(Image by Mohamed Qovaizi)

(Audio by Bill Hemberger)

I zipped up my jacket and stepped off the school bus the same moment Mrs.Abernathy ran out her back door.

“Stop, thief!”

I followed the direction of her shaking finger and saw a red jacketed figure racing up the grass and tree covered hillside. “What’s wrong, Mrs. Abernathy?”

“Oh, Jesse, I came in from getting the mail and found several of my dresser drawers pulled out and my purse emptied on the floor. The back door was open and....”

She pointed again. “He’s getting away, and he has my wallet.”

“Call the police and I’ll try to see where he goes,” I said. “Oh, and could you please watch my backpack?” 

“Yes, of course...but, Jesse do you think you should chase after him? I mean....”

“I’ll be careful,” I said. I handed her my pack and started up the hill. The short

thunderstorm which had ended ten minutes earlier had left the grass wet, and I slipped several times in my pursuit.

Then the hill crested out at the parking lot at Bristol Community Park, and I spotted a man in short sleeves bent over the front of a white car fiddling with the engine. 

“Have you seen anyone run out of the woods?” I asked.   

The man looked up and examined me with bright blue eyes.  “Only been here a few minutes. Engine was knocking and I barely got off the road in time before it died, but, yeah, I did see a kid. Went in that restroom over there.” 

“Thanks.” I hurried across the pavement and saw a tall boy wearing a red windbreaker come out. “Hey, Chad,” I said, recognizing him, “I need to ask you something.”

“Huh?” Chad Martin swung toward me. “Oh, it’s you, McKinley.  What do you want?”

Before I could reply the door opened again and Robbie Burkett, also wearing a red jacket, appeared.

I sighed. “Anyone else in there?”

Robbie stared at me. “Oh, hi, Jesse. No. Why?”

“Never mind. Did either of you run up the hill from the neighborhood a few minutes ago?”

“You kidding?” Chad said. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I’ve been out biking since the rain stopped.”  He pointed at a shiny blue ten speed parked under a nearby tree. “Sure wasn’t doing crazy things like running up hills.”

“I biked over here, too,” Robbie said. He nodded toward his own silver racing bike.

“So neither of you know anything about what happened at Mrs. Abernathy’s?”

“Mrs. Abernathy’s?” Robbie shook his head. “What are you talking about?”

“Someone stole the wallet from her purse. Maybe other stuff, too. She got a look at him. He had on a red jacket and was running up the hill.”

“And you’re accusing one of us?” Chad asked. “You’re nuts, McKinley.”

“I’m not accusing anyone--”

“You sure she wasn’t just seeing things, Jesse?” Robbie Burkett asked. 

“I saw the person, too. But he had a good head start on me, and--” I broke off as a police car swung into the parking area and Detective Mendez stepped out.

“I don’t believe it,” Chad Martin said. “See that, Burkett?  Your buddy McKinley called the cops.”

“Everything okay here?” Detective Mendez asked.

“No, everything’s not okay,” Chad said. “This detective wanna-be is harassing me. And Burkett, too.”

The policeman raised his eyebrows.

“Someone swiped Mrs. Abernathy’s wallet,” I said. “I--”

“I know all about it, Jesse,” the policeman said. “A couple other places in the block were also broken into. Mrs. Abernathy told me you’d chased after him this way so I high-tailed it over here. The fellow you were chasing could be dangerous.”

I started across the lot, back toward the man working on the broken down car. 

“Where are you going?” Detective Mendez asked, following on my heels.

“That man’s a witness. Maybe he can give us some more help.”

The man looked up as we approached and wiped his hands on a dirty rag. “Guess I’ll have to have it towed. Unless--” He looked at Detective Mendez. “Sure would appreciate it if you’d try giving me a jump start, Officer.”

“No problem.” Detective Mendez leaned in close, asked softly, “See either of those boys run out of the woods a little bit ago?”

The man stared at Chad and Robbie. “Like I told this kid earlier, I saw someone.

right after I popped the hood on my car. Could be one of those two over there’s your thief but....” He shrugged. “I was kinda busy...didn’t look that close. Sorry.”

“Yeah. I’ll get my car over here to jump start you.”

“Okay if I leave now,” Chad Martin asked circling in on his bike.

“Give me a minute,” Detective Mendez said.

Chad set the kickstand, and crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at me.

Robbie sidled up beside me. “I know you’re only trying to help Mrs. Abernathy, but...guess you can’t solve ‘em all.”

“Yeah, guess I can’t.”

“Okay!” Detective Mendez called out, his car running and jumper cables attached.

“Crank your engine.”

The other man nodded, and his car sputtered then roared to life. 

“At least one problem is taken care of,” I said as I watched the white car drive away. 

Chad hopped back on his bike and popped a wheelie, leaving wet tracks on the dry pavement where the car had sat. “Now can I go,” Chad asked again.             

Detective Mendez looked at me. “Anything else, Jesse? Before it starts to rain again?”

“Huh?” I blinked, then snapped my fingers. “Of course! I’ve solved the case.”

What Was My Solution?

"Detective Mendez, you need to stop that man,” I said.

“What man?”

“The guy in the white car. His plate number’s GHG721. I memorized it just in case.”

“But--”

“He said Chad or Robbie could be our thief, but I never mentioned anything about a theft to him. Also, the first time I talked to him he said he’d been here only a few minutes, but that had to be a lie.”

“How can you know that?” Chad asked.

“The pavement where he parked is dry except for your bike tire marks. Meaning he parked here before the rain started. His car kept that area dry, while the rest of the parking lot got wet.”  

Detective Mendez was already on his radio calling out an All Points Bulletin. Within the hour the man was found, car stalled out once more. In his trunk was a red jacket and several wallets, including Mrs. Abernathy’s. 

“He’s the person I chased up the hill,” I told Robbie and Chad over oatmeal cookies at my house. “When he got back to his car and couldn’t get it started he whipped off his jacket to change his appearance. I did think it sort of odd he was in short sleeves while the rest of us were wearing jackets.”

“You know something, McKinley,” Chad Martin said between mouthfuls of cookie, “you’re all right.” 

Robbie and I grinned. Coming from Chad that was a compliment indeed.