Chapter 4

Chapter 4 "Did you see that?" Dink asked. "Officer Fallon arrested Pete!" "Let's go see what's going on!" suggested Josh. "Do you think they'll put him in jail?" The kids hurried up West Green Street. Just as they passed the elderly-housing apartments, they saw Officer Keene pulling up in a black truck. He parked it in front of the police station and stepped out. "That's Pete's truck!" whispered Josh. "Hello, Officer Keene," Dink said.

"What's going on? Is Pete under arrest?" Officer Keene nodded. "We caught him in his truck. Pete admitted he took those baseballs," he said. "Did you get them back, Officer Keene?" Ruth Rose asked. "Nope. Pete told us he stole 'em but won't say what he did with 'em," Officer Keene said. He hurried into the police station. The kids sat on the front steps. "Gee, what a mess," Josh said. "Poor Mr. Pocket finds an umpire who ends up stealing his baseballs!" "Guys, something's not right about this," Dink said. "Why would Pete confess to stealing the baseballs, then not tell what he did with them? I mean, why not just lie and say he didn't steal them?" "Something else doesn't make sense," Ruth Rose added. "Why would Pete steal the balls when hundreds of people watched him go into the clubhouse for his allergy medicine? Everyone would know he was the thief!" Dink shook his head. "I don't know. It's hard to believe a guy who helped us set up the bleachers

would turn around and steal from us," he said. "Then why did he say he stole the baseballs?" Josh asked. Dink stood up. "I wish we could talk to Pete," he said. "Maybe he saw someone else in the clubhouse. Gosh, he might even have seen someone take the baseballs!" "And maybe that's why he's not talking," Ruth Rose added. "The crook might be somebody he knows!" "Pete Unkenholz just got to Green Lawn," Josh said. "He doesn't know anyone here." After a minute, Ruth Rose said, "No one here knows him, either. Pete could be a bank robber for all we know!" "I wish we knew more about him," Dink said. "I just thought of something!" Ruth Rose cried. "If we do an Internet search, we might learn something about Pete." "That's a good idea," Dink said. "Let's go talk to Mrs. Mackleroy!" They crossed the street and walked into the library. The librarian, Mrs. Mackleroy, was sitting at her computer.

"Hi, kids," she said. "What a disappointment that the game was canceled!" The kids told her about Pete's arrest. "What?" she said. "He certainly doesn't seem the type to steal." "Officer Keene said Pete confessed," Josh told her. Mrs. Mackleroy shook her head. "My goodness," she said. "Well, how can I help you kids today?" "We think there's something fishy going on," Dink said. "It just doesn't make sense that Pete would steal those balls during the game." "We want to search on the Internet to see if we can find out more about him," Ruth Rose said. "I'm not sure what kind of information we'd get," Mrs. Mackleroy said. "But let's try a quick search. I was just on YuBuy. My husband's birthday is coming up, and I decided to shop online." She closed out of YuBuy and opened up a search engine. "Do you know Pete's last name?" she asked. "It's Unkenholz," Dink said, and spelled it for her as she typed.

A window opened on her monitor. "Hmph, they're telling me no Pete or Peter Unkenholz was found." "Why don't you try just the last name?" Ruth Rose suggested. "Good idea, hon," Mrs. Mackleroy said, typing in just Unkenholz. This time she got results. There was a link to the Web site for the Coast Press newspaper in Penobscot, Maine. The kids leaned closer to the monitor and read: Penobscot, Maine, December 10 Reported by Susan Greene BAKERY VAN STOLEN Marion Unkenholz admitted taking a local baker's delivery van for a joyride. The van's owner, Arnold Sugar, decided not to press charges.

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