Book 1-Alex Bishop and the North Side Detectives

Continue Alex Bishop and the North Side Detectives

     All of a sudden, the door opened and Lyn burst inside.  The five friends gasped and gaped at her with wide eyes.  They seemed to be temporarily speechless.  Lyn however, was not.  "So, how are things?"  She said with a mischievous grin.  Alex didn't have to ask her is she heard their conversation.  He knew she had.

     "Please close the door Linney."  Alex said with a frown.  Dawn, Glenna, Lee and Fletch looked hopelessly at Alex, not knowing what to say.  "I know you heard our conversation, and...."  "I did."  Lyn said, cutting him off and standing with her arms folded tightly in defiance.  Alex almost smiled.  It reminded him of Dawn's stance just a few minutes before.

     "And I won't tell...."   The others heaved a collective, all but temporary, sigh of relief. Then Lyn continued,...."If I can join the North Side Detectives."  She ended with a smirk.  Alex stifled another chuckle at her posture, thinking this situation would be funny in a sitcom, but was not at all humorous in real life.

     "You're only eleven years old!"  Alex said a little too loudly, and was shushed by his friends.  Lyn ignored the statement and said,  "If you don't let me join, I will tell," she said stubbornly.  Alex knew she would too.  The North Side Detectives looked warily at each other, then Lee said, "Face it Alex.  She's got us over a barrel."  He scowled at Lyn, who looked smugly back at him.  Alex ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, then looked at his sister's set jaw.  "Our parents are going to kill me."  He whispered.

     "Not if nobody tells them," she said with a sly smile.  Alex looked at the others for an opinion, but all he got were shrugs.  There was a few moments of silence where Alex tried desperately to find a way out of the situation.  Then having come up with nothing, he finally said,  "Okay.  But you must do exactly what I, or any of the others tell you to do, when we tell you to do it.  Or, I'll take my chances with Mom and Dad.  Agreed?"  Lyn smiled broadly.  "Agreed."  She said with a satisfied smile.

     "Okay.  Come and sit down, you little blackmailer."  Lyn's face was full of glee as she sat down next to Glenna on the sofa. " All right,"  Alex started, taking a deep breath.  "Where were we?"  "You and Dawn were talking about the files,"  Lee said.  "And I have a question about that."  He said, raising his hand as if he were in class.  "How do we get into the school office to see them?"

     No one spoke for a minute.  Then Dawn asked boldly, "Well, how do you guys feel about breaking and entering?" her eyes over bright.  "Oh, I don't know.  How do you feel about twenty years in the slammer?"  Lee said testily.  Lyn giggled.  But she was the only one who did.  "Are you serious?"  Fletch said, fear making him tremble.  "Yeah Dawn.  Don't you think that's a bit reckless?"  Glenna said cringing.

     Alex hadn't said anything, but was gaping at her as though she'd lost her mind.  Dawn jumped to her feet again, and began beating her fists against her chin, and ignoring all the negative comments of her friends said,  "Well, there's no school for four days."  "Yeah.  But the workmen will be there."  Alex said, finding his voice at last and glaring at her.

     "There won't be anyone working at night."  She said with a sly smile on her lips and both brows raised.  "Let me get this straight."  Alex said, his face reddening and on the edge of his seat.  "You want to break into the school at night?  Is that right?"  Lyn looked  from Dawn to Alex and back again, as if she was watching a tennis match.

     "Alex!  You were the one who suggested looking in the school files."  She shot back at him.  Now the others' eyes were shooting back and forth between the two of them too; wondering who would win.  "Yeah."  Alex nearly shouted.  "When we got back to school, and could think of a good cover as to why we were in the office."  He said angrily.  "Doing this your way, what are we going to say to the police if we're caught?  That we just wanted to see the improvements they made?" He said, breathing heavily.

     "We'll just have to make sure we don't get caught."  Dawn said simply.  Everyone looked over at Alex nervously, wondering what he would say.  Alex ran his hands through his hair again, took another deep breath and again, threw up his hands.  "You know, both of you girls...."  he started, glancing at Dawn and Lyndell, "are nothing but trouble, and I say we vote both of you out of the club."  "What about me?"  Glenna asked, as if she felt left out.  "Well, you haven't been any trouble....yet."  Alex said with narrowed eyes.

     All the girls laughed.  "What do you all think?"  Alex asked Glenna, Fletch and Lee.  Fletch just shrugged, not wanting to go against anything Glenna might say.  And Lee looked at Dawn's set jaw before he spoke.  "I think it's crazy.  But it might work."  He ended sheepishly.  Everyone now looked at Glenna for her opinion.  She stared at all of them for a moment then sighed deeply.

     "I think we all need to remember where Dawn's coming from.  What if it had been our Mother's car?  How would we feel then?"  She said with a brow raised.  Alex stared at Glenna for a moment, then he gazed at Dawn's pleading face, sighed and said in a weary voice, " Okay. When does this crime, for which we could be expelled, jailed or grounded for life, take place?"

     Before Dawn could answer, Janeen popped her head into the room and told the group that snacks were ready.  They all jumped in fright when the door opened.  Alex's mother didn't notice the stunned faces, but said to Lyn, "I wondered where you had gotten to.  Come on, I need some help."  Lyn glanced at her brother, who finally did grin back at her.  She had no choice but to go with her mom, although she was looking very unhappy about it.

     As soon as the door closed Lee piped up with, "What are we going to do about Lyn?"  Alex got a sly look on his face.  "We're going to let her think she's involved, without her actually being involved."  He said, now grinning widely.  The others nodded their agreement.  "Okay.  Now back to business."  Dawn said rubbing her hands together and giving Alex a triumphant smile.

                                                                              End of Chapter 11