Secret of the School Suitor

by Jessica Anderson

  She picked up her pace once again, happy she had the bandage on her foot. Up the hallway ahead, Divya spied something bright. Something lime green.

  Yes! She’d caught up to Bus Driver McCool.

  No! He turned around to see who was following him in the hallway. She’d made too much noise.

  Divya ducked down behind a three-dimensional bulletin board of a tree with branches growing along the wall. It was supposed to be a story tree. Javier helped build the branches by twisting up a bunch of butcher block paper and taping it together.

  Bus Driver McCool scratched his almost bald head and walked on toward the gymnasium.

  Whew—that was close.

  Divya couldn’t wait to tell Javier how his artwork had saved her from almost getting caught yet again.

  Things were getting more risky, especially since morning assembly would be over soon. Teachers and students were about to flood the hallways. Her teacher, Mr. Smartline, would soon wonder where she was and would mark her absent. Then he’d call her dad at home, probably waking him up in a bad mood after finally getting to sleep.

  Divya hugged the hallway as she crept forward and stood close to the doorframe.

  Coach Shorts—who was actually tall and always wore gym pants, not shorts –gave Bus Driver McCool a big hug. She was several inches taller than the bus driver.

  “What a surprise to see you!” Coach Shorts said to him. “I didn’t expect to see you until later.”

  “I can’t wait for our dinner tonight,” Bus Driver McCool said.

  “About that,” Coach Shorts said, “Can I get a rain check? The basketball game got rescheduled and I have to be there to coach my team.”

  Bus Driver McCool said something in a low voice—too low for Divya to hear but she could sense his sadness all over again. He sure seemed to be having a rough day. Divya wondered what she could do to change things.

  “I can’t reschedule,” Coach Shorts responded. “I have to be there. If you love me, then you’ll understand.”

  “Of course I love you and of course I understand,” Bus Driver McCool said.

  Klaude would’ve made gagging noises if he’d heard this, Divya thought.

  Coach Shorts gave Bus Driver McCool another hug before he left. Coach Shorts may or may not have noticed, but Divya could see that his shoulders sagged even more.

  Poor guy.

  Poor guy who was walking straight toward Divya!

  McCool’s Mystery Solved?

  As Bus Driver McCool approached her, Divya leaned forward and picked up an empty desk. She pretended she was the custodian and walked the desk inside the classroom. She put on such a good performance in that moment that she decided to try out for the school play later that spring.

  Bus Driver McCool passed her by, not noticing who she was or what she was doing. He muttered to himself, “I give up.”

  “I give up?” Those were dangerous words. Divya couldn’t let him give up.

  Mr. Hambrick, one of the other third grade teachers, gave Divya a funny look as she stood in the doorframe carrying the empty desk. “Oops! Wrong room,” Divya said with confidence.

  She stepped out of the room and set it back in the hallway. Klaude raised an eyebrow at her as he passed her by and so did Queeneka.

  Yikes! Morning assembly was over—Divya had to hurry and she was no closer to cracking the case!

  Up ahead, she saw the principal, Mrs. Holmes step out of the cafeteria wearing a pair of jeans in much better shape than the bus driver’s and a black shirt with the school owl mascot standing on top of a basketball. She seemed even more eager for the basketball game tonight than Coach Shorts.

  Bus Driver McCool caught up with Mrs. Holmes. Was he turning himself in for his bad driving?

  Divya wished more than anything that she could hear what they were talking about. She’d tried to learn how to read lips to be a better detective, but whenever she tried before, it just looked like the person said watermelon over and over again.

  She stopped to really focus on Bus Driver McCool’s face. “Can we talk?” he seemed to ask to Mrs. Holmes.

  That had to be it! Mrs. Holmes nodded her head and the two of them walked off in the direction of the office.

  Someone bumped into Divya. She yelped in surprise.

  “Whoa,” Javier said, “I didn’t mean to scare you. What did you find out?”

  Divya put a finger over her lips to keep him from saying anything else where the entire third grade could hear. She walked over to the bulletin board story tree so they could hide in the hallway.

