As my friends and I left the meeting, I noticed that Kristy looked a little down. "Is something wrong?" I asked her. "I mean, everything seems to be going well, don't you think?"

"Oh, things are great with the day-care center," said Kristy. "But right before the meeting we had our own meeting in security. I was so sure that the shoplifting would stop after we caught those kids, but it hasn't."

"That's what Ms. Munro told me," said Mal. "She said stuff is still disappearing. Not from the bookstore so much, though. it's mostly little things, like from the drugstore."

"That's right," said Kristy. "Except it's not only little things that are being stolen. What Ms. Munro may not know is that some big things have been reported missing, too. Things like computers and VCRs. They've been taken during the night, and somehow they're getting past the security cameras."

"Maybe they didn't catch all the shoplifters last week, after all," said Logan.

"No," said Kristy, looking miserable. "They're sure they did. They interviewed all those kids, and they're positive about it. The thefts happening now are being done by someone else."

"What's security going to do?" asked Claudia.

"Keep on reviewing the tapes, I guess," said Kristy. "And they're going to put on more patrols."

I was glad to hear that. Knowing that major shoplifting was still going on made me nervous.

Back at Toy Town, I took over the cash register while Sarah slipped out for a quick break. April had stayed behind to talk to Ms. Snyder and Mr. Williams for a few minutes. When she came back, I asked her what she knew about the thefts.

"I heard about them," said April. "But nothing's been taken from here. Not big things, and not little stuff, either. As far as Toy Town is concerned, the shoplifting is over, thank goodness. But Cindy Snyder was just telling me that she heard some strange things have disappeared from Lear's - towels, she said, and a pair of boy's jeans that were on display. And she mentioned something about some sweaters, in kids' sizes. And three camcorders disappeared last night from that electronics store, and they can't figure out how they were taken. They were in a locked storage room." I shook my head. "It's too bad," I said. "I hope security can get to the bottom of this. I don't like the idea of thieves wandering around in the mall."

"You and me, both," said April. "Now, how about if we get some of this stock unpacked and priced?" She handed me a magic marker and a box of stickers, and showed me a price list that matched the contents of a large carton of merchandise. Then she went off to run the cash register.

For the rest of that week, I was a little nervous whenever I worked at Toy Town. I tried to get my tasks done and watch for shoplifters at the same time, but it wasn't easy. It didn't help that April had to bring Sandy on Wednesday, and I ended up watching him, too. Not that I really minded: Sandy and I were getting along very well by then. But still, it was hard to give him the attention he needed and also keep an eye on every customer in the store.

By the following week, I was feeling a little calmer. Things were still disappearing from other stores in the mall, according to Kristy, but the shoplifters seemed to be avoiding Toy Town. Some food had been stolen from the Cheese Outlet, and some hairbrushes had been taken from the Dollar Store - but n.o.body seemed interested in stealing toys. A few big things had been taken, too: a treadmill, and a large-screen TV. Whoever was doing the shoplifting sure had strange habits.

Meanwhile, our plans for the day-care center were going well: we had already signed up enough store-owners to more than cover the rent, and donations of equipment and supplies were coming in every day.

On Tuesday afternoon, we had a short meeting in the empty store. Mary Anne brought in some paint samples she had gotten from the hardware store, and we looked them over. We planned to paint the main walls white, and then use bright, primary colors to block out areas for different age groups. We were going to have a painting party that weekend (on Sunday, when the mall was usually a little quieter), and we hoped to get a lot of the work done then.

Claudia had drawn a plan of the room, and it looked terrific. "See, where this red stripe is will be the toddlers' area," said Claud, pointing to a corner where we could set up a table and small chairs for coloring, a trunk for dress-up clothes, and an area for block constructions. "And we'll put the babies over here," she went on, "in the blue corner."

"The HomeStore has already offered to donate five high chairs and three cribs," said Jessi, checking her notes.

"And I'm going to donate a bunch of these great animal mobiles I have," said April. "Babies love them."

The biggest area, which Claud had colored green, was for the school-age children. We planned to have two play tables there, plus a small library of books (the BookCenter would be donating those), an arts-and-crafts area, and a "quiet" corner, where kids could be by themselves.

After the meeting, April and I headed back to Toy Town. The store was busy, and a long line of customers was waiting to check out. April went right behind the counter to work with Sarah at the register, and asked me to help a short, blonde woman who appeared to be looking for something in the doll section.

