The Mystery at Claudia's House

by Ann M. Martin

  “What do you want?”

  “I want to talk to you,” I replied, staring at the closed door. This was so unlike Janine. Usually she leaves her door wide open. Usually she is glad to see me, and happy to talk. Usually she has nothing to hide.

  “So talk,” she said.

  “Janine! Come on, open up. What is it with you lately?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, Janine, why are you being so secretive? Why are you hiding behind closed doors? Why are you lying to Mom and Dad? And why are you using my phone without permission?”

  Suddenly Janine threw the door open. She was dressed, once again, in my red sweater — and she was wearing plenty of makeup. “And why are you giving me the third degree?” she asked. “Can’t a person have her own life around here? Why does everything I do have to be everybody else’s business?” She stomped past me, down the hall and down the stairs.

  “Janine,” I called. “Wait! Where are you going?”

  “Out!” she yelled. And then I heard the front door slam. Janine was gone. I stood in the hallway, amazed. My plan to confront her had backfired. Obviously, talking things out with Janine was not going to get me anywhere. I thought for about two and a half seconds, and realized what I was going to have to do. I was going to have to tail Janine again.

  I ran downstairs and out the door. By the time I reached the sidewalk, Janine was nowhere in sight, so I had to guess which way she’d gone. I turned right, figuring she’d gone the same way she went last time I followed her. I jogged along, keeping my eyes peeled for that red sweater. There it was! Janine was in front of me, about to take a left off Bradford Court. I ducked behind a bush.

  Janine waited until it was safe to cross, then walked quickly across the road. She turned again, onto Rosedale Road, following the route she’d taken the last time. I hurried along, making sure to keep myself hidden. My sister never glanced back, though. She just walked fast, checking her watch once in a while.

  “She must be meeting someone again,” I said, under my breath. I’d learned a lot from Derek.

  When she arrived at the high school, Janine started to look around as if she were trying to find someone. A few kids were hanging out in front of the school, but I didn’t see that guy she’d met the other day. Apparently, Janine didn’t see the person she was looking for, either. She sat down under a tree and pulled a book out of her shoulder bag.

  “Good old Janine,” I said to myself. She can’t stand to sit around doing nothing. Janine always has a book with her, in case she has a few minutes to fill up. She’d never just sit and watch people go by, or look at the clouds. Not Janine.

  Since Janine was so busy reading, I saw the guy she was meeting before she did! It was the same gorgeous guy we’d seen the last time. He drove up — that’s right, drove up — in a cool little red car, and parked near the tree where she was sitting. Then he sat and looked at her for a minute, smiling to himself. Maybe he was noticing her book and thinking the same thoughts I had been thinking. Janine didn’t glance up, so finally he got out of the car and stepped over to her. He said something — I couldn’t hear what — and Janine jumped a little, as if she’d been surprised. Then she stood up and brushed off her skirt. She smiled at the guy and showed him the book she was reading. He took it and looked through it for a second, and I wondered what could be so interesting. But then he just gave it back to her, and she put it away.

  They stood and talked for a while, and I started to get bored. So far, I hadn’t learned anything.

  But then Janine walked over to the little red car and got into it! When the guy got in, he started it up, and they drove off. I stepped out from behind the bush where I’d been hiding and stared after them with my mouth hanging open. The little red car putt-putted down Rosedale and then turned right. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Janine had just gotten into a car with a stranger — well, he was a stranger to me — and driven off.

  I stood there for a little longer, until I realized there was no point in staring down the empty street. Janine was gone, and I couldn’t follow her any more that day. I walked home slowly, thinking over what I’d seen.

  My parents were home by the time I got there, and I jumped right into helping them make dinner. I was glad to forget about being a detective and just wash lettuce for awhile. I didn’t bring up the subject of Janine, and neither did they. We talked about baby-sitting, and school, and stuff like that.

  I was in the kitchen with my dad when Janine came home a little while later. My mother was in the dining room, and I could hear her talking to Janine.

