Kelsey the Spy Read Online Free Page B

appointment for me, but I got a call back for a commercial and had to cancel. I have mad respect for the work your mother does at Wild Oaks. I’m all for helping animals.”
    â€œWe are too,” I say with a fond look at my club mates.
    â€œI’m amazed that you tracked me down from just an old photo.” He rubs his stubbly chin thoughtfully as he stares at us. “You kids worked so hard that you deserve to know the whole story. I’m a good judge of character and feel I can trust you with a secret I’ve kept for a long time. Here’s what really happened to my grandfather’s grandfather clock …”

- Chapter 4 -
    Mystery Solved
    A short time later, we’re sitting on stone benches beside a stone fountain, water spilling from a big-mouthed frog. Reggie offers us glasses of root beer bubbling with scoops of vanilla ice cream.
    â€œMy cupboards are bare but I found ice cream in the fridge. Nothing better than a root beer float on a crisp spring day,” Reggie says in his lilting accent. “I’ll start my story with some family history.”
    Becca, Leo, and I lean on the edge of the bench to face Reggie. A cool breeze swirls around us, as if it’s listening for secrets too.
    â€œAs a child, I didn’t see my grandparents often because I lived in England and they were here in Sun Flower,” Reggie says, clasping his frosty glass. “But a decade ago, my parents, sister, and I moved here because Granddad was ill. After he died, Grandmum moved to a senior community in Arizona. My parents stayed here because we’re quite big on tradition so it was important to keep the house in the family.” He wipes off ice cream that drips down the side of his frothy glass and licks his fingers. “Grandmum’s mobile home is much smaller than this house so she left furniture behind—including Granddad’s grandfather clock.”
    Becca’s brows arch. “The one we found?”
    â€œYes. My father was thrilled to own the clock but couldn’t get the chimes to work. Determined to fix the clock, he spread out the pieces on the kitchen table and worked on it for days, then months. The clock became an obsession.” Reggie sighs. “Mum complained she couldn’t use her kitchen. This led to an awful row—”
    â€œRow?” Becca interrupts.
    â€œAn argument,” Reggie explains. “Mum threatened to leave Dad and take my sister and me back to England if Dad didn’t get rid of the clock. But Dad refused.”
    â€œOh no,” Becca cries. “What happened?”
    â€œEvaline—my clever, dramatic sister—came up with a plan.” He grins wickedly. “And as her loyal younger brother, I went along with her.”
    Reggie sips his root beer float, then wipes away the foamy mustache. I feel moisture on my own lips and lick them.
    â€œIt was past midnight when Ev and I crept into the living room,” he continues in a hushed tone. “We gathered all the clock bits and packed them into a plastic container. We were in such a hurry that we probably tossed in the photo too. I helped Ev carry the container to her car and expected to go with her, but she wouldn’t let me. She said I couldn’t keep a secret, and I suppose by telling you this, I’ve finally proved her right,” he adds with a rueful smile. “She never told me where she hid the clock—only that my father wouldn’t find it.”
    â€œWas he angry that you hid it?” I ask.
    â€œNo, because he never knew.” Reggie chuckles. “Evaline knocked out a window screen, and I tossed about furniture to make it look like we’d been burgled. No real damage but we made a frightful mess. When Ev let out a bloody scream, I thought my eardrums would burst. My parents came running, and Ev told them we’d interrupted a robbery. I played my role of scared kid very well—no surprise I ended up as an