On Saturday afternoon, Kate and Sydney went back to the stadium for another Phillies game with Mrs. Smith and Andrew. Kate deliberately wore a red, white, and blue T-shirt and a pair of jeans. She wanted to fit in with the other fans this time—not stick out like a sore thumb in a bright orange shirt! Besides, this whole sports thing was beginning to rub off on her. Sort of, anyway. She was actually starting to get excited about baseball! And solving the case, of course. She could hardly wait to do that! Whoever was framing Tony Smith would soon be caught if she had anything to do with it.
They entered the stadium to the strains of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” Hearing the song made happiness rise in Kate’s heart. How exciting!
Sydney’s face was practically shining with joy. “I love, love, love coming here!” she said with a squeal. “But you’re going to have to keep an eye on me, Kate, ‘cause I’m gonna get caught up in the game and forget we’re supposed to be crime solving! You know how I am! I might be a supersleuth, but I’m also a sports fan!”
“Of course! But I won’t let that happen. Inspector Gadget is on the job!” Kate giggled. “I’ve got my dad’s super-high-strength binoculars, and I brought my tiny digital camera again, just in case I see anything strange. Plus—and this is really cool—I’ve got my Internet watch. I’m ready no matter what comes our way!”
“I still can’t believe you can read Web pages on a wristwatch,” Andrew said, shaking his head.
“What are we looking for exactly, though?” Sydney asked.
“Well, maybe a nosy reporter hanging out around the locker room,” Kate explained. “Or one of the players in the dugout acting suspicious. Anything, really.”
“Before the game starts, let’s pray, okay?” Sydney said. “ ‘Cause I know we need God’s help with this. It’s too big for us to solve by ourselves.”
“Sure!” Kate agreed.
Once they settled into their seats, Kate bowed her head and Sydney said a quick prayer. Even though it was super loud in the stadium, Kate felt sure God still heard them loud and clear!
After praying, Andrew headed to the dugout to say hello to his father. Kate watched him wind his way through the many, many fans to get to the small dugout area. What would it feel like, to have a sports hero for a father? Especially now with people saying so many mean things about him?
Kate could sort of imagine what it felt like to have a famous father. Her dad was going to be famous when SWAT-bot hit the stores! Not that he needed to be famous to impress her. She already thought he was the very best dad in the world.
Minutes later, Andrew returned to his seat looking sad. “I told my dad to have fun,” he said, taking his seat. “He said it’s getting harder with each game, but I just reminded him that he loves the sport. And I told him about that Bible verse we learned at church last week.”
“Which one? I don’t remember.” Kate gave him a curious look.
“You know—that one that says blessed are you when men persecute you and say bad things against you?”
“Oh yeah!” Kate remembered. “Well, that one certainly applies, doesn’t it!”
“Well, my dad is being falsely accused. And with all of these rumors flying around, he’s really being persecuted by others. So he must be mighty blessed.”
“That’s a great way to look at it,” Kate agreed.
“He should just relax and have a great game,” Sydney said, wrinkling her nose. “He can’t control what other people are thinking, anyway.”
“Yeah, but I still wish they wouldn’t think bad things about him or say bad things about him. I know it hurts his feelings…and mine, too!” Andrew sighed. Kate felt bad for him.
“I guess God is teaching us all a lesson about spreading rumors, isn’t He?” she said. “Maybe that’s the point of all of this—to show us just how wrong it is to talk about people behind their backs, especially when it’s not true!”
“I’ll be a lot more careful about who I talk about, that’s for sure,” Sydney said. “I’ll think before I speak even if I don’t know the person.”
“Me, too,” Andrew agreed.
“No more talking about people behind their backs!” Kate announced in her strongest voice.
“Speaking of not talking about people behind their backs…” The woman in front of them had turned around with a stern look. “Would you kids mind being a little quieter during this game? Last time one of you was shouting in my ear through the whole game.” She looked at Sydney, who put her hand over her mouth.
“Oops! Sorry,” Sydney said. “But I’m such a big fan! I can hardly control myself. Especially when Tony Smith is on the field.”
At the mention of Tony’s name, the woman rolled her eyes and mumbled some not-so-nice things. She turned back around to face the field.
“Never mind all that,” Kate whispered to Andrew. “She’ll be a fan of your dad’s again, too, after we solve this case.”
Several rows down, something caught Kate’s eye. She watched as a man in his late twenties stood and pulled something out of his pocket. Hmm. Something about him seemed strange. He turned her way for a moment and she caught a glimpse of his face and noticed his Phillies shirt. Grabbing Sydney’s arm, she said, “Oh, there’s that man again. The one in the picture.” Kate pointed at him.
“Is he here with someone else?” Sydney asked. “Or is he alone again?”
“Looks like he’s alone. That’s kind of weird, isn’t it? Don’t people usually come to games with friends or family members?”
“Usually,” Sydney agreed.
The man sat down, but Kate kept watching him. A shiver ran down her spine every time she saw the stranger, but she wasn’t sure why.
