Book 2-Alex Bishop in Follow That Mystery

Alex Bishop in Follow That Mystery

                                                                                     Chapter 22

                                                                                 Change of Plan

(Dear Readers,  I made changes in some chapter numbers today.  I apologize if you all were confused in anyway.  As always, thanks for reading my book.)

     "Max!  Wake up!  Janeen called to him.  Her husband stirred, but did not get up off of his chair.  So his wife threw a ball of yarn at him.  "What?"  Max yelped, flaying his arms.  "We're going to take the kids to dinner," she told him.  "Oh.  Okay," he said, stretching and yawning.  "Alex.  Why don't you call Anna and ask if she would like to go with us," his mother suggested.  "Then after, you and she can come back to the house and watch your movie."  "Yeah.  Okay," Alex said sleepily, and trudged off to call Anna, while his father shuffled off to change.

     Anna walked over to Alex's house around five o'clock and the group climbed into Max's car and he drove to "Calahan's" Restaurant, a favorite of everyone in town.  There was a half an hour wait until Alex and the others were seated.  Everyone chatted cheerfully through dinner, except Alex who was struggling to stay awake while eating his steak and potatoes.

     Max drove back and into the Bishop driveway around six thirty.  Anna invited the girls to watch the movie she had brought after assuring  Lyn's mother it was a family flick.  Lyn, Amy and Nikki readily agreed.  Janeen and Max were watching game shows in the living area, so Alex, Anna and the girls watched their movie in the family room.

     Lyn, Nikki and Amy took seats on the floor in front of the T.V. set while Alex and Anna preferred the comfortable sofa.  Alex was sound asleep a half an hour into the movie.  Lyn, Amy and Nikki giggled very softly and exchanged triumphant glances.  It seemed to them that Lyn's plan had worked.  Alex would be dreaming the night away instead of keeping an eye on them.

     Anna put an arm around Alex's neck so he wouldn't get a cramp and then continued to watch the movie.  But before it was over, she too was fast asleep.  Lyn, Amy and Nikki looked back at the two of them snoozing comfortably.  "Gee!  My Mom's gonna think we slipped them a "Mickey,"  Lyn said, laughing quietly.

    Both Amy and Nikki grinned at her.  "Come on," Lyn said, motioning  her friends to follow her.  She led them into the living room.  Both of her parents were also asleep.  "Wow!"  Lyn whispered.  Amy and Nikki just stood there amazed.  "I didn't think it would be this easy," she marveled.  Then Lyn crept up to her mother's shoulder.

     "Mom.  Mom," Lyn said, just above a whisper.  "What?"  her mother said, rousing and blinking her eyes.  "Dad's asleep and so are Alex and Anna."  "Oh," she said, glancing at her husband who was snoring away in his Lazy Boy chair.  "Well, Alex can just stay in the den.  And I'll wake Anna and tell her she's welcome to sleep in the guest room."  Janeen said in a tired voice.

     "What time is it?" she asked.  "It's almost eight o'clock Mom."  "Well, don't you girls stay up too late.  We have church in the morning,"  Lyn's mother reminded her.  "Okay," Lyn said, glancing at Amy and Nikki, as Janeen walked down the hallway to the family room.  Janeen asked Anna if she wanted to stay the night in the guest room.

     At first glance Anna could see that Janeen was too tired to drive her home, and Anna reasoned she was too sleepy to walk, so she accepted Alex mother's offer and saying goodnight she stumbled off to bed.  Alex's mother helped him get into a lying position on the sofa and then covered him with a throw that was draped over the back of an easy chair.

      Then she planted a kiss on his forehead and headed back to the living room to tell Max to go to bed.  Janeen told him she'd be there in a minute as she kissed Lyndell and bade her, Amy and Nikki goodnight.  "Night,"  the girls chorused.  Lyn watched as her mother closed the door to their bedroom and then she and her friends made their way to Lyn's room.

     The girls sat facing each other on Lyn's bed when Lyn spoke, "After careful consideration...."  "Oh  Nikki, will you listen to the "classy" speech.  Amy said.  Lyn laughed.  "English is my best subject."  Nikki and Amy laughed too.  "Anyway.  I've been thinking over the last hour that maybe Dad's right and we shouldn't go to that house alone."

     Both Amy and Nikki both breathed a relieved sigh.  "Boy am I glad you said that,"  Amy told her.  Nikki just nodded vigorously in agreement.  "I was thinking that I would call Detective Burns and asked him to go with us,"  Lyn said, staring at her friends.  Nikki and Amy's mouths gaped open.  "Do you think he would do that?"  Nikki asked.

     "I have a better question," Amy said,  "Why would he do that?"  "I have a few reasons I can give him," Lyn said with a small smile.  "Okay.  You're the boss of this outfit,"  Amy told her.  "School starts on Monday, and it's only a half day.  We get out at noon.  So I'll give Detective Burns a call as soon as we all get home," Lyn told them.

     "Amy and I should just go home after school on Monday, drop off our books and then come here," Nikki told her.  "That's a good idea, and I'll call Michael and Kent and tell them the same thing," Lyn said.  So she got on her cell and phoned the boys.  They too were relieved that they would have an adult with them on their little mystery solving adventure.

     Although, like the girls, the boys had no idea of how Lyn was going to convince Detective Burns to go along with them.  "Like I told the girls," Lyn said to both Michael and Kent, "I believe I can convince him it's in his best interest to come with us."  "Okay," Michael said.  "If you say so."  Kent had told Lyn something similar when she talked with him.

     When Lyn had rang off with Kent, the girls waited for Lyn to say something.  In a minute she spoke, "They're coming," Lyn said with a grin.  "You know, since we're not going through with the original plan, we've wasted all day trying to keep Alex awake,"  Amy noted.  "Well.  Not exactly.  He will get a good night's sleep, Lyn told them with a smirk."  Amy and Nikki laughed.  But then Amy was serious again. "You'd better be sure of what you're doing Lyn," Amy warned her.  "This is the "Law" we're dealing with here."  Lyn laughed this time.  "I said before I've learned a lot from my big brother, including quite a bit about Detective Burns," she said in her best mysterious voice.

                                                                             End of Chapter 22

(Sorry Readers that it's been a long span between updates.  But I promise I'll get them to you more quickly from now on.)