The other woman—dressed in a green suit—reached for a diet soda and took a sip. She shook her head and said, “He’s hurting the morale of the other players. His attitude is terrible! And lately he hasn’t even played well!”
“Excuse me …,” Kate started to say.
The woman looked her way. “Yes?” the lady in the black suit said. “Can we help you?”
“Oh…never mind.”
Kate wanted to explain that it was all a big mistake—that Tony actually loved the Phillies—but decided not to. It would be better to prove them wrong than to tell them they were wrong. And she would do that—with the help of her friends.
The afternoon ended too quickly. Kate’s mom and dad took the girls out to eat at an all-you-can-eat pizza buffet that evening.
“I love, love, love this place!” Kate said as they entered. She stopped inside the door and drew in a deep breath. “Do you smell that? Do you? It’s the most wonderful smell in the world. Smell the garlic? Smell the pizza crust baking? Smell the pepperoni and sausage? Oh, I think that’s the best smell ever!”
“You’re funny! You know that?” Sydney laughed. “Just smells like pizza to me. But look at that salad bar! They have great veggies. I’m going to love this place.”
“Veggies?” This was one of Kate’s favorite places to eat, but she’d never noticed the vegetables before. Oh well. She grabbed a plate and got in line. She loaded up on the good stuff…three pieces of sausage pizza, one slice of pepperoni, a bowl of spaghetti and meatballs, and two slices of dessert pizza.
Sydney grabbed a bowl and filled it with salad, loading it with bright orange carrot sticks, round red tomatoes, and lots of green cucumbers. Afterward, she took a tiny slice of cheese pizza.
Kate looked at her, stunned. “That’s all you’re eating?”
“Sure.” Sydney shrugged. “Why?”
“Oh, no reason.” Kate tried not to feel bad about all of the food she ate as they shared the meal together, but she had to wonder if she was the only one who loved pizza. She even made a second trip back to the buffet for two more slices of pepperoni. Her mother looked at her and said, “Hollow leg!” Kate just laughed.
They arrived home at ten minutes until seven.
“Don’t forget to feed Biscuit,” Kate’s mom said. “And take him outside for a few minutes.”
Kate filled Biscuit’s bowl with food and watched as he chomped it down. “Slow down, boy! You’ll end up weighing a ton! You won’t be a very good crime solver if you’re too chubby to chase the bad guys!”
Biscuit never even looked up from his food. He just kept eating and eating.
Afterward, Kate took him outside. Sydney went with her. They stood in the backyard talking about the case while Biscuit roamed the yard and chased a squirrel. From inside the house, Kate heard the grandfather clock chime seven times.
“Oh! We’re supposed to be online to meet the other girls!”
They raced back inside, where Kate signed onto the internet. She giggled as she entered the chat room. Bailey—the youngest in their group—was already there.
Bailey: Hey, Freckles! Whazup? U said it was important!
Kate: Wait till the others sign on. I’ll tell u everything, I promise. Something is happening and we need ur help!
Bailey: Okie dokie.
“Who is it?” Sydney asked, settling into the chair next to Kate.
“Bailey.” Kate pointed at the screen. “She’s the first one to sign on.”
“Of course!” Sydney laughed. “Bailey might be the youngest, but she’s always ready to roll!”
A few seconds later, Alex signed into the chat room. Kate smiled when she saw her name. Alex knew everything there was to know about solving tough cases. Surely she would be able to help!
Next Elizabeth Anderson signed on. Elizabeth was fourteen—older than any of the others. She always knew just what to do. Kate had enjoyed getting to know Elizabeth at camp. She was so mature, and loaded with godly wisdom!
At five minutes after seven, McKenzie joined them. McKenzie was thirteen and never gave up on a case, even a really tough one like this. Kate could hardly wait to share the news.
McKenzie: What’s up?
Kate quickly filled them in on the story, sharing everything about Tony Smith and his problems with the team. Afterward, she typed, We need all of you!
Elizabeth: We’re here! Whatever u need, just tell us!
Kate: Sydney and I have assignments for you. How do u feel about that?
