The All-Star Joker Read online

“Ready,” Mike said.

  “Duck and cover!” Kate said. She dropped her napkin on the floor. Mike leaned down to tie his shoe. In seconds, they had lifted the white cloth draped over the edge of the table and slid underneath.

  Mike crossed his legs. “Now what?” he whispered. It was dark under the table.

  “We wait and listen,” Kate said. “If someone is trying to frame Andy’s dad, he’s probably from the National League team. Maybe he’ll give away the plan!”

  Kate positioned herself at the end of the table by the front of the restaurant. Mike hid about fifteen feet away, at the other end of the table.

  Soon, people started coming through the buffet line. As they passed by, Mike and Kate could hear their conversations. It was easy to tell which people were baseball players. They were talking about teams, pitchers, or ballparks.

  Nothing seemed out of the ordinary until Kate heard a raspy voice talking about the American League team. “Psst,” she hissed softly to Mike. Kate cupped her ear with her hand to signal to listen closely.

  “I’m just itching to see them bat,” the man rasped. He snorted a little. “Especially after yesterday. It would be nice to see the American League lose for once.”

  Another man’s voice responded with a chuckle. “Well, I’d like to see their winning streak fall apart like that chair!”

  Kate slid over as the men moved down the buffet line. “They know about the itching powder and the broken chair!” she whispered. “Maybe they had something to do with it.”

  But before the men spoke again, something rustled at the edge of the table. A hand lifted the white drape. Their hiding place flooded with light. A waiter glared down at them.

  Mike gulped. He tried to pretend he was looking for something. Kate simply stared back at the man.

  “Can I help you?” the waiter asked. “If you’d like some food, you’ll need to get in line like everyone else.”

  Kate shrugged. “We were just playing hide-and-seek,” she said. “But we’re finished. We’re going to have breakfast.”

  “That’s probably a good idea,” the man said. He held the cloth up as Mike and Kate crawled out from under the table. As Kate did, she glanced at the men they had just overheard. One was tall and skinny. The other was short with a bushy head of hair.

  “Kate! Mike! I’m back here,” Kate’s mother called from a table in the corner. They rushed over to her, happy to leave the waiter behind. “I knew you two came down early, but I didn’t see you here,” Mrs. Hopkins said. “Where were you?”

  “Oh, just playing a little hide-and-seek,” Kate said. “But we’re hungry now.”

  “I’ll bet you are,” Mrs. Hopkins said. “Perhaps that nice man in the white shirt can help you pick out some food.”

  Kate blushed. Mike fidgeted with his baseball.

  “Anyway, take a look over there,” Mrs. Hopkins said. “That’s Home Run Harry. He held the record for home runs when I was a girl.”

  Mike straightened up to look. He tossed his baseball from his left hand to his right. “Think he’d autograph my ball?”

  “Why don’t you wait until he’s done with breakfast and ask?” Mrs. Hopkins said. “For now, let’s eat.”

  Mike, Kate, and Mrs. Hopkins heaped their plates full of fruit, muffins, and pancakes. While they were eating, Mike and Kate kept an eye on the men they had overheard earlier.

  “Hey, Mom,” Kate said. “Do you know who those two men are? We heard them talking about the home run derby earlier.”

  Mrs. Hopkins studied the men for a moment. “Yes, the tall man is a trainer for the National League team. The short man is writing a book about one of the players.”

  “We were thinking they might have put the itching powder in Big D’s uniform yesterday,” Kate said. “They seemed to be laughing about it today.”

  “Well, it was pretty funny,” Kate’s mom said. “Unless you’re Big D, of course. But I’m pretty sure they didn’t do it. They would get in a lot of trouble if they did. Either of you want more juice?”

  Kate and Mike shook their heads. While Mrs. Hopkins went to refill her glass, Kate and Mike scanned the room to see who else was there. Mike spotted Sparky and the manager for the National League team at one of the tables. Kate pointed out a group of pitchers at another table. The Rocket sat at a table near the front door. He was talking to the man in the fancy suit he had talked with yesterday.

  When they finished breakfast, Mike glanced over at Home Run Harry. He was finishing a cup of coffee.

