Scared Stiff Read Free Page B

hurt. “Her only friend in the building is Sally, across the hall. She hasn’t been there.”
    â€œA friend outside the building,” the cop said. He sounded bored, as if this kind of thing happened all the time and it was never important.
    The door behind him was pushed furtheropen, and Uncle Henry stuck his head in. “What’s going on?” he wanted to know.
    Uncle Henry is pretty old. He has thin white hair and faded blue eyes, and a lot of wrinkles in his face. I guessed Mrs. Biggers had managed to get hold of him somehow, and I felt better immediately. He’d know what to do.
    I told the story again, and once more the cop said, “She’s probably visiting a friend.” He looked at me and added, “Outside the building. Maybe she went with this guy you saw her talking to, in the car.”
    â€œShe didn’t,” I said desperately. “She came home. We know that, because she brought my school stuff and put it on the table. And it was suppertime. She always cooks supper. And the only time she ever leaves us alone in the apartment is right after school. And not for more than an hour.”
    â€œWho was the man in the car?” Uncle Henry wanted to know.
    â€œI don’t know. I never saw him before. And . . .” I hesitated, because I was only guessing, and then I blurted, “I don’t think she liked him,whoever he was. I could tell by her face. He was sort of making her talk to him, driving along beside her so slow, but she would never have gone anywhere with him. Besides, she came home. She brought my stuff.”
    The officer closed his notebook and put his pen back in his pocket. “You, sir, you’re the boys’ uncle?”
    â€œGreat-uncle,” Uncle Henry corrected him. “You’re going to look for my niece, aren’t you? Rick is right. This isn’t like Sophie. She wouldn’t go off and leave her kids alone.”
    â€œWell, if she doesn’t show up in the morning, I’d suggest you come down to headquarters and file a missing-persons report. She probably went off on her own, and she’ll come back when she’s ready.”
    My eyes stung. It wasn’t true. Ma would never have gone off and left us.
    And then I remembered. Pa had.
    I sounded fierce. “She didn’t! She’s hurt or something! She didn’t go anywhere unless someone made her!”
    The officer gave me a cool look, then spoke to Uncle Henry. “This kind of thing happens allthe time, sir, and almost always the person shows up safe and sound, on their own.”
    â€œNot Sophie Van Huler,” Uncle Henry asserted. “You’ll see. If she could come home, she’d be here now.”
    â€œYou check in with us in the morning, sir.” The cop looked at me. “You going to see to the children, Mr. Svoboda? I mean, I can’t leave them here in an empty apartment.”
    I looked at Uncle Henry in panic. Would they put Kenny and me into a foster home or something? Like Billy?
    â€œYes, yes, certainly, I’ll see to the boys,” Uncle Henry said impatiently, waving a hand.
    â€œYou give us a call in the morning. Let us know when Mrs. Van Huler comes home,” the officer said.
    â€œIf she comes home,” Uncle Henry said.
    It was only after the officer had gone that Uncle Henry noticed my face.
    â€œOf course she’ll come back, Rick. It’s only that the police, with their wait-and-see attitude, make me angry. No doubt many of the people they are called upon to find do walk off of their own accord. If they knew Sophie, they’dknow she wouldn’t do that. Where’s your father? Off on a trip, is he?”
    So Ma hadn’t told him. I had to.
    Uncle Henry was sober. “Good thing the officer didn’t know that, or he’d think your ma was so upset about your pa that she forgot about you two, and we know that’s not the case. Well, look here, I’ve