McKenzie: Gr8!
Bailey: Cool! Assign away, oh Chief.
Kate smiled as she typed.
Kate: McKenzie, you’re a deep thinker. And you’re so smart! We need you to think of all the reasons why someone would want to do this to Mr. Smith.
McKenzie: I’ll put on my thinking cap.
Kate: Alex, you’re so encouraging! We want you to put together a team of kids to write letters of encouragement to Mr. Smith. Those letters will lift his spirits, and he really needs that right now.
Alexis: Sounds like fun.
Kate: Elizabeth, you’re such a prayer warrior. I would feel better if I knew lots of people were praying! Could you help with that? Put together a prayer team, maybe?
Elizabeth: I’d be happy to! I’ll ask lots of people to pray at certain times of day.
Bailey: What about me? What can I do?
Kate: Keep posting comments to our new Phillies blog. Write some great things about Tony Smith. Let people know what a terrific guy he is. It would be great if all of you could do that…and ask your friends and family members to post their comments too. The more, the better! Just ask them to say nice things only. Okay?
Kate quickly gave them the link to the new site and they all agreed to help.
Kate: We also need someone to do some research on the Phillies and their history. We also need good stuff on Tony Smith, like how much he’s helped kids with muscular dystrophy…that sort of thing. Internet searches may be enough, but it may also mean a trip to the library. Anyone game?
Bailey: I can do that too. I’ll dig out Phillies info, Philly Queen Mystery Solver! My fam is going to Chicago this weekend, so I’ll look at one of the big libraries there.
Alexis: And I can help by finding out stuff about Tony Smith.
As they ended the chat, Kate turned to Sydney.
“What do you think?” she asked. “What else can we do? It will be a few days before Bailey gives us information. And it’ll take awhile for the rest of the Camp Club Girls to get going too. What can we do…right here, right now?”
“Hmm.” Sydney wrinkled her nose as she thought about it. “I suppose we should find some local people who Tony Smith has helped in some way. Get some personal interviews of lives he’s touched.”
“Great idea!” Kate agreed. “And when we’re done with that, let’s figure out the best possible way to get people to notice our new blog site.”
“How do we do that?” Sydney asked.
“It’s not as hard as you think. Just takes time.” With the wave of a hand, Kate explained, “I can announce the site to all of my friends here in Philadelphia and ask them to send the link to their friends, and their friends’ friends, and so on. Before long, people all over the country will know! Also, I’ll go to some of the other Phillies blog sites—the ones saying the bad stuff about Mr. Smith—and leave comments with a link to our site. That’ll get ’em there, I’m sure!”
“I’ll do the same thing,” Sydney agreed. “I know lots of people who love sports. As soon as our blog site is up and going full speed, I’ll send the link. Before long, we’ll have the best Phillies site on the internet!”
Kate couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s funny, isn’t it? A few days ago I knew nothing about baseball. And now I’m writing about it. Go figure!”
“It’s all for a worthy cause,” Sydney said with a nod. “And besides, you’ll fall in love with baseball, I promise. It’s such a great sport. And with players like Tony Smith, wh
at’s not to love?”
Kate shrugged. She still wasn’t so sure about the whole baseball thing. But maybe next Saturday’s game would be the true test. Perhaps there she could solve a mystery—and at the same time fall in love with the game of baseball!
Supersleuths on the Job!
On Saturday afternoon, Kate and Sydney went back to the stadium for another Phillies game with Mrs. Smith and Andrew. Kate deliberately wore a red-white-and-blue T-shirt and a pair of jeans. She wanted to fit in with the other fans this time—not stick out like a sore thumb in a bright orange shirt! Besides, this whole sports thing was beginning to rub off on her. Sort of, anyway. She was actually starting to get excited about baseball! And solving the case, of course. She could hardly wait to do that! Whoever was framing Tony Smith would soon be caught if she had anything to do with it.
They entered the stadium to the strains of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” Hearing the song made happiness rise in Kate’s heart. How exciting!