  “Hi, honey,” Mom said. “You’re just in time to help me set the table. Have you had a nice afternoon?”

  “Oh yes,” said Janine. “I was working at the college chemistry lab.”

  I almost dropped the bowl of salad I’d been holding. It was one thing to know Janine had been keeping secrets and telling my parents little fibs once in a while. But it was another to hear her lie — right to Mom’s face! Now, I’m no goody-goody, and I admit I don’t always tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth, but when I heard Janine lie like that, I was shocked.

  “How could she —” I started to say.

  “What?” asked Dad. He was standing at the sink, peeling carrots.

  “Nothing,” I said. I put down the salad bowl and picked up the bread basket. “Is this ready to go out on the table?” I asked my dad.

  “Sure,” he said. “Take the butter, too.”

  I stepped into the dining room and set the basket and the butter dish down. Janine was walking around the table, putting a folded napkin at each place. She looked up at me. “Hi, Claud,” she said, smiling.

  “Hi,” I said, without smiling back. I gazed into her eyes, and thought I saw a flash of nervousness there. “So have you found a cure for the common cold yet?” I asked. “I heard you were at the lab this afternoon.”

  “No cure yet,” she answered, “but we’re still looking.” Her tone was light, but I thought I could hear a little tension in her voice. She put down the last napkin. “All done, Mom,” she said. “I’m just going to run upstairs and change before we eat, okay?”

  “Sure, honey,” said Mom. “Take your time. The chicken won’t be done for another fifteen minutes.”

  I watched Mom smooth out the tablecloth and wipe a smudge off one of the glasses. She looked up at me. “Anything wrong?” she asked. “You’re awfully quiet all of a sudden.”

  “I’m okay,” I said. I was quiet because I was thinking. Thinking hard. I had realized something. I’d been following Janine around and playing detective just because I was curious about what she was up to. I’d kind of been thinking of myself as the Nancy Drew of Stoneybrook. But this wasn’t just some story, made up to entertain people. This was real life. And Janine could be heading for trouble. After all, I’d seen her get into a car with a strange guy. Cute, yes. But not a familiar face. And then she’d lied to Mom about where she’d been.

  What if Janine was in some kind of trouble already? What if that guy was a drug dealer, or some other type of criminal? What if he had Janine under his spell? What if he’d threatened to kill her if she told anyone she’d been with him? Maybe that was why she’d been lying!

  I knew I was getting carried away. It was unlikely that Janine was involved with some evil lawless mastermind. But still, she really could be in trouble. It was then that I realized I should probably tell my parents everything I knew.

  I struggled for a moment with the idea. After all, nobody likes a tattletale. My parents have never encouraged Janine and me to report on each other’s behavior. Even when we were young they wouldn’t listen when we came running with stories about how one of us had knocked over the other one’s blocks.

  Suddenly I realized my mother was staring at me. I was still standing at the dining room table, gripping the back of my father’s chair. I was breathing hard, and I could feel that my cheeks were flushed. “Claud?” Mom said. She put her hand on my forehead.
“Are you feeling all right? You don’t look well.”

  “I’m fine, Mom. But —” I paused. “But I think there’s something you and Dad should know.”

  She looked at me curiously, but instead of asking any more questions, she just took my arm and steered me toward the den. On the way, she called to my dad. “Honey? Would you please come into the den for a minute?”

  “Be right there,” Dad replied.

  A couple of minutes later I was settled in the big chair in the corner of the den. Mom and Dad were sitting opposite me, on the couch. “What is it, Claud?” asked my mother. She looked very concerned. “Is it about your schoolwork?”

  “Are you having trouble keeping up?” asked Dad gently. “We’re always here to help, you know.”

  “It’s — it’s not me,” I said. They raised their eyebrows. Usually I hate the fact that I’m always the “bad daughter.” But this time I couldn’t take any pleasure in the fact that Janine was the one who was misbehaving. I was too worried about her.

  “Go on,” said Dad. He leaned forward.