  The first thing Divya told him about was how his artwork saved the day. Javier smiled so wide she could see all of his teeth. Javier had really nice teeth.

  Divya told Javier about the flower receipt and the suit. “I wish I could call my dad to find out if his mom is sick or not.”

  “Now that I’ve been thinking about it, he probably would’ve told you about his mom when you asked him how things are going,” Javier said. “Your dad knows his mom and it’s not something he would keep a secret, right?”

  “Right.” Time was ticking by way too fast. Mr. Smartline would be taking attendance any minute now.

  Divya and Javier talked even faster about the rumors and about the conversation that Divya overheard between Bus Driver McCool and Mr. Sleuth.

  Was Bus Driver McCool planning on working as a security officer? Had he gotten in trouble at his old job and the crimes were catching up to him?

  Things didn’t seem to be going too well with Coach Shorts according to Divya—the coach chose the basketball game over their date.

  When Divya shared how Bus Driver McCool said he was giving up, everything started to click into place.

  The suit, which is something he might wear to a job interview.

  The tension with Mr. Sleuth.

  The bad driving.

  The way the bus driver seemed stressed out.

  These things reminded Divya of the way her dad acted right before he quit his nursing job at the hospital to take the nursing home job where he was now much happier. Divya shared her hypothesis.

  “Maybe,” Javier said. “What about the flower receipt?”

  Well, the flowers seemed out of place, they both agreed. Perhaps the flowers weren’t related to the case at all.

  “I have to stop Bus Driver McCool from quitting Watson Elementary School!”

  The bell rang right at that moment. “Cover for me,” Divya said.

  “Not again,” Javier said. He mumbled something else but Divya didn’t have time to listen.

  Divya to the Rescue

  “Did you miss me that much?” Mr. Sleuth said as Divya rushed into the office. He placed his hand over his heart and gave her a cheesy smile.

  Divya wanted to think of a funny reply, but she was too focused on saving Bus Driver McCool’s job.

  All Divya could think of to explain her return was point to Nurse Strongman’s office. She hoped Mr. Sleuth would get the hint that she needed yet another bandage. It worked because he nodded and she took off.

  Only Divya didn’t walk into the nurse’s office, she barged right into Mrs. Holmes’ office. She wasn’t sure who looked more shocked to see her—the principal or the bus driver.

  Even though she was a small woman and wore the basketball shirt featuring the cute owl, Mrs. Holmes looked tough. She reminded Divya of the grandma judge on the TV show who sent criminals to jail.

  “I can tell you have something urgent to say to me, but now isn’t a good time. As you can see, I’m in a meeting with Mr. McCool,” Mrs. Holmes said. “Why don’t you set up an appointment with Mr. Sleuth if you would like to talk with me?” Mrs. Holmes asked, though it seemed more like a demand to Divya.

  “It can’t wait!” Divya said.

  Bus Driver McCool turned to Mrs. Holmes. “I can explain why she’s here.”

  Wait, what? Divya thought. How could he possibly know she was here to try to save him from quitting his job? Was she that bad of a
spy? Who might’ve overheard her talking to Javier in the hallway? Divya thought she’d been a pretty decent detective up until now.

  “You see, I was distracted and didn’t perform my best driving skills. And I, well, might’ve implied that Divya should keep her concerns to herself which is irresponsible of me,” Bus Driver McCool said.

  “No, no, no! That’s not why I’m here at all!” Divya said, though it came out much more like a shout because she was so worked up about things. She hadn’t barged into their meeting to force a confession like this out of him.

  “What are you doing, then?” Bus Driver McCool sat up a little straighter and scratched his balding head again.

  Mrs. Holmes narrowed her eyes. “Why don’t you take a seat?” she said in that calm way of hers. It was another question, but once again, it felt like a demand.

  After Divya sat down, she fidgeted with her ankle braces and then tried to explain why she was really here. This was her moment to save Bus Driver McCool’s job and she wasn’t doing so well so far.

  “This morning’s … mishap wasn’t a big deal at all. It was foggy and we all got to school safe and sound. That’s the important part,” Divya said, trying to sound as calm as Mrs. Holmes.