Sydney’s face was practically shining with joy. “I love, love, love coming here!” she said with a squeal. “But you’re going to have to keep an eye on me, Kate, ‘cause I’m gonna get caught up in the game and forget we’re supposed to be crime solving! You know how I am! I might be a supersleuth, but I’m also a sports fan!”
“Of course! But I won’t let that happen. Inspector Gadget is on the job!” Kate giggled. “I’ve got my dad’s super-high-strength binoculars, and I brought my tiny digital camera again, just in case I see anything strange. Plus—and this is really cool—I’ve got my smartwatch. I’m ready no matter what comes our way!”
“I still can’t believe you can read web pages on a watch,” Andrew said, shaking his head.
“What are we looking for exactly, though?” Sydney asked.
“Well, maybe a nosy reporter hanging out around the locker room,” Kate explained. “Or one of the players in the dugout acting suspicious. Anything, really.”
“Before the game starts, let’s pray, okay?” Sydney said. “’Cause I know we need God’s help with this. It’s too big for us to solve by ourselves.”
“Sure!” Kate agreed.
Once they settled into their seats, Kate bowed her head and Sydney said a quick prayer. Even though it was super loud in the stadium, Kate felt sure God still heard them loud and clear!
After praying, Andrew headed to the dugout to say hello to his father. Kate watched him wind his way through the many, many fans to get to the small dugout area. What would it feel like, to have a sports hero for a father? Especially now with people saying so many mean things about him?
Kate could sort of imagine what it felt like to have a famous father. Her dad was going to be famous when SWAT-bot hit the stores! Not that he needed to be famous to impress her. She already thought he was the very best dad in the world.
Minutes later, Andrew returned to his seat looking sad. “I told my dad to have fun,” he said, taking his seat. “He said it’s getting harder with each game, but I just reminded him that he loves the sport. And I told him about that Bible verse we learned at church last week.”
“Which one? I don’t remember.” Kate gave him a curious look.
“You know—that one that says blessed are you when men persecute you and say bad things against you?”
“Oh yeah!” Kate remembered. “Well, that one certainly applies, doesn’t it!”
“Well, my dad is being falsely accused. And with all of these rumors flying around, he’s really being persecuted by others. So he must be mighty blessed.”
“That’s a great way to look at it,” Kate agreed.
“He should just relax and have a great game,” Sydney said, wrinkling her nose. “He can’t control what other people are thinking, anyway.”
“Yeah, but I still wish they wouldn’t think bad things about him or say bad things about him. I know it hurts his feelings…and mine too!” Andrew sighed. Kate felt bad for him.
“I guess God is teaching us all a lesson about spreading rumors, isn’t He?” she said. “Maybe that’s the point of all of this—to show us just how wrong it is to talk about people behind their backs, especially when it’s not true!”
“I’ll be a lot more careful about who I talk about, that’s for sure,” Sydney said. “I’ll think before I speak even if I don’t know the person.”
“Me too,” Andrew agreed.
“No more talking about people behind their backs!” Kate announced in her strongest voice.
“Speaking of not talking about people behind their backs…” The woman in front of them had turned around with a stern look. “Would you kids mind being a little quieter during this game? Last time one of you was shouting in my ear through the whole game.” She looked at Sydney, who put her hand over her mouth.
“Oops! Sorry,” Sydney said. “But I’m such a big fan! I can hardly control myself. Especially when Tony Smith is on the field.”
At the mention of Tony’s name, the woman rolled her eyes and mumbled some not-so-nice things. She turned back around to face the field.
“Never mind all that,” Kate whispered to Andrew. “She’ll be a fan of your dad’s again too after we solve this case.”
Several rows down, something caught Kate’s eye. She watched as a man in his late twenties stood and pulled something out of his pocket. Hmm. Something about him seemed strange. He turned her way for a moment and she caught a glimpse of his face and noticed his Phillies shirt. Grabbing Sydney’s arm, she said, “Oh, there’s that man again. The one in the picture.” Kate pointed at him.
“Is he here with someone else?” Sydney asked. “Or is he alone again?”