“Looks like there’s a family to his right and a young couple on his left. But he’s sitting in the same seat as before.” She watched him through the binoculars. “He has an MP3 player in his hand again.”
“So?” Andrew gave her a curious look. “Lots of people bring MP3 players to the game. What’s wrong with that?”
“Something’s attached to it.” Kate watched him through the binoculars, and then had another brilliant beyond brilliant idea. “See that empty seat in the row in front of him? The one next to the older man with the white hair?”
Andrew looked beyond all of the people seated in front of them until he could clearly see. Then he nodded. “Oh yeah. I see it now. What about it?”
“It’s been empty all this time. I don’t think anyone is using that seat. So I’m going to go sit in front of our suspect to see what I can see.”
“Our suspect?” Sydney and Andrew said at the same time.
“What makes that man a suspect?” Andrew asked. “He hasn’t even done anything suspicious!”
“Oh, it’s just a gut feeling,” Kate said, feeling that little shiver again. “I know in my brain that he’s up to no good.” How she knew, she couldn’t say.
“Wow.” Andrew shook his head. “I guess I have a lot to learn about solving mysteries. I just thought he was an ordinary fan.”
“He probably is.” Sydney laughed. “But Kate will figure it out, one way or the other.”
“That’s why I’m going down there to sit,” Kate explained. “If I sit in front of him, I’ll hear everything he says. I don’t want to falsely accuse him, after all. There are enough rumors flying around.”
“Good point.” Sydney nodded.
“I brought the perfect thing for looking at things in the row behind me… .” Kate reached into her gadget bag and pulled out her large pair of sunglasses.
Andrew looked at her like she was crazy. “Sunglasses? In the stadium?”
“Oh, they’re not just sunglasses,” she explained. “They’ve got side mirrors. See right here?” Kate pointed to the tiny mirrors. “When I put these on, I can see what’s happening behind me.”
“No way.” His mouth gaped.
She nodded and handed them to him. He put them on and then whispered, “Hey, the lady behind me is eating nachos. Do you think she’ll share? They look great!”
Kate laughed. “You’ll have to ask her. Meanwhile, I’m going to go down there. Well, if your mom says it’s okay.” She turned to Mrs. Smith, explaining her plan. “I promise to stay right there.”
“Just be careful, honey. Don’t do or say anything to that man if you can help it.”
“Oh, trust me. I’m a supersleuth! I won’t give myself away.” I hope!
Kate wiggled through the crowded row of people until she reached the stairs. Then she climbed down one, two, three, four rows. She looked beyond all of the people in that row till she saw the empty seat. Then she whispered a prayer that God would help her with this plan.
Feeling more courageous than before, she eased herself beyond the screaming fans. Just then, one of the players hit a home run. Perfect! With all of the standing and cheering, no one even noticed that she slipped into the seat. She sat and quickly pulled the glasses from her bag. Thankfully, they fit over her regular glasses. As she pressed them into place, she had a clear view of the man behind her. She grabbed her digital recorder and began to whisper into it.
“Male suspect, late twenties. Wearing a Phillies T-shirt. Holding an MP3 player, brand unknown. Has a suspicious look on his face. His gaze keeps shifting. He’s not watching the game at all. Must be here for other reasons. Keeps looking at the ground.”
Just as she said “looking at the ground,” the elderly man with the white hair in the seat next to her gave her a strange look. “Do you mind if I ask what you’re doing, kid? You’re making me nervous. Whom are you talking to?”
“Oh, I, um…” She shrugged. “I’m just taking notes.”
“About the game?” His already-wrinkled forehead wrinkled even more. “What are you, a reporter or something? You’re a little young to be working for one of the papers. And you’re certainly not a TV reporter.”
“Well…” Kate pulled off the glasses and looked into his eyes. Actually, now that she was writing articles for the blog site about the team, she could almost be considered a reporter, right? Still, she didn’t feel right saying so. But what could she do to keep the man from asking so many questions?
She pointed at her digital recorder. “I’m just working on a project for a friend. I’m not a real reporter, but I am taking notes. It’s a top secret project.” Kate shrugged and smiled at him, hoping he wouldn’t ask anything else.
“Well, would you mind working on it in someone else’s seat?” He crossed his arms at his chest and gave her a stern look. “My wife is running late, but when she gets here, she’ll want her seat. She’ll be mad if I give it to a pip-squeak like you.”
What is it with everyone thinking I’m so small? Kate wanted to say, but didn’t. Instead, she sighed and muttered, “I’m sorry I bothered you. I’ll move.”
She started to stand, but all of a sudden the man’s mean look faded and a crooked smile took its place. He gave her a sympathetic nod. “Aw, never mind, kid. It’ll be awhile before Margaret gets here. She’s visiting with the grandkids. So just sit there until she does. And take good notes—for whatever it is you’re working on. I’ll just sit here and pretend you’re some big-name reporter doing a story on the local news or something. You’ve intrigued me with that top secret stuff.”
“Oh, thank you!” Kate could hardly keep from squealing. “Thanks so much.” She looked down at the field, noticing Tony as he caught a ball in his glove. “My friend thanks you.”
