Claudia And The Terrible Truth Read Online Free

chunkier, though he was still shorter than his older brother. He had big brown eyes, and brown hair with blond highlights, like his dad's. I remembered meeting Mrs. Nicholls at the library. She was a birdlike woman with chin-length blonde hair and green eyes.
    I helped myself to another cookie and offered the plate to Joey and Nate. They shook their heads. "Oops," I said, remembering. "That's right. Your dad said one each." I shoved the plate aside.
    The boys were a little shy, but they seemed friendly enough. Being new in town, maybe they needed a little help meeting people. Suddenly I had a great idea. "Hey, you know what?" I asked. "My friend Stacey is babysitting right next door, for Stephen Stanton-Cha. He hasn't lived here for very long. I bet he's thrilled to have you two for new neighbors!
    "We met Stephen already," said Joey. "He's really nice. And he has tons of cool toys and stuff." For the first time, I saw his eyes really light up with interest.
    "He's cool," agreed Nate.
    "So, why don't we hang out over there for awhile?" I asked. "I know Stacey and Stephen would be glad to have us." Nate looked excited. "Can we really go?" he asked.
    "Sure, why not?" I answered.
    "I don't know," said Joey, shaking his head. "We're not supposed to leave the house unless Mom or Dad is with us." "Oh, right," said Nate. The excitement had gone out of his voice.
    "But I'm the baby-sitter," I said. 'And I would be going with you." Joey looked unsure. "It's okay, really," I promised. "I've taken care of plenty of kids, and none of their parents ever minded if I took them to play with other kids, as long as we were home on time." "Let's go, Joey. Please?" begged Nate.
    "I'll leave a note for your parents," I said. "We always do that anyway. Your mom will probably be home at a little after five. I don't know when your dad's coming home, but it won't be for awhile." My reassurances must have worked, because finally Joey agreed. "Okay, but we're not going to stay too long," he said.
    "Great," I said, jumping up to give Stacey a call. "I'll just make sure they're around." As I headed for the phone on the wall I noticed Joey and Nate standing up and pushing their chairs in carefully. Nate even pushed mine in, making sure the placement was exactly right. And Joey rinsed off the plate we'd used and stuck it into the dishwasher.
    I made the call and wrote the note, and we were on our way.
    As I'd guessed, Stephen (who's seven, like Joey) was happy to see us. The three boys were soon playing happily with Stephen's new computer game while Stacey and I hung out and watched.
    "They're cute kids," Stacey whispered to me.
    I nodded. "I think they'll fit in here just fine," I said.
    Just then, Joey stood up and ran to the window. "I thought I heard a car," he explained after he'd looked outside. "But I guess it wasn't Dad." "Even if it was," I said, "he'd know where to find you." That didn't seem to reassure Joey. He kept popping up to look out the window every few minutes, and soon Nate was doing the same.
    Stacey and I exchanged glances. "What if we invite Stephen over to your house?" I suggested. Maybe the boys would feel more comfortable at home.
    "No!" said Nate.
    "We're not supposed to invite people over," explained Joey.
    "Maybe next time, when you've had the chance to ask your parents first," I suggested. "Meanwhile, why don't you try to relax and enjoy yourselves today?" That helped for about five minutes. Then Mrs. Stanton-Cha came home, and at the sound of her car in the driveway both boys jumped up like jack-in-the-boxes.
    "I guess it's time we headed home," I told them. Obviously they weren't going to relax.
    When we returned to the Nichollses', both boys still' seemed jumpy. I saw Joey find the note I'd left. He crumpled it up and threw it out. Then he put the pen I'd used in precisely the same place I'd taken it