prune.”
“I’m thinking about Barry,” he said. “And what you said about how happy he looks when he plays, and how disgusted he looks
when he doesn’t. Maybe you’re right. Maybe he’s jealous of me and is using my father’s release from prison to get at me.”
“Is his father a stocks-and-bonds man?” Margo asked.
“I don’t know. But I’m going to find out.” He paused and indulged in more thinking. Suddenly his face lit up. “I know what.
I’ll have my mother call his mother tomorrow while we’re in school, and ask her if Mr. Delaney subscribes to
Stocks in Review.
If he does, maybe she can borrow the August issue for me.”
“I hate to say this, but it would be terrible if he’s the guy,” said Margo. “He’s your neighbor.”
“Telling me? We’ve been friends ever since they moved next door.” Jim bit on his lower lip until it hurt. “Darn! I hate to
think of him pulling those lousy things on me, Margo!”
She shrugged and stood up.
“I’ve got to go. See you tomorrow,” she said.
A few minutes later Jim stepped out of the room and called to his mother. “Mom! Can I see you a minute, please?”
“All right!” came her reply from the living room.
He stepped back into the room and waited for her. She soon came, leaned against the doorframe, and crossed her hands in front
of her.
“Hi, Mom.” He cleared his throat. “I’ve got a favor to ask of you.”
“Just keep it simple,” she said.
Calmly, he told her what he would like her to do. When he was finished, she looked at him thoughtfully. “You suspect Barry?”
He shrugged. “At this point I don’t know whom to suspect anymore, Mom. But Margo and I think it’s possible that he’s the guy.
Anyway, we’d like to check him out.”
“I think you’re wrong,” his mother said. “But I’ll see what Frieda says.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
The next day during lunchtime Jim called his mother from a pay phone in the school cafeteria.
“You may have hit the jackpot,” she told him.
His heart jumped. “Mr. Delaney subscribes to the magazine?”
“No. But he gets it from someone else.”
“From whom?”
“Mr. Watkins. Mr. G. T. Watkins.”
G. T. Watkins? Jims hand tightened on the receiver. “Did you get the August issue, Mom?”
“Yes. I have it right here in front of me.”
“Good. See if page fifty-five is in it.”
“Just a minute.”
He waited a few seconds, his heart pumping faster than ever.
In a moment her voice was back on the line. “Jim, the page is missing. It was torn out.”
Jim could barely restrain himself. It
was
Barry!
“Thanks, Mom!” he cried, thrilled that the mystery was solved. “I love you!”
But suddenly a wave of regret drowned out his feeling of elation. In spite of his desperately wanting to know who was at the
bottom of all this horrible business, he had hoped it wasn’t Barry. They had been friends so long; what kind of a relationship
would they have from now on? The rat, Jim thought. The lousy rat!
“Jim? Are you still there?”
“Yes, Mom,” he said, his voice softer. “Thanks, again. See you later.”
He hung up and turned to Margo. “She’s got the magazine with the page torn out of it,” he said gravely.
“Hey! At last we’re cooking!” she exclaimed, then frowned. “What’s the matter? You’ve solved the case. Aren’t you happy it’s
over?”
He took a deep breath and let it out heavily. “Barry. I would never have believed it.”
A bell rang. Their lunchtime was over.
They went to their lockers and then to their respective classes. Jim, heading for Math 10, wished he had the nerve to skip
it. Barry was in the class, too. Barry. Oh, man.
We were good friends. At least, I thought we were. Can’t a guy trust his own friends anymore?
He entered the room and saw Barry already in his seat.
“Hi, Jim,” Barry greeted him.
Jim ignored him. He felt cold, bitter all of a sudden.
A hand tapped him on the shoulder. “Hey,
“I’m thinking about Barry,” he said. “And what you said about how happy he looks when he plays, and how disgusted he looks
when he doesn’t. Maybe you’re right. Maybe he’s jealous of me and is using my father’s release from prison to get at me.”
“Is his father a stocks-and-bonds man?” Margo asked.
“I don’t know. But I’m going to find out.” He paused and indulged in more thinking. Suddenly his face lit up. “I know what.
I’ll have my mother call his mother tomorrow while we’re in school, and ask her if Mr. Delaney subscribes to
Stocks in Review.
If he does, maybe she can borrow the August issue for me.”
“I hate to say this, but it would be terrible if he’s the guy,” said Margo. “He’s your neighbor.”
“Telling me? We’ve been friends ever since they moved next door.” Jim bit on his lower lip until it hurt. “Darn! I hate to
think of him pulling those lousy things on me, Margo!”
She shrugged and stood up.
“I’ve got to go. See you tomorrow,” she said.
A few minutes later Jim stepped out of the room and called to his mother. “Mom! Can I see you a minute, please?”
“All right!” came her reply from the living room.
He stepped back into the room and waited for her. She soon came, leaned against the doorframe, and crossed her hands in front
of her.
“Hi, Mom.” He cleared his throat. “I’ve got a favor to ask of you.”
“Just keep it simple,” she said.
Calmly, he told her what he would like her to do. When he was finished, she looked at him thoughtfully. “You suspect Barry?”
He shrugged. “At this point I don’t know whom to suspect anymore, Mom. But Margo and I think it’s possible that he’s the guy.
Anyway, we’d like to check him out.”
“I think you’re wrong,” his mother said. “But I’ll see what Frieda says.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
The next day during lunchtime Jim called his mother from a pay phone in the school cafeteria.
“You may have hit the jackpot,” she told him.
His heart jumped. “Mr. Delaney subscribes to the magazine?”
“No. But he gets it from someone else.”
“From whom?”
“Mr. Watkins. Mr. G. T. Watkins.”
G. T. Watkins? Jims hand tightened on the receiver. “Did you get the August issue, Mom?”
“Yes. I have it right here in front of me.”
“Good. See if page fifty-five is in it.”
“Just a minute.”
He waited a few seconds, his heart pumping faster than ever.
In a moment her voice was back on the line. “Jim, the page is missing. It was torn out.”
Jim could barely restrain himself. It
was
Barry!
“Thanks, Mom!” he cried, thrilled that the mystery was solved. “I love you!”
But suddenly a wave of regret drowned out his feeling of elation. In spite of his desperately wanting to know who was at the
bottom of all this horrible business, he had hoped it wasn’t Barry. They had been friends so long; what kind of a relationship
would they have from now on? The rat, Jim thought. The lousy rat!
“Jim? Are you still there?”
“Yes, Mom,” he said, his voice softer. “Thanks, again. See you later.”
He hung up and turned to Margo. “She’s got the magazine with the page torn out of it,” he said gravely.
“Hey! At last we’re cooking!” she exclaimed, then frowned. “What’s the matter? You’ve solved the case. Aren’t you happy it’s
over?”
He took a deep breath and let it out heavily. “Barry. I would never have believed it.”
A bell rang. Their lunchtime was over.
They went to their lockers and then to their respective classes. Jim, heading for Math 10, wished he had the nerve to skip
it. Barry was in the class, too. Barry. Oh, man.
We were good friends. At least, I thought we were. Can’t a guy trust his own friends anymore?
He entered the room and saw Barry already in his seat.
“Hi, Jim,” Barry greeted him.
Jim ignored him. He felt cold, bitter all of a sudden.
A hand tapped him on the shoulder. “Hey,
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