“Mm-hmm.” He turned his attention back to the game, but Kate had other things to do. She focused on the mirrors in her glasses and watched in awe as the man behind her punched the buttons on the MP3 player in his hand.
“It’s definitely attached to something,” she whispered into the digital recorder. “But what? And why?” After a few more minutes of glancing downward, she realized it was a cord of some sort. And it ran all the way down below the seats.
“No way!” He was surely up to something! But in order to know for sure, she’d have to take a closer look.
Kate pulled out her digital camera. How could she take a picture of his MP3 player without him knowing it? And yet she must! She’d never be able to look up that particular model on the Internet unless she got a closer look.
An idea occurred to her quite suddenly. She turned around and looked up three rows to where Sydney sat with Mrs. Smith and Andrew. With a bright smile on her face, she stood to her feet and gave them a big wave, as if she were greeting old friends she hadn’t seen in years. The man with the MP3 player looked at her curiously but didn’t say anything. Thankfully, Andrew and Sydney waved back, though Mrs. Smith looked a little confused.
Kate lifted her cell phone and pretended to take a picture of them. Just for effect, she hollered out, “Say cheese, Sydney!” then snapped a shot—not of Sydney, but of that very interesting-looking MP3 player in the man’s hand.
She caught another shot of the man’s face. Then she took a picture of Sydney and Andrew, just for fun. The man leaned forward and for the first time Kate could clearly see the cord that ran from the MP3 player underneath the seats. His earphones? Hmm. She’d never seen a cord that long for earphones. Something very suspicious is going on! But what? And why?
Just then, the man leaned in her direction and his cap came tumbling off. Yikes! Kate used the opportunity to reach down to the ground and snatch it. As she did, she took a good look at the cord. She gasped as she realized it led all the way to the dugout! No, the cord certainly wasn’t for earphones. But what in the world was this fellow up to? Why would an ordinary fan do something like this? Goose bumps covered her arms.
“Hey, kid. What are you doing?” an angry voice rang out.
She turned to look at the man in the Phillies shirt, her heart thump-thumping in her chest. “I, um…” She held up the cap and smiled innocently. “I thought you might want your cap back. You dropped it.” She handed it to him with another big smile.
“Oh.” He shoved it on his head and glared at her. “Well, thanks. Now pay attention to the game. You’re making me nervous.”
She wanted to say, “No, you’re making me nervous,” but didn’t. No point in making him suspicious.
Kate had just started to breathe a relieved sigh when a shrill voice startled her.
“Excuse me!” Kate looked up to find the owner of the seat staring at her. The older woman had white curls, thin lips, and a mean look on her face. “I think you’ve got my seat, little lady. Scoot on out of it and go back where you belong.”
“Yes, I, well…” She swallowed hard then nodded her head. “Your husband said I could… Oh, never mind. You’re right. So sorry. Have a nice day.” As she scooted past the older couple, she hollered out, “Go, Phillies!” then darted back to her seat.
Sydney grabbed her hand as she took her real seat once again. “Oh, I saw the whole thing through the binoculars! Good save! I’m so proud of you. But I was a nervous wreck, Kate. I was praying the whole time.”
“Thanks.” Kate sighed. “I needed it, trust me. Oh, but, Sydney, I got a couple of great photos. I want to look up the MP3 player on the Internet. I think I know what he’s doing with it, but I want to be sure.”
“You go, Inspector Gadget!” Sydney giggled. “So what are you thinking? Is it a regular MP3 player that just plays music, or one of those nifty ones you can record with?”
“I’m not sure. I think it does both.” She opened the phone and looked at the picture a little more closely. “I’ll figure this out; don’t worry.”
She reached over to turn on her Internet watch. Unfortunately, she couldn’t connect with the Internet.
“They must not have wireless access here,” she said with a sigh. “I’ll have to wait and check it out on our computer at home.”
“Aw, don’t worry!” Sydney said. “You’ll figure it out. I know you will.”
“Yeah, but my birthday is Wednesday, and I want to get this case behind me before then,” Kate explained. “I don’t want to be thinking about solving this mystery on my big day! I want to have fun.”
“Oh, we will…even if we’re still on the case,” Sydney said.
“Did I tell you where we’re going?” Kate asked. When Sydney shook her head, she continued. “My parents are taking us to the coolest ‘50s-style soda shop for burgers, fries, and ice cream. Oh, it’s the best place in town. The waiters and waitresses are dressed up in ‘50s costumes and they sing and dance every hour on the hour. We’re going to have a blast—but only if I’m not thinking about who’s trying to frame Tony Smith. So I don’t want to waste even a minute!”
The crowd roared and Sydney rose to her feet, hollering at the top of her lungs. “Woo-hoo! We’re not wasting any time at all, Kate. Don’t you see? We’re at a baseball game in one of the coolest stadiums in the world. Put away those gadgets and enjoy the game. There will be plenty of time for crime solving later!”
With a smile, Kate decided to do just that! She put away her gizmos and turned her attention to the game.