Ann Martin - Baby-Sitters Club 027

"Dawn?" I said. "We better get off the phone. My time is up and I don't think you're supposed to use the phone during an electric storm." Dawn sighed. "Okay." We hung up, both of us wondering what the next afternoon would bring.

Chapter 12.

How I made it through school on Tuesday is beyond me. All I could think about was Tigger, and our plan for the afternoon. What had we gotten ourselves into? Were we in any danger? I didn't really think so, but you never know. Maybe we were fooling around with ex-cons or something. But Logan was right - the culprit was probably a kid. And I hoped he had taken Tigger, so I could have him back.

At lunch that day, Kristy, Claudia, Dawn, Logan, and I sat together at a table that was as far from the crowded ones as possible. (Jessi and Mal eat during a different lunch period.) We had decided not to discuss the Tigger-napping at school, just in case the wrong person should overhear something, but Logan wanted to go over the details of our plan once more.

"Mary Anne?" he said. "You fixed the envelope?" I nodded. "It's just a regular letter envelope. It looks like it's full of bills, though. I put in Monopoly money - fifteen tens, so it's not too stuffed." "Good. And you know what to do today?" "Every step of the plan." "Great. The rest of you - you have your hiding places picked out?" "Yup," replied Kristy. "And we'll meet up with you so I can show you your hiding place. Oh, and Mary Anne, you know where I'll be hiding, right?" "Yes. In the tall grass behind the sycamore tree." I needed to know Kristy's hiding place so I could hide with her after I returned from pretending to go home. That way, she could give me news, if there was any, about what had happened after I'd left the envelope. I could have hidden with Logan, but he wanted to be alone in case he had to rush out and do something daring. What he didn't realize was that if he did, I'd join him in a second, followed by all the other members of the Baby-sitters Club.

We stick together.

At any rate, our plans were set.

"And now," said Kristy, "we better not talk about this anymore. We should just be our regular Baby-sitters Club table having lunch.

So in that case, anyone care for some fish eyes and glue?" she asked, holding out her dish of tapioca pudding. I know my face turned green.

That afternoon, we all went home in whatever way we usually would, except for Kristy, who walked home with Claudia, pretending she was going over to her house for the afternoon. It was easier than going to her house and then having to come all the way back to our neighborhood.

When I reached my house, I let myself inside and pounced on the envelope I'd fixed up. I was so afraid it would be missing. (What was the big deal? I'd get another envelope and put some more Monopoly money in it.) I think I was just worried about what might happen in Brenner Field - and soon.

I looked at my watch. Three-thirty. My friends were probably already hidden.

Three forty-five. With trembling hands, I picked up the envelope. It was time to go. I had to be at the big rock by four o'clock.

I left my house, locking the door behind me, and got on my bicycle. Bicycling would be a quicker way to travel when I was pretending to come home later. Then I turned onto the street, rode past Jamie's house, stopped by a wooded area, and locked my bike to a tree. Clutching the envelope, I walked through the grove and entered Brenner Field. It was damp and muddy in places from the storm the night before. I couldn't see any of my friends. I knew they were there, but they must have been awfully well hidden.

I had to pretend I was alone, though, so I just walked through the field, heading straight for the rock. When I reached it, I looked around. Was Tigger's kidnapper somewhere nearby? Was Tigger nearby? I saw nothing.

I laid the envelope on the rock. I put a smaller rock on top of it to keep it from blowing away. Then I left. I walked right back through the field the way I'd come, unlocked my bike, rode home, and put the bike away.

I waited for five very long minutes. Then I dashed across the street, through Claudia's yard, through several other yards to Jamie's, and approached the field from a different direction.

Bending over to keep low, I ran to Kristy's hiding spot, a tree in the middle of the field. I sank down against the trunk and looked hopefully at Kristy.

"Good work," she whispered. "I think. I mean, everything went smoothly. Let's just hope no one saw you come back. But nothing happened while you were gone." "Darn," I replied.

Puff, puff, Pant, pant. I worked at getting my breath back.

Kristy and I peeked around the sides of the sycamore tree. We could just barely see the big rock. We stared at it. We stared and stared and stared.

Half an hour went by.

"1 guess it was a joke," I whispered at last. "Maybe someone thought we'd think the note was funny, or that we wouldn't believe it." "Maybe Sam did it," suggested Kristy glumly.

Just as she finished speaking, I saw a flash of red across the field.

"Look!" I cried softly, pointing.

Kristy's head snapped up.

The two of us jerked to attention. We watched as a boy stepped into Brenner Field. He looked from left to right several times, as if he expected to see something ... or someone. Then he shaded his eyes and stared toward the big rock.

"His hands are empty," I whispered to Kristy in disappointment. "He doesn't have Tigger with him." Kristy made a sad face but didn't say any- thing, since we were supposedly being as quiet as possible.

The boy crept through the field, looking from left to right and behind him.

Suddenly I gasped.

Kristy looked at me around the back of the tree.

"That's the kid I met when I was putting up posters," I whispered indignantly. "He's the one who pretended he'd seen Tigger." Kristy frowned. We returned to our watching.

The boy reached the big rock. He saw the white envelope with the stone on top, brushed the stone away, and pocketed the envelope. He didn't even look inside it. Then he began to walk off.

"Hold it!" someone shouted.

Logan leaped out of the hiding place Kristy had shown him. He ran for the boy, but the boy raced away.

In a flash, we were all after the kid. Logan caught up with him first and grabbed him. Then the rest of us - all six of us - surrounded him.

"Where's Tigger?" I demanded.

"Tigger?" the boy repeated.

"That's right." "I don't know what you're talking about." "You mean you can't remember those posters you watched me put up?" Kristy, standing next to me, was smiling. I could imagine her saying, "Way to go, Mary Anne." I don't usually stand up for myself.

"Oh, um," stammered the boy, "yeah, those posters. Now I remember. Tigger is a missing . . . skunk?" "Kitten," replied Logan through clenched teeth. "And where is he?" "Where is he?" "Yeah. You've got your envelope," said Logan fiercely. "Now give us Tigger." "After I see what's in the envelope." Logan moved as quickly as a striking rattlesnake. One second the envelope was in the boy's hand, the next second it was in Logan's. "Give us Tigger and I'll give your money back," he said.

I widened my eyes. All this for Tigger? (And maybe for me?) "Give me the money and I'll tell you where Tigger is," countered the boy.

"No way," said Kristy. "And remember, it's seven against one." "And we can wait around all afternoon. All night, if necessary," added Jessi.

The boy scowled. "Okay, okay," he said.

Ill Goody, I thought. Now comes the part where he tells us where Tigger is.

"I don't have your stupid cat," the boy went on. "I just said I did so I could earn some fast money." "You little - "I began, but Dawn put her hand on my arm. I knew she meant, Don't let him know he got to you. I changed course. "What a stupid thing to do!" I exclaimed. "It didn't work, did it? You got caught, and now you look like a fool!" "Whoa," said Kristy under her breath.