The Unwilling Umpire

  Here’s what kids, parents,

  and teachers have to say

  to Ron Roy, author of the

  A to Z Mysteries series:

  “My teacher asked me which of your books was my favorite. I told him they were all so good they were all my favorite.”

  —Jackie D.

  “I have never been hooked on to a series as much as this one.”

  —Donald M.

  “You are such a good author, I think that every child and grown-up should read your books.”

  —Olivia M.

  “My favorite series is definitely no doubt, A to Z Mysteries!”

  —Jordan C.

  “Thank you so very much for allowing my child to peek into a world of adventure.”

  —Amber B.

  “My students find the books extremely exciting, and they can’t put them down.”

  —Shirley K.

  This book is dedicated to Matthew Johnson.

  —R.R.

  To Tim, thanks for posing!

  —J.S.G.

  This book is dedicated to Matthew Johnson.

  —R.R.

  To Tim, thanks for posing!

  —J.S.G.

  CRACK!

  The baseball popped into the warm June air and rose slowly toward the sky. The crowd leaped to its feet, yelling, “Run! Run!”

  Mr. Dillon, the school principal, dropped the bat and raced toward first base.

  Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose were sitting in the front row of bleacher seats.

  Dink’s full name was Donald David Duncan, but his friends called him Dink.

  “Having a baseball game to raise money was a great idea,” Ruth Rose said.

  “Yeah,” said Josh. “We have fun raising funds!”

  The kids in Green Lawn had sold enough tickets to fill the bleachers at the town baseball field. The money would go to Camp Challenge, a summer camp for kids with special needs.

  Out in center field, Josh’s mom watched the baseball as it started to fall. She raised her glove and the ball dropped neatly into it.

  Mr. Dillon was out! He trotted back toward home plate.

  “I didn’t know my mom could catch like that!” Josh said.

  Dink grinned at Josh. “Too bad she couldn’t teach you how,” he said, giving Josh an elbow in the side.

  “Great catch, Mom!” Josh yelled.

  “Gentlemen, yer out!” yelled Pete Unkenholz, the umpire at home plate, motioning with his thumb. “Ladies, yer up!”

  Pete was a tall, friendly guy with spiky blond hair. He was a good worker, too. He had helped set up the bleachers for the game.

  Josh’s mom’s catch was the third out for the men’s team. The women ran off the field, high-fiving each other. The men began to take their positions on the field, joking with the female players.

  Josh turned to Ruth Rose. “Want to make a bet the men beat the women?” he asked.

  Ruth Rose nodded, making her black, curly hair bounce. She liked to dress all in one color. Today she wore red from her headband down to her high-top sneakers.

  “Sure, I’ll bet you an ice cream cone that the women win,” Ruth Rose said to Josh.

  Josh flashed a grin. “You’re on!” he said, shaking Ruth Rose’s hand.

  The three kids watched the men take their positions. Their friend Mr. Thaddeus Pocket was head coach. He walked around the field, chatting with the players.

  “How did Mr. Pocket learn so much about baseball?” Dink asked.

  “He told me he played a lot in college,” Josh said.

  “It was great of him to bring some of the baseballs from his collection to the game today,” Ruth Rose said.

  “Yeah! I guess they’re worth a lot of money,” Dink added. “He let me hold the one signed by Babe Ruth!”

  “Cool! I’m named after a famous baseball player!” Ruth Rose said.

  “Ha!” Josh said. “I think they named a candy bar after him, too.”

  Six of Mr. Pocket’s autographed baseballs were on display in the clubhouse. Everyone who bought a ticket to the game had a chance to admire them in the locked case.

  The men were all in their field positions. Ellie was up first on the women’s team. She grabbed a bat and headed for the batter’s box. Pete smiled at Ellie and gave her a thumbs-up.

  “Pete seems like a nice guy,” Dink said. “I’m glad he volunteered to ump.”

  “Where did he come from?” Josh asked. “He just showed up a couple of weeks ago, right?”

  Dink shrugged. “I don’t know, but everyone seems to like him a lot.”

  “He sure is big,” Ruth Rose observed. “Look how he towers over Ellie!”