  “It’s Janine,” I said. “I don’t know exactly what’s going on, but I think she could be in trouble.”

  Mom frowned. “What do you mean?” she asked. “I know she’s been late a few times, and she wasn’t entirely honest about where she’d been that night, but I think she understands now that we expect the truth from her.”

  “I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” I muttered.

  “Claudia,” said my father sternly. “Why don’t you just tell us what this is all about?”

  “Okay,” I said. I took a deep breath. “The thing is, Janine isn’t being honest with you. You know how she said she was working at the chemistry lab today?”

  My parents nodded.

  “Well, that’s not true,” I said. I started to talk fast. “She was here when I got home from baby-sitting this afternoon. And then she left and she met this guy and got into his car with him and drove off.” I stopped for a breath.

  “What?” both of my parents said at once. Then they started to ask a million questions.

  “How do you know this?” asked my father.

  “Who was this ‘guy’?” asked my mother. “Did you know him?”

  “What do you mean she drove off with him?” asked my father.

  “Where did they go?” asked my mother.

  I held up my hands. “Wait, wait,” I said. “I’ll start from the beginning.”

  “All right,” said my father. “Go on.” He crossed his arms.

  I told them everything I knew, and I told them how I’d found it out. I could see that they were unhappy with the idea of my “detective work,” but they let that pass for the moment. As soon as I had finished, my father stood up and opened the den door. “Janine!” he called. “Please come down here for a moment. We need to talk.”

  When Janine walked into the den, I stood up to leave.

  “Oh, no,” said my mom. “You stay here. This is going to be a family conference. Why don’t you tell Janine what you just told us?”

  It wasn’t easy, but I did it. Janine stared at me angrily the whole time. “How could you?” she hissed, when I’d finished. “You little sneak.” Then she turned to my parents. “I think I better clear some things up,” she said.

  My father nodded. “We’d appreciate that.”

  “Well,” said Janine. She paused for a moment, and seemed to gather herself together. Then she looked straight at my mother and said, “I have — I have a boyfriend.”

  You wouldn’t believe how quiet that room became. My parents looked as if they’d just heard that the sky was actually green and the grass blue. As for me, I was sure I couldn’t possibly have heard Janine correctly.

  “A what?” I asked.

  “A boyfriend,” said Janine. “His name is Jerry Michaels. I met him at the college. He’s a junior in high school, like me, but he’s in advanced placement, too.”

  My parents were still looking stunned, so I said, “But he’s a total hunk!”

  Janine nodded, looking miserable. “That’s one of the reasons I kept it so quiet,” she said. “I’ve always hated people who put physical appearance first. I never understood girls who wore makeup, or spent money on clothes, just so they could attract cute guys. To me, it’s a person’s mind that matters.”

  “But lately you’ve been wearing makeup and dressing better,” I said. “Was that to attract Jerry?”

  Janine nodded again. “But I found something out today,” she said. “He said he liked me in spite of the way I look, not because of it. So I’m going back to the old me. I was never comfortable wearing all that stuff on my face. I just thought it was the only way to get Jerry’s attention.”

  “So he’s a hunk and a genius,” I said. “He sounds perfect for you. What’s the problem?”

  Janine glared at me. I was so fascinated by her news that I’d almost forgotten she was mad at me. “Maybe the problem is that I’m a very private person,” she said stiffly. “I’m not used to other people knowing my business. I guess I wanted to keep Jerry to myself for a little while.”

  “I can understand that,” said my mother softly. She’d finally come out of her state of shock, and she was gazing fondly at Janine. “I felt the same way when I met your father.” She reached over and took my dad’s hand. He smiled at her. “Janine,” she went on, “I’m very happy for you. But I’m also disappointed. I may have wanted to keep your father a secret when I met him, but I never lied to my parents. And I would not have expected you to lie to us.”

  “That’s right,” said my father. “You’ve earned yourself another two days at home. You’re grounded — and I hope I’ll never have to say those words to you again.”

