hard evidence. We’ve already sent two men to search the Wolfadders’ rented house, and no cigar.”
“No what?” said Spence.
“No malathion, no proof of any kind, except those letters about the game farm,” explained the chief.
“Which establishes motive,” said Zoe, who’d learned that phrase from watching MYSTERY onpublic television.
“Right,” said the chief, impressed with her answer. “But without proof...” He spread his fingers, waggled his head and went back to his desk.
“We’ll get the proof,” said Zoe as they got into the police car to go home. “Won’t we, Spence?”
“I guess so,” said Spence, who just wanted to go home and eat and then sleep for fifteen hours. At least he had two shoes to go home with, Zoe reminded him. They were new Reeboks; his mother had warned him to take good care of them.
But when they arrived at Spence’s house, his mother was so thrilled to find her son alive and well that he could have lost both shoes. She smothered Spence with tears and hugs. “Dinner is vegetable lasagna with lots of cheddar cheese,” she told him, “and cherry pie with whipped cream. And you’re all invited.”
“We’re running out of time,” Zoe reminded Spence.
He swallowed hard. “Sure. But for now I have to do what Mom tells me,” he said. He winked at Zoe. “You know.”
“Sure, I know,” she said, winking back. “But when you’ve finished stuffing yourself and sleeping ten hours, you can meet me at Tiny Alice’s. Time is running out and I’ve got to find who did kill Alice’s granny.”
When she arrived at her own house, and her parents hugged and kissed her until she cried for release, Kelby was waiting. Seeing his grinning face, she couldn’t understand why she had actually missed him when she was in captivity.
“Tomorrow night at midnight,” croaked Kelby, “your time is up. And you know what that means.”
She did know. It meant that she had only one day left to solve the crime.
Could she do it?
Chapter Twenty-four
A Surprise in the Basement
“Where’s Miss Thelma?” Zoe asked the next noon, after submitting herself to a hundred embraces from the Bagley sisters. She had never been so hugged and kissed in her whole life! It was exhausting, to tell the truth.
But enough was enough. And she had work to do, evidence to find. Why had she slept so late?
“Miss Thelma?” she repeated, surveying the doughnuts, cookies, and pastries Miss Maud had heaped in front of her.
“Why, she’s gone,” said Miss Gertie. “As soon as your parents called that you and the boy were safe and the kidnappers caught, she went back home.”
“Oh no!” said Zoe, pushing away a plate of doughnuts. “She may still be in danger. I mean we don’t know that the kidnappers acted alone, do we?”
“Oh dear, we didn’t think of that,” said Miss Maud. “But who on earth could have helped them?”
“I don’t know, but I’m going to try and find out.” Zoe dashed across the road to Thelma Fairweather’s house and drew a big breath of relief to find the old lady alone in the kitchen, preparing a lunch of pasta and veggies.
“It was lovely staying with the Bagleys,” Thelma said, “but I must admit I’m awfully sick of soup. Asparagus soup, lentil soup, pea soup.”
Zoe had to agree. In fact she’d like nothing more than a nice apple crisp right now, the kind her mother made with Northern Spy apples and sugar and lots of cinnamon.
“No, thank you,” she said to the pasta and veggies. She would wait for the apple crisp. Each fall her mom stored quarts of it in the freezer.
She warned Thelma not to let in any strangers – or anyone slightly suspicious for that matter, and ran next door to see Tiny Alice. It was time to look in the grandmother’s boxes. There might be a clue hidden inside one of them. The Clue in Grandmother’s Box, she would call a mystery novel if she ever decided to write one. And she might.
Tiny Alice was in the
“No what?” said Spence.
“No malathion, no proof of any kind, except those letters about the game farm,” explained the chief.
“Which establishes motive,” said Zoe, who’d learned that phrase from watching MYSTERY onpublic television.
“Right,” said the chief, impressed with her answer. “But without proof...” He spread his fingers, waggled his head and went back to his desk.
“We’ll get the proof,” said Zoe as they got into the police car to go home. “Won’t we, Spence?”
“I guess so,” said Spence, who just wanted to go home and eat and then sleep for fifteen hours. At least he had two shoes to go home with, Zoe reminded him. They were new Reeboks; his mother had warned him to take good care of them.
But when they arrived at Spence’s house, his mother was so thrilled to find her son alive and well that he could have lost both shoes. She smothered Spence with tears and hugs. “Dinner is vegetable lasagna with lots of cheddar cheese,” she told him, “and cherry pie with whipped cream. And you’re all invited.”
“We’re running out of time,” Zoe reminded Spence.
He swallowed hard. “Sure. But for now I have to do what Mom tells me,” he said. He winked at Zoe. “You know.”
“Sure, I know,” she said, winking back. “But when you’ve finished stuffing yourself and sleeping ten hours, you can meet me at Tiny Alice’s. Time is running out and I’ve got to find who did kill Alice’s granny.”
When she arrived at her own house, and her parents hugged and kissed her until she cried for release, Kelby was waiting. Seeing his grinning face, she couldn’t understand why she had actually missed him when she was in captivity.
“Tomorrow night at midnight,” croaked Kelby, “your time is up. And you know what that means.”
She did know. It meant that she had only one day left to solve the crime.
Could she do it?
Chapter Twenty-four
A Surprise in the Basement
“Where’s Miss Thelma?” Zoe asked the next noon, after submitting herself to a hundred embraces from the Bagley sisters. She had never been so hugged and kissed in her whole life! It was exhausting, to tell the truth.
But enough was enough. And she had work to do, evidence to find. Why had she slept so late?
“Miss Thelma?” she repeated, surveying the doughnuts, cookies, and pastries Miss Maud had heaped in front of her.
“Why, she’s gone,” said Miss Gertie. “As soon as your parents called that you and the boy were safe and the kidnappers caught, she went back home.”
“Oh no!” said Zoe, pushing away a plate of doughnuts. “She may still be in danger. I mean we don’t know that the kidnappers acted alone, do we?”
“Oh dear, we didn’t think of that,” said Miss Maud. “But who on earth could have helped them?”
“I don’t know, but I’m going to try and find out.” Zoe dashed across the road to Thelma Fairweather’s house and drew a big breath of relief to find the old lady alone in the kitchen, preparing a lunch of pasta and veggies.
“It was lovely staying with the Bagleys,” Thelma said, “but I must admit I’m awfully sick of soup. Asparagus soup, lentil soup, pea soup.”
Zoe had to agree. In fact she’d like nothing more than a nice apple crisp right now, the kind her mother made with Northern Spy apples and sugar and lots of cinnamon.
“No, thank you,” she said to the pasta and veggies. She would wait for the apple crisp. Each fall her mom stored quarts of it in the freezer.
She warned Thelma not to let in any strangers – or anyone slightly suspicious for that matter, and ran next door to see Tiny Alice. It was time to look in the grandmother’s boxes. There might be a clue hidden inside one of them. The Clue in Grandmother’s Box, she would call a mystery novel if she ever decided to write one. And she might.
Tiny Alice was in the
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