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

The Lunch Box Phantom (part 8)

Suddenly the principal was surrounded by twenty grade twos. They were all talking at once and jostling each other. Mr. Talbot got jostled too. His glasses slipped off his face and fell onto the desk. Another bunch kids were explaining everything to the area superintendent. She looked as upset as Mr. Talbot did.

John saw that it was up to him to do something. He jumped up onto the principal's desk and put up his hands. "Quiet, everybody!" he shouted. When everyone had stopped talking he quickly got them all straightened out.

"You little kids wait outside," he said. "Billy, you can stay. Ben, get Mr. Talbot's glasses for him. We want him to have a good look at these two crooks."

The office was clear in a matter of moments. John sat down in the principal's chair. Mr. Talbot sat down next to the area superintendent and cleaned his glasses. "Well, John? What's this all about?"

John picked up a ruler from the desk and pointed it at Eddie. "Tell him what you did," he ordered.

Eddie confessed everything. Shane did too. They were both so frightened they even confessed to a couple of counts of writing on walls-. When they were finished their story Mr. Talbot was frowning and the area superintendent was shaking her head. She nodded to Mr. Talbot, and the principal went over to his desk and reached for the phone.

"Just a minute, sir," said John, putting his hand on the receiver. "You're thinking of suspending them, aren't you?"

"That's right," said the principal. "I'm going to call their parents right away and ask them to come down to the school. The area superintendent is right here so we can do it all this afternoon."

"Could I talk to you both privately?" asked John.

Mr. Talbot looked over at the superintendent for a moment, then both went off into the comer with John.

"I was thinking," John told them in a whisper, "if you throw them out of school it won't exactly solve anything. They've both made a lot of trouble, sure, but kicking them out won't pay back all those little kids for the stuff they've had ripped off. Couldn't you give them a suspended sentence instead, and then make them do some work to pay for their crime?"

"What exactly are you thinking of?" asked Mr. Talbot.

"Why not make them bring in dessert for all the little kids, a different kid each day until they've given something to everybody," said John. "Make them clean up the lunch room too, maybe for a month or so. That way they might get the idea that crime doesn't pay."

The principal and the superintendent both thought it was a good idea. They agreed to give Eddie and Shane one more chance if they promised not to get in any more trouble.

"Don't worry," said John. "The Barton Avenue Detectives will keep an eye on them. We'll make sure they don't step out of line."

John signaled to the other detectives and they all left the office together. But John had some last words for Eddie and Shane as he was going out the door.

"Listen, you creeps," he whispered as he went by. "I just went out on a limb for you with Talbot. You better do what he says. Cross the line once and I'll call in the area superintendent and she'll call in the cops. This is your chance to go straight. Don't make me sorry I tried to help you."

Both Eddie and Shane nodded and promised not to make any trouble. They were sorry enough already. And they sure didn't want to have to mess around again with the Kids from B.A.D.