Rebekah--Girl Detective #5

  Contents

  Title Page

  Introduction

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Next Steps

  Now Available In Audio!

  Preview: #6: The Missing Gems

  Other Titles

  Legal Notices

  Rebekah - Girl Detective #5

  Grown-Ups Out To Get Us?!

  By

  PJ Ryan

  Copyright © 2013 PJ Ryan

  Cover Illustration by Carolina Storni

  All rights reserved.

  PJRyanBooks.com

  “Rebekah - Girl Detective” is a short story series for children ages 9-12 with the remaining titles to be published on a regular basis. Each title can be read on its own.

  You can join Rebekah’s fun Facebook page for young detectives here:

  http://www.facebook.com/RebekahGirlDetective

  I’d really love to hear from you!

  I very much appreciate your reviews and comments so thank you in advance for taking a moment to leave one for “Grown-Ups Out To Get Us?!”

  Sincerely,

  PJ Ryan

  Chapter 1

  There was mystery afoot in Rebekah's tiny town, and she was determined to solve it. She had already been at it for a few days. It had all started when the local policeman, James Todd started handing out tickets to everyone who walked across the street. He claimed it was jaywalking and that people must cross at the crosswalk. Of course there was a brand new crosswalk too. But why? It did not lead to anywhere special, just across the street. Something seemed very strange about the fact that Officer Todd was so firm about not crossing the street.

  Not only that but all of the shops along the street were cleaning their windows. They were painting their storefronts. Some had even gotten new flashy bright signs.

  "Something strange is happening here," Rebekah thought as she watched another group of painters head for the last shop on the corner. Everyone was so busy, as if they were getting ready for something. Or the town just decided to freshen up and make some changes.

  All of the adults she passed would stop talking as she approached, and then whisper as she walked by. She tried listening in on a few conversations but she could not seem to sneak up and go undetected. Something was very fishy and she was determined to find out what it was, even if it would mean venturing into the dark and dangerous world of the adults. All of the secrecy made her think that there was something very sinister going on.

  She stopped to ask one of the teachers from the school Mr. Winston, who was speaking quietly with the owner of the hardware shop.

  “Mr. Winston why is everyone acting so strange?” Mr. Winston quieted down really fast when he heard Rebekah's voice.

  “Oh Rebekah,” he said quickly. “Don't you have homework you should be doing?” he asked.

  Rebekah stared at the teacher, her eyes wide. “Mr. Winston it's summer time.”

  “Oh, right,” Mr. Winston scratched at the top of his head. “Well, it's never too soon to get ready for the school year. You should go home and do some review.”

  Rebekah gasped and shook her head. “I'm going, I'm going,” she said quickly, afraid that Mr. Winston might assign her some extra summer homework. As she hurried away she heard the two men begin to whisper again. By the time she got home, she was sure that there was more than a mystery afoot, there was a plot!

  Chapter 2

  At dinner, her parents were extra quiet.

  “I was in town today,” Rebekah started to say.

  “You shouldn't go into town by yourself,” her father warned.

  “Really Rebekah, you shouldn't be so nosy,” her mother said.

  “What?” Rebekah said as her fork clanged down against her plate. “I'm always allowed to go into town and I didn't even say anything about being nosy.”

  “Rebekah,” both of her parents said at once. “Leave the grown-ups alone!”

  Rebekah sat back in her chair and stared at her parents as if they had been replaced by aliens. Both were looking so sternly at her when she had not even done anything wrong. Her parents knew how much she liked to be a detective, and they had always understood. Now they were acting as if she should not even be allowed out of the house!

  “Eat your peas,” her father said.

  “Eat more of your meat,” her mother said.

  But Rebekah wasn't really hungry any more.

  Chapter 3

  The next day Rebekah went down to the fire station to see if any of the firemen were acting suspicious too. The fire station was one of her favorite places to spend time. The firemen were always very friendly. Sometimes they would even let her take the dalmatian for a walk. When she arrived she hoped they would at least be happy to see her. In fact, they were acting very suspicious. All of the firemen were scrubbing the station and washing the fire trucks.

  "What are you guys doing?" Rebekah asked with a frown. She knew it was not truck washing day, or she and her friend Mouse would have been there to help. They always volunteered to tidy up around the station and help out when the big trucks needed to be washed.

  "No time to talk now Rebekah," Mitch one of the firefighters said. "We are too busy."

  “But I-” Rebekah started to say.

  “Go,” Steve another firefighter said and pointed to the door. “We have too much to do today Rebekah, we can't talk.”

  Rebekah hung her head and turned away.

  Discouraged, Rebekah left the fire station. She walked along the sidewalk, sniffling to herself and muttering about mean firefighters until she reached the library. Here things were just as odd. The library was getting a good power wash and new decorations in the windows. The parking lot had freshly painted lines for parking spaces. All very very odd. Mrs. Peters the librarian was standing outside of the library, watching the power washing. Rebekah stopped beside her and waited until the loud machine turned off.

