said.
The girl didn’t move.
“What are we going to do?” asked Wally, and his heart began to pound.
“Forget the note,” said Jake, and Wally knew he was worried too. “Go call her sisters, Wally, and tell them to come and get her. That Caroline’s over here sick.”
Wally made a beeline for the house, and went up the steps two at a time.
He quickly dialed the Malloys’ number. What if the parents answered? What was he supposed to say? That Caroline was locked in the toolshed foaming at the mouth?
The phone rang five times before anyone answered.
“Hello?” It sounded like Eddie.
“Your sister’s sick,” said Wally.
There was a pause. “Who is this?” Eddie asked.
“Wally. Caroline’s in our toolshed. You better come and get her.”
“Yeah? What kind of a trick is this?” Eddie said. “I saw your folks drive away. You must think we’re really stupid.”
Wally’s hand felt sweaty on the telephone. “Listen,” he said again. “I mean it. She’s foaming at the mouth.”
“What?”
“We just unlocked the shed and I think she’s got distemper. There’s white stuff all over her lips.”
“Hold on.” It sounded as though Eddie had her hand over the receiver and was talking to somebody else. Then Beth came on the line.
“What’s the matter with Caroline?” Beth asked.
“I already said! She’s foaming at the mouth and acting weird, and you better come get her.”
“How did she get in your shed?” asked Beth.
“She went there herself. We didn’t put her there. She was spying on us.”
“Then how did the shed get locked?”
“After we found her, we locked the door.”
“Well, if you locked her in there and she’s sick, you better call an ambulance,” Beth said, and hung up.
Wally stared at the phone in his hand. Then slowly replaced the receiver and went out to the others on the back steps.
“Are
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