  “You won’t,” whispered Janine, looking down at her hands.

  “One other thing,” said my father, sounding even more serious. He paused until Janine looked up at him. “When are you going to bring Jerry home, so we can make sure he’s good enough for you?” He smiled at her, and she smiled back, a little nervously.

  “Yes,” said my mother. “I’m looking forward to meeting him.”

  “You mean I can keep seeing him?” asked Janine.

  “Of course,” said my mother. “You just have to promise to be honest with us about where you’re going, and with whom.”

  “Oh, I will! We never go anywhere special, anyway. Most of the time we just find a quiet place to study.”

  I rolled my eyes. It figured. Janine gets a boyfriend, and all they do is study together. Most couples go to the movies, or out for dinner. But Janine and Jerry just want to crack the books. They were made for each other.

  I thought again about how cute Jerry was. “Does he have a younger brother?” I said, grinning. “Like, maybe an eighth- or ninth-grader?”

  Janine didn’t grin back. “No,” she said shortly. “Just sisters.”

  I could tell she was going to stay mad at me for a long, long time.

  “So that guy is actually Janine’s boyfriend?” asked Mary Anne. She shook her head in disbelief, and then helped herself to one of the Yodels I was passing around. We’d already covered our club business, so I was using our BSC meeting to fill my friends in on the solution to the big mystery.

  “That’s right,” I said. “His name’s Jerry, and he’s a genius, just like Janine. How about that?”

  “I think it’s wonderful,” sighed Mallory. “A secret love is so romantic.”

  “To tell you the truth, I’m sort of disappointed,” said Jessi. She was next to Mallory on the floor, but instead of sitting still, she was doing one of her ballet stretches, with her head all the way down on the ground between her legs. She looked up. “I mean, I was really hoping Janine was a kleptomaniac, at the very least. Something interesting, you know?”

  “I agree,” said Kristy. She tucked her pencil over her ear, and leaned back in the director’s chair. “But still, I’m happy for Janine.”

  “Me, too,” said Dawn. “A boyfrien
d with a little red car! She’s got it made.”

  Stacey sighed. “I can’t believe we all laughed the other day when Mallory guessed the truth. Now it seems so obvious that she was right.”

  “It does, doesn’t it?” I asked. “But, you know, if it had been anybody but Janine, I would probably have guessed right away. I just never thought of her having a boyfriend before. Especially such a cute one.” I unwrapped another Yodel. “It just goes to show you —” I started to say, and then the phone rang.

  Kristy grabbed it. “Baby-sitters Club,” she said. “Kids are our business.” She listened for a moment, and then smiled. “That’s great, Derek,” she said. “You must be relieved.” She listened again. “Oh, well. There’s always next season.” A few moments later she hung up. “Guess what?” she asked us. “Derek’s agent called and told him the writers for the show have decided to forget about the kiss. They think Waldo’s too young.”

  I couldn’t believe it. “After all that nervousness!” I said. “But Derek must be happy.”

  “Not really,” said Kristy, laughing. “He said he had just gotten psyched up for it, and now he’s disappointed that it’s not going to happen!”

  Mallory giggled. “I bet my brothers will be disappointed, too. They couldn’t wait to see that episode!”

  “I was looking forward to it myself,” I said. “Oh, well. At least Derek learned something about truth and lies because of this.”

  “So did Janine,” said Stacey. “Only I bet she isn’t going to put off kissing for another year!”

  We started to giggle. I tried to imagine Janine kissing a boy, which only made me giggle more. Pretty soon my friends and I were laughing so hard we couldn’t stop, not even when I heard a knock at the door. “Come in!” I finally gasped, and Janine poked her head into the room.

  “What’s so funny?” she asked.

  “N — nothing,” I said, trying to catch my breath. “What’s up?”

  “I just wanted to tell you that I’m going over to Jerry’s house to study. And then he’s coming here for dinner. Will you please try to act like an adult around him?” She frowned at me. “Or is that too much to ask?”