Ann Martin - Jessi And The Jewel Thieves

have ordered a cheeseburger and fries.

By the end of the meal, Frank and Red had not shown up, but I didn't care. I was going to be able to go back to Stoneybrook and tell everyone that I'd eaten lunch at the Plaza.

Chapter 9.

"Thank you, Mr. McGill," I said. "That was a wonderful lunch."

"Thanks, Dad," chimed in Stacey.

"Thanks a lot," added Quint.

Stacey's father, had signalled for the check and the waiter had brought it in a leather folder. Mr. McGill counted out bills and tucked them inside. "Well," he said, "I'm glad you enjoyed it. I wasn't sure you'd think the harp music and the little sandwiches were cool, but I guess if you wanted cool you'd have chosen the Hard Rock Cafe."

"That's right," said Stacey. "This time we were going for elegance, instead. Right, Jessi?"

"Right," I answered, feeling guilty. I hadn't been thinking about elegance when I chose the Palm Court. I'd been thinking about jewel thieves. I felt bad about hiding the truth from Stacey, but I still thought it would be a bad idea to tell her about our mystery. After all,

Quint and I had things under control. If I told Stacey what was going on, she'd probably send me back to Stoneybrook.

"Okay, kiddo," said Mr. McGill to Stacey. "I'm off to the salt mines. Have fun babysitting. We'll have dinner together, okay?"

Stacey nodded. I could tell she was mad that her father was going to his office while she was visiting for the weekend, but she was trying not to show it. Stacey's dad is kind of a workaholic, and I know that bothers her. He just never seems to stop working, and he doesn't have a lot of energy left over to spend on his family. In fact, from what Stacey's told me, his work habits were part of the reason for her parents' divorce.

We walked out of the restaurant together. Stacey's dad hugged her and gave her some money. "Why don't you kids take a cab up to Quint's?" he said.

We thanked him again and said our goodbyes. I turned to check the entrance to the Plaza one more time, looking for Frank and Red, and by the time I turned around Stacey had hailed a cab.

We reached Quint's just in time. Mr. and Mrs. Walter were dressed and ready to go out, and Quint had to leave for his dress rehearsal. "We really appreciate your taking care of Morgan and Tyler," Mrs. Walter said to Stacey and

me. "I know you baby-sit at home all the time, so it's nice of you to work while you're on vacation."

"That's okay," said Stacey. "We love to sit, and it's always fun to do things in the city with kids."

"Anyway," I added, "Morgan and Tyler are great kids. It’ll be a pleasure to take care of them."

Quint rolled his eyes. "You can't be talking about Morgan and Tyler Walter!" he said. "The pests of the universe!"

Morgan and Tyler jumped on him and pulled at his shirt. "We are not!" cried Morgan.

"You're a pest," yelled Tyler. "You are!"

"Okay, okay," said Quint, grinning. "I'm a pest, and you guys are perfect. Is that better?"

"Yeah!" said Tyler and Morgan.

After a few minutes, Quint and his parents said good-bye and left Stacey and me alone with Morgan and Tyler. "How about a trip to the zoo, you guys?" asked Stacey. She and I had already planned to take the kids there, since we both love zoos.

"All right\" said Tyler

"Will we see the monkeys?" asked Morgan.

"Absolutely," said Stacey. She and I helped the kids find their jackets, and then we set off. Stacey led us down Central Park West to a

park entrance near Tavern on the Green, which is this really fancy restaurant.

I was taking my second walk through the park in one day, but I didn't mind. There's so much to see in Central Park. I bet you could walk through it every single day and see new things each time. But even though the park is beautiful and full of interesting people and places, I couldn't totally relax and enjoy it. I was nervous about being out in the city without Quint. What if Frank and Red had watched Stacey and me and the kids leave the Walters' apartment? What if they were following us? I could be putting Morgan and Tyler in danger. I kept glancing over my shoulder, checking to make sure the two men weren't behind me.

Luckily, we were walking through this huge field called the Sheep Meadow, and there wasn't much cover for Frank and Red to duck behind if they were following us. I was able to rest easy for a few minutes and watch the people who were flying kites and playing softball.

After a while, we walked under a big arch. "That's Playmates Arch," said Stacey. "Ifs called that because it leads to the playing fields."

All of a sudden, Morgan grabbed my hand. "Jessi!" she said. I jumped, since I was feeling jittery to begin with.

"What?" I asked. "What's the matter?"

"I hear the carousel," she said. "Can we go on it?"

I calmed down. "Sure," I replied, digging into my pockets for change. "Let's go buy tickets for you and Tyler."

"I don't want to go on the dumb carousel," said Tyler. "That's for little kids."

Stacey and I grinned at each other, remembering a time when the entire BSC had visited New York. We had fallen under the spell of the carousel, and we had a great time riding on it. "I'll go with you, Morgan," I said.

"Me, too," said Stacey.

Tyler looked at us. "You're going on it?" he asked. "Well, I guess I might as well, too." He looked happy, even though he was trying to sound bored and sophisticated. And when we climbed onto the merry-go-round's horses, which are almost as big as real horses, his face lit up and he looked as excited as any other kid on the ride.

I chose a white stallion with a purple-and-red saddle, trimmed in gold. And during the ride, I happily pretended he was real. I even gave him a name: Charger. I love horses, all horses. Even the ones carved out of wood.

But when the carousel stopped and we hopped off, reality came flooding back. I was not a beautiful damsel with her own white

stallion. I was Jessi, in the big city, mixed up with a pair of jewel thieves. I followed Stacey as she led us toward the zoo, but I started to glance behind me again, every few steps.

"There's the dairy," said Stacey. "In the olden days cows really got milked in there. Isn't it awesome to think that this spot — where we're standing right now — used to be the country?" "Yeah," I replied, distractedly. "Jessi," said Stacey, looking at me closely, "are you feeling all right?"

"I'm fine," I said. Just then I caught a glimpse of red over Stacey's shoulder, and my eyes widened. Was it Red? No, it was just a balloon, bobbing along over a baby stroller. "What's the matter, Jessi?" Stacey asked. At that moment, I wanted to tell her everything. I just couldn't keep the mystery a secret any longer. "I'll tell you," I said. "But let's get to the zoo, first. I don't want the kids to hear this."

We were passing under the Delacorte Clock then, and Tyler and Morgan were gazing up at it, hoping to see the animal band. That dock is so neat. Every half hour, this mechanical six-piece animal band circles around while it plays a tune. Plus, there are two monkeys on the top that bang little hammers on the bells. Several minutes later, we arrived at the zoo.

Stacey had been giving me curious looks, but she hadn't asked any more questions. She was waiting patiently for me to explain why I'd been acting so weird.

The Central Park Zoo re-opened recently after being dosed for a long time while the city fixed it up. It's a neat place to take kids to, since it’s not all that big. Stacey told me that you can see all the animals in about an hour. We brought Morgan and Tyler straight to the Sea Lion pool, and they ran to the railing and started to make up names for each sea lion. "That one's Waldo," cried Morgan.

"And his wife Winifred," added Tyler.

Stacey and I sat down on a nearby bench so we could talk and watch the kids at the same time. "Okay," she said. "What's going on?"