Chapter 7

Chapter 7 "But why not?" Josh asked. Officer Fallon shook his head. "I wish I knew," he said. "If anyone ever needed a good lawyer, Pete does." "Could we visit Pete?" Dink asked. "We could try to convince him to talk to the lawyer." Officer Fallon gazed at Dink across his desk. "We have nothing to lose," he said finally. "I'll take you three to his cell for a few minutes. Explain to Pete that he needs a lawyer!"

The kids followed Officer Fallon out of his office, along a hallway, and down a set of stairs. At the bottom, Officer Fallon opened a steel door. Behind the door was a large, window-less room. In one corner, iron bars formed a small cell. Inside the cell, Pete Unkenholz sat on a chair, staring at his feet. "I brought you some company," Officer Fallon said. He nodded at the kids and left the room. Pete looked up. He licked his lips but didn't say anything. His eyes looked scared. "How are you?" Ruth Rose asked. Pete shrugged. "Fine," he said in a soft voice. "Do you have your allergy medication?" Dink asked. Pete nodded his head toward a box of Aller- Green that stood on a small table.

"Officer Fallon really wants to help you," Josh said. "He found you a good lawyer. Will you talk to her?" Pete licked his lips again. "Look, I appreciate your coming, but I already told them I took the balls," he said. "But you need a lawyer!" Ruth Rose said. "And we don't think you took those baseballs, even if you said you did!" Pete's eyes widened, but he didn't say anything. "When you went to the clubhouse for your medicine, did you see anyone else there?" Josh asked. Pete shook his head. "I stole the baseballs," he muttered. "But why won't you tell Officer Fallon where they are?" Dink asked. "And why won't you talk to the lawyer?" Pete twisted in his chair so his back was to the kids. "Please just go away," he said over his shoulder. After a few seconds, the kids left. They walked back to Officer Fallon's office. "Any luck?" the police chief asked. "He told us to go away," said Josh.

"Thanks for trying," Officer Fallon said. "Maybe Pete just needs more time to think." The kids left the police station and headed toward Main Street. "Now I'm really confused," Ruth Rose said. "It's almost like Pete wants to stay in jail." "Something else has been bugging me," Josh said. "If Pete did steal the balls, why didn't he just hide them, then come back to the game? By leaving the way he did, he practically pointed a finger at himself." Ruth Rose rubbed her temples. "My brain is tired," she said. "Your brain needs peanut butter," Josh said. "It's a scientific fact that when your brain is stuck, you need something even stickier to get it unstuck! Peanut butter!" Dink and Ruth Rose both shoved Josh. But they were hungry, so they followed him to his house on Farm Lane. Josh's mother was in the kitchen, still dressed in shorts and sneakers. She was looking through the window at Josh's younger brothers in the backyard.

"You made a great catch today, Mrs. Pinto!" Ruth Rose said. Josh's mother smiled at the kids. "It was just luck," she said. "The ball came right to me. Any news about Mr. Pocket's baseballs?" The kids quickly told her what they'd learned about Pete. "Goodness!" Josh's mother said. "Pete Unkenholz seems like the most honest person in the world!" She headed out of the room. "Will you watch the boys while I shower?" she asked Josh. "Sure, and we're gonna make sandwiches, okay?" Josh asked. "Okay, and send your brothers in for their lunch in a few minutes," his mother said as she climbed the stairs. Josh made thick peanut butter sandwiches while Dink and Ruth Rose found the milk and three glasses. They ate outside at the picnic table. Josh's twin brothers were playing with his dog, Pal, on the lawn. The two four-year-olds were tugging on one end of an old T-shirt. The other end was in Pal's

mouth. The boys laughed and yelled. Pal growled and tossed his head back and forth. All three were covered with dirt. "Mom's gonna flip out when she sees what you're doing to your shirt!" Josh yelled. "It isn't our shirt!" Brian yelled back. "It's yours!" Bradley chimed in. Both boys burst into giggles and went running after Pal. Dink and Ruth Rose laughed. "Bye-bye, shirt," Dink said. "Probably one of my favorites, too," Josh muttered. Then he jumped up and nearly spilled his milk. "Guys, there was a shirt at Pete's trailer," he said. "Outside on that chair."