Ann Martin: Claudia And the Clue in the Photograph

go on. This is my favorite thing about the BSC — not! Actually, it drives me crazy, because I'm not the world's best speller, and I'm sometimes embarrassed by my entries. Still, I have to admit that knowing the details of what’s going on in our clients' lives makes us all better sitters.

Another patented Kristy Thomas idea? Kid-Kits. Those are boxes full of toys, stickers, and games we bring along on jobs. I just redecorated mine to look like a pirate ship. Kids love Kid-Kits.

Kristy knows what kids love, since kids are a big part of her life. Her mom remarried not that long ago, and when she did, Kristy's family doubled in size. Her stepfather, Watson Brewer, happens to be a millionaire — really! And Kristy moved across town to live in his mansion. He has two kids, Karen and Andrew, from his first marriage. They live at Kristy's house every other month. Also, Kristy has a new adopted sister, Emily Michelle, who's Vietnamese. So that mansion is pretty full, especially when you add in Kristy's grandmother Nannie, who came to live mere and help out after Emily Michelle arrived, and all the pets (a puppy, a cat, two goldfish, and two part-time pets, a rat and a hermit crab).

"How's Ms. Vice-President today?" asked

Kristy, after she'd taken her usual seat in the director's chair near my desk.

I'm vice-president of the BSC. I was unanimously elected to that position because of one important thing: I'm the only member who has her own phone, with a private line. Besides answering the phone and arranging jobs during non-meeting times, my only other duty seems to be providing snacks for meetings. (That day I had dug out a box of jawbreakers, a package of Fig Newtons, and some pretzels.)

"I'm fine," I said, answering Kristy's question. Then I held up a finger. "The door just slammed again. I bet that’s Stacey. I hear her clogs." Stacey just got this really cool pair of blue suede dogs. We had featured them in the fashion shoot. I raised the camera to my eye and waited.

Sure enough, Stacey walked in a minute .later. "Do the Vogue'!" I cried. Without hesitating, Stacey struck a pose, tilting her face to the camera and letting her blonde, curly hair tumble down her back. Snap!

Right away, I was sure that anybody looking at the picture I'd just taken would know Stacey McGill. There she was, looking gorgeous and sophisticated, dressed in a totally up-to-the-minute outfit. That’s Stacey. She grew up in Manhattan, and she still has that urban chic.

She buys a lot of her clothes in the city, while she's visiting her dad. (Her parents are divorced. Stacey chose to live with her mom in Stoneybrook, but she sees her dad pretty regularly.)

Stacey is the BSCs treasurer, and she's the perfect person for the job. Get this — she actually likes math class! She has a ball collecting our dues, adding up all the bucks, and then portioning them out for things like my phone bill and transportation costs (her brother Charlie drives her to meetings). I wouldn't take that job if you paid me a million dollars, but Stacey does it just for the fun of it. I guess it takes all kinds.

If you looked very carefully at the picture of Stacey, you might be able to see a certain glow. That’s because she has a boyfriend these days, named Robert. I'm happy for her, I really am. But I have to admit I'm also a little bit jealous. First, because I'd like a boyfriend, too. I've even gone so far as to advertise for one, in this personals column I run for our school paper! But also because Stacey has been spending a lot of time with Robert. We had a big fight about that recently, but of course we made up. We always do. That’s how best friends operate.

One thing you "wouldn't be able to tell about Stacey, just by looking at the picture, is that

she has diabetes. Diabetes is a lifetime thing, but it doesn't show. I would never have known if Stacey hadn't told us all. Diabetes is a complicated disease to explain, and since I'm not exactly Doctor Science, I'll just say that Stacey's body doesn't handle sugar well, so she has to be very careful about what she eats. Plus, she has to give herself shots (ouch!) of this stuff called insulin, just to keep things working right. Diabetes is a very serious disease, but Stacey handles it well.

For example, that afternoon, after she had stopped posing and flopped down on my bed, Stacey helped herself to a pretzel, ignoring the Jawbreakers and Fig Newtons. Then she smiled up at me. "Better focus on the door again," she said. "Somebody else is coming."

Sure enough, I heard footsteps on the stairs. Kristy, Stacey, and I listened for a second. The footsteps weren't as "thumpy" as Kristy’s had been. In fact, they sounded a bit tentative.

"Mary Anne!" we all said at the same time. I picked up the camera again and focused. When Mary Anne walked in and saw me looking at her through the camera, she immediately threw her hands over her face. Snap!

Another perfect shot. The picture would show Mary Anne's short dark hair (she and Kristy, her best friend, have similar coloring,

but Mary Anne has a much cooler haircut) and her carefully chosen outfit (not too trendy, but much more thought-out than Kristy’s ). But it would also show something about Mary Anne's personality. If I had to choose one word to describe Mary Anne Spier, it would be this: shy. If I could pick a few more words, I'd add: sensitive, good listener, romantic, and totally sweet.

She's also an excellent dub secretary. Mary Anne is in charge of the BSC record book, and she does a great job, keeping track of all our schedules and jobs.

Mary Anne grew up as the only child of a widower. Her mother died when Mary Anne was very young, and Mr. Spier brought her up all by himself. Now", I've known Mary Anne (and Kristy, too, for that matter) all my life, and I have to say I've seen her go through some big changes. For one thing, her dad was very overprotective for a long time. He treated her like a little girl until she was at least twelve. But Mary Anne isn't a little girl anymore, and I think her dad knows that now. She has a steady boyfriend (a total sweetheart named Logan Bruno), and a mind of her own. Plus, like Kristy, Mary Anne also has a new family. Her dad remarried, and his wife — and Mary Anne's stepmother — happens to be the mother of another BSC member, Dawn

Schafer, who is Mary Anne's other best friend. If I could snap a picture of Dawn, it would show a pretty, self-assured girl with long, long blonde hair and a sunny smile. She'd probably be wearing something casual but cool.

How Dawn became Mary Anne's stepsister — and why I can't snap a picture of her — is kind of a complicated story, so stay with me, okay? Here goes. Dawn's mom grew up in Stoneybrook, and dated Mr. Spier when they were both in high school. Then, she moved out to California, got married, and had two kids (Dawn and her younger brother Jeff). Unfortunately, the marriage didn't last, and after the divorce Dawn's mom moved back to Stoneybrook, with Jeff and Dawn in tow.

Dawn and Mary Anne became instant friends, discovered that their parents used to date, and brought them back together. Eventually, Richard (Mary Anne's dad) and Sharon (Dawn's mom) got married, and the two families settled into the old farmhouse where Dawn and her mom had been living. Sounds like a case of happily ever after, right?

Well, not exactly. I mean, they are happy, but there's more to the story. First, even before the wedding, Dawn's brother decided that he'd never adjust to living in Stoneybrook. He ended up going back to California to live with

his dad. Then, not too long ago, Dawn realized that she was really, really missing Jeff and her dad, so she headed out there, too. Not forever, though. Just for a long visit. We all miss her, but I know Mary Anne misses her most of all.

When Dawn is in Stoneybrook, her BSC job is alternate officer. That means she can cover for any other officer who can't make it to a meeting. While Dawn's away, her position has been temporarily taken by Shannon Kilbourne, who is ordinarily one of our associate members. The other is Logan Bruno, Mary Anne’s heartthrob. A photo of him would show a curly-haired, long-legged, very cute guy. It wouldn't show his adorable Kentucky accent, though. Associate members, by the way, don't always come to meetings. That’s why I couldn't take a picture of Logan that day. He usually just helps out when we have too many jobs to handle.