The Kids From B.A.D.
	Stories by Allen Morgan
	detective story collection
	no illustrations
	six stories - 128 pages

The Lunch Box Phantom (part 3)

On Saturday the Barton Avenue Detectives had a special meeting at John's house to bake cookies. They didn't make the regular kind though. Their recipe called for a lot of pepper.

"Let's throw in some mustard too," suggested Mike as they mixed the batter. "And maybe some vinegar."

They also added a bit of pickle juice and a whole shaker of salt. They wanted the cookies to taste just right.

"I can't wait to see Eddie and Shane after they've tried one of these," said Jessica as she took the cookies out of the oven. "They've got to be the worst cookies I've ever made!"

They even smelled bad. Everyone was very pleased about it.

"Well, who's going to test them?" asked John when they were finished.

Nobody volunteered. The detectives had been very careful not to put anything into the cookies that would really hurt anybody, but there were still some very bad tasting ingredients involved.

"How about trying them on your brother Chris?" John suggested to Ben. "He's only four years old. He'd never suspect a thing."

"I couldn't do that," said Ben, "Even if he is my brother."

"How about your dog, Bentley?" asked Mike.

"His stomach is very sensitive," Ben explained.

"Well, somebody's got to try them out," said Sally. "How are we going to know if they're as bad as we think they are?"

"We'll just have to chance it, I guess," Jessica sighed. "Listen, let's sprinkle some red pepper on top just to make sure."

They did that and then went down to the basement to watch TV. But as it turned out, they got a taster after all. The detectives heard the shouts from all the way down in the basement. When they got up to the kitchen they found John's father there, gulping a whole lot of water. Tears were streaming down his cheeks; his face was red. There was no doubt about it. He had tasted the cookies all right.

"Who made these cookies?" he managed to gasp.

"We did, Mr. Jenkins," said Mike. "How do you like them?"

"These have got to be the worst cookies I've ever tasted!

"Oh, thank you, Mr. Jenkins," said Jessica happily. "That's about the nicest thing you could have said."