Free The Mysterious Disappearence of Leon by Ellen Raskin Page B

was again with papers to be signed.
    “Fish!” he exclaimed when Mrs. Baker brought the stuffed bass to the table. He had begun to suspect his sense of smell; but, for once, he had guessed correctly.
    Tony lost his appetite thinking about the possibility of Mrs. Carillon marrying Mr. Banks. Besides, he hated fish even more than Camembert cheese.
    Tina couldn’t eat, either.
    “Young lady, why do you keep looking at your watch?”
    “Jordan Pinckney’s father is supposed to be on television at 7:30.”
    “Pinky?” screamed Mrs. Carillon, jumping up from her chair. “Pinky?”
    “I said Pinck ney. Jordan Pinckney—he’s a boy in my class.” Tina was rather interested in the understandable mistake. She wondered how old Jordan’s father was.
    Mrs. Carillon, embarrassed by her outburst, sat down and smiled sheepishly, as Mrs. Baker tsk-tsked her way back to the kitchen.
    “Poor Mrs. Baker,” Mrs. Carillon said quickly, before Mr. Banks could begin his lecture. “Did you know that her sister has been missing for the past six months?”
    The twins expected Mr. Banks to say: “Not another missing person!” but he seemed truly sorry to hear the sad news.
    “What a pity,” he said. “Perhaps I can take steps to locate her.” He saw the twins’ surprised expressions and explained, “Mrs. Baker works hard for this family; and good cooks are hard to find.”
    “What is her sister’s name?” he asked Mrs. Carillon.
    “Minnie. Minnie Baker, I guess.”
    “Who’s Minnie Baker?” Mrs. Baker asked, returning with a bowl of mashed potatoes.
    “Why, your missing sister,” Mrs. Carillon replied.
    “My missing sister is my sister, not my dead husband’s.” Mrs. Baker placed the potatoes in front of Tony. “Her name is Potts. Mineola Potts.”
    “Mineola Potts!” screamed Mrs. Carillon, jumping up from her chair again. “Mineola Potts! Why that was the name of my cellmate in the Women’s House of Detention.”
    Tony stuffed himself with mashed potatoes; and Tina stared at her watch, while Mrs. Baker and Mrs. Carillon “couldn’t get over the coincidence.”
    Mr. Banks assured the women that he would look into the matter first thing in the morning. He finished his plate of cheese and fruit, and left at 7:25.
    The Third Scream 33
    A cereal commercial, a cleanser commercial, station identification, then: Marshal from Montana.
    “That’s funny,” said Mrs. Carillon, “I can’t remember having been in Montana.”
    Starring Bryan Fink and Hardy Hamburger.
    “I told you Jordan Pinckney was a liar,” Tony said.
    “Maybe he changed his name,” replied Tina. “Lots of actors do.”
    “To Fink or Hamburger?”
    Tonight’s Special Guest Star: Newton Pinckney.
    “There, see,” Tina said excitedly.
    A gasoline commercial, a toothpaste commercial, and Marshal from Montana began.
    “Wonderful, a cowboy show.” Mrs. Carillon clapped her hands with delight as three bandits, hidden high among the boulders, mounted their skittish horses.
    Tina wondered which one was Newton Pinckney.
    The tall bandit pulled down the kerchief that was concealing his face in order to speak. “The stagecoach should be coming ‘round the bend any minute now. Let’s go!”
    For the third time that evening Mrs. Carillon jumped up from her seat.
    “Leon, Noel,” she screamed, and fainted.

    Tony ran to answer the telephone, thinking the problem was her painful right arm. Mrs. Baker dashed out from the kitchen with a glass of water. Tina knelt on the floor and felt Mrs. Carillon’s pulse.
    “Nothing to worry about,” Tina announced, wishing she had a wristwatch with a second hand, “but as long as you’re at the telephone, Tony, why don’t you call Dr. Stein.”
    Tina described her discovery to Dr. Stein. “It’s a new disease, unknown to medical history, which I call ‘the jumping-up-from-the-chair-and-screaming syndrome.’ ”
    Dr. Stein called it nerves. He prescribed a mild sedative and told Mrs. Carillon to rest in