"Kenyon, Kate - Junior High 14 - Junior High Private Eyes" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kenyon Kate)

The sergeant?" Nora sniffed. "You've got to be kidding. We've got a major story on our hands, and we need to go straight to the top."
"The top?" Jen whispered, her hazel eyes glowing with excitement.
"The chief of police," Nora said with a defiant toss of her head. "And that's exactly what I'm going; to do." She remembered that a teacher had once told her that if you act confident, you'll feel confident, and she decided to give it a try. She marched over to the desk sergeant and flashed her brightest smile. "Excuse me," she said, putting as much authority in her voice as she could muster, "but we need to talk to someone immediately. Preferably the head honcho." She thought the head honcho part was a nice
touch. All the television cops used street slang, and it was a clever way of alerting him that she knew the ropes.
There was a long pause while the desk sergeant filled out a legal document that looked about three feet long and was stapled together with four sets of carbons. "Yeah?" he said, without looking up. He lifted a coffee-stained paper cup to his lips, saw that it was empty, and tossed it over his shoulder into a wastebasket.
Nora watched, fascinated, wondering why her mouth suddenly felt dry. There was something about the precinct house that was making her feel like a criminal instead of a concerned citizen! "Yeah. I mean yes."
'Then take a number." He had a flat, gravelly voice and was obviously not in the mood to talk. He glanced up long enough to jerk his thumb at a little machine that dispensed numbered tickets.
"A number?" Nora said weakly. Someone jabbed her in the back, and she found herself propelled forward toward the machine. "Oh, yes, I see," she said, even though the desk sergeant was no longer listening. "A number, what will they think of next?" she muttered to no one in particular. Inwardly, she was fuming.
A number! Here she was, trying to report a major robbery, and they acted like she wanted to buy a dozen jelly donuts!
She took a deep breath and rejoined her friends. "We're in business," she said, hoping she sounded more confident than she felt.
"What have you got there?" Lucy asked suspiciously. She was eyeing Nora's little scrap of paper.
'This? Oh, this is a number. Some new procedure, I guess."
"A number?" Lucy hooted. "He gave you a number! What does he think this is, a bakery?"
"The desk sergeant on Mill Street Blues never gave anybody a number," Jen said wistfully. "He always acted really concerned about people and he used to warn them to be careful, that it's a jungle out there."
"Oh, Jen, get real," Nora snapped, annoyed. "That was a television show and this is. ... She paused and looked around the depressing room. "... real life." She didn't want to let on that she wasn't the least bit encouraged at the way the police were responding to this emergency.
"Do you mind if I look around?" Jen said. "This is so exciting, and I may never get a chance to come back," she said seriously.
"Go ahead." Nora gave her a tolerant smile. Jen was one of the sweetest, most naive persons she knew, and she was always enchanted by everything. "Lucy and I will stay here. I don't want to lose my place in line," she said, glancing at her number. Fifty-six! They'd probably be there all evening!
"Okay," Jen said happily. "If I find something interesting, IТll come and get you."
Nora nodded, wondered if she should tell Jen to be careful, and then decided she was being paranoid. After all, what could possibly happen in a police station?
A few minutes later, Jen was wandering by a glass-windowed office when she spotted a sandy-haired young man leaning against a desk in the hall.
He was good-looking, with dazzling blue eyes, and strong, even features. When he saw Jen, his whole face lit up in a friendly grin. "Need some directions?" he said helpfully.
"No, I'm just browsing." Jen found herself smiling back, and decided that there was something very appealing about him.
"You're browsing?" He started to laugh and then stopped abruptly. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "I don't mean to sound rude, but I've never met anyone who spent their time browsing in a police station. I thought browsing was for libraries, or maybe zoos. Although, come to think of it, this place is sort of like a zoo." He paused, his eyes bright with merriment, and Jen noticed that he had two dimples that magically appeared when he smiled.
"Well, if s my first time, you see," Jen said seriously. She unconsciously stood up a little straighter, glad that she had worn her very best oxford cloth Mouse and pleated skirt She wished she had taken a moment to comb her thick black hair, but from the expression in the boy's eyes, she could tell that she must look okay.
