Trouble on a Bus

“Where is it?” said Kurt, glancing at his watch.  “They don’t usually take this long.”

Kurt Morris, along with his friends Jack Barnes and Robbie Ransom, were waiting for a bus.  It was just one of the buses that took people around Tacoma, not a charter bus or anything spiffy like that.

“Sometimes they do,” said Robbie.  “Just be patient.  Before you know it—oh, there it is!”

The bus was visible down the street and would be at the stop within ten seconds.

“Good,” said Jack.  “I wonder how crowded it will be.”

The noisy bus trundled up to the curb and stopped with a squeak.  The doors open, and the boys waited for two people to get out.  Then, they climbed the stairs onto the bus and looked for a seat.  The bus happened to be very crowded, but Jack and Robbie found two adjacent seats in the middle of the bus.  Kurt took a seat behind them, next to some guy reading a newspaper.  When the driver saw that they were all seated, he started the bus moving again.

“This’ll be great,” said Kurt, sitting back in his seat.  “Wait until you guys see the helicopter we’re going to buy.”

Robbie laughed.  “You make it sound like we’re going to buy a real one instead of just going to the toy store.”

“This isn’t just going to the toy store, Robbie.  The copter I’m getting is sensational!”  Kurt had been saving up for quite a while to buy this.  “It’s got a built in gyroscope to keep it level while it flies.  The range is 150 feet, the blades are 15.2 inches long, and it lights up!  This is going to be fun!”

“And where do you propose to fly this thing?” said Jack.  “You’re yard doesn’t have enough space for it.”

Kurt wasn’t letting a little detail like that bother him.  “That park near my house has enough room—”

“Provided you don’t drop it in the lake,” cut in Robbie.

“—and my uncle’s farm east of here has even more room.  If you guys are going to be such sourpusses about it, maybe I won’t let you fly it.”

“Sourpuss?  Me?” said Jack.  “I think it’s a great idea!  Don’t you Robbie?”

“Uh—yes!  Yes, of course!”

“Very convincing,” said Kurt, wryly.  “Keep in mind, I didn’t have to bring you two with me.  It was risky enough inviting you, Jack.  What if Emma had found out?”

“That would’ve been trouble,” agreed Jack.  Emma was Jack’s little sister, five years younger, who would have loved to come along to the toy store.  She didn’t quite share the boys’ interests when it came to toys, though.  Jack and his friends didn’t want to spend an hour escorting her around all her favorite sections, so they had kept their trip a secret, not mentioning a thing about it when they were at Jack’s house that morning.  Jack thought Emma might have figured out something was up, but she didn’t figure out exactly what, for she didn’t beg to go along when the boys left.

“Cloudy,” commented Robbie.  “Looks like it’ll rain again today.”

“That reminds me of those windows at Miss Hodges’s house,” said Jack.  “Remember, the basement one didn’t close all the way?  A lot of water must pour in when it rains.”

“I don’t think that house had the best upkeep,” said Kurt.

“I wonder when we’ll get another mystery to solve,” said Robbie.

“No idea,” said Jack, “but we’ve done well so far.  I’m sure one will come along sooner or later.”

“Definitely,” said Kurt.  “They’re all around, just waiting for us to find them.  This guy on my left, for instance, might be a desperate criminal.”  He laughed.

The man on Kurt’s left did not laugh.  He put down the newspaper and gave Kurt a sour glare.  Suddenly, Kurt felt something round and metal nudge his side.  He stopped laughing and glanced down.

It was the barrel of a pistol!

“Trying to be funny, are you?” the man remarked.  “Don’t say a word.  You two keep quiet too!” he said to Jack and Robbie, who had turned around, “or your friend will never get off this bus.”

Kurt gulped.  He, Jack, and Robbie were at a loss for words.  None of the three had any idea who this man was, but from the looks of things, he meant business.

The bus arrived at the stop in front of the toy store.  Robbie spoke up.  “Um, this is our stop.”

The man flicked a glance out the window.  “Not today.”

The doors shut, and the bus drove on.  The man didn’t say another word until the bus came neared a stop near a secluded area of the waterfront.  No one usually used this stop, so the bus driver usually just kept going.  Not today.  The man with the gun reached up and yanked the cord for the bus to stop.

It did.  “This is where we get off,” hissed the man.  “You two in front stay in sight, or your friend won’t have anymore sight.”

“What a nice thought,” thought Jack, glumly standing up.  Robbie did the same.  The three boys trooped off the bus and watched in silence as it pulled away.  There were several cars on the road, but none of their occupants realized what was going on with the small group of four.

“Walk straight along the side of that warehouse,” said the man, motioning to a boarded-up warehouse building.  The three boys reluctantly complied.  Jack didn’t like how quiet it got as they got farther from the road.

They came to the edge, and the man made them turn a corner.  Now, they were completely hidden from the road.  Facing the group was a large wharf, with water lapping at the edge of it.  The three boys stared down into the water below.

“Keep looking at the water, and it won’t be as bad,” said the man.

“What won’t be as bad?” asked Robbie.

Jack had a sinking feeling he knew what was going on.  “Are you planning to shoot us?”

There was no spoken answer, just a click.  An ominous pause followed.  And then—

“Drop that gun or we’ll shoot!” came a voice.  The boys whirled around, as did their captor, who now found himself staring right at two police officers.  They were both armed, guns trained on the man, who dropped his in turn.

“Well, if it isn’t Walker Weatherford,” said one of the officers.  “When did you get out?”

Weatherford glared at the police.

“I always suspected you used this spot, Weatherford.  Now, we’ve got proof.”  The officer stepped forward and handcuffed Weatherford, who was still silent.

Meanwhile, the other officer spoke to the boys.  “This is not a good area of town, kids.  You all had better avoid it from now on.”

“Of course!” said Robbie.  “Do you really think we’d go back here on our own accord?”

“That was too close!” said Jack.  “How did you ever find us?”

“We almost didn’t,” said the officer, whose badge identified him as Williams.  “Sanders and I were out on patrol.  We were just cruising down the street when suddenly, this girl waved at us to stop.”

“A girl waved at you to stop?” said Jack.  “But who could—oh, no!”

Oh, yes.  A familiar figure had appeared behind the officers.  “Hi, Jack.”

“Emma!  How did you get here?”

“I was wondering why you all wouldn’t say where you were going,” said Emma, “so I followed the bus.”

“On foot?!”

“No, silly.  In a taxi, of course.”

“You took a taxi!  To follow us!  You mean you hired it all by yourself?”

Emma nodded, a big grin on her face.  “Mom left her purse on the table.”

“And you took it,” Jack said.  “Oh, come here.”  He could have given her a lecture, but since she’d gotten the police, he decided a nice, big hug would be better.