  Pete threw the ball to the men’s pitcher, Mr. Linkletter. The scoreboard read: MEN 1, WOMEN 0.

  “Play ball!” Pete yelled.

  Ellie stepped up to the batter’s box. Everyone cheered as she got ready for the first pitch from Mr. Linkletter.

  Behind Ellie, Jake, a local firefighter, was catching. He crouched with his mitt in front of his chin.

  The pitch was low, but Ellie swung anyway. She missed and the ball zinged into Jake’s waiting glove.

  “Strike one!” Pete announced as Jake tossed the ball to the pitcher. Mr. Linkletter wound up and threw his next pitch. This one was high, but Ellie swung and caught part of the ball. It skipped down the first-base line. Lucky O’Leary fielded the ball in foul territory and whipped it back to Mr. Linkletter.

  “Strike two!”

  The spectators jumped to their feet for the third pitch. Everyone was yelling, whistling, or clapping.

  Pete raised his arms for quiet.

  Mr. Linkletter’s third pitch was right in the strike zone. Ellie swung with all her might.

  CRACK! The ball soared over Mr. Linkletter’s head, dropped, and rolled between Officer Fallon’s legs in center field.

  Ellie took off. By the time Officer Fallon ran down the ball and snapped it to Lucky O’Leary at first, Ellie was rounding second base. Lucky threw to Doc Henry at third.

  But Lucky’s throw was wide.

  When Doc lunged for the ball, Ellie made third base and kept running. With legs pumping and arms swinging, she thundered across home plate.

  “Safe!” shouted Pete, throwing his arms wide.

  Everyone leaped into the air and yelled. Ellie had scored the first run for the women!

  The scoreboard now read: MEN 1, WOMEN 1.

  “It’s a tie!” Ruth Rose said. “Mmm, I can taste that ice cream cone, Josh!”

  “Boy, the men are lousy fielders,” Josh grumbled. “My grandmother can catch better!”

  Just then Pete Unkenholz started sneezing. He wiped his eyes, sneezed again, then turned to say something to the catcher. After a few seconds, Pete headed toward the clubhouse.

  As Pete passed Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose, he stopped for a second. “Darn allergies,” the young man said. His eyes were red, and he was taking deep breaths.

  Pete trudged toward the clubhouse. The kids watched Mr. Pocket walk over to home plate.

  “What’s going on?” they heard him ask the catcher.

  “He went to get his allergy medicine,” Jake told Mr. Pocket.

  Mr. Pocket made an announcement over the public-address system. The crowd relaxed and waited for the game to continue. But when Pete hadn’t returned after five minutes, people began to wonder what was going on.

  “I’m going to use the boys’ room,” Josh said. “Be right back.”

  Josh jogged to the clubhouse while the crowd waited for Pete to return.

  Suddenly Josh came racing back to the bleachers. He slid in next to Dink, out of breath.

  “What’s up?” Ruth Rose asked.

  “You’re not gonna believe this!” Josh whispered to his friends. “Mr. Pocket’s autographed baseballs—they’re gone!”

  Ruth Rose looked toward the clubhouse. “Maybe Mr. Pocket moved them someplace else when the game started,” she said.

  Josh was shaking his head. “No! The glass case is smashed in a million pieces,” he said. “Someone stole those balls!”

  Dink and Ruth Rose stared at Josh openmouthed.

  “Should we tell Mr. Pocket?” Ruth Rose asked after a few seconds.

  “We have to,” Dink said.

  “He’ll go bonkers!” Josh predicted.

  The three kids walked over to Mr. Pocket.

  Dink swallowed, then tugged on the man’s arm.

  “Hi there,” Mr. Pocket said. “Where’s that ump? These people want some baseball action!”

  “Um, did you do anything with those six baseballs?” Dink asked.

  “Why, of course,” Mr. Pocket said. “You saw me lock them in the case.”

  “You didn’t move them anywhere else?” Ruth Rose asked.

  Mr. Pocket’s smile vanished. “What’s going on, kids? Has something happened to my baseballs?”

  “They’re gone!” Josh said. “The case is smashed. There’s glass all over the floor!”

  Mr. Pocket turned and marched toward the clubhouse.

