Balloon Blow-Up (6 page)

The brothers had only one suspect left. Frank wrote the name Kit on the board in big letters.

“Let's look for Kit now,” Joe said.

Frank shook his head. “I think we should take a break,” he said. “We'll look for Kit tomorrow.”

“But the parade is tomorrow!” Joe exclaimed.

“It doesn't start until two o'clock,” Frank said. “That gives us time to question Kit—if we can find her.”

Joe remembered the laptop they'd brought up to the tree house. He grabbed it and began a search.

“What are you looking for?” Frank asked.

“Maybe the Bayport Boomerangs posted their practice schedule,” Joe said. “I still can't believe we get Wi-Fi up here!”

Joe found Bayport High School's website. He clicked on “Bayport Boomerangs” and found their schedule.

“The Boomerangs have a pre-parade practice tomorrow at eight o'clock!” Joe pointed out.

“Kit will be there too,” Frank figured. “We've got to go to the school tomorrow, Joe.”

“Okay,” Joe said. “But let's get someone to drive us there.”

“How come?” Frank asked.

“In case Kit brings her motorbike,” Joe replied, and frowned.

•  •  •

Frank and Joe were driven to the high school Sunday morning by their aunt Gertrude.

Aunt Gertrude lived in the apartment above the Hardys' garage. She was an early riser, even on Sundays.

“Thanks again for driving us, Aunt Gertrude,” Frank said.

“No problem!” Aunt Gertrude said as she drove up to the school. “Bayport High is on the way to my bird-watchers' club in the park. If we're lucky, we'll spot a red-tailed hawk today!”

Joe leaned over to Frank and whispered, “And if we're lucky, we'll spot Kit!”

Frank and Joe waved good-bye to Aunt Gertrude as she drove off. As the brothers walked toward the school, they checked out the parking lot. No red motorbikes.

“Unless Kit parks it behind the school,” Frank decided. Then—

“There she is!” Joe said. He pointed to the football field. The Bayport Boomerangs were marching back and forth. Running alongside them in her band uniform was Kit.

“Kit won't talk to us while they're practicing,” Frank decided. “We'll have to wait until they're finished.”

“Can we wait inside the school?” Joe asked. “I want to see if there's a snack machine.”

“Snack?” Frank cried. “Didn't we just have breakfast?”

“That was a whole hour ago, Frank!” Joe said.

Frank and Joe entered the school through the main door. They headed up a long hallway, looking for a snack machine.

Glass cases filled with trophies lined one wall. Classrooms took up the other wall. One door was open. Joe peeked inside. He saw a piano, a drum set, and a board covered with musical notes.

“This must be the music room,” Joe pointed out.

Frank read the teacher's name on the door.

“This is Kit's classroom,” Frank declared. “Let's go inside and look for clues.”

The brothers slipped into the room. Kit's desk stood in front of the board. The desk and chair were covered with loose papers and sheet music.

“This is messier than my room!” Joe declared.

“Don't touch anything,” Frank whispered. “Just look!”

But as Frank and Joe neared the desk, they heard a voice out in the hall. The brothers froze in their tracks.

“That's Kit!” Joe hissed.

“She can't find us snooping in here,” Frank whispered. “We have to hide!”

T
here!” Joe said, pointing to the drums.

Frank and Joe ducked behind the drum set. They held their breath as Kit entered the classroom.

“That's right, Sal,” Kit was saying. “I didn't think we could do it, but we did.”

Frank and Joe peeked over the drums. Kit was at her desk, talking on her cell phone.

“We took care of the Green Crawler,” Kit said, chuckling. “Now let's see who the star of the parade will be!”

Joe's mouth dropped open. He turned to Frank and whispered, “Did you hear that?” He pointed back at Kit. “Kit just confessed. She—”

CRASH!

Joe's arm knocked a cymbal off the drum set and onto the floor. The brothers cringed as it rattled loudly across the tile.

Frank and Joe crouched, as still as statues—until Kit shouted, “Who's there?”

The brothers peeked out again. Kit was coming toward the drum set.

