"Martin, Ann M - Baby-sitters Club Mystery 011 - Claudia and the Mystery at the Museum" - читать интересную книгу автора (Martin Ann M)

Don put his finger to his lips. The custodian, who was still humming to himself, dropped the coins into his bucket Ч and turned around. When he saw us, his face turned white. "I Ч I Ч " He started to say something, but seemed to change his mind. Instead of talking, he shoved his bucket toward us and turned to run.
Don lunged at the custodian and tackled him. From behind me, I heard running footsteps, and before I knew what was happening, a third man barreled into the room and jumped on top of Don. I stood still, unable to move or scream, staring at the pile of arms and legs. Suddenly I realized who had tackled Don. I saw a black stripe running up a trouser leg. It was the man with one blue eye and one green eye!
Chapter 15.
Dawn was sure to be confused by that letter, but I knew it would seem dearer after she read the newspaper article we had enclosed. Plus, Mary Anne could set her straight the next time they talked on the phone. Curators, men with different-colored eyes, sculptures that moved Ч the mystery did seem complicated. But really, it was very simple.
I better explain what happened after that pile-up in storage room B. I was still rooted to the floor. Don was holding down the custodian, who was struggling to get to his feet. And the man with one green eye and one blue eye was on the top of the heap, yelling, "Nobody move! I'm a federal officer!"
Within moments, Mr. Snipes appeared in the room. He had heard the commotion and called the police, who arrived soon after. Then, once the men on the floor had untangled themselves, we began to sort things out.
The man with the funny eyes turned out to be named Mr. Olinger. He was a federal agent who specialized in art theft. He had been assigned to the Stoneybrook Museum when Mr. Snipes had been appointed curator. I guess the trustees of the museum had been warned that the museum was vulnerable to theft, and they thought the team of Olinger and Snipes could solve the problem.
The trustees didn't count on Mr. Will Saries, though. That was the custodian's name. Only he wasn't really a custodian. He was a thief who had been planning this robbery since before the museum opened. His plan was basically a good one, too. First, he set off the fire alarm as a distraction. Then, he did, as I had guessed, steal the coins by using his key to open the case. After that, he broke the case to cover up the evidence, which set off the burglar alarm. In the confusion that followed, he dumped the coins into his bucket. Later, he stashed them in Don's sculpture. (He knew about the special hiding place because he had helped to unpack Daphne when they were first setting up the exhibit.) His only problem came when, after the robbery, the museum tightened security and posted guards twenty-four hours a day. He didn't get a chance to retrieve the coins until the night of the party, when the security was relaxed.
He had made arrangements to sell the coins to a museum in Switzerland, and he was hoping to retire on the money he would make. Now, as Kristy said, "It looks like he'll be retiring behind bars."
I got all kinds of attention for helping to catch the robber. Actually, I thought it was mostly luck, but I had to admit that I would
never have been in that room if I hadn't been trying to figure out the case.
"Teen Detective Helps Nab Coin Thief," read the headline in the Stoneybrook News. In the story was a funny quote from my father, who said he had no idea that his daughter was "an ace detective." And below the headline was a big picture of me, Don Newman, Mr. Snipes, and Mr. Olinger. Mr. Snipes was shaking my hand and grinning.
I never told Mr. Snipes that my friends and I had suspected him. I was too embarrassed. He turned out to be a pretty nice guy after all. I think he was just really busy and preoccupied when I first met him. And guess what? My fantasy came true, sort of. Now that I'm an honorary trustee, Mr. Snipes wants me to help him set up a show of local student work. "Including your own, of course," he said. I can't wait.
On Friday, a week after the mystery was solved, my friends and I celebrated by ordering in a pizza after our club meeting. While we ate it, we passed around the letter that we were writing to Dawn. Kristy read aloud from the newspaper article, to entertain us. "Ms. Kishi, a student at Stoneybrook Middle School, says she has no formal training in detective work. Yet federal agent Olinger insists
that her follow-up on dues was 'professional and complete. She's tenacious,Т said Olinger. 'She'd make a wonderful agent someday.' "
Tenacious. There was that word again. I told my friends what it meant, and they agreed that I can be extremely tenacious. "You're tenacious about not giving up your Nancy Drew books," Mallory pointed out.
"Or your junk food," added Stacey.
"And you're definitely tenacious about not doing your homework on time," said Kristy, giggling.
I laughed and blushed at the same time. "Well, you guys are pretty tenacious, too," I said. "I couldn't have solved this mystery without your help. How about a pizza toast?"
We picked up our pizza slices and bumped them together, as if they were champagne glasses. "Here's to Claud!" said Stacey. "The best detective in Stoneybrook." Pizza toasts may be silly, but they're one of my favorite BSC traditions.
Jessi was looking at the newspaper again. "This is a great picture of you, Claud," she said. "You should cut it out and frame it."
"I just might," I said. "My parents like that picture, too. They must have bought a dozen copies of the paper so they could send it to our friends and relatives."
"You're a star," said Stacey. "No doubt about it."
"Speaking of stars," I said, "I've been so busy with the mystery that I almost forgot about Claire. WhatТs happening with her video?"
Mallory laughed. "Well, the agent sent it back," she said. "She said Claire has a lot of promise, but that she isn't looking for her 'type' at the moment."
"What's Claire's 'type'?" asked Stacey. "Silly brown-haired five-year-olds with blue eyes?"
Mal laughed again. "That must be it," she said. "Anyway, the agent was really nice to write a note like that. I think it made Claire feel better about being rejected."
"I thought she wanted to be rejected!" said Jessi. "At least, that's what she said the last time I saw her."
"Well, she did, in a way," said Mal. "I mean, I don't think she was ready for true stardom. But being turned down never feels good."
We nodded. That made sense. "She must be relieved, though," said Mary Anne.
"Not really," replied Mallory. "She still can't believe the agent didn't accept her. But you haven't heard the funniest part yet." "What's that?" I asked.
"It turns out that Claire's kindergarten class is planning to put on a production of Hansel and Gretel. They all tried out for parts, and guess who got the role of the witch? Claire!"
"So she's on her way to a career on the stage anyway," I said, laughing. "ThatТs great!"
My friends and I talked and ate pizza for a while longer, and then the party broke up. After everyone had left, I cleared the pizza box off my desk and pulled a sketch pad out from under my bed. I added the finishing touches to a drawing I had been working on all week, and then I rolled it up and stuck it into a mailing tube. I addressed the package to Don Newman. It was a drawing of the sculpture called Daphne, and with it I had enclosed a note:
I thought you'd like to have this. I hope you will always remember me as one of your biggest fans and as your partner in solving Stoneybrook's famous museum robbery.
Sincerely yours,.
Claudia Kishi.
About the Author
ANN M. MARTIN did a lot of baby-sitting when she was growing up in Princeton, New Jersey. She is a former editor of books for children, and was graduated from Smith College.
Ms. Martin lives in New York City with her cats, Mouse and Rosie. She likes ice cream and I Love Lucy; and she hates to cook.
Ann Martin's Apple Paperbacks include Yours Turly, Shirley; Ten Kids, No Pets; With You and Without You; Bummer Summer; and all the other books in the Baby-sitters Club series.