"Can I help you find something?" I asked the woman.

"Oh, I hope so," she said. "It's my niece's birthday tomorrow, and she's got her heart set on one of those dolls that comes with a book. I think it's called Baby Read to Me, or something like that."

"Baby Tell Me a Story," I said. "I'm so sorry, but I think we're all out. That doll has been very popular."

"Oh, dear," said the woman. Her face fell.

"Wait a second," I said, remembering something. "A shipment might have come in this morning. Let me go check." I ran to the back of the store and into the stockroom. "Baby Tell Me a Story," I muttered to myself, as I searched through the boxes that were stacked on the shelves. "I'm sure April said they came in. Now where are they?"

I moved a carton of Legos aside to check behind it, and there on the shelf was a big case of the dolls I was looking for. I grabbed it and pulled it down, intending to open it on the floor and take one out. Just then I heard a noise behind me, and I turned around quickly.

Standing between me and the door to the store, was a man. A man in a dark red ski mask that completely covered his face.

"Oh - " I began to say. My heart had jumped into my throat, and my knees felt weak.

"Don't say a word," the man interrupted me, in a brusque voice. He ran toward me, and for a second I thought I was going to pa.s.s out. But then he pushed by me and ran out the back door of the stockroom, the one that leads into the mall. He ran silently - I guess because he was wearing sneakers along with his blue jeans and light blue shirt - pulling off his mask as he went out the door.

Five minutes later, I was sitting in April's tiny office, shaking like a leaf and giving my report to the guards from security. "Did anybody catch him when he ran out?" I asked.

One of the guards shook his head. "n.o.body saw anything unusual," he said. "I guess once he took the mask off, he looked like everybody else in the mall."

That was a scary, scary thought. Here was a possibly dangerous criminal, wandering through the mall looking just like any other shopper. I felt someone rub my shoulder, and glanced up to see Kristy, looking sympathetic and also very important, her security walkie-talkie pressed to her ear.

"We'll get him," she said, patting my shoulder again. Now she looked grim. "I promise you, we'll get him."

Chapter 10.

Ten minutes later, I had finally stopped shaking. I was still sitting in April's office. The security guards had left, but Kristy had stayed with me.

All of a sudden, I put my hand to my mouth. "Oh, no!" I said.

"What?" said Kristy, reaching for her walkie-talkie. "Did you just remember something about the guy? Wait - I'll call Pete so he can take it down." She was on a first-name basis with all the security guards.

"No, no," I said. "Ifs not that. Ifs Baby Tell Me a Story!"

''What?" asked Kristy. She looked at me as if she thought I had gone off the deep end.

"Ifs a doll," I said. "This customer was looking for it." I headed into the store, Kristy following me. "April," I said, "did that woman get her doll?"

April smiled at me. "She sure did," she said.

"It's nice of you to remember. You're a great salesperson." She gave me a quick hug. "Now, why don't you get out of here? I think you have a bus to catch. Go home and try to relax for the rest of the day. Everything will be all right." She hugged me again, tighter. "I'm so sorry it had to happen," she whispered into my ear.

"It's not your fault," I said.

"I know," she replied, letting me-go, "but I still feel kind of responsible. I mean, I keep wondering if I locked the stockroom doors properly. How did he get in there, anyway?"

Kristy stepped in. "Whoever this guy is, he probably has no problem getting into any of the stockrooms in the mall. I'm sure you didn't do anything wrong. And believe me, security is on the case. It won't be long before we catch him." She sounded confident, but I wondered. So far, security seemed totally baffled by the new batch of thefts.

I said good-bye to April, and Kristy and I headed for the bus. As we left Toy Town, we saw Claudia walking toward us, munching a cookie covered with M&M's. "Hey!" she called, waving the cookie at us. "I got off a little early, so I thought I'd treat myself." She held out a bag to us. "I got enough for everybody," she went on, "and I even got some pretzels for you, Stace." Then she took a good look at me. "Stacey, what's the matter?" she cried. "You look terrible. What happened?"

"I'm okay," I said. "It's just that - " Suddenly I felt shaky again. Kristy jumped in to explain what had happened.

