Book 1-Alex Bishop and the North Side Detectives

Continue Alex Bishop and the North Side Detectives

                                                                                       Chapter 16

                                                                                           Melina

     Alex was having trouble concentrating in his classes on Monday.  He was very distracted due to his pondering of the Marina  O' Conner case.  As he looked about the science classroom, his friends seemed to be having the same problem.  Dawn was frantically adding ingredients into her beaker with a frustrated look on her face, while her glass tube emitted foul smelling steam into the air.

     Lee had broken his beaker when he reached for a test tube and his elbow bumped into it, and it fell to the floor shattering into tiny glistening pieces.  Mr. Watts handed him another one and then quickly cleaned up the mess.  Alex glanced over at Fletch next, to see him adding various liquids to his beaker with a pained expression, and Alex hoped he didn't bow himself up, while Mr. Watts was busying himself with mopping up Lee's mistake.

     But when Alex met Fletch at the gym doors for their next class, Fletch was in tact, except some of his hair was singed.

     In history, Mr. Wells was giving a lecture on the battle of Gettysburg.  His students were supposed to be taking notes, but Alex, Glenna, Dawn, Fletch and Lee were staring at Mr. Wells as though in a trance; pens in hand that hadn't moved.

     After lunch, in which the five friends had talked passionately about the current case they had taken on, and all but Fletch had barely touched the food, (apparently, nothing could affect Fletch's appetite,) the friends headed off to English.  Half way through the class, Alex glanced over at Dawn, who was usually done with her exercises by this point, and saw her thumping her chin with her pencil and staring off into space.

     Glenna was unintentionally making a black mark on her forehead by banging the tip of her felt pen against it.  Lee was staring at the ceiling and chewing on a pen cap, with a far away look in his eyes.  And Fletch looked like he had fallen asleep with his head on his arms.  Alex shook his head as if to clear it and looked down at his paper which was only half finished.  He straightened up in his seat and then and there resolved to focus.

     He knew his parents wouldn't understand if he received a poor grade in English.  Especially, since he couldn't tell them he was preoccupied with the North Side Detectives' current case.  When the bell rang,  Alex, Lee, Glenna, Fletch and Dawn trooped next door to their math class, all of them relieved that the day was almost over.

     "We need to get a hold of ourselves."  Alex said, as they reached the classroom door.  "You know how Mr. Wayne is, we can hardly understand him when our minds are clear."  "Alex is right."  Dawn said.  "Besides, I have an idea of how to find Melina," she announced.  "I'll tell you all in study hall,"  she ended, because she anticipated someone asking, "How?"  And she didn't have time to answer at the time.  "Let's just get through this class,"  Dawn said testily.

     Mr. Wayne was as nervous as ever.  And his left eye tick had become worse.  His whole demeanor since the bombings in the parking lot was that of man who jumped at the slightest noise.  The five friends struggled to decipher his shaky writing on the blackboard, and then to do the math problems.

     "He needs to make written copies of those exercises."  Fletch said irritably, as the friends headed off to their lockers after class.  "He needs to type them up, or have them typed,"  Lee said.  "His handwriting on paper would be just as bad as on the blackboard."  After Alex and the others dumped off the books they didn't need and picked up the ones they did, they hurried off to study hall.

     Mr. Watts was again over seeing study period.  Lee grinned at him as he and his friends trooped in.  "Good.  We will be able to talk freely today."  (Mr. Watts didn't mind quiet talking in his study hall.)  Alex, Dawn, Glenna, Lee and Fletch took seats at their usual table at the back of the hall.  "Okay.  What's your big idea?"  Alex asked Dawn as soon as they were all seated.

     All of them took out their pens, books and spirals, so they could look as if they were studying.  They were good students and had done their homework the night before anyway.  Their current assignments were due for two days.  They all assuaged their guilt with that fact.  "Well...."  Dawn started to say, but was interrupted by the appearance of Sam, Nick and Matt.  "I wondered where you guys have been today.  I haven't run into you in the halls as I usually do."  Fletch said suspiciously.  He thought his brothers and Nick always seemed to be up to something.

     "We're on our way to football practice."  Nick said, ignoring Fletch's comments.  "We have practice three times a week now, instead of study hall."  Sam said with a grin.  "Just thought we'd stop by and say 'Hi', Matt said with a grin of his own.  "Stay out of trouble,"  he added, as he, Sam and Nick waved and walked away.

     Alex and the others waved at their retreating backs.  "Anyway, Dawn."  Alex said, as if their conversation hadn't been interrupted.  "Oh yeah...."  she said, leaning into the table.  "I think one of us should go undercover at the Buckland, and try to get information on Melina," she whispered.  Glenna and the boys stared incredulously at her for a few moments.  "We're all too young for people to take us seriously, don't you think?"  Alex said.

     "Yeah.  And we go to school five days a week."  Lee said, raising a brow at her.  Fletch just looked pensively at her but didn't say anything.  "How would you go about this?"  Glenna asked curiously.  "I just thought we could go to dinner there and ask questions about the ghost on the balcony,"  Dawn answered. 

     "We kinda already did that.  And that waiter told us all he knew.  Remember, at Lyn's birthday party."  Lee said rolling his eyes.  "But he's not the only employee there."  Dawn said in defense.  "I don't know,"  Alex said, shaking his head,  "I think we should think it over before we do something like that.  People would wonder what we were up to if we started questioning everyone in the restaurant."  Dawn gave him a frown for dismissing her idea so quickly.

     Then suddenly Dawn squealed.  Mr. Watts looked up to see who made the noise.  But all was quiet, and he gave the room a stern look and went back to grading papers.  "What we need,"  Dawn whispered is a picture of Melina.  I'll bet her aunt has one."  "Now that's a good idea."  Alex praised her.  "I'll call her as soon as I get home,"  Dawn said excitedly.   "I knew you'd come up with the right answer," Alex said, with a grin at her.