  “Oh it's beautiful!” Mrs. Peters clapped her hands happily.

  “But why?” Rebekah asked from beside her. Because the machine had been so loud Mrs. Peters had not even heard Rebekah step up beside her.

  “Oh Rebekah!” Mrs. Peters said crossly. “You should not sneak up on people!”

  Rebekah sighed heavily. She was getting very tired of everyone being upset with her, just for asking a question or two. “I'm sorry Mrs. Peters,” she said. “I was just wondering why the library is getting a bath.”

  “It was just time for a bath,” Mrs. Peters said with a sparkle in her eye. “Nothing more. Now move along Rebekah, I have things to do. Much too busy today to talk.”

  Rebekah crossed her arms and glowered as Mrs. Peters walked away. She had never been so put off by so many people. She wondered if she had done something she could not remember. Was everyone angry at her for some reason? She decided to walk toward Mouse's house, to see what he thought might be going on.

  Chapter 4

  As she walked further along the sidewalk she came across two men in hard hats. They were looking at a large map in their hands. It showed the main street of the town.

  "What is that?" Rebekah asked curiously. She wondered if it had something to do with all of the strange activity in the town.

  "Not now little girl," one of the men said and waved his hand lightly. "Far too busy right now, you must move along."

  Rebekah was very surprised that they were being so rude. She was used to everyone being friendly. She decided that she had enough of the questionable activity that was
going on around the town, and she would find out what was happening from a good source. Mouse would have to wait.

  Beverly Bar always knew everything that was going on in town. In school, she was the person to go to when the whole world wanted to know the answer to a question. She was always the one to know it. Beverly Bar usually spent her summer days in the ice cream shop so she could catch up on all the town gossip.

  This was where she was when Rebekah found her. She was sipping a chocolate shake. The first thing Rebekah noticed about Beverly Bar was that she was sitting quietly. She never sat alone. She rarely stopped talking long enough to hear the gossip she would spread. Yet today, Beverly Bar sipped her milkshake in silence.

  “Beverly, what is happening around town?” Rebekah asked as she sat down beside her.

  “Oh nothing,” Beverly said quickly. “Nothing at all. Boring day, same as usual.”

  “Beverly are you feeling okay?” Rebekah asked with concern.

  “Of course I am,” Beverly replied and sucked down the last of her milkshake. “Sorry Rebekah I have to go. Much too busy today to talk,” she hurried off out the door of the ice cream shop. Rebekah could only stare after her in shock. Beverly was certainly never too busy to talk.

  Chapter 5

  As the darkness fell the sounds of the town became quiet. Rebekah looked all around for anyone who might be lurking around with a can of paint. Just who was it that was painting all those new parking spaces and the crosswalk, and why? She did not see anyone with a paint can, but she did see a man speaking with the Mayor. They were standing outside one of the nice local restaurants. The mayor shook hands with the other man who wore a large top hat, and had a thin black mustache.

  "Very odd," Rebekah said as she narrowed her eyes. Why was the mayor meeting with a stranger when no one else was around? Was he the one asking for all the changes in their little town? The mayor looked up quickly, and all around, as if he suspected someone was watching. But why would he worry about someone seeing him? Rebekah shivered a little as this mystery was getting very big, even for her.

  As she walked home that night, her mind was filled with troubling thoughts. Was the mayor paying someone to change the whole town? If so, why? Was Officer Todd in on it as well? It seemed as if the whole town had played a part in the great mystery, everyone that was, except for the children. When she thought of this, alarm bells began to ring in her mind.

  "What if they are planning something that has to do with all of us kids?" she worried. It was summer, maybe they were thinking of starting school early. Maybe they were trying to hide some new law about kids being on the main street. She couldn't think of too much trouble kids had caused lately. Why would they be left out of whatever change was happening? She still was not sure what to think as she stepped into the house for dinner. In the hallway outside of the kitchen she paused when she heard her father speak.

  "Just make sure she doesn't find out," Rebekah's father's voice said clearly.

  "Yes, if she does, we will have a real problem on our hands," Rebekah's mother replied. There was only so much Rebekah could take. They were hiding things from her too? She was very surprised as her parents were always honest with her, and she trusted them very much. She never expected that they would try to hide something from her.

  “Oh, just think,” her mother sighed happily. “Just one more day, won't it be wonderful?”

  “It will,” he agreed. “Finally the kids of this town will get what they deserve.”

  Rebekah gasped. It was about the kids!

  "Hi," she said quietly as they stepped out of the kitchen. They both looked startled to see her standing there.

  "Hi," her father said brightly. "Hungry?" he asked with a wide smile and held out a plate of her favorite food, spaghetti.

  "Smells great!" she said at first, and then frowned. She looked from the delicious noodles up into her father's eyes. “I'm sorry,” she said quickly.

  “For what?” he asked with a frown.

  “Just in case I did anything that I have forgotten about,” she shrugged and bit into her lip. Both of her parents laughed.