  “I’m here because I don’t want you to quit driving the school bus. I’m sure that I can speak for all of the students here at Watson to say how much we need you to keep driving Bus 72,” she said.

  Bus Driver McCool smiled at Divya. “You think I’m quitting?”

  Divya could hear the laughter in his voice. Even Mrs. Holmes tried to hide her smile.

  Uh oh. Divya had been sure that all clues pointed to the bus driver quitting. “Is everything okay with your mom?” she asked. Since he didn’t seem to be leaving his job, maybe the suspicion about his mom’s illness had been correct.

  “My mom’s great, other than stealing some of the snacks from the nursing home kitchen. Thanks for asking. I’m curious why you think I’m quitting,” Bus Driver McCool said.

  Divya shared her evidence, starting with the rumors. Big mistake.

  Mrs. Holmes shook her head. “Rumors should never be at the center of solving a case.”

  “True, but I have evidence,” Divya said. She stopped talking for a moment because she’d started to doubt whether she had solid evidence or not. “At least I thought I did.”

  If she shared what evidence she had, Divya would have to admit she’d been spying on the bus driver and that she’d skipped morning assembly. She wanted to help the bus driver, but she could be hurting herself.

  “We’re waiting,” Mrs. Holmes said.

  Divya needed to choose her words carefully.

  Mystery Solved For Real?

  Divya explained how she found the receipt and saw the suit. “When I went to get a bandage, I heard you and Mr. Sleuth arguing,” she said, looking at Bus Driver McCool.

  “Then I heard you say you give up after you talked to Coach Shorts,” Divya said. At least the bandage sounded like a valid reason for being in the office, but she couldn’t come up with a reason for why she’d followed Bus Driver McCool all the way to the gymnasium. Fortunately, neither one of them asked for her reason.

  “I can see why you thought I was quitting,” Bus Driver McCool said. That made Divya feel somewhat better that he at least understood.

  “I applaud your detective work and your concern for our staff,” Mrs. Holmes said. “Everyone here at Watson Elementary cares very much about Mr. McCool. He is not planning on quitting nor am I going to fire him.” Mrs. Holmes brushed her thick bangs to the side of her forehead. She still had a hint of a smile on her face.

  This was wonderful news, but there were still a whole lot of unanswered questions. “What was the argument about with Mr. Sleuth, then?” Divya asked.

  “That’s between the two of them,” Mrs. Holmes said.

  This was yet another one of those adult responses that Divya found super unhelpful.

  Now Divya was the one with her shoulders sagging. She’d gone through all of this trouble and it didn’t seem like she’d ever get an answer.

  Divya’s day started with Bus Driver McCool apologizing to her and now she was apologizing to him and to Mrs. Holmes. “I’m sorry for snooping and missing morning assembly. I wanted to help but it turns out I’ve made a mess of things.”

  Divya waited for Mrs. Holmes to explain how much trouble she was in. She dreaded having to call her dad to tell him that she’d been up to no good even if her heart had been in the right place.

  “I’ve always thought you’re a nice kid,” Bus Driver McCool repeated. It sure was nice to hear after Divya was feeling low.

  “I shouldn’t say anything, but you’ve gone through all this trouble for me,” he said, and looked over at Mrs. Holmes who shrugged her shoulders.

  “You’re free to talk to whoever you want to, but you’ve already seen the consequences of loose lips,” the principal said.

  What in the world did that mean? Divya’s brain was running out of clues.

  “You see, I have been working an extra job in the evenings so I could buy something nice for Coach Shorts. Something expensive. As you know, I care about her very much. When I was shopping, I ran into Mr. Sleuth,” he said.

  “I was so excited that I told him about my plan without thinking about it. Mr. Sleuth has been dropping hints to a few people, and worse, he’s been teasing Coach Shorts how she better be prepared to get a special gift from me,” Bus Driver McCool said. “That’s why I had a bone to pick with him.”

  Loose lips. Now it made sense. Mr. Sleuth could sometimes be a busybody and he wasn’t nearly as good as Divya at keeping a secret.

