The Unwilling Umpire by Ron Roy Page B

Fallon blinked. “What do you mean, ‘missing’?” he asked.
    Josh told Officer Fallon what he’d discovered.
    “Did you see anyone else inside the clubhouse?” the police chief asked.
    Josh shook his head. “I was the only one there,” he said.
    Officer Fallon looked toward the clubhouse. “Pete went inside just before you did, Josh,” Officer Fallon said. “Are you telling me he wasn’t in there?”
    Josh shook his head. “I didn’t see anyone. After I noticed the baseballs were gone, I got the heck out of there!” he said.
    Mr. Pocket stormed up to them. His face was as white as his hair. “They
are
gone!” he said.
    “Thaddeus, just how much are those balls worth?” Officer Fallon asked.
    “A great deal,” Mr. Pocket said. “But I don’t care about the money. My father gave me those baseballs.”
    “I’ll do my best to get them back for you,” Officer Fallon said. He ran toward the parking lot, where he’d parked his cruiser.
    Mr. Pocket sighed. “Well, I guess the game is over,” he said. He walked away. A minute later, the kids heard hisvoice over the public-address system. “LADIES AND GENTS, I’M SORRY TO REPORT THAT THE GAME HAS BEEN CALLED OFF.”
    There was a pause. Then he continued: “WE HOPE THE GAME WILL BE CONTINUED IN A FEW DAYS. WE’LL LET YOU KNOW AS SOON AS WE KNOW MORE. THANK YOU.”
    The kids watched Mr. Pocket walk toward Main Street.
    The people in the bleachers began leaving. Dink could hear their disappointed voices as they passed. The men straggled off the field, looking confused.
    Ellie walked over to the kids. “What’s that all about?” she asked. “And what’s with Mr. Pocket? After he talked with you kids, he looked like he swallowed some nails!”
    Josh explained.
    “And Pete disappeared the same time the baseballs did!” Ruth Rose added.
    “You’re kidding, right?” Ellie said.
    “Nope. Officer Fallon just took off,” Josh said. “I think he’s going to try to find Pete.”
    Ellie looked sad. “Gee, he seemed like such a nice guy,” she said.
    “I thought so, too,” Dink said.
    “Do you know where he came from?” Ruth Rose asked Ellie. “I mean, we don’t really know anything about him.”
    “All I know is what he told me a couple days ago,” said Ellie. “He came into the diner for a coffee and we chatted. He said he was heading down south, but he stopped to earn some more money. He’s got a trailer parked at the river campground.”
    “But where did he come from?” asked Dink.
    Ellie shrugged. “Didn’t say. But I find it hard to believe that he’s a thief.”
    “You know what’s weird?” Josh said.
    “If Pete planned to steal the balls, why’d he do it during the game?”
    “Maybe he figured no one would be in the clubhouse,” Ruth Rose said. “I guess he was right!”
    “It seems awfully strange,” Ellie said. “Well, if the game is off, I’d better get back to my diner.”
    Ellie hurried away, and the kids walked slowly toward Main Street. A lot of people stopped them to ask what was going on. The kids explained, and the people went away shaking their heads.
    Just as the kids reached Main Street, Officer Fallon’s cruiser appeared.
    In the backseat, staring straight ahead, sat Pete Unkenholz.

“Did you see that?” Dink asked. “Officer Fallon arrested Pete!”
    “Let’s go see what’s going on!” suggested Josh. “Do you think they’ll put him in jail?”
    The kids hurried up West Green Street. Just as they passed the elderly-housing apartments, they saw Officer Keene pulling up in a black truck. He parked it in front of the police station and stepped out.
    “That’s Pete’s truck!” whispered Josh.
    “Hello, Officer Keene,” Dink said.
    “What’s going on? Is Pete under arrest?”
    Officer Keene nodded. “We caught him in his truck. Pete admitted he took those baseballs,” he said.
    “Did you get them back, Officer Keene?” Ruth Rose asked.
    “Nope. Pete told us he stole ’em but won’t