Tour first time," he repeated. His eyes were solemn as he digested this information. "You're a visitor, I suppose."
"Oh, no," Jen said coyly. "I'm here on official business." She lowered her voice to a confidential whisper. "I'm here with my Mends to... make a statement." She noticed the sudden spark of interest in those blue eyes and was glad that she had chosen her words carefully. He was impressed, she could tell. "We have information about a robbery, and we're waiting to see the chief of police."
"A robbery? Do you mean petty larceny, simple theft, or grand theft with breaking and entering?" His voice was a lazy drawl and Jen felt instinctively drawn to him.
"What's the difference?"
"There's a big difference." He went on to describe each type of crime, and the various code numbers that the police used to identify them. Jen was tremendously impressed. He even knew the penalties for each and explained that you could reduce the original charge through plea bargaining.
"Wow," Jen said when he had finished. "You sure know a lot about it. You must watch a lot of television."
He chuckled. "Let's just say I know my way around a precinct house."
Then it dawned on her. "That's it," she said excitedly. "I've been wondering all this time who you remind me of, and it's Johnny Depp on 21 Jump Street."
"Really?" He didn't sound as if he were flattered, but maybe he didn't know how cute Johnny Depp was, she reasoned.
"He's an undercover cop," she explained quickly. "He dresses in street clothes, and that way he can infiltrate gangs and pass as a criminal." She let her eyes skim over the boy's black turtleneck, faded jeans, and desert boots, and for the first time, she noticed the tired, strained
look around his eyes. Of course, that was it. He was a real-life Johnny Depp! He'd probably just come back from an all-night stake-out and was waiting to report to his superior.
"Here you are!" Lucy Armanson's annoyed voice cut into her thoughts. "Nora and I have been looking all over for you. They want to talk to all three of us, and someone in the robbery division is waiting for us right now." She grabbed Jen's arm, and was about to steer her down the hall when Jen spoke up.
"Wait a minute," she said. "I'd like you to meet someone." She nodded to the cute, sandy-haired boy who was watching them curiously. "He's a detective," she said, lowering her voice, "but he's dressed that way because he does undercover work,"
"Jen, we don't have tune. ...w
"C'mon, it will only take a second." She smiled encouragingly at the boy standing by the desk. "I'd like you to meet my good friend, Lucy Armanson, and this is Ч "
Unfortunately he never got the chance to reply, because at that moment a uniformed officer approached them and said curtly, "Okay, Harrison, let's go. They want you in the D.A.'s office."
"That's the district attorney's office," Jen
whispered. "I knew he was somebody important. . . ."
"I know what D.A. stands for Ч " Lucy began, and then broke off suddenly and gasped in shock. The officer grabbed the boy's wrist and suddenly they saw a flash of metal. He was handcuffed to the desk!
Jen felt like someone had punched all the air out of her lungs, and grabbed Lucy for support. "You're . . . you're in handcuffs," she blurted out. She knew it was an idiotic thing to say, but it was the best she could manage at the moment.
"Tell me about it," the boy said bluntly. He rubbed his wrists before the officer grabbed his elbow to steer him down the hall.
"Then you're not an undercover cop?" Jen's heart was hammering so loud she thought her chest would explode.
He laughed and suddenly the blue eyes didn't seem so friendly anymore. "Oh, yeah," he said with an exaggerated swagger, "I'm Johnny Depp."
"You wouldn't believe what just happened," Lucy muttered to Nora a few minutes later when they met her outside the robbery division.
Nora glanced at Jen's pate face and said quickly, "Tell me about it later. Captain Simpson is going to see us now." She forced a confident smile on her face as an officer escorted ' them into a small, cramped office. A man with steely gray eyes greeted them, his expression softening when he glanced at Jen. She was still in shock from her experience in the hall, and she was so wobbly on her feet, Lucy was afraid she might faint.
"Have a seat," he said genially, pointing to a battered vinyl sofa. "What have we got here, Raymond?Ф