“Hey,” Kit said, narrowing her eyes. “Aren't you the kids who were kicked out of the parade yesterday?”

“That was us,” Frank admitted, standing up.

“Well, what do you want in my classroom?” Kit demanded.

“Um . . . music lessons?” Joe squeaked.

Kit folded her arms and said, “Try again.”

“Joe and I wanted to find out who ripped the Green Crawler balloon yesterday,” Frank said as they walked out from behind the drums.

“You just said on your phone that you took care of the Green Crawler,” Joe said bravely. “So it must have been you.”

Kit stared at the boys, then began to laugh.

“I didn't rip the Green Crawler balloon!” Kit said. “I meant that my band finally learned the Green Crawler tune!”

“You mean the song Kevin wanted you to play?” Frank asked.

Kit nodded and said, “I didn't think they'd learn it so fast—but the Boomerangs are the best!”

“Okay,” Joe said slowly. “Then what were you doing, crawling under the balloon yesterday?”

“I was looking for my lost watch,” Kit said.

“Why under the balloon?” Frank asked.

“Because we had been practicing on the field before they laid out the balloon,” Kit explained. “I was pretty sure I dropped it there.”

Joe nodded at the conductor's baton sticking out of Kit's pocket. “You still could have poked a hole in the balloon with that thing,” he said.

“I didn't have my baton with me then, smart guy,” Kit said. “I didn't find my watch, either.”

Joe shot Frank a glance. Was Kit telling the truth?

“I don't need a watch to know I'm wasting time here,” Kit said. “Why don't you kids leave so I can get back to work?”

The brothers walked toward the door. Joe noticed Frank staring at a nearby coatrack. Hanging on it was a tan coat and brown scarf.

Once in the hall Frank said, “I didn't see any motorcycle helmet or jacket.”

“She could have come here in a car,” Joe said. He shook his head. “I just don't know if I believe Kit about that lost watch.”

“Or about her not having the baton,” Frank added. “I just wish we had some kind of proof.”

A cold blast of fall air greeted the brothers as they walked outside. Frank dug his hands into his jacket pockets for his gloves. Instead, he felt his camera—still there from the day before.

Frank pulled out his camera and checked the last few shots.

“What are you looking for?” Joe asked.

“Here's a shot I took of the Bayport Boomerangs practicing,” Frank pointed out. “Right before we saw Kit under the balloon.”

Frank enlarged the picture. Instead of Kit, a student was waving a conductor's baton.

“That's the same pointy baton!” Joe observed.

“So Kit
didn't
have her baton under the balloon,” Frank said.

“But how do we know she was really looking for her watch?” Joe asked.

“Hey!” Frank said, his eyes lighting up. “We can borrow Phil's metal detector and look for the watch.”

“And if we find it,” Joe said, “we'll know she was telling the truth!”

•  •  •

Aunt Gertrude was thrilled with her successful bird-watching from that morning. She offered to drive the boys anywhere they wanted, and the boys figured they should take advantage of her good mood.

“To Phil Cohen's house, Aunt Gertrude,” Joe said. He quickly added, “Please.”

From Phil's house the brothers walked straight to the park—with the King of Ka-Ching Coin and Metal Detector.

“What if we find something gross with this thing?” Joe asked. “Like somebody's retainer.”

Suddenly—
BEEP, BEEP, BEEP!

“We found something!” Frank exclaimed.

Frank and Joe looked down to see a metal button, half covered with dirt.

“It's not a watch,” Joe sighed. “But at least we know this thing works.”

The detector went off again. This time it found a dime. A few feet away it beeped over a metal key chain with no keys.

Joe was getting impatient. It was a big field. What if they never found a watch? But then—

BEEP, BEEP, BEEP!

Something silver was sticking up out of the dirt. Frank pulled it out and said, “It's a watch!”

“How do we know it's Kit's watch?” Joe asked.

Frank flipped it over. On the back was an engraving that read
To Kit for 10 years of band excellence.

“Kit told the truth about losing her watch here,” Joe said. “But now we have no more suspects.”