"Kenyon, Kate - Junior High 14 - Junior High Private Eyes" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kenyon Kate)
Chapter 1.
"Why do you think they call this a kamikaze?" Jennifer Mann asked thoughtfully. She stared at the monstrous sundae she was sharing with her friends Nora Ryan and Lucy Armanson.
"Probably because you have to have a death wish to eat it," Nora answered, gesturing with her spoon in the air. "Do you know how many calories are in this thing?" She glanced at the twelve scoops of rainbow-colored ice cream smothered in three gooey sauces and did a quick tally. 'The ice cream alone has got to be over a thousand calories, and the sauce probably runs another hundred calories a table-spoon. . . ."
"Pul-eeze!" Lucy Armanson objected. "What's the fun of coming to a place like Temptations if you're going to analyze the goodies?
It's not like we do this every day, you know." She grinned and delicately licked a dollop of whipped cream off the end of her spoon.
"Hah! That's easy for you to say," Nora countered. Nora, a short girl with curly brown hair, had always envied Lucy's slim, willowy figure.
Lucy shrugged, her dark eyes glowing. Lucy was a tall black girl with a bubbly personality, who knew how to put clothes together like a fashion model. "Well, I think we've earned it," she insisted. "We made it through Mr. Rochester's English exam and Mr. Robard's history test, all in one week."
"You know something, Lucy? You're absolutely right. It's been a tough week, and we deserve it!" Jen sighed happily and plunged her spoon into the rich hot fudge sauce that dribbled over the edge of the heavy glass dish.
"You see, Nora? It's two against one. So just enjoy it, and stop feeling guilty." Lucy smiled at her Mend to show she was teasing. The three girls were eighth-graders at Cedar Groves Junior High and had most of their classes together. Their impromptu afternoon session at Temptations, a popular ice-cream hangout, had become the highlight of their
week, a time to giggle together and make plans for the weekend.
A few moments later, Jen and Lucy were deep in conversation about one of Jen's favorite causes, animal welfare. Jen was a volunteer at the local animal shelter and spent much of her time trying to find homes for stray puppies and kittens.
"But Murphy's so cute," Jen was saying earnestly. "He's about three months old, and he's a DSH Ч that's a domestic short hair Ч and he never stops purring. ..."
Nora watched Jen affectionately from across the table. Jennifer Mann had been her best friend since kindergarten, and the two of them were so much in tune that they could practically read each other's minds.
Nora smiled and let her mind wander. As far as Jen was concerned, every pet was as playful as Morris, as loyal as Lassie, and had a personality to rival Rin Tin Tin's.
Suddenly, Nora was startled by a very strange conversation coming from the next booth. The booths were so high, it was impossible to get a glimpse of the occupants, but the dialogue was enough to make Nora sit straight up in surprise.
"The way I see it, we need to knock out the bank teller," a gruff male voice said. 'That's the only way to protect ourselves."
"Absolutely," a female voice agreed. "The last thing we need is witnesses." She punctuated this last remark with a harsh laugh, and the first speaker joined in.
Knock out the teller? Nora nearly, dropped her spoon. Surely the people were joking, weren't they? She glanced at Jen and Lucy to see If they had overheard the same conversation, but Jen was right in the middle of a long description of Murphy's furry charm.
Trying to look as inconspicuous as possible, Nora leaned her head back against the tall wooden booth, hoping to pick up more of the incredible conversation. There was silence for a long moment, broken only by the sounds of ice tinkling in glass mugs, and Nora relaxed, convinced that she had imagined the whole thing.
Then the female voice spoke again, and her words sent a little shiver up Nora's spine. "Has anybody figured out what to do about the getaway car?" Her voice was like warm molasses, soft and syrupy with a definite Southern twang.
"Good point," a male voice said. "Who's got some ideas?"
He paused, and Nora reached across the table and tugged desperately at Lucy's arm. "Did you hear that?" she asked in a nervous whisper.
"That!" Nora hissed, rolling her eyes wildly.
"Nora, what in the world Ч " Jen began, but Nora stopped her by grabbing her wrist.
"Listen," she said between gritted teeth. "There's something really odd going on at the next booth." She jerked her head in the direction of the booth behind her, raising a finger to her lips, and both girls fell silent.
A second later, a third male voice droned, "I've scouted out a few locations, and I think I've come up with the ideal spot."
"Yeah?" The first male voice was curious.
"Clip 'N' Curl, that beauty shop in the mall. It's the perfect place for us."
"He wants to go to Clip 'N' Curl," Lucy said, amused. "Doesn't he know they only cut women's hair?"
"Sshhh!" Nora ordered. "Just be quiet and keep listening."
"I think you're all forgetting something," the female suddenly blurted out. Her voice was so loud that Nora involuntarily jumped, spilling ice water in her lap. 'The getaway car's going to be totally useless unless you do something about those shock absorbers."
"Getaway car?" Lucy mouthed silently, her eyes wide with surprise. She shut her mouth abruptly as a fourth voice began to speak. His voice was rich and distinctive, with an attractive French accent.
"We must-overlook nothing, n'est-ce pas? One slip and the whole bank job is ruined, fini."
"Bank job? Ohmigosh, they're really criminals!" Now it was Jen's turn to look horrified.
"What did I tell you?" Nora whispered, picking ice cubes out of her lap. "Jen," she said on a sudden inspiration, "can you get a look over the top of the booth?" It was risky, she knew, but it was the only way to get the information they needed.
"101 do it, I'm taller," Lucy offered. Before either girl could react, she darted a quick look over the wooden booth. She moved so quickly, she was sure no one spotted her, but Nora noticed that she was breathing hard when she sat down.
"Three men and a woman," she said unsteadily. "All I could see was the top of their heads because of that darn Tiffany lamp."
"We should write all this down," Nora said quietly, scribbling on her napkin. "Did you get a description?"
Lucy shook her head. "Not really. I couldn't tell their ages, or their sizes, but one of them had red hair."
'That's important," Nora said tightly. "The police are going to want to know every single detail."
"I wish we had more to go on," Jen said. Her delicate face was pale with excitement, and her hazel eyes and raven hair stood out in sharp contrast to her white skin. "I wonder if I could get a better look by leaning out in the aisle."
"Be careful," Nora pleaded. Her ears pricked up as the conversation behind her resumed, and she began writing furiously. The words were muffled now, as if the group was making an effort to lower their voices. Did they suspect they were being overheard? .Nora couldn't be sure.
"What are they saying?" Lucy whispered, her dark eyes solemn.
"They're talking about someone named Pierre," Nora murmured. "They said they can't do anything till he gets here."
"He must be the leader of the mob. I think they call that a kingpin," Lucy said with a little shudder.
Jen, who had dropped her napkin in the aisle and then pretended to retrieve it, scooted back into her seat. Her face was flushed with excitement and there was a triumphant note in her voice. "One of them is wearing a pair of gray and black Riveaus," she said excitedly. "He's got his foot stuck out in the aisle."
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