  “Hang on just a minute,” Mike said. He walked over to Harry and asked for an autograph. Kate watched as Harry signed the ball.

  A minute later, Mike returned to the table, beaming from ear to ear. “He signed my baseball!” he said. Mike showed the ball to Kate’s mom. Harry’s signature was scrawled across the baseball’s sweet spot.

  “That’s great!” Mrs. Hopkins said. She looked at her watch. “We should head out. I need to get to the ballpark early today.”

  Kate and Mike followed her. Mike was so busy looking at Home Run Harry’s signature that he didn’t notice a chair sticking out into the aisle near the front door.

  “Oof!” Mike’s left sneaker caught on the chair leg. He grabbed the back of the chair to steady himself, but the ball popped out of his hand. It bounced and rolled along the carpet.

  Mike scurried after his ball. It rolled under an empty table near the front door, right behind the Rocket’s table. As Mike picked up the ball, he heard a voice behind him. He glanced over to see the man in the fancy white suit talking to the Rocket.

  “Winning the home run derby last night was really, really big. If you play well today, I guarantee you’ll end up with a great contract for the next five years!” the man said. “Get as much playing time as you can. I’ll do everything I can to help get you a huge contract!”

  The Rocket nodded. “I’ll do whatever it takes to get out on the field and show them what I can do,” he said. “Tonight’s the night!”

  Mike backed away quietly and hurried to catch up to Kate. She was waiting for him in the hallway.

  “I found out who the practical joker is!” Mike said.

  Kate’s eyes grew wide. “Who?”

  “The Rocket!” Mike said. “I just heard him talking to that guy in the white suit. I think he’s the Rocket’s agent. The agent says if the Rocket gets more playing time, he’ll get a better contract! The Rocket’s trying to make himself look good and Josh look bad!”

  A Slippery Situation

  Andy was waiting for Kate and Mike near the entrance to the stadium. Behind him on the field, players were stretching and running sprints.

  “Did you find out anything?” Andy asked. “I’ll bet it was one of the National League players in the home run derby!”

  “No,” Kate said. “But you’re close. It was one of the American League players in the home run derby.”

  “That doesn’t make sense,” Andy said. “Why would someone want to hurt their own team?”

  “Because they could get more playing time if one of the other players couldn’t play,” said Mike. “Like one of the two catchers.”

  Andy looked shocked. “You think the Rocket is the practical joker?” he asked.

  “Mike overheard him talking to his agent at breakfast,” Kate said. “He’ll get more TV time if your father doesn’t play. If the Rocket does well, he’ll get a much bigger contract. He can make a lot of money if your father sits on the bench.”

  A shrill whistle brought everyone’s attention to the dugout. Sparky called out for the team to gather. Mike, Kate, and Andy bounded down the aisle to the edge of the dugout.

  Sparky paced back and forth. “I want everyone sharp for tonight’s all-star game,” he said. He rapped his clipboard. “And no funny business! We have a game to win. Before we break, let’s go over the notes.”

  Sparky glanced down at the clipboard. The paper was blank. He flipped it and examined the other side. It was blank as well. He reached u
p and scratched just behind his ear. “Darn it, now! Who took my notes? I just wrote them on the clipboard a few minutes ago.”

  Most of the players shook their heads. “Don’t know, Coach,” said one.

  Finally, a player on the far side of the bench spoke up. “Did you write them with this?” he asked, holding up a black pen.

  Sparky nodded.

  “That’s the problem,” the player said. “My son has one of these.” He took the pen and wrote hello on a scrap of paper and waited. There was silence in the dugout. A few players coughed and cleared their throats.

  After another minute, Sparky dug his foot into the floor. “And your point is?” he asked.

  The player looked at the piece of paper. “There,” he said. The word had vanished!

  “The old disappearing ink joke! Someone left a bunch of these pens around the dugout,” the player said. “You must have picked one up and written your notes with it.”

  Sparky looked as if he were about to say something, but bit his lip. He tossed the clipboard on the bench instead. “That’s it. Hit the fields, everyone. In an hour, we’ll go over the lineup. I’m making some changes,” he said, glaring at Josh.

  The players filed out to the field. When Josh stood up, Sparky tapped him on the shoulder with the pen.

