Philip and the Thief (9781619500648) Read Online Free PDF Page A

gave me was brown. Lots of other
envelopes are white. When ice cream is brown it’s chocolate and
when it’s white it’s vanilla.”
    Philip knew Emery was talking nonsense, but
couldn’t think of a winning argument to prove it, so he returned to
the topic at hand.
    “ Never mind the envelope. You were at
the teacher’s desk with it.”
    “ Yeah, but he was standing there
staring at me. How could I take anything? You’re crazy. No, no. Not
me.”
    “ Only kidding, Emery.” Emery takes everything so seriously, thought Philip.
    “ Somebody will tell on him,” said
Emery.
    “ Him, who?”
    “ Himwho? Who’s Himwho?”
    “ Who’s him who? What do you
mean, who’s him who? What are
you talking about? Him who’s him, the culprit.”
    “ Himwho’s the culprit who took the
money? We don’t have anybody named Himwho in the class.”
    “ I never said anybody named Himwho took
any money. You said somebody would tell on him and I said him
who?”
    “ There, you said it again. There’s no
Himwho in the class. Who are you talking about?”
    Philip gritted his teeth, then spoke
slowly.
    “ Emery. You said somebody would tell on
him. Did you say that?”
    “ Yeah, and somebody will tell on him.”
    Philip’s voice rose. “There are two hims. Tyler and Jason. You didn’t
say which him you meant when you said somebody would tell on him
and I asked you him . . .” Philip paused, “. . . who? Which him did
you mean when you said somebody would tell on him? Him
who?””
    “ Ohhhh.” Emery laughed. “I thought you
meant a third person—like Billy Himwho.”
    “ Billy Himwho! Who’s Billy Himwho?”
Philip’s voice rose in exasperation.
    “ He’s nobody.”
    “ How could nobody take the money?”
Philip’s voice rose higher.
    “ Nobody couldn’t take the money.
Somebody had to take it. I just made up the name Billy Himwho, like
I thought you meant we had a boy in class I never heard of who took
the money.”
    Philip threw his hands into the air. “How
could there be someone in our class you never heard of?”
    Emery’s mom’s voice came up the stairs. “Stop
that shouting.”
    Philip pulled in a deep breath.
    “ Somebody will tell on Jason or on
Tyler, you said. Who did you mean?”
    “ That’s what I meant. Somebody will
tell on Jason or Tyler.”
    Philip narrowed his eyes and squinted
fiercely at Emery.
    “ Jason probably.
    “ So why didn’t you just say
so?”
    “ I did. I said. . . .”
    “ Please, never mind.” Philip rolled his
eyes. Emery had the makings of a great detective.
     
     

Chapter Nine
     
    Jason never did well in school any day, but
on Tuesday he got everything wrong. Six times, Mr. Ware called on
him. Twice for answers to math and he got them both wrong; once for
reading part of the story they were doing and he read from the
wrong page; and the other three times he didn’t even know the
question Mr. Ware asked him and simply said, “Huh?” Tyler paid
close attention to everything, though. Philip guessed Tyler didn’t
want his mother visiting again.
    Philip knew why Jason couldn’t pay attention
in class—getting caught for stealing the teacher’s forty dollars
filled up his brain. Getting punished filled up his brain. But the
only thing Mr. Ware did on Tuesday was tell the class how
disappointed he felt when no one put the money back on his desk.
Everyone in the class went home in a bad mood.
    That night as Philip lay in bed, his mother
stopped into his room and said, “I have a mystery for the best
detective on the block to solve. You helped Mrs. Moriarty. She told
me how you found her stamps. Now maybe you can help me.”
    “ What’s the mystery, Mom?”
    “ I went to the supermarket today with
Becky. We got groceries and I carried them home. Becky started
crying so I put everything down to take care of her as soon as I
got inside the house. She finally quieted down and I put the
groceries away. Now I can’t find my change from the store. The last
I