The Mystery of the Blue Ring (3 page)

He laughed. “I never could find a crime to solve.”

Dawn looked at her cereal.

She wanted to tell about the ring.

She picked up her spoon.

She couldn’t, though. Then she’d have to tell about the unicorn.

Her father would find out she had taken it.

He’d feel sad.

She’d better not tell him.

She took the last Puff and Pop.

“I’m going out,” she said.

“Me, too,” said her father.

“I think I’ll rake.”

“I’m going to take my detective box,” she said. “It has lots of good stuff.”

“I hope you find a crime to solve,” he said.

Dawn went back to her bedroom for the box.

It was heavy.

She lugged it downstairs.

Chris started to laugh again.

“Bean nose,” she told him.

She went out the door.

She’d go to school.

She’d look all over the place.

She’d solve the crime—one, two, three.

Dawn the detective.

Dawn the private eye.

She went down the street.

It was a good thing it was Saturday. She didn’t want to see anybody.

They’d stare at her. They’d say she had taken the ring.

She put the detective box down.

It was heavy.

She blew on her fingers. She pushed her hat out of her eyes.

Then she saw somebody.

Jason Bazyk.

At least, it looked like Jason. Same brown hair. Same ears.

He bumped into a tree.

Yes. That was Jason.

He was carrying a brown paper bag.

Dawn grabbed her box. She ducked behind Mrs. Moley’s itchy ball tree.

She tried to make herself skinny and small.

She’d have to wait until Jason went away.

She hoped he’d hurry up.

D
AWN PEEKED OUT
at Jason.

He was looking all around.

He hid behind a mailbox.

Then he ran to Mrs. Nelson’s tree.

Dawn took deep breath. She ran behind the stop sign. She peeked again.

What was Jason doing?

He must be crazy.

He dashed across the street and went in the school-yard gate.

Too bad. She’d have to sit here and wait.

That could be all day.

Snaggle doodles. That’s what Emily Arrow always said.

Double snaggle doodles.

Dawn sat down on a pile of leaves.

She opened her box.

She threw some of the stuff on the ground. She looked until she found what she wanted.

A pair of fake eyeglasses.

She put them on.

Then she pushed her hair up under her hat.

What next?

She could put on the fake furry brown moustache.

No good.

Jason would know a kid wouldn’t have a moustache.

Too bad she wasn’t tall.

She tore the moustache in two pieces.

She stuck them on her eyebrows.

She looked in the mirror inside the box.

Great.

She looked like an ugly old man.

A very little ugly old man.

She put everything back in the box. She went into the school yard.

She took little hopping steps. Jason would never know who she was.

Jason didn’t even see her.

He walked around to the front door. He tripped up the step.

Dawn watched him.

He dusted off his jeans.

He tried to open the door.

It was locked.

Dawn ducked behind the swings.

Jason tried the back door next.

It pulled open.

He looked around. Then he rushed inside.

Dawn sat down on the swing to think. She gave herself a little push.

Why was Jason sneaking around?

Why was he going to school on a Saturday?

And why was he carrying a brown paper bag in his hand?

Maybe he had taken Emily’s ring.

Maybe he was going to take something else.

She had to find out.

She hopped over to the back door.

It took a long time, but Jason might be looking out the window.

Slowly Dawn opened the door.

No one was in the hall.

She listened. She couldn’t even hear Jason’s footsteps.

She tiptoed down the hall.

It was hard to be quiet with her boots on.

Next time she’d wear her jelly sandals.

She sat on the floor and pulled one boot off.

Then she pulled off the other one.

Where could she hide them?

If Jim the cleaning man came along, he’d throw them in the Dumpster.

Jim liked a clean school.

She’d have to go upstairs. She’d put them in the classroom.

She started to stand up.

Then she heard a noise.

A slithering noise.

A whooshing sound.

Something dropped over her head.

She couldn’t see. She couldn’t breathe.

She opened her mouth wide.

She couldn’t even scream.

“G
OTCHA!” SOMEONE YELLED.

Dawn reached up. She pulled at the thing on her head.

It was ripping.

Crackling.

What was it?

“Thief!” the voice yelled.

“Help!” Dawn screamed.

She tore at the thing.

It came off in her hand.

A paper bag. Jason’s paper bag.

And there was Jason. “Thief!” he yelled again.

Then his mouth opened. He looked at her. “Dawn Bosco?”

Dawn took off her glasses. She put them in her pocket. Then she began to pull on her boots. “I’m getting out of here,” she said. “You’re crazy, Jason Bazyk.”