  “Oh Rebekah, you are a strange one sometimes.”

  Rebekah stared at her plate. Maybe that was why they were keeping things from her. If only she wasn't so strange.

  Chapter 6

  After dinner that night she crept into her room. She picked up her phone and dialed her friend Mouse.

  "Mouse," she whispered into her phone. "I figured it out," she sighed.

  "What?" Mouse asked sleepily. He always kept his phone beside the bed because it was fairly often that Rebekah would call in the middle of the night with some amazing story she had come up with. Rebekah told him about all of the strange activity that day. She told him how her parents had acted too.

  “So now I know why,” she said glumly.

  “Why what?” Mouse asked with a yawn.

  "Why the town is changing so much," she said quickly, "haven't you been paying attention to anything I've said?" she growled into the phone.

  "Uh, most of it," Mouse replied. He tried to be supportive, but to Rebekah everything was a mystery.

  "Well listen closely now," she said sternly. "I think they are trying to get rid of all of the children in the town."

  "What?" Mouse asked with a short laugh. "That's nuts, even for you Rebekah."

  "And just what is that supposed to mean?" she demanded.

  "I just mean, that I don't think the town is trying to get rid of the children. Why would they have a playground, an ice cream shop?"

  Rebekah nodded as she lay back on her bed. "It's all just a lure, trying to coax the child in, so that they can later be moved to another town. A town where children are okay."

  “Oh Rebekah,” Mouse frowned as he listened to how worried she was. “I think you might be a little off on this one.”

  “I am never off,” Rebekah insisted.

  “Oh really?” he laughed.

  “Really,” she replied.

  “What about the giant purple creature?” he asked smugly.

  Rebekah was quiet for a moment.

  “Rebekah?” he asked.

  “Well, maybe I was a little off on that one,” she sighed. “But not this time!” she said firmly. “I'll be over first thing in the morning, and I will prove it!”

  “Alright Rebekah,” Mouse sighed and hung up the phone.

  Chapter 7

  “Mouse, Mouse!” she called out as she knocked on his front door. It was very early in the morning, and Mouse liked to sleep in. Instead, he woke up to the pounding on his front door.

  “Mom,” he said groggily as he tumbled out of bed. Then he remembered that his Mother had business in town today, so he was alone. He stumbled to the front door, still half asleep.

  “What's going on Rebekah?” he asked with a groan when he saw his red-headed friend on the porch.

  “There is something very strange going on here!” she said firmly.

  “When isn't there?” he asked. Mouse was used to Rebekah's detective work. Most of the time it took them on wild and interesting adventures. But he did prefer them to start later in the day, especially when there was no school.

  “No I mean it,” Rebekah insisted. “It's like everyone in town has been replaced by pod people.”

  “Oh?” Mouse asked with more interest. “He liked anything that involved aliens.

  “Not real pod people,” Rebekah said with a frown. “Don't be so silly.”

  “I'm not trying to be silly,” he replied. “You're the one that brought up pod people.”

  “Mouse!” she cried out desperately. “This is serious!”

  “Okay, okay,” he said. “Let me just get dressed. I'll be right back.”

  While Mouse was getting dressed the mailman arrived to deliver his mail. Rebekah smiled and waved at the man. He looked up at her, met her eyes, and looked quickly away. Rebekah huffed. She didn't think there was any excuse for being rude.

  “I'm not going
to bite,” she said firmly as she walked toward the man and he walked quickly the other way.

  “Sorry Rebekah, too busy to talk today!” he called out and hurried off.

  “I see,” Rebekah growled and put her hands on her hips.

  “Rebekah did you chase off the mailman?” Mouse asked from just behind her.

  “Not on purpose,” Rebekah replied and shook her head.

  As they walked toward town together Rebekah told him all about the strange way people had been acting.

  “Well Rebekah, you do usually ask a lot of questions, maybe everyone just needed a break from it,” he said as nicely as he could. “You know adults can be funny that way.”

  “Yes,” Rebekah nodded thoughtfully. “That is true. But it seemed very odd that ALL of them are acting that way,”

  “I bet everyone will be back to normal now,” Mouse said and they continued to walk along.

  “Maybe,” Rebekah nodded a little. She wanted to believe him, but her gut told her there were a lot of secrets being kept.

  Chapter 8

  When they reached the main street, there was still a lot happening. Vendor carts had rolled away so that the sidewalks could be cleaned. The streets were blocked off for street sweepers. There was even a man walking around with a clipboard who seemed to be checking off different things he saw that might need cleaning or fixing.

  “Hm, this is a little strange,” Mouse muttered as the adults on the sidewalk hurried past them without even saying hello. As they walked by so fast, one of them dropped a pamphlet from the pile of books she was carrying. Rebekah bent down and picked it up. She tried to hand it back to the woman, but she only continued to walk as fast as she could.

  “Rebekah, look at that!” Mouse said as he pointed at one of the bike racks being unbolted from the sidewalk. Two more had already been removed.