Ann Martin: Stacey And The Mystery At The Mall

mall. Plus, he's had lots of experience."

"What about Mr. Morton?" asked Shannon. "What’s going to happen to him?"

Kristy frowned. "I guess he'll have to go to court, it’s a shame, really. He did mean well."

"But I'll never be able to forget how he threatened those kids," said Mary Anne. "How could such a nice guy do such a rotten thing?"

We sat there shaking our heads, puzzled.

"And what about the day-care center?" Shannon asked. "Is there still going to be one?"

"Oh, definitely," I said. "April told me they hope to open within a few weeks. And guess who's quitting his job to be the center's full-time director? Mr. Williams, the guy from the Cheese Outlet."

"That’s great," said Kristy. "He'll be wonderful with the kids."

"Speaking of kids," I said, "I haven't told you all the best news. I called Mrs. Peabody today, over at Social Services? And it sounds like everything is working out just fine for Mara and Kyle and Brenda. The night they took them away, they contacted Mara's mom

in the hospital. She was almost ready to be released. Mrs. Peabody brought the kids over to the hospital and they had a really great reunion."

"So they'll be living together again, back in their apartment?" Kristy asked.

I nodded. "They're going to get some assistance from Social Services, and the family will be getting some counseling, too. I felt so much better after talking to Mrs. Peabody. I mean, turning Mara in was incredibly hard — but now at least I know that was the right thing to do."

"Wait till I call Dawn and tell her about all of this," said Mary Anne. Her eyes were brimming with tears. "It’s such a great story, with a 'happily ever after' for everyone."

"Everyone except Mr. Morton," said Kristy. She looked at the clock. "By the way, it’s after six," she said. "I think this meeting is adjourned."

"Then let’s call Dawn right now," said Claud, diving for the phone. "I want to talk to her, too. Once she hears about our next Short Takes class, maybe she'll come back home even sooner."

"What’s the next class?" asked Shannon.

"Oh, it’s a great one," I said.

"It should be totally fun — and relaxing, compared to Project Work," said Kristy.

"What is it?" Shannon asked again.

"Something everybody really needs, after six weeks of Project Work," said Mary Anne. We all started to giggle, except for Shannon, who sat there looking bewildered. Soon we were laughing so hard it was impossible to talk, but I finally managed to squeak the words out. "Stress Reduction for Teens," I said. Then I fell back onto the bed, gasping for breath as my friends and I laughed some more.

About the Author

ANN M. MARTIN did a lot of baby-sitting when she was growing up in Princeton, New Jersey. She is a former editor of books for children, and was graduated from Smith College.

Ms. Martin lives in New York City with her cats, Mouse and Rosie. She likes ice cream and I Love Lucy; and she hates to cook.

Ann Martin's Apple Paperbacks include Yours Turly, Shirley; Ten Kids, No Pets; With You and Without You; Bummer Summer; and all the other books in the Baby-sitters Club series.