  The three kids watched him go.

  “You didn’t happen to see Pete when you went inside, did you?” Ruth Rose asked Josh.

  “Nope. The first thing I saw when I got inside was all the glass,” Josh said. “I was the only one in the place.”

  “Gosh,” Dink said, “do you think Pete stole Mr. Pocket’s baseballs?”

  Officer Fallon left his position on the field and walked over to the kids. “What’s going on?” he said. “Where’s our umpire?
”

  “We don’t know,” Josh said. “But Mr. Pocket’s baseball collection is missing!”

  Officer Fallon blinked. “What do you mean, ‘missing’?” he asked.

  Josh told Officer Fallon what he’d discovered.

  “Did you see anyone else inside the clubhouse?” the police chief asked.

  Josh shook his head. “I was the only one there,” he said.

  Officer Fallon looked toward the clubhouse. “Pete went inside just before you did, Josh,” Officer Fallon said. “Are you telling me he wasn’t in there?”

  Josh shook his head. “I didn’t see anyone. After I noticed the baseballs were gone, I got the heck out of there!” he said.

  Mr. Pocket stormed up to them. His face was as white as his hair. “They are gone!” he said.

  “Thaddeus, just how much are those balls worth?” Officer Fallon asked.

  “A great deal,” Mr. Pocket said. “But I don’t care about the money. My father gave me those baseballs.”

  “I’ll do my best to get them back for you,” Officer Fallon said. He ran toward the parking lot, where he’d parked his cruiser.

  Mr. Pocket sighed. “Well, I guess the game is over,” he said. He walked away. A minute later, the kids heard his voice over the public-address system. “LADIES AND GENTS, I’M SORRY TO REPORT THAT THE GAME HAS BEEN CALLED OFF.”

  There was a pause. Then he continued: “WE HOPE THE GAME WILL BE CONTINUED IN A FEW DAYS. WE’LL LET YOU KNOW AS SOON AS WE KNOW MORE. THANK YOU.”

  The kids watched Mr. Pocket walk toward Main Street.

  The people in the bleachers began leaving. Dink could hear their disappointed voices as they passed. The men straggled off the field, looking confused.

  Ellie walked over to the kids. “What’s that all about?” she asked. “And what’s with Mr. Pocket? After he talked with you kids, he looked like he swallowed some nails!”

  Josh explained.

  “And Pete disappeared the same time the baseballs did!” Ruth Rose added.

  “You’re kidding, right?” Ellie said.

  “Nope. Officer Fallon just took off,” Josh said. “I think he’s going to try to find Pete.”

  Ellie looked sad. “Gee, he seemed like such a nice guy,” she said.

  “I thought so, too,” Dink said.

  “Do you know where he came from?” Ruth Rose asked Ellie. “I mean, we don’t really know anything about him.”

  “All I know is what he told me a couple days ago,” said Ellie. “He came into the diner for a coffee and we chatted. He said he was heading down south, but he stopped to earn some more money. He’s got a trailer parked at the river campground.”

  “But where did he come from?” asked Dink.

  Ellie shrugged. “Didn’t say. But I find it hard to believe that he’s a thief.”

  “You know what’s weird?” Josh said.

  “If Pete planned to steal the balls, why’d he do it during the game?”

  “Maybe he figured no one would be in the clubhouse,” Ruth Rose said. “I guess he was right!”

  “It seems awfully strange,” Ellie said. “Well, if the game is off, I’d better get back to my diner.”

  Ellie hurried away, and the kids walked slowly toward Main Street. A lot of people stopped them to ask what was going on. The kids explained, and the people went away shaking their heads.

  Just as the kids reached Main Street, Officer Fallon’s cruiser appeared.

  In the backseat, staring straight ahead, sat Pete Unkenholz.

  “Did you see that?” Dink asked. “Officer Fallon arrested Pete!”

  “Let’s go see what’s going on!” suggested Josh. “Do you think they’ll put him in jail?”

  The kids hurried up West Green Street. Just as they passed the elderly-housing apartments, they saw Officer Keene pulling up in a black truck. He parked it in front of the police station and stepped out.

