Ann Martin - Jessi And The Jewel Thieves

It all came flooding out. I told her everything, starting with the fight Quint and I had seen the night before. Well, I told her almost everything. I couldn't quite bring myself to admit why I'd wanted to go to the Palm Court.

Stacey gazed at me, wide-eyed. "Wow," she said. "Jewel thieves!"

I'd expected her to be mad at me for getting involved, but she seemed more interested than mad. She asked me about every detail, and wondered out loud what Frank and Red might be planning. I should have remembered that every member of the BSC loves mysteries!

Morgan and Tyler finally tired of the sea lions, so we walked around the rest of the zoo. We saw the monkeys, which live in the Temperate Territory, and we visited the Tropic Zone, which is like a miniature rain forest. My favorite spot was the Polar Circle, with its huge penguin tank and a polar bear floe.

By the time we had seen everything in the zoo, we were exhausted. We decided to take a cab back to the Walters', which meant we would be the first ones home.

"The light's blinking!" yelled Tyler as soon as we walked into the apartment. He rushed over to the answering machine that sat near the phone. "I want to listen to the messages," he said.

Stacey and I looked at each other and shrugged. "Okay," I said. "Go ahead."

He punched a button and I heard the tape rewind. "Beep," said the machine. Then I heard Stacey's father's voice. "This is a message for Stacey," he said. "It's three-thirty, and I'm leaving the office now. I'll be home by the time you get there. See you, boontsie!"

Stacey blushed when she heard him call her by the nickname he gave her when she was a baby.

The machine beeped again, as if another message were coming up. But all I heard after that was a series of dicks. Tyler looked at me

and shrugged, and I shrugged, too. But a moment later, when he and Morgan had gone into the kitchen to rummage for a snack, I turned to Stacey. "Do you think the phone has been tapped?" I asked. "I bet that's what those

noises mean."

"You mean Frank and Red — " she began, but just then Mr. and Mrs. Walter came home, and Quint was a few seconds behind them. I didn't want to upset Quint right before his performance, so I didn't say a word about the phone. Anyway, Stacey and I had to head back to the East Side to change and get ready for a night out in the Big Apple!

Chapter 10.

I am very thankful to Mary Anne for the way she handled Becca that day. All of the BSC members are great sitters, but none of us is as sensitive as Mary Anne. She's the only one who could have helped Becca with what she was going through.

Mary Anne and Mal were sitting for all the Pike kids — plus Becca — on Saturday afternoon. (While I was running around in Central Park, they were running around the Pikes' backyard!) It was a beautiful day in Stoneybrook, and the Pike kids had spring fever. Everybody was outside in the yard.

The triplets and Nicky were throwing a soft-ball around, playing "hot potato." In that game you have to catch the ball and then throw it again as soon as you can. The players stand in a circle, and the ball goes back and forth. There were wild throws now and then, and Mary Anne was keeping a close eye on the game to make sure none of the wild throws went anywhere near a window. The triplets have broken windows before, playing softball. The last time they did it they decided to keep quiet about which one of them had thrown the fateful ball. All three of them were grounded.

Claire and Margo were playing hopscotch on the driveway. They'd drawn a pattern in

the shape of a seashell. "No fair!" yelled Claire, as Margo breezed through numbers one through five. "I only got to three!" Soon after, Margo touched the ground as she picked up her pebble, and Claire settled down and took her turn.

Vanessa was wandering among the tulips, composing an Ode to Spring. "How fair their little faces are, the flowers of the Spring," she muttered to herself, "turned up to catch the sunbeams that the elves and fairies bring." She smiled vaguely when Mal told her the poem sounded nice. Vanessa was off in her own little world.

Mal and Mary Anne sat on lawn chairs, with their own faces turned up to catch sunbeams. "Isn't it great to sit outside without even having to wear a sweat shirt?" asked Mal.

"It sure is," said Mary Anne. "Now all we have to put on is sunscreen." They'd made sure the kids were wearing some. Mary Anne glanced over toward the apple tree. Becca was sitting under it, looking forlorn. "How's Becca been doing?" she asked.

"Well, she's a little better," replied Mal. "She isn't crying all the time, and this morning she actually ate a bowl of cereal with strawberries on it. But she's still pretty unhappy. She keeps walking around with this 'poor little me' face on."

"I feel sorry for her," said Mary Anne. "I mean, not only is her whole family away, but Charlotte's away, too. And even though she's here with you guys, nobody can take the place of her family and her best friend."

"I know," said Mal with a sigh. "Everybody's been making an effort to be nice to her, but she just keeps moping around, and they want to have fun."

"I think I'll go talk to her," said Mary Anne. "I hate to see her sitting there all alone." She walked over to the apple tree and sat down next to Becca. "Hi," she said. "Hi," said Becca, softly. "Don't you want to play hopscotch?" asked Mary Anne. "Or softball?" Becca shook her head and didn't say a word. "Maybe you and Vanessa could pick some flowers and make a bouquet for Mrs. Pike," Mary Anne suggested. "Mothers like that kind of thing."

"My mother loves flowers," said Becca. "But she doesn't love me." She sniffed, and a tear worked its way down her cheek.

Mary Anne winced. How could she have said something so dumb? "Of course she loves you," said Mary Anne. She reached over and stroked Becca's arm.

"Uh-uh," murmured Becca. "She doesn't. If she did, she wouldn't have gone off and left

me all alone. Daddy doesn't love me either, and neither do Jessi or Aunt Cecelia. Squirt loves me, but they made him go off and leave me, too. I'm all by myself."

"Oh, Becca," said Mary Anne. "You know that's not true. Everybody loves you, and they'll be back soon. In the meantime, you're not alone. Look at all the people in this yard!"

Becca looked up. "They're a family," she said. "I'm all by myself, but they're a family. They have a mommy and a daddy who love them, and they love each other."

Mary Anne couldn't stand it anymore. "Becca, come sit on my lap," she said. "I think you need a big hug."

Becca crawled into Mary Anne's lap, and Mary Anne gave her a bear hug. Becca started to cry. "I'm not going to stay here anymore where nobody wants me," she said, between sobs. "I'm going to run away."

"Run away?" asked Mary Anne, surprised. "Where to?"

"To my house," Becca said. "I'll wait there until my family gets back."

Mary Anne thought for a moment. Becca seemed very determined, as if she'd been thinking over this idea for a while. And even though Mary Anne knew the plan was ridiculous, she decided to play along for a while. As sitters, we've learned that sometimes this

is the best way to let children find out for themselves that their ideas may not be practical. "Do you have a key to your house?" Mary Anne asked.

"A key?" asked Becca, looking surprised. "No, I don't. And I'm sure the house is all locked up. I didn't think of that." She was quiet for a moment, and then her face brightened. "It doesn't matter," she said. 'I'll just camp out in the backyard. Charlotte and I have been talking about doing that for a long time. It'll be fun." She sounded like she was trying to convince herself. "Will you help me get some supplies and things?" she asked Mary Anne.

"Sure," said Mary Anne. "Let's see, what will you need?" She ticked off items on her fingers. "Sleeping bag, flashlight, pillow — " "Cookies," added Becca. "Lots of cookies. And I'll bring my Little Mermaid bag, with all my stuff in it."