  “If I find out that you’re pulling any more practical jokes, the joke will be on you,” Sparky warned him. “I’ll bench you for the entire game!”

  Josh held up his hands. “I didn’t have anything to do with the pens,” he said. “Honest! I’m not the one pulling practical jokes.”

  Sparky’s eyes narrowed. He pushed his face up close to Josh’s. “Well, someone is, and you’re the biggest suspect. One more joke and it won’t be the ink that’s disappearing. It’ll be you!”

  Josh stared back at Sparky. Then he grabbed his glove and ran up the stairs to the field.

  Without a word to his friends, Andy dashed after his dad to the bull pen. Kate gave Mike a shrug and followed Andy. When they reached him, he was standing on the warning track in front of the bull pen.

  Josh had set up on one of the two pitching lanes. The Rocket was catching on the other one.

  Andy put his head down and whispered to Kate and Mike, “We need to keep an eye on the Rocket. I’m going to make sure he doesn’t do anything else to my dad!”

  Two pitchers started their warm-up. Swish! Thwap! Swish! Thwap! The pitcher on the far lane threw one fastball after another into the Rocket’s glove. Andy was so busy watching the Rocket, he didn’t notice the problem his dad was having.

  Kate nudged Mike. “Something’s wrong with Josh,” she whispered. She didn’t want Andy to hear.

  Swish! Zwack! Plop! Swish! Zwack! Plop!

  Josh caught each pitch. But right after the ball zapped into his glove, it slipped out and plopped on the ground. It happened again and again!

  Andy finally noticed. “Oh no,” he moaned.

  The Rocket called over to Josh, “Trying to make the ball disappear like Sparky’s notes? Not sure that’s a good idea! Or did you just have too much butter on your toast this morning?”

  “Knock it off, Rocket,” Josh called back. “Something funny is happening here.”

  “That’s not what Sparky thinks,” the Rocket said. He let out a little laugh. “Seems like you’re in royal trouble with him! Get it? Royal trouble?”

  Josh lifted up his catcher’s mask. He dipped a finger into the palm of the glove. Then he smeared something on his pants.

  “Someone put grease all over the inside of my glove!” Josh said loudly.

  Benched!

  “Andy, can you run back to my locker and get my other catcher’s glove?” Josh called to his son. “You know where it is.”

  “Sure, Dad,” Andy said, giving his dad a grin. He sprinted across the grass and disappeared into the dugout. A few minutes later, he came back with the glove.

  Josh slipped it on and flexed it open. He pounded the palm a few times. “No grease in this one,” he said. “Thanks!” He flipped his catcher’s mask down and went back to practicing.

  Andy ran over to Mike and Kate.

  “I didn’t like the way the Rocket taunted your father,” Kate said. “He’s definitely the prime suspect.”

  Andy nodded. “That’s what I think,” he said. “We need to keep our eyes on him.”

  At eleven-thirty, the bull pen phone rang. It was time to head back for a meeting. One by one, the players grabbed their gloves and hats and headed to the dugout. The Rocket and Josh took off their catcher’s gear and jogged across the field.

  Mike, Kate, and Andy sat in the empty seats right next to the dugout. They could see everything. Most of the players were just hanging out. Josh sat on the bench, cleaning off his glove. The Rocket stood near them, at the edge of the dugout. He kept reaching into a white plastic bucket, picking something up, and dropping it back into the bucket again.

  “What’s he doing?” Andy asked. “They usually keep bubble gum in there.”

  Mike perked up. “I’ll go find out,” he said. He leaned over the dugout railing as the Rocket played with the bucket of gum. Then the Rocket noticed Mike watching him.

  “Can I have a piece?” Mike asked.

  “Um, I guess so,” the Rocket said. “You sure you want it?”

  Mike gave him a big smile and nodded. “Yeah,” he said. “Can I have some for my friends, too?”

  The Rocket laughed. He looked at Kate and Andy. “Here you go!” he said. “That should fire you up!”

  Mike took the gum back to Andy and Kate.

  “It’s just gum,” Mike said. He tossed them both a piece and unwrapped one for himself. Mike was just about to put it in his mouth when Kate’s hand shot out and stopped him.

