The Pet Show Mystery

brother learn about computers. He wouldn’t have any of it; he just pushed me out of the way,” Gordon said.
    “I did not,” Mart countered. “I was grateful for your help, but I couldn’t learn just by watching you. I needed a chance to do things my own way and make my own mistakes. You wouldn’t give me a chance.”
    “I wouldn’t give you a chance? That sounds pretty funny, coming from you!” Gordon’s lower lip suddenly started to tremble. He tried to control himself and, when he couldn’t, he stormed out of the room.
    Mart watched him go, looking pale and shaken. “I had no idea he felt that way,” he said. “I could have listened to him a little more, if I’d known how important it was to him. Maybe then he wouldn’t have had to—”
    “To sabotage your program?” Trixie completed her brother’s thought, but shook her head. “He didn’t have to do that. And he was wrong to do it, although he doesn’t seem to have admitted it. I don’t think he should get away with it.”
    Mart sighed. “No. I’ll have to tell the teacher.”
    “Do you want me to come along?” Trixie offered.
    “No, I’d better do it alone.”
    Trixie held out Mart’s book bag, feeling as though it were a shield she was offering before sending him out to do battle. “Good luck. I’ll see you at lunch.”

    Mart was the last of the Bob-Whites to get to the cafeteria that noon. Trixie had filled the others in on what had happened, and they were all waiting eagerly for him.
    “What happened? What happened?” Trixie asked as soon as Mart sat down.
    He opened a carton of milk and took a long swallow before he replied. “Gordon admitted the sabotage in front of the teacher. Mr. Johnson was neat about it. He’s not going to flunk Gordon, but he’s going to make him spend a hundred hours doing programming for some charity project. They’ll decide on one after school.”
    “That is a good solution,” Honey said. “I guess the pet show project doesn’t need him now, though, does it?”
    “No, and I don’t think that’s a project he’d pick,” Mart said. “You know, he never did say he was sorry. He’s really convinced that we’re a conceited little in-group.”
    “Do you think that a lot of people agree with him?” Honey asked, sounding hurt.
    “Not a lot, I’d guess,” Jim told her. “I think it’s more people like Gordon, whose lives aren’t what they want them to be, and who need somebody to blame.”
    “Loneliness is so awful,” Honey said. “It can make you think strange things sometimes. I know all about that.”
    “I wish we could do something to help Gordon,” Di said.
    “I do, too,” Mart told her. “But I don’t think he wants any help from the Bob-Whites right now.”
    “No, I’m sure he doesn’t,” Dan added. “Well, we can’t solve Gordon’s problems, but I’m glad yours is solved, Mart,” Brian said. “Now we can deal with the others—Bobby’s lost dog and the endangered pet show.”
    “I wish we could solve those problems as easily,” Jim said.
    Something in their conversation had given Trixie an idea. “Maybe we can,” she said quietly.



12* Tailing a Suspect

    “WHAT DID YOU SAY?” Brian asked.
    “I—” Trixie began, then remembered the disbelief that had greeted all of her theories about the pet show. “There are some things that still need to be done before the pet show on Saturday,” she said. “Honey and I had better stay in town after school and take care of them.”
    “What—” Honey started to question her friend’s statement, then caught the warning arch of Trixie’s eyebrow. “What a good thing that you remembered those details we talked about last night.”
    Only Jim caught the look that the two girls exchanged. He knows there’s something going on, Trixie thought. If he says anything to Brian and Mart, we won’t be allowed out of their sight for the next month!
    To her surprise, however, Jim didn’t voice his suspicions. He just gave Trixie a long, hard look. The look meant that Jim knew something suspicious was going on.
    The warning bell sounded, ending the lunch hour. Trixie rose quickly and said, “See you tonight.”
    The Bob-Whites all gathered up the remains of their lunches as well as their books, and headed in different directions for their afternoon classes.
    Trixie and Honey had only a moment together in the hallway after the others had left. “It’s about Reddy, isn’t it?” Honey asked her friend. “Are we