The Mystery of the Phantom Grashopper

funny farm. Vereee unstable, huh? Just the type to rip off a coin collection and hit the road.”
    Sammy gestured at the canvas-wrapped bundle. “Get the coins, Cis. I’m going to take you for a long ride.”
    Trixie was terrified. She had to get help somehow, before Sammy hurt Miss Lawler. Her only hope was to climb back up into the belfry and scream her head off. Maybe someone would hear her and bring help before Sammy could get Miss Lawler out of the building. Trixie pushed on the trapdoor, gently at first, and then harder. It began to open... and creaked loudly.
    “Who’s that?” Sammy demanded. He turned his flashlight upward and spotlighted Trixie, who was cringing against the top rungs of the ladder, pale with terror.
    “Well, well,” Sammy growled. “It’s little Miss Nosy. You must have figured out how I got up on the roof. We were just leaving for a nice long ride... and you can come with us. Get down! And you’d better make it fast!”
    Trembling with fear, Trixie started down the ladder.
    “Come on!” Sammy ordered.
    Trixie’s foot missed a rung, and she fell with a scream, landing squarely on Sammy. They both crashed to the floor, and Sammy’s head hit with a solid thud. The gun clattered out of his hand and slid across the room.
    At that same moment, the door burst open, and Sergeant Molinson shouted, “Police! Freeze!”
    “Boy,” Trixie gasped painfully, “am I ever glad to see you!”
    Someone else, with a gun in his hand, stepped up behind Sergeant Molinson. It was the bell tower man!
    “Look out!” Trixie screamed.
    Molinson turned quickly, then relaxed and holstered his gun. “It’s okay,” he called. “You can all come in now.”
    Honey and the boys crowded into the room.
    “Oh, Trixie!” Honey threw her arms around her friend, unable to say any more.
    “Are you all right, Trix?” Brian asked.
    “Did he hurt you?” Mart asked.
    Trixie’s laugh was shaky, and suddenly her knees felt wobbly. She leaned on Honey. “He told me to come down in a hurry,” she said. “So I fell on top of him.”
    Jim wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. “We just got into town, and Honey told us about your little climb,” he said. “We got Sergeant Molinson right away.”
    “You should have come for me sooner, young lady,” Sergeant Molinson told Honey gruffly.
    Miss Lawler’s voice was trembling. “If you hadn’t been here, Trixie, I don’t know what would have happened.”
    Trixie smiled weakly and put her arm around the teacher’s aide. “Don’t think about it,” she said. “It’s all over now.”
    Suddenly Trixie’s eyes filled with tears, and she hugged Miss Lawler tightly. “I should have known you’d never do anything wrong,” she said.
    The bell tower man walked over and put a hand on Miss Lawler’s shoulder. “I never should have let you stay alone in your apartment,” he said. “I figured Sammy was about ready to run again, but I didn’t think—”
    Miss Lawler smiled. “Trixie’s right—it’s all over now.” Turning to the others, she added, “This is Mr. Gibbons. He’s a parole officer from New York.”
    “I followed Sammy here after he jumped his parole in New York,” Mr. Gibbons explained. “He and his partner were released from jail early in the year.” Trixie shook her head. “We—we thought you were Sammy’s partner,” she said.
    Mr. Gibbons grinned. “So that’s it… This morning in the library, I was going to show you my identification... but you ran like scared rabbits.”
    Sammy groaned and sat up. Sergeant Molinson snapped a pair of handcuffs on him and hauled him to his feet. “Let’s go, buster,” he said sternly.
    As the sergeant led Sammy out of the room, Miss Lawler murmured, “Good-bye, Sammy.” There was a moment of uncomfortable silence.
    “Somebody better call Moms,” Trixie said finally. “Wait’ll she hears about this,” Brian said with a sigh.
    Mart scratched his head. “Is anybody else besides me hungry?”
    “Listen,” Honey said cheerfully, “we were going to Wimpy’s for dinner. Miss Lawler and Mr. Gibbons, will you join us? We can talk about everything while we eat.”
    “I have a better idea,” Trixie said. “Let’s get a takeout order and go back to Crabapple Farm. Then Moms and Dad can hear about everything, too.”
    Miss Lawler smiled at the tall parole officer. “I told you the Bob-Whites were wonderful kids,” she said.
    All talking at once, they headed out the