  “I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” she said.

  “Why not?” Mike asked. “It says right here, Pete’s Picante Gum! Geez, Kate, you’re always so suspicious. Looks like cinnamon to me.”

  Kate shrugged. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  Mike rolled his eyes. He popped the piece of gum into his mouth and chewed away. Within a few seconds, his face turned beet red.

  Mike waved his hands and said, “HAAAAHAAAA ARRRGH!”

  He ran up the aisle to a trash can at the top of the walkway. Andy and Kate rushed up the stairs after him. Mike hunched over the trash can and spit the gum into it. By the time Andy and Kate reached him, Mike had his hands on his hips. He was taking deep breaths.

  “You don’t look so good,” Kate said.

  Mike’s tongue hung out. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. He shook his head slowly. “Hot. Hot. Hot,” he panted.

  “What’s the matter?” Andy asked. “You okay?”

  Mike caught his breath. “I’m fine,” he said. “But that gum isn’t. The Rocket just gave me a handful of red-pepper gum!”

  Kate took out her piece of gum and pointed to the red wrapper. “Picante means spicy in Spanish!” she told him. Kate was learning Spanish from her dad.

  Mike sighed. “Why didn’t I listen to you?”

  Kate knuckled him on the head. “I wonder that all the time!”

  Andy smiled. “Don’t you see what this means?” he said. “The Rocket knew it was pepper gum! We should tell Sparky. It will prove the Rocket’s the joker, not my father.”

  They rushed to the edge of the dugout, but Sparky had already started the team meeting. There was no way to interrupt. Mike, Kate, and Andy stood off to the side, listening. After ten minutes, Sparky stopped talking to take a drink. He picked up a large paper cup and filled it with red PowerPunch from a plastic jug at the end of the bench.

  A few seconds later, one of the players snickered and pointed at the coach. A line of red PowerPunch dribbled down from a small hole in the bottom of the paper cup. It turned almost the entire front of Sparky’s white uniform red!

  Sparky finally noticed everyone laughing. “What’s so funny?” he shot out.

  The players instantly
went quiet. Someone pointed to the front of his shirt.

  Sparky looked down and saw the long red stain on his shirt. Without another word, he crumpled the paper cup and threw it into the trash can. Then he turned to face Josh.

  “That’s your final practical joke, Robinson!” he bellowed. “Don’t practice any more, because you’re benched!”

  One of the outfielders jumped up. “Hey, Coach, you can’t take Josh out! He’s one of our best players,” he pleaded. “We need him on the field tonight!”

  “If we’re going to beat the National League, we can’t have jokers fooling around,” Sparky snapped. “We need to focus on winning, not having fun! End of story. Everyone back out for more practice! Josh, stay here. If anything else happens, you won’t even suit up for tonight’s game!”

  Concretes and Clubs

  “Benched?” Andy wailed. “Benched? My dad doesn’t have anything to do with the jokes! It’s not fair! The all-star game is one of the biggest events of his life!”

  The players jogged back onto the field. Some of them patted Josh on the shoulder as they went by. After a minute or so, Josh went into the locker room. The Rocket was the last to leave the dugout. On the way, he noticed Mike, Kate, and Andy standing near the infield fence. He nodded at Mike. Then he opened his mouth wide, panted with his tongue hanging out, and gave a big laugh!

  Kate gripped the infield railing hard and stamped her foot. “That’s so mean!” she said.

  “Come on. Sparky is still in the dugout!” Andy said, opening the gate to the field. “We’ll tell him what the Rocket did to Mike. Then he’ll know who’s playing the jokes!”

  Sparky stood in the corner, writing on his clipboard. Andy tapped him on the arm. Sparky spun around.

  “Oh, hello,” Sparky said. “You’re Josh’s kid, right?”

  Andy nodded. “Yes, I’m Andy. These are my friends Mike and Kate. We have something to tell you.”

  “What is it, son?” Sparky growled, looking at his watch. “I’ve got a team to run.”

  Mike stepped forward. He explained how the Rocket handed out the spicy gum. He told Sparky what he’d overheard the Rocket and his agent talking about during breakfast, and how the Rocket had taunted Josh during practice.