The Missing Mitt (6 page)

Once the players were ready, the two coaches met in the center of the field. They shook hands and flipped a coin to see which team would be up at bat first.

“Call it,” said Coach Quinn.

“Tails!” said Coach Riley.

It was tails. The Jupiters would bat first. The Bandits took their places around the field. Frank stayed by home plate. He put on the chest guard that protected him against any balls that got past the batter. It was a big piece of plastic, and it was heavy and clunky. But Frank was happy to wear it. Without that and his face mask, he'd have no protection from Speedy's wicked fastballs!

Since Jason wouldn't play, Joe had been moved to first base. To cover second base, they'd moved Ellie Freeman from the outfield. She was a good player, but she'd never played second base before. It was going to be a tough game.

“Strike three, you're out!”

The umpire pointed the second Jupiter player back to the bench. So far, thanks to Speedy, the
Bandits were doing okay. The first batter had popped the ball straight up into the air, and Frank had caught it, putting him out. Speedy had just struck out the second batter. One more and it would be the Bandits' turn at bat. Maybe they could make it without Jason after all.

The third batter stepped up to the plate. He was big. Not as big as Conor, but big.

The first pitch was a foul ball, off to the side. But the second was right down the middle, and the batter hit it with all his strength.

CRAAACK!!

The ball flew toward center field. The batter had aimed right for the hole in the outfield where Ellie used to stand. The other outfielders scrambled to try to catch it, but they were spread too thin. If someone had been there, it would have been an easy out. Instead, the batter made it all the way to third base!

Things had just gone from okay to bad for the Bandits. And they were about to get worse!

The next batter hit a low line drive up the middle, right past Speedy. The shortstop snapped it up on the first hop. The first runner was already nearing home. They weren't going to get him out.

“Throw it to first!” Ellie yelled to the shortstop.

But the player hesitated a moment too long before throwing the ball to Joe, and the Jupiter batter made it to the base safely.

By the end of the second inning, the score was Jupiters 4, Bandits 2. The Bandits needed to get Jason back on the team—and that meant finding his mitt.

Finally, as the third inning was about to start, Frank got a chance to talk to Conor, who was first up at bat.

“Hey,” said Frank.

Conor just stared at him.

“You're Conor Hound, right?”

“Yeah,” said Conor.

“I'm Frank Hardy.” Frank pulled up his face mask. “I heard you have the most RBIs in the entire league!” Their dad had taught them that people are more likely to answer questions when you put them in a good mood.

Conor smiled. “Yep!” he said.

“That's awesome. Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure,” said Conor.

“Why were you over by the pile of gear earlier?”

“WHAT?” said Conor. “I told everybody, I didn't steal that mitt!”

“I wasn't saying—”

But Conor cut him off. “I'm not a thief! And I don't need to cheat to win some dumb game.”

“Boys!” called Coach Quinn. “What is going on over here?”

“He accused me of stealing!” said Conor, pointing at Frank.

“Frank, is this true?”

“No! I was just asking why he was over by our gear.”

Frank could tell by the look on her face that Coach Quinn didn't believe him.

“Frank, I'm disappointed. This is very unlike you. I'm going to have to ask you to sit out the rest of this game. Please take off the catcher's gear so we can find someone to replace you.”

Frank could barely believe what he had heard. He wasn't accusing Conor of cheating—he was just trying to find out what had happened. But Coach Quinn wouldn't listen.

“But, Coach Quinn, we were just trying to
help!” cried Joe. The entire team had gathered around to see what was happening.

“You were involved with this too, Joe?” asked Coach Quinn.

“Yes, ma'am,” he said.

“Then I'm afraid you're going to sit out the game as well.”

Things were going from bad to worse!

8

Sidelined? In the biggest game of the year? How could this be happening? Frank couldn't believe how bad their luck had been. He watched as another Bandit put on the catcher's gear and the team got ready to start again. Conor Hound gave him an angry look.