“Dawn Bosco,” he said again.

“You were trying to kill me.”

“Dawn Bosco,” he said for the third time.

Dawn pulled on her other boot. “Don’t keep saying that.”

“I thought someone was following me,” he said in a loud voice. “A little old man in a huge polka dot hat. With eyeglasses. With eyebrows.”

Dawn put her hand up to her face.

“Only one eyebrow now,” Jason said. “It’s stuck on your forehead.”

He sat down on the floor. “Whew. I’m glad it’s you.”

“What are you doing here?” she asked. “Sneaking around.”

“I’m going to be a detective when I grow up.”

“Hey,” said Dawn. “Me, too. Or a school crossing guard.”

“I’m trying to find something out,” Jason said. He stood up. “Who took Emily Arrow’s ring?”

“That’s why I’m here,” said Dawn. “It wasn’t me.”

“I didn’t think so,” said Jason. “Let’s go.”

“I’m ready. Where?”

Jason shook his head. “I don’t know.”

“To the art room closet. Of course. That’s where it started.”

“Wait a minute,” Jason said. He turned his head. “Did you hear a noise?”

“Lots of noise,” Dawn said. “You talk loud. You walk loud, too.”

“That’s what my mother says,” Jason said. “I hear another noise, too.”

“It’s Jim,” said Dawn. “He’s cleaning.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t be here.” Jason looked worried.

“Jim won’t mind. We can ask him about the ring. Maybe he found it last night.”

They started down the hall.

Dawn stopped to look out the window. “I think it’s going to rain.”

“I’m supposed to be home when it rains,” said Jason.

“Don’t worry. We have time,” Dawn said. She took a breath. “Uh-oh.”

“What’s the matter?”

“Do you still hear that noise?”

“You mean Jim?” asked Jason. “Sure I do.”

Dawn pointed. “Jim’s outside. He’s raking leaves.”

Jason looked down the hall. “Someone’s there,” he said.

“Maybe a teacher,” Dawn said. “Maybe someone forgot his homework.”

“We could go home,” Jason said. “It’s going to rain anyway.”

“Let’s see who it is,” Dawn said. She started down the hall. “We’ll take a peek.”

She looked at her boots again. “I have to take them off,” she whispered. “They make too much noise.”

She slipped them off quickly.

She left them in the hall.

“I think someone’s in the music room,” Jason said.

“Or the art room,” said Dawn.

Jason went to the music room. He banged open the door.

“Shh,” Dawn said. “The whole world can hear you.”

She went to the art room.

The door was open.

She put her head around it.

Someone was standing next to the window.

It was Jill Simon. She was holding Beast’s clay string bean.

“Hey!” Dawn said.

Jill was wearing a ring. A gold ring. It had a blue stone.

“Hey,” Dawn yelled again.

Jill’s mouth opened. She started to screech.

She ran past Dawn. She raced out the door.

Halfway down the hall, she took a huge hop.

She sailed over Dawn’s boots.

A moment later she was gone.

Jason came out of the music room. “Who was screaming?” he asked. He fell over Dawn’s boots. “Wasn’t that Jill Simon?” He rubbed his knee.

“Wearing Emily Arrow’s ring,” said Dawn.

“Jill Simon?” Jason said.

“A thief,” said Dawn.

“Jill Simon,” Jason said again. “I can’t believe it.”

“Stop saying that,” Dawn said. “Let’s go. We have to catch her.”

O
UTSIDE IT WAS
pouring rain.

Big drops bounced off the sidewalk.

Dawn and Jason stood at the open door.

Jill was nowhere in sight.

“I think I’d better go home,” Jason said.

“Not me,” said Dawn. “Carmen stays out in the rain. Policemen stay out in the rain. The mailman walks around in the rain, too.”

“You’re right,” said Jason.

He ran back down the hall.

He grabbed the torn paper bag. “I’ll stick this over my head.”

“And I’ve got my hat,” said Dawn. She pushed it out of her eyes.

They ran out of the school yard. They crossed the street and turned the corner.

“There she is,” Dawn said.

“Stop, thief!” Jason yelled.

Jill didn’t look back. She hopped over a puddle.

“Faster!” yelled Dawn.

“My paper bag is wet!” Jason yelled. He pulled it off his head.

Dawn reached up.

Her hat was gone.

“Wait.” She looked back. A fat polka dot hat was floating in a puddle.

“Don’t stop,” Jason called. He splashed through the puddles.