Fabulous Five 016 - The Hot-Line Emergency Read Online Free PDF Page B

things about him that would be helpful to know, if I can get him to
tell me." She dug a pencil out of her purse and opened her notebook to a
blank page.
    "What classes does he have?" volunteered Katie.
    "Who does he hang out with?" said Jana.
    "Anything physical," added Beth. "What's the
color of his hair? How tall is he?"
    "Does he play sports?" interjected Melanie.
    "Is he in band or any other school activities?"
asked Katie.
    Christie wrote down the suggestions as fast as she could,
and with each one she felt better. At last she and her friends were doing
something positive. She was beginning to think that, if she was careful and
asked the questions in just the right way, she could find out who he
was.
    But what her friends had said about the caller's trying to
get her attention was still troubling her. Who would want to get her attention
that desperately? No one, she thought, except for Jon Smith. But it couldn't be
Jon who was making the calls, Christie told herself stubbornly. He wasn't like
that, and besides, she would have recognized Jon's voice easily.
     
    Mr. Snider was waiting for Christie when she arrived at the
homework hot-line center on Tuesday evening. "I'd like to see you,
Christie, along with Pam and Tim for a minute before we start." He called
the others to the table where he worked and told them about Christie's mystery
caller.
    "If any of you get a call similar to what Christie has
been getting, I want you to signal me. I've had this phone installed," he
said, placing his hand on the instrument, "and I can pick up your
individual lines. I'll listen in, but I won't say anything. I don't want to
scare him off, at least not vet. I really don't think this is as bad as our
mystery caller would like us to believe, but we need to handle it carefully
until we're sure."
    "I've got these questions that I thought I'd try to ask
when he calls again," said Christie, holding up the list she and her
friends had made. They all agreed the questions were a good idea.
    "Since you're the only one who has heard from him,"
Mr. Snider said, handing the list back to her, "I don't see any need for
the others to have the list, but be careful. If you get too inquisitive, that
might scare him off, too."
    Christie sharpened her pencils and put her questions next to
her ruled pad. Then she folded her hands to wait. Even though she had been
anticipating it, she jumped at the first ring of her telephone. "This is
Christie, how may I help you?"
    "I need help with my algebra homework." Christie
took a deep breath. He hadn't wasted any time getting to her.
    "Algebra?" asked Christie. "Just a minute while
I get my book," she said, turning in her chair to wave to Mr. Snider. The
teacher nodded and gently took his phone from its cradle.
    "Okay, I've got it," she said, turning back to her
desk. "Who's your algebra teacher, anyway?"
    "You didn't ask me who my teacher is when I called for
help before."
    "I just wondered if you've asked her for help."
The line was quiet for an instant, and when he responded, his voice sounded a
bit more muffled. He must have moved whatever it was he was using to disguise
it. "That's pretty good. You know there's one man and one woman algebra
teacher for the seventh grade. If I said I asked her , you'd know
I was in Ms. Gilchrist's class. If I said him , you'd know it was Mr.
Snider's. I've asked my teacher, but I need more help. That's why you're on the
hot-line team, isn't it? To help people."
    Christie cringed. She had thought she was being so smart,
but he had caught her on her very first attempt to trap him. "Yes, it is.
Let's look at the first problem." She was disappointed, but she managed to
control her voice.
    After she had finished helping him with the problems, he
said, "Did you and your friends notice what I did? Everyone was talking about
it."
    Christie fought back her rising anger. She wanted to hang up
on him, but instead she looked back at Mr. Snider. He gave her a slight nod as
if he wanted her to