Clocks and Robbers Read Online Free PDF

New York, known as the Timekeepers.
    Rinsing lettuce in the sink for dinner, Viola could barely contain herself, she was so ecstatic. The four of them were about to become famous!
    “I don’t know if it’s such a good idea,” said Mrs. Hart.
    Viola felt as though her mom had just popped a balloon.
    Thankfully, her father spoke up from his office. “They deserve the attention,” he called out down the hallway. “I’m really proud of you guys. Those clocks have been around town for how long … and no one else has thought to look closer?”
    “I’m not saying they’re undeserving,” said Mrs. Hart. “I just don’t know if I want Viola’s name plastered across the Internet. The
Moon Hollow Herald
is one thing … but the Associated Press is huge. Who knows what kinds of people pick up on these things?”
    Mr. Hart wandered into the kitchen. “Well … what does Viola want to do?”
    “I suppose I should ask my friends,” Viola said. In her mind though, she shouted,
I want to talk to the reporter!
    It turned out that the rest of the group felt the same way. Later, after asking permission from their parents, Viola, Rosie, Woodrow, and Sylvester video-chatted with Darlene from the Harts’ computer. The reporter asked them about their experience, and they told her a little bit about the mystery club. But after the conversation ended, Woodrow looked upset.
    “What’s wrong?” asked Sylvester.
    Woodrow sighed. “I thought the coolest part about the Timekeepers was that they kept themselves a secret for so long. Now everyone is going to know about us: the Question Marks.”
    The others glanced at one another, trying to gauge if they all felt the same way. Finally, Viola spoke up. “We never said what we were doing was a secret. Maybe after this, people will come to us with even more mysteries to solve. I mean,other than the clocks case, things have been slow lately.”
    Woodrow still didn’t look convinced.
    “Don’t worry about it, dude,” said Sylvester, turning toward Woodrow. “This isn’t going to keep all the cute girls from staring at you. In fact, they’ll probably start staring at
me
too.”
    Rosie and Viola crossed their arms and rolled their eyes.

4
THE BUNGLING BARGAIN HUNTER

(A ??? MYSTERY)
    By the time Mrs. Hart’s news article appeared on the
Herald
‘s website on Wednesday, the group had a couple reasons to get together other than to talk about their impending fame. They had some more mysterious stories to share.
    The sun had been going down earlier and earlier. The air was too cold for them to meet at the Four Corners for an extended time anymore. So, Sylvester invited them to join him in his new bedroom.
    The basement was unfinished—cinderblock walls, wood-plank stairs, storage shelves in the far dark corners. It was damp and smelled a bit like stale laundry. Hal-muh-ni’s old yellow couch sat against the wall. She had also given Sylvester her big Oriental rug so that he wouldn’t have to walk barefoot on the concrete floors. To him, it was very little consolation for being pushed out of his bedroom.
    The four sat down on the plush fibers amid the intricately swirling and colorful patterns next to Sylvester’s bed.
    “Who’s up first?” said Viola.
    Rosie raised her hand. “This one comes from my oldest sister, Grace,” she began. “Over the summer, she took a part-time job at a boutique at the shopping indent on Oakwood Avenue.
    “One of her favorite parts of the job is watching for shoplifters. She thinks it’s fun to bust them. Once, she told me how she noticed two women with a huge shopping bag standing in a corner of the store near a pile of jeans. They kept glancing at her in a weird way. Grace noticed that it would have been really easy for them to simply slide the pile off the display table into their big bag and walk out of the store. So she immediately went over to the women and asked if she could help them. They said no, but Grace continued to stand there with