Although he was only twelve Nick had already completed a good number of mystery novels in his short life He kept his own personal collection in a large cardboard box on a shelf in his closet safe above wooden hangers holding football jerseys dyed T-shirts and ripped blue jeans and he was about to add this latest mystery to his library Just a few pages to go and he would know what these characters were up to until he heard a voice from downstairs Nicky time for dinner I’m not going to call you again his mother yelled up the stairs apparently for the second time Yes nothing interrupted his concentration when he neared the end of a good mystery book except his mom with her threatening voice Nick’s mother was not unlike other mothers in the neighborhood He had some friends whose moms were the same when it came to gathering their families for dinner but tonight was not the night He wanted to finish the final pages before stepping back into reality I’ll be down in a minute Ma Nick screamed back but his eyes still focused on the book Sure he knew he’d be in trouble if he didn’t heed her call Dad would eventually come upstairs and yell at him for not showing up at the table on time So he bookmarked the page took a quick peek at himself in the mirror on his way out of his room admired
the short blond hair blue eyes and thin physique still looking good guy then quickly ran downstairs to join his family As Nick walked into the dining room he saw Samantha his younger sister still ten but going on sixteen already seated at the table with a generous portion of meat and potatoes falling over the edge of her plate Her dark hair pulled up into pigtails bobbed as she inhaled the aromas And coming out from the kitchen with freshly baked dinner rolls was Mom Sit down Nicky Mom said passing him by while the smell from those warm rolls filled his nostrils and made his mouth water As Nick suspected Mom adorned in a silk blouse yellow skirt and high heels was dressed as if she’d just stepped out of one of those beauty magazines scattered about the house However he focused on those dinner rolls she’d placed on the table He had to have one As he went to grab a roll Samantha’s annoying voice short-circuited his growing appetite to savor the warm goodness Glad you could make it snot-face she said smiling at Nick There she was in all her glory his pigtailed brat of a sister Nick’s appetite suddenly disappeared He stared at Samantha who continued to smile and wondered how how he could make his sister’s
life miserable at that very moment That’s it sis Fill up on all that food you got there on your plate so you can keep getting nice and fat because Ma Samantha yelled Knock it off Nicholas Leave your sister alone and let her eat Mom said Of course Samantha screaming was always his fault Whether or not his sister was wrong didn’t matter it seemed that he’d be the guilty one In fact Nick knew that even if she stood on the dinner table and kicked the plates full of food to the floor with his parents witnessing the whole event he’d still be the guilty one accused of making her do it Yeah okay I know it’s my fault Even though she called me snot-face I’m the one who’s guilty Nick gestured using his hands to show his frustration Whatever Nick watched his father come in while he argued I don’t care much who’s at fault what I want is for everyone to stifle it and eat your food understood He sat down at the head of the table Ma have a seat and join us He looked to his left Nick and Samantha not another word out of you two or you’re both grounded
That’s what Nick wanted to hear fairness His dad was harsh when it came to disciplinary things but he also was fair Nick could reason with him on occasion and he liked that Oh by the way his father said looking confused I was coming in from the rain and noticed the jack-o lantern on the steps out front is missing Anybody know where it went He knew his dad wanted an answer from him by the stare he sent deep into Nick’s eyes The Stare of Death Nick felt singled out again Sure Dad blame it on me Score another win for Sam Nick heard the drops of water as they exploded on the roof Loud tapping sounded against the windows from the windswept rain Halloween is tomorrow Maybe one of the local punks in the neighborhood took it to use as a flying projectile I don’t know Nick figured that since eggs were hard to come by on Halloween especially for kids his age it had to be a teenager who’d stolen their pumpkin to toss around instead That would make a nice mess on some unsuspecting neighbor’s driveway Then it hit him Here was his chance to find out who may have taken the carved-out pumpkin and just maybe assist in the apprehension
