Novel - Half Moon Investigations Read Online Free

Sharkey thief. Now I am legally entitled to beat you the length of the school yard.”
    “That probably won’t hold up in court,” I said, from the ring of daisies.
    Bella was not the only person annoyed with Herod. Red was having trouble containing himself.
    “You promised me,” he said, fists clenched in exasperation. “No more stealing in school. Don’t you know what could happen to the family?”
    “I didn’t take it,” protested Herod. “The box is mine, but I didn’t put the organizer in it. This is a setup.”
    No one was convinced by this. Legend had it that Herod’s first words were I’ve been framed.
    I picked myself up from the ring, then leaned over, shaking flowers from my hair.
    “In Herod’s defense, this is far from conclusive,” I said to my shoes. “There are missing links in the chain of evidence.”
    An impressed silence followed this technicalsounding statement; or so I thought. I looked up to find that it was more of a deserted silence. Everyone who had followed me to the Millennium Garden was now hightailing it back to the basketball courts. They moved with a speed and silence that would have shamed a special forces squad. Even Red Sharkey was moving quickly, although he managed to do it in a nonchalant way.
    There was only one person in this school that could make Red Sharkey run anywhere. That person must be nearby, so I started to get a move on, too.
    “Fletcher Moon. I don’t believe it.”
    It was Principal Quinn. As usual she was flanked by Larry and Adam. I know dogs aren’t supposed to smile, but I swear I could see them grinning behind their muzzles.
    “Please tell me what you think you are doing.”
    Apparently, telling a teacher what you think you are doing makes you think about what you have done.
    “I think I am going straight down to the office,” I answered, hoping a bit of humor would lighten the tension.
    Mrs. Quinn chuckled, and for a second I was hopeful; then her laughter dried up like a water hole in the Sahara.
    “Correct,” she snapped. “When I get back from line-up inspection, you had better be there waiting.”
    It seemed to me that Larry and Adam sniggered then, or perhaps they growled. I didn’t know which was worse. Mrs. Quinn led them off to make sure that the class lines were as straight as rulers.
    I trudged back through the school field toward the main building. The euphoria I had felt earlier drained down through the soles of my feet. Yes, I had solved the case, but I had broken Bernstein’s first rule: Never become a piece of the puzzle . A detective should not be afraid of the outcome of a case, as this fear will affect his work. The victim, witness, and perpetrator had all known where to find me if my findings went against them. The Sharkeys had tried to use me, but it had backfired on them, and now Herod was a marked man. I was a marked man too, or I would be. Several marks probably, if Red had his way.
    The school “bell” rang. It was a computer bell that used a sample of Mrs. Quinn’s own voice. “Line up, students,” the bell said. “Don’t make me ask again.” Of course it did ask again. Over and over again. Jimín Grady had been expelled recently for sneaking into the office and replacing Mrs. Quinn’s voice sample with his own. His message had not been quite so polite.
    I was just picking up my bag, when Red Sharkey appeared from inside the porch shadows. He emerged from the darkness one limb at a time, like a cartoon villain.
    “You think you’re very smart, don’t you, Half Moon?” he said, his eyes blazing with unpredictable anger.
    “My name is Fletcher,” I said, feeling pretty proud of myself for not allowing my shaking knees to fold underneath me.
    “Well, Fletcher , I better not hear any more about this organizer thing. I have enough trouble without a toy detective stirring things up.”
    There was something new in Red’s voice as he said this. The anger was still in there, but there was desperation, too.