Chapter - How could you?

	Chapter - How could you?
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When Fred got home from Rodney's, he opened the door and started to take off his shoes.

Clunk. Fred's Mom humg up the phone. "Fred! Come in here this minute!"

"Yes, Mom." What disaster was she blaming on him now? Fred went inside to meet his fate.

"What on earth were you and you friends doing? Mrs. Simpson had to have Constable Roberson over to deal with you, and you had him running up and down the street like a maniac, then tonight you and your friends are over at Mr. Ellsley's and Constable Robertson has to come over to deal with you again. I trust you to go visit your friends alone, and you cause this kind of trouble!"

"What?"

"Don't act innocent! You know what I'm talking about!"

"Mom, I don't what you've heard, but my friends and I are not in trouble with Constable Robertson. We have not caused trouble for Mrs. Simpson or Mr. Ellsley."

"Well! Deny it, will you! Not even an apology! I think I should phone Mrs. Simpson and Mr. Ellsley right now!"

"Ummm, how about if I tell you what is actually going on, and we meet with all of them tomorrow night?"

"So you are in trouble! Why did you lie about it?"

Fred walked over to the phone, and started dialing.

"Fred, what are you doing?"

"I want you to talk to someone." Fred looked determined, and stressed.

His mother started to say something, but Fred turned his back.

The phone rang. Someone answered.

"Hello, this is Fred."

"Can I speak to your mother?"

"Hello, this is Fred."

"No, I haven't had a chance to tell Mom yet. She was talking on the phone when I got here. When she hung up she accused me and my friends of causing you and Mr. Ellsley a lot of trouble, said that was why Constable Robertson was at your place last week, and Mr. Ellsley's place tonight."

"Yes, well, she has different information. Can you talk to her please?"

"She doesn't listen to me sometimes. I think one of her friends told her this."

"Yes, that would be nice. Thank you."

Fred turned around. "Will you talk to Mrs. Simpson, please? Maybe she can convince you that I haven't caused her any trouble."

Fred's mom pursed her lips and frowned, but took the phone.

"Yes?"

"Why hello, Mrs. Simpson, Fred said it was you."

"Yes?"

"They have?"

"He was?"

"Yes?"

"Well, thank you for telling me that, Mrs. Simpson. I will certainly listen to what he has to say."

"Good night, Mrs. Simpson."

Fred's Mom sat down and looked at Red. "So Mrs. Simpson doesn't think you're a problem and presumably Mr. Ellsley doesn't either. So why is Constable Robertson chasing after you all the time?"

"Constable Robertson saw a prowler in the back yard of Mrs. Simpson's house. He tried to catch him but he got away."

"So why did he go into the house?"

"Because he saw the prowler climb up on a fence and do something at the window of the bedroom."

"A peeping tom?" Fred's mom gasped.

"No, Mom, he left a bug, a listening device, on the window."

"Really? How do you know?"

"I saw it. It looked like... I'll how you what it looked like." Fred dashed upstairs to his room and came back with the science toy.

"Now I know you're fibbing. That's just the science toy I found on your window sill when I was cleaning."

"Mom, I didn't make this or buy it, or get it for a present. I wasn't outside our house getting dirt on the window."

"Hmmmpf. And Constable Robertson is going to agree that this is a bug."

"I don't think he's seen this one, but it looks like the one on John's window."

"And is Rodney's room bugged, too?"

"No bug on the window. Constable Robertson didn't find one with his scanner. So I'm pretty sure not."

"And I'm supposed to believe you're standing there with a bug in your hand, talking about it so the people on the other end can hear you."

"No battery, Mom." Fred held out his hand with a small battery in it.

"Why didn't you tell Constable Robertson about this?"

"We told him about this tonight. He came over to Rodney's house because we asked him to. Now he wants to meet with us and all our parents tomorrow night, at Rodney's house.

"Really? Why didn't you tell me as soon as you got home?"

"Mom, I've been trying to tell you. He gave me this note for you and Dad, an invitation for tomorrow night."

Fred's mom grabbed the note, glanced at it and dashed from the room. Fred thought he heard a sniffle as she left.

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