"Martin, Ann M - Baby-sitters Club Mystery 014 - Stacey and the Mystery at the Mall" - читать интересную книгу автора (Martin Ann M)

"Them" Ч the three blonde kids. Since Tuesday, when Kristy had seen them run past the video camera after the alarm had been pulled, none of us had spotted the kids even once. We didn't see them leave the mall on Tuesday, after the fire alarm. And we didn't see them anywhere on Wednesday. And they hadn't shown up at Mal's story hour, which was unusual, since they had been coming regularly. They didn't appear even once in the
videotapes Kristy had reviewed late Wednesday afternoon.
Now Kristy stood up and started to pace around. "ItТs so weird," she said. "I didn't even realize how much I was used to seeing them. They always showed up on the tapes at one point or another. Some days I'd see them four or five times. First they'd be sitting near the fountain, and then I'd see them walking through the food court Ч they were just, like, always there. And now they aren't."
Mary Anne frowned. "I hope they're okay," she said. //What could have happened to them?"
"What if it has something to do with the fire alarm?" I said. "After all, thatТs the last time we spotted them."
"Do you think they pulled it?" asked Mary Anne.
"They've never caused trouble before," said Kristy. "They wouldn't pull it just for fun."
"Maybe they thought they saw a fire," I said.
Kristy snapped her fingers. "I just remembered something," she said. "On that videotape Ч the one from the camera by the fire alarm? Ч guess who I saw right before the
alarm went off and the kids ran by? Mr. Morton. He looked pretty upset, too. I didn't think much of it. He's the mall manager, and he's always showing up on the tapes."
"But you said you used to see him talking to those kids all the time," I said. "And we agree something's not quite right about him. What about the problem with the funds at the mall Ч that whole bankruptcy thing?"
"I wonder if he was talking to them that day," said Kristy slowly.
"What if he was?" asked Mary Anne. "He's a nice guy, right? So, he talks to people at the mall. Why should that mean anything bad?"
Kristy sat down on the floor, and I stood up and took her place pacing around the room. I was thinking about Mr. Morton. I went over everything we knew about him. He had only managed the mall for a few months. He was a really nice, likable guy. He was willing to do all kinds of things to improve the mall and its image. The mall was in financial trouble.
"I wonder if Ч " Mary Anne began, but I interrupted her.
"Whoa!" I said. "I think I just figured it all out!" I stood stock still, next to my desk. Mary Anne and Kristy looked shocked. "Well, maybe not all of it," I went on. "But listen. I think I know whatТs going on. You know how
everybody says Mr. Morton is such a nice guy? Well, thatТs the problem."
"What do you mean?" asked Kristy.
"WhatТs wrong with being a nice guy?" asked Mary Anne.
'I'll tell you," I said. I started to pace again, around and around. Past the desk, past the closet, past the bureau, past the bed. Then I started talking fast. "ThatТs how he got himself Ч and the mall Ч into such a mess. He's such a nice guy that he can't say no to anybody. He wants to do everything he can to help the mall and the community. So he says yes to benefit concerts, special discount programs, and even day-care centers."
"But those are all good things," said Mary Anne, looking confused.
"I agree." I stopped pacing and stood near my current favorite poster (itТs a photo of a basset hound with a funny-sad expression). "But they cost money. In order to do those things, Mr. Morton must have run through all the money in the mall's account. Then maybe he started to, well, 'misappropriate funds,' like it said in the newspaper, to cover up his mistakes."
"Ohhh!" said Mary Anne. She was beginning to look excited.
"And then," I went on, "it came out that the
mall was dose to bankruptcy. So he couldn't play around with the accounts anymore. But he didn't want to start saying 'no' to everybody. So then Ч "
"So then he started stealing things!" said Kristy, jumping to her feet. "All those big things, the camcorders and the treadmills and the wide-screen TVs!"
"Oh, no!" cried Mary Anne, putting her hand over her mouth.
"Oh, yes!" said Kristy. "Stacey, you're a genius! This explains everything. Mr. Morton must be the one stealing that stuff, because he's the only one who would know how to get around security to do it. He'd know how to dodge them on their rounds, and even how to avoid the video cameras so he wouldn't show up on tape."
"He couldn't have stolen all those big things by himself, though," said Mary Anne.
"No, he must have people working for him. People who would know where to sell the stuff, and people to help him take it. Like that guy you ran into in the stockroom, Stacey." Kristy was really excited now, and so was I. Mary Anne just looked dismayed. She can't stand to think the worst of anybody, even if itТs somebody she barely knows, such as Mr. Morton.
"The guy in the stockroom," I mused, remembering that scary, masked face. Then I had a terrible thought. "Maybe those three kids are working for him, too!" I said.
"Oh, no," said Kristy. "He wouldn't do that. Too risky. I mean, that's really serious business, getting kids involved in a crime."
"But what if," Mary Anne said slowly, "what if the kids found out what he was doing?" She glanced up at her and I saw how frightened she looked.
For about thirty seconds, there wasn't a sound in my room. Mary Anne sat staring at her hands. I looked at the basset hound poster, without really seeing it. And Kristy plopped down on the bed again and just sat there, frowning.
"If they found out," I said finally, "I guess Mr. Morton would be pretty scared. Maybe pretty angry, too."
"He'd have to do whatever it took to keep them quiet," said Kristy in a low tone.
"And now they're missing," Mary Anne whispered.
There was another silence.
"Maybe they're just hiding," I said hopefully, after a minute. "Washington Mall is huge, but they probably know every inch of it by now, if they really are living there. I bet they'd know how to stay hidden."
"ThatТs right," said Mary Anne, grabbing at
the chance to feel optimistic. "They're probably hiding."
"I hope they are," said Kristy. She stood up, and suddenly she looked full of energy. "But I'm not counting on it. It's time we found out. We have to get to the mall right away!"
Chapter 14.
"I'll call Charlie and see if he can give us a ride," Kristy said.
"Who else can help us?" I asked. "We need all the people we can get."
"I bet Claudia's back from art class by now," said Mary Anne. "And maybe Jessi can come. Mal and Shannon are both sitting/ though, and I doubt Logan is done with his tryout yet."
We got busy making phone calls, and before long Claudia and Jessi had joined us at my house. Two minutes later, Charlie (good old Charlie) had pulled up in Watson's van. He honked the horn and we came running out.
On the way to the mall, Kristy explained everything.
"Don't you think you should consider going to the police?" asked Charlie. "This sounds serious. I mean, there are three kids missing."
Kristy thought for a minute. "Okay, how's this?" she asked. "I don't really want to get