"Oh, Stace," said Claud, giving me a hug. "That's awful" We walked arm in arm toward the exit, where we found the rest of our friends waiting for the bus. I saw Mal give me a questioning glance, and Mary Anne looked concerned, too. Claudia and Kristy told the story again, without waiting for anyone to ask me what was wrong.

"I can't believe it," said Mal, with a shudder. "How totally creepy!"

"I wonder if that's the same guy who broke into Casa Grande," mused Logan. "My boss said somebody was in there a few nights ago. Whoever it was, he didn't steal anything, though. He just used our stove to cook up a batch of burritos or something. He cleaned up after himself pretty well, but it was obvious he had been there."

"Weird," said Jessi, looking thoughtful. Just then, our bus pulled up and we piled into our regular seats. Alan Gray had given up fighting us for them; instead he usually sat in the front, along with two girls who were working at Rita's Bridal Shoppe. The back two rows of seats felt like home. Claud and I would sit in the left hand, furthest-back seat, and Kristy and Logan would alternate days sitting with Mary Anne in the right-hand back one. Mal and Jessi always sat in front of Claudia and me, and Kristy - or Logan, depending on whose day it was to sit with Mary Anne - would sit in the seat across the aisle from Jessi and Mal. Once we were all in our places, we'd make ourselves comfortable, setting our backpacks on the empty seats in front of us and stretching our legs out into the aisles.

That day, as the bus started up, Claud pa.s.sed out the cookies - and handed me some pretzels - and we began to talk. I was still feeling a little shaky, but I was feeling something else, too. Determined. ''We have to figure out what's going on at the mall," I said. "I can't keep working there if I have to be worried about running into thieves."

"Don't you think we should let security handle it?" asked Mary Anne, with a glance at Kristy.

"I know they're working on it, but maybe they could use some help," I said. "After all, we're there three days a week. If we really put our minds to it, maybe we can figure out how to catch the thief."

"Count me in," said Logan.

"Me, too," said Kristy. "I mean, security has all that high-tech camera equipment and everything, but I have to admit it doesn't seem to be doing much good. Ms. Gartia reviews the tapes every day, but she never sees anything suspicious. And stuff just keeps disappearing, mostly at night. I know she'd be really impressed if I came up with some answers."

"I wonder if the guy I saw today is the only thief," I said. "I mean, does he work alone?"

"If he does, he's covering a lot of ground every night," said Mary Anne. "I mean, shops all over the mall have reported stuff missing."

"It's almost like somebody is living at the mall," Jessi blurted out. She and Mal were turned around so they were facing Claudia and me. "I mean, first I heard about somebody sleeping in the theatre, and then Logan said somebody was cooking in Casa Grande's kitchen."

"Whoa!" said Kristy, sitting up in her seat. "I think you're onto something there. As a matter of fact, I've noticed some strange things, too. Like, the other day I was checking the bathrooms, and I found a tube of toothpaste sitting on one of the sinks. I wondered about it, but I was pretty busy, so I forgot to mention it to Ms. Garcia."

While the others talked, I was thinking about all the things that had been stolen. The camcorders and TVs made sense - they were big, expensive things that could be sold. But what about the things that April had told me about, the stuff that had been taken from Lear's? I tried to recall what she had said. Towels, I was sure. And kids' clothes. Why would a thief take kids' clothes? I told the others what I had remembered.

Everybody looked stumped, and no wonder. It just didn't make sense. Then, suddenly, Mal's eyes lit up. "I know! it's those kids!" she said. "The ones who came to my first story hour. There was something strange about them. They weren't carrying jackets. And I didn't see a parent pick them up - just their older sister. I've seen them a bunch of times since then, too. They're always around. I bet they're living at the mall."

"But why?" asked Mary Anne. "Why would a bunch of kids be living at the mall?" She took a bite of her cookie, which she had been nibbling at, and chewed thoughtfully. (Everybody else had already devoured theirs.) "I don't know," Kristy answered. "But I think Mal is onto something. What do the kids look like, Mal?"

'They're blonde," she replied. "And a little grubby. Kind of skinny."

"That's them!" said Kristy. "The kids I've seen on the videotapes. The ones who were talking to Mr. Morton. I'm almost positive."

She stroked her chin. "Hmmm. . . . J wonder if he knows anything about this."

"Well, don't go bothering him with a whole bunch of questions, Kristy," said Claudia. "He's being so nice about the day-care center - we don't want to do anything to upset him."