  Divya ran through all the clues again. So the rumor about the second job had been true. No wonder Bus Driver McCool seemed more tired than usual.

  She thought about the suit.

  The receipt for flowers.

  The special, expensive gift.

  “You’re going to propose to Coach Shorts!” Divya just about shouted, but lowered her voice since other workers in the office might hear her and the secret was already getting out, thanks to Mr. Sleuth.

  “Yes,” Bus Driver McCool said. “Today is our anniversary and I planned on asking her to marry me at dinner tonight. Only problem is—“

  “She cancelled dinner tonight because of the basketball game,” Divya said.

  “Try as I might,” Mrs. Holmes said, “but I can’t reschedule the game. I appreciate you coming by to share the news with me, Mr. McCool, and I’m sorry I can’t do more to help you.”

  “I know how to help you!” Divya said, this time much more sure of herself.

  Divya Saves the Day

  Much to her surprise, both Bus Driver McCool and Mrs. Holmes liked her idea. Before Divya went back to class, Mrs. Holmes lectured her about respecting privacy and the importance of attending every part of school, even if an interesting case came up.

  Mrs. Holmes gave her a hall pass so she wouldn’t get in trouble with Mr. Smartline for being late. “I expect you to explain things to your dad without me having to call him,” she said.

  “That’s more than fair,” Divya said. When she walked out of Mrs. Holmes’ office, Nurse Strongman stood in the doorway to see what was going on. Mr. Sleuth stood up at his desk, his eyes wide with curiosity.

  “Divya, what was going on in there?” Mr. Sleuth asked. “I thought you were on your way to get a bandage.”

  Like Divya was going to say anything! She needed to recruit some help and she’d fill her friends in on an as-needed basis. Hopefully even Klaude would help.

  “I have to get to class,” she said. “Thanks for your help today, Mr. Sleuth!”

  “So glad you could finally join us,” Mr. Smartline said as Divya passed him the note from Mrs. Holmes. “Are you finished helping the orphans?”

  Was that code for something? Regardless, she was done lying and sneaking around. “Sorry, I had a case to solve.”

  Mr. Smartline shook his head. “Very
well. Please take a seat, Divya, and pass in your homework.”

  Javier leaned over to whisper to Divya a few minutes later when their teacher was distracted at the computer. “Sorry,” he said. “I came up with a lousy cover story for you. Tell me what happened!”

  Orphans! Divya had to keep herself from laughing. “Let’s talk at recess. Round up everyone you know,” she whispered.

  The morning had been stressful and things didn’t get any easier as Divya had to wait until recess time.

  Javier promised to put his art skills to good use.

  “I’ll help,” Queeneka said after Divya swore everyone to secrecy and shared her plan.

  Queeneka loved to be the star at everything, so this wasn’t a surprise to Divya. All of Queeneka’s friends agreed to help, too.

  Soon, everyone else was in on the plan, too. Except Klaude. He just had to complicate things.

  “What’s in it for me?” Klaude asked.

  “To be nice and to help someone who looks after us?” Divya said.

  Klaude rubbed his neck like Javier had earlier in the day. “I’ll think about it,” he said.

  Grrrr!

  If Klaude wasn’t going to help, he would hopefully keep his mouth shut. The team already had their hands full to keep Mr. Sleuth busy and to prevent him from ruining the surprise for Coach Shorts.

  Divya dressed up for the basketball game in her Watson Elementary School shirt with the owl mascot on it and the fanciest thing she owned, a jean skirt. She slapped a couple of owl stickers on her ankle braces to show school spirit.

  Her dad wore a matching shirt and a pair of dress slacks. She told her dad everything so Mrs. Holmes wouldn’t have to. He gave her a similar lecture, but added, “I’m proud of you for caring about others.”

  Divya wasn’t the one about to propose, but her hands felt damp, much damper than her socks had felt this morning. Javier passed out cards for those in on the plan to hold in the air at the right time.

  Divya could hardly sit still in the bleachers and to make matters worse, the Owls were losing.