Joe tried to argue with Coach Quinn, but it was no use. Their parents came over to see what all the fuss was about.

“What happened, Joe?” asked Mr. Hardy.

“It wasn't our fault!” said Joe. “Frank was just trying to ask Conor about Jason's mitt, and—”

“Yeah!” chimed in Frank. “And Joe was just trying to get Coach Quinn to understand, but—”

“Slow down, boys,” said Mrs. Hardy.

“Yes,” said Mr. Hardy. “Now, start at the beginning.”

While the Bayport Bandits tried to figure out who would fill the two new holes on the field, Frank and Joe told their parents what had happened. When they were done, Mr. Hardy shook his head.

“Do you think Conor stole Jason's mitt?” asked Mr. Hardy.

Frank and Joe hesitated.

“No,” said Frank. “I think he's innocent. He seems pretty upset about it. And from everything I've heard about him, he's a good ballplayer. He wouldn't need to cheat to do well.”

“Well,” said Mr. Hardy. “It seems like the only
thing to do is figure out where Jason's mitt really is. If you can do that before the game ends, maybe Coach Quinn will understand that you were just trying to help.”

“But we don't even have a suspect,” said Frank.

“You know what that means. You have to go back over your evidence. Talk to your witnesses. Facts are what solve crimes, boys.”

Frank and Joe nodded. Mr. and Mrs. Hardy went back to their blanket to watch the rest of the game. The boys pulled out their notebook.

“The only people who knew anything were Jason and Mr. Mack,” said Frank. “So maybe we should talk to them again.”

“Good idea,” said Joe. “Let's talk to Mr. Mack first.”

Together, they walked back behind the bleachers, to the corner where Mr. Mack and Lucy were sitting. Lucy was tied to a post to keep her from chasing the balls, but she wagged her tail when the boys came over.

“Shouldn't you boys be playing?” asked Mr. Mack.

Frank and Joe explained what had happened.

“That's terrible!” Mr. Mack said. “But I don't know if I can help you. I really didn't see anyone go over by the gear except for that boy from the other team, Jason, and myself. Like I said, Lucy ran away after that, so I had to go look for her.”

The boys thanked Mr. Mack for his help and set off to find Jason. He was their last hope.

“We must be missing something,” said Joe.

“I know,” said Frank. “But what?”

The fourth inning was just beginning as they neared the baseball field again. The Bandits were now behind 5–2. Frank and Joe watched for a few minutes. Missing three players made it almost impossible for the team to play. The Johnston Jupiters practically owned the field. This was going to be one of the worst defeats in Little League history!

The boys went to find Jason. They couldn't stand to watch the team lose so badly.

“That is totally unfair!” Jason said before Frank or Joe could even say hi. “And it's all Conor's fault! First he steals my mitt, and now he's got Coach Quinn on his side.”

“We don't think Conor stole your mitt,” Frank told him.

“You don't?” replied Jason. “Then if he didn't, who did?”

“That's what we're trying to figure out. Do you remember anything else—anything that might
help us figure out where your mitt went?”

“No! I already told you everything.”

“Think hard,” said Joe. “Finding that mitt is the only way to get us all back on the team—and the Bandits need us!”

Jason looked over at the field just as the Bandits' new first baseman dropped the ball, letting
Conor Hound run safely to second. Jason scrunched up his face and tried to remember everything he could.

“Like I told you, nothing really happened. I got here, I dropped off my stuff, that stupid dog jumped on me, I threw my lucky mitt on top of my bag, and then I went to practice. That's it.”

“Wait a second,” said Frank. He was remembering something. “Lucy jumped on you?”

“Yeah,” said Jason.

“Was this before or after you threw your mitt down?”

“Before, I think.”

Frank looked excited.

“Joe, don't you remember what Mr. Mack said? He said that Lucy jumped on me because she wanted the stick I was holding. She thought we were going to play fetch. If Jason threw down his mitt right after Lucy jumped on him . . .”

“Lucy must have thought Jason wanted to play. That's why she left her stick behind!”