“Looks like he’s alone. That’s kind of weird, isn’t it? Don’t people usually come to games with friends or family members?”
“Usually,” Sydney agreed.
The man sat down, but Kate kept watching him. A shiver ran down her spine every time she saw the stranger, but she wasn’t sure why.
“Looks like there’s a family to his right and a young couple on his left. But he’s sitting in the same seat as before.” She watched him through the binoculars. “He has an MP3 player in his hand again. Something’s attached to it.” Kate watched him through the binoculars, and then had another brilliant beyond brilliant idea. “See that empty seat in the row in front of him? The one next to the older man with the white hair?”
Andrew looked beyond all of the people seated in front of them until he could clearly see. Then he nodded. “Oh yeah. I see it now. What about it?”
“It’s been empty all this time. I don’t think anyone is using that seat. So I’m going to go sit in front of our suspect to see what I can see.”
“Our suspect?” Sydney and Andrew said at the same time.
“What makes that man a suspect?” Andrew asked. “He hasn’t even done anything suspicious!”
“Oh, it’s just a gut feeling,” Kate said, feeling that little shiver again. “I know in my brain that he’s up to no good.” How she knew, she couldn’t say.
“Wow.” Andrew shook his head. “I guess I have a lot to learn about solving mysteries. I just thought he was an ordinary fan.”
“He probably is.” Sydney laughed. “But Kate will figure it out, one way or the other.”
“That’s why I’m going down there to sit,” Kate explained. “If I sit in front of him, I’ll hear everything he says. I don’t want to falsely accuse him, after all. There are enough rumors flying around.”
“Good point.” Sydney nodded.
“I brought the perfect thing for looking at things in the row behind me….” Kate reached into her gadget bag and pulled out her large pair of sunglasses.
Andrew looked at her like she was crazy. “Sunglasses? In the stadium?”
“Oh, they’re not just sunglasses,” she explained. “They’ve got side mirrors. See right here?” Kate pointed to the tiny mirrors. “When I put these on, I can see what’s happening behind me.”
“No way.” His mouth ga
ped.
She nodded and handed them to him. He put them on and then whispered, “Hey, the lady behind me is eating nachos. Do you think she’ll share? They look great!”
Kate laughed. “You’ll have to ask her. Meanwhile, I’m going to go down there. Well, if your mom says it’s okay.” She turned to Mrs. Smith, explaining her plan. “I promise to stay right there.”
“Just be careful, honey. Don’t do or say anything to that man if you can help it.”
“Oh, trust me. I’m a supersleuth! I won’t give myself away.” I hope!
Kate wiggled through the crowded row of people until she reached the stairs. Then she climbed down one, two, three, four rows. She looked beyond all of the people in that row till she saw the empty seat. Then she whispered a prayer that God would help her with this plan.
Feeling more courageous than before, she eased herself beyond the screaming fans. Just then, one of the players hit a home run. Perfect! With all of the standing and cheering, no one even noticed that she slipped into the seat. She sat and quickly pulled the glasses from her bag. Thankfully, they fit over her regular glasses. As she pressed them into place, she had a clear view of the man behind her. She grabbed her digital recorder and began to whisper into it.
“Male suspect, late twenties. Wearing a Phillies T-shirt. Holding an MP3 player, brand unknown. Has a suspicious look on his face. His gaze keeps shifting. He’s not watching the game at all. Must be here for other reasons. Keeps looking at the ground.”
Just as she said “looking at the ground,” the elderly man with the white hair in the seat next to her gave her a strange look. “Do you mind if I ask what you’re doing, kid? You’re making me nervous. Who are you talking to?”
“Oh, I, um…” She shrugged. “I’m just taking notes.”
“About the game?” His already-wrinkled forehead wrinkled even more. “What are you, a reporter or something? You’re a little young to be working for one of the papers. And you’re certainly not a TV reporter.”
“Well…” Kate pulled off the glasses and looked into his eyes. Actually, now that she was writing articles for the blog site about the team, she could almost be considered a reporter, right? Still, she didn’t feel right saying so. But what could she do to keep the man from asking so many questions?
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