Free Stacey And The Mystery At The Mall by Ann M. Martin

"Did anybody catch him when he ran out?" I asked.
    One of the guards shook his head. "Nobody 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