"I won't," said Kristy. "Anyway, we don't have any proof about this. Mr. Morton would think I was nuts."

"So what do we do now?" asked Jessi.

"Keep our eyes open, I guess," said Mal. "We're just guessing about those kids. I mean, even if they are at the mall a lot, that doesn't mean they're actually living there. And if they are, and they've been taking things like towels, that doesn't explain the big stuff that's been stolen. I mean, what would those kids do with a treadmill?"

Claudia nodded in agreement. "Besides, what about the guy Stacey saw? He sure wasn't a kid. So far, this doesn't really add up. There are still a lot of questions."

Everybody was quiet for a few minutes, and I sat there looking out the window and thinking about the guy in the stockroom. I knew it would take me a long time to forget the sight of the man in a ski mask. I wondered if we were doing the right thing, getting involved in this mystery. I really hoped we could help solve it, but it could be dangerous. I mean, if it was only about kids living in the mall, that was one thing. But that seemed to be just one small part of the puzzle. Something else was going on, too, something serious. The only thing I was sure of was that I did not want to run into that guy again anytime soon.

The bus was driving through Stoneybrook by then, and I watched as we drove by the elementary school. The playground and playing field were empty, since it was almost suppertime. I thought about some of the kids I usually sit for, and realized that I had been missing them - especially Charlotte Johanssen, who is like a little sister to me. As much as I liked Project Work, I realized, I'd be happy when it was over and I could return to my life of school and baby-sitting. Baby-sitting is hard work, but all I could think about as I sat there on the bus was how simple and uncomplicated it usually is. I mean, you may have to deal with a dirty diaper or two, but shoplifters and burglars in ski masks don't enter into the picture.

When we reached SMS, my friends and I jumped off the bus. I was still feeling a little upset, and Claud noticed. "I'll walk you home, Stace," she said.

"That's okay," I said. "I'm all right. All I need is to go home and have supper with my mom. I just want to forget the mall for a while."

"Are you going to tell your mom what happened today?" asked Kristy.

"I don't know," I said. "I guess not. She might ask me to quit working at Toy Town, and I don't want to. I want to be at the mall with all of you, and help set up the day-care center and everything. And I really want to solve this shoplifting mystery, so things can get back to normal."

"It'll be okay, Stace," Kristy a.s.sured me. "We won't do anything dangerous."

"That's right," said Mary Anne. "We're just going to keep our eyes and ears open."

"But do me a favor," said Claudia, "so I don't have to worry about you." She grinned at me. "Stay out of that stockroom, okay?"

I nodded. "You don't have to tell me that. From now on, if somebody wants Baby Tell Me a Story, she'll have to go get her herself!"

Chapter 11.

"Let's see. The Perkins girls all have colds, Buddy Barrett won a prize for his science project, and Jamie Newton is in a play at his preschool," said Shannon. It was Friday, and we were in Claud's room, having a BSC meeting. Shannon had been writing in the club notebook regularly, but none of us had had time to read it, so she was filling us in on what was happening with our regular clients.

"It sounds like you've been really busy," said Kristy. "I hope you're not too overwhelmed."

"Oh, no, I'm enjoying it," said Shannon. "Answering the phone is no problem, since I'd be here anyway. And sitting so much is a nice change from my regular routine. Plus, the kids are so cute. I think Shea Rodowsky has a crush on me."

"Really?" asked Claud, grinning.

"Yeah," said Shannon. "He's been writing me poems and everything."

"I miss Shea," Kristy said with a sigh. "I even miss Jackie."

Jackie Rodowsky is Shea's younger brother, and he's a great kid except for the fact that he's extremely accident-p.r.o.ne. Sitting for him is mostly a matter of damage control.

The phone began to ring then, and we spent some time setting up a few weekend jobs.

"So, what's going on at the mall?" asked Shannon, when Kristy had hung up after arranging a job with Mrs. Hobart.

"What isn't going on at the mall?" replied Kristy. "It's been a madhouse. First of all, we're still working on setting up the day-care center. And we're all involved in our jobs. On top of that, we're trying to solve this mystery. You won't believe what happened to Stacey yesterday."

We gave Shannon the details, and her eyes grew rounder and rounder as she listened. "Wow!" she said, when we had finished. "So what happens next? Do you guys have a plan?"