forgetful!â
Abby and Stacy laughed. Dunkum didnât seem to mind. He leaped up and pretended to shoot a basket.
Jason wasnât laughing. He was staring at Leslie. He was frowning hard.
Just then, two fire trucks roared up.
âTheyâre too late,â said Dunkum. âLook!â
Coming out the back door, the principal carried a fire extinguisher. She held it high over her head.
The kidsâ cheering echoed around the playground.
Soon the âall clearâ bell sounded. The kids filed inside.
Outside the classroom door, Jason pulled Abby aside. âYouâve got to help me,â he whispered.
Jasonâs face was as white as a sheet!
TEN
âWhatâs wrong with you, Jason?â Abby asked.
âLeslieâs mad at me. Thatâs what.â Jason stopped. âAnd Iâve been mean to her. And . . .â
Abby looked at her watch. âAnd thereâs only fifteen minutes left of school today. What can you do to patch things up?â she asked.
âThink of something, will you?â Jason pleaded.
âIâll try.â Abby couldnât think of much.
The kids took their seats, and Leslie whispered something to Miss Hershey.
Miss Hershey looked surprised. Then she put her hands on Leslieâs shoulders. âClass, I am happy to introduce my niece to you. Her name is Leslie Hershey . She tells me you are all very good detectives.â
The kids cheered. âYahoo!â
Jason put his head down.
âWhat clues helped you most?â their teacher asked.
Abby raised her hand. âWhen you grabbed Leslieâs hand during the fire alarm. Thatâs something an aunt would probably do.â
Stacy shot her hand up. âLeslie didnât come out for recess. If my aunt was the teacher, I might stay in and help her, too.â
âYeah, and she moved her desk next to yours,â added Eric.
âBut she doesnât look like you, Miss Hershey,â said Dunkum. âThat was real tricky!â
Miss Hershey smiled. âLeslie has been out of school for teacher work days. I wanted her to visit my class. But it was Leslieâs idea to keep her identity a secret.Was it good practice for solving mysteries?â
âYes!â cried the class. Everyone clapped. Except Jason.
âCan we solve another mystery sometime?â Abby asked. She loved mysteries.
âThatâs a good idea. But now itâs time to announce this weekâs Special Person.â
Miss Hershey took a large candy bar from her desk drawer. The Special Person would be eating it soon! âJason Birchall, youâre the Special Person this week.â
Jason sat up tall at his desk. âThanks, Miss Hershey.â He took the candy bar and popped it into his shirt pocket.
Miss Hershey reminded him to bring baby pictures and family pictures. And a list of his favorite things: books, games, and people. For the bulletin board.
Jasonâs favorite thing to do was not a secret. He liked to pig out on food. Mostly junk food.
Suddenly, Abby knew how to help Jason settle things with Leslie. But didshe have time to tell him before the bell rang?
Quickly, she printed a note. Jason must not eat the candy bar in his pocket!
Jason scrunched his face into a frown when he read the note. He stared at Abby. âWhy not?â he mouthed.
âTrust me,â she mouthed back.
Rrrinng! The final bell.
Miss Hershey made an announcement. âLeslie will return to her own school tomorrow,â she said. âMaybe she can come back for another visit sometime.â
The kids called good-bye to Leslie.
Abby rushed to Jasonâs desk. âHurry or youâll be too late.â She glanced at Leslie. She was cleaning out her desk.
âWhat should I do?â Jason whined.
Abby tapped on the candy bar through his shirt pocket. The apple seeds were still in there, too. âHereâs your answer,â she said. âIf you want to win
Rebecca Hamilton, Conner Kressley