  “That’s Pete’s truck!” whispered Josh.

  “Hello, Officer Keene,” Dink said.

  “What’s going on? Is Pete under arrest?”

  Officer Keene nodded. “We caught him in his truck. Pete admitted he took those baseballs,” he said.

  “Did you get them back, Officer Keene?” Ruth Rose asked.

  “Nope. Pete told us he stole ’em but won’t say what he did with ’em,” Officer Keene said. He hurried into the police station.

  The kids sat on the front steps.

  “Gee, what a mess,” Josh said. “Poor Mr. Pocket finds an umpire who ends up stealing his baseballs!”

  “Guys, something’s not right about this,” Dink said. “Why would Pete confess to stealing the baseballs, then not tell what he did with them? I mean, why not just lie and say he didn’t steal them?”

  “Something else doesn’t make sense,” Ruth Rose added. “Why would Pete steal the balls when hundreds of people watched him go into the clubhouse for his allergy medicine? Everyone would know he was the thief!”

  Dink shook his head. “I don’t know. It’s hard to believe a guy who helped us set up the bleachers would turn around and steal from us,” he said.

  “Then why did he say he stole the baseballs?” Josh asked.

  Dink stood up. “I wish we could talk to Pete,” he said. “Maybe he saw someone else in the clubhouse. Gosh, he might even have seen someone take the baseballs!”

  “And maybe that’s why he’s not talking,” Ruth Rose added. “The crook might be somebody he knows!”

  “Pete Unkenholz just got to Green Lawn,” Josh said. “He doesn’t know anyone here.”

  After a minute, Ruth Rose said, “No one here knows him, either. Pete could be a bank robber for all we know!”

  “I wish we knew more about him,” Dink said.

  “I just thought of something!” Ruth Rose cried. “If we do an Internet search, we might learn something about Pete.”

  “That’s a good idea,” Dink said. “Let’s go talk to Mrs. Mackleroy!”

  They crossed the street and walked into the library. The librarian, Mrs. Mackleroy, was sitting at her computer.

  “Hi, kids,” she said. “What a disappointment that the game was canceled!”

  The kids told her about Pete’s arrest.

  “What?” she said. “He certainly doesn’t seem the type to steal.”

  “Officer Keene said Pete confessed,” Josh told her.

  Mrs. Mackleroy shook her head. “My goodness,” she said. “Well, how can I help you kids today?”

  “We think there’s something fishy going on,” Dink said. “It just doesn’t make sense that Pete would steal those balls during the game.”

  “We want to search on the Internet to see if we can find out more about him,” Ruth Rose said.

  “I’m not sure what kind of information we’d get,” Mrs. Mackleroy said. “But let’s try a quick search. I was just on YuBuy. My husband’s birthday is coming up, and I decided to shop online.”

  She closed out of YuBuy and opened up a search engine. “Do you know Pete’s last name?” she asked.

  “It’s Unkenholz,” Dink said, and spelled it for her as she typed.

  A window opened on her monitor. “Hmph, they’re telling me no Pete or Peter Unkenholz was found.”

  “Why don’t you try just the last name?” Ruth Rose suggested.

  “Good idea, hon,” Mrs. Mackleroy said, typing in just Unkenholz. This time she got results. There was a link to the Web site for the Coast Press newspaper in Penobscot, Maine. The kids leaned closer to the monitor and read:

  Penobscot, Maine, December 10

  Reported by Susan Greene

  BAKERY VAN STOLEN

  Marion Unkenholz admitted taking a local baker’s delivery van for a joyride. The van’s owner, Arnold Sugar, decided not to press charges.

  “Who’s Marion Unkenholz?” asked Josh.

  “I wonder if she’s related to Pete,” Dink said.

  “I think Marion is a man’s name,” Mrs. Mackleroy said. “The female Marian has an a instead of an o.”

  Ruth Rose glanced at the monitor again. “The reporter who wrote the story is Susan Greene. Maybe she knows this Marion Unkenholz. Could we call her?”

  Mrs. Mackleroy picked up her phone and dialed information. She asked for the Coast Press in Penobscot, wrote down the number, and handed the phone to Ruth Rose.