Free Baby-Sitters Beware by Ann M. Martin Page A

said the secretary. The phone began to ring and he hurried back to his desk.
    Later, at the BSC meeting, Stacey reported that Mr. Seger had come home early that afternoon, while she was sitting for the Rodowskys, then left. Noah, who obviously had left the house after Stacey had gone to school, had come home and gone inside, slamming the door. Mr. Seger had then returned and gone inside. The two had emerged a short time later. They'd left, in Mr. Seger's car, and hadn't returned by the time the Rodowskys had come home.
    "You know, for only two people, they come and go almost as much as my whole family," I commented.
    Kristy studied the list, then handed it around. "Mr. Seger's there on both lists, a member in good standing," she said. "But it doesn't say what he does. It just says, 'Seger Associates.' "
    "Whatever he does, he keeps his own hours. And if the business is named after him, he must be the boss," said Stacey.
    "Maybe he's an embezzler!" Claudia exclaimed. "Maybe he has stacks and stacks of embezzled money around his house and that’s why he didn't want the police to come in. And maybe that’s why he can't report it stolen — because he stole it first!"
    We all liked that idea. It seemed to make sense.
    But would Mr. Seger embezzle money from his own business? And why?
    I sighed. I settled back on the floor by the corner of Claudia's bed and ate some chips. We had a lot more dues.
    And the mystery was more mysterious than ever.
    Chapter 10.
    Stacey.
    Hello?" I said.
    "You're next," a voice whispered.
    I slammed down the phone.
    My hands started to shake. With trembling fingers I picked up the phone and called Claudia's house.
    Call me absentminded. Call me a space cadet. I'd actually forgotten about the hangup phone calls. With two days to go before we left for Shadow Lake, I'd had a lot on my mind.
    Such as what to wear. And how to act with Sam. And whether it would snow. I've only been skiing a couple of times, but I couldn't wait to get out there on the bunny slopes again. I was psyched for the trip. In fact, I was staring at my clothes — which were spread out on my bed and on the chair in my room — making very important clothing decisions when he (or she) called.
    I forgot about my clothes as I listened to the phone ring. Then I thought suddenly, what if Claudia is there by herself? What if he's got her? What if she's tied up at this very moment, sitting there helplessly, listening to the phone . . .
    "Hello?" Claud answered in a very un-Claudlike, cautious way.
    "He's back," I gasped. "He called me. And he spoke again."
    "He said, 'You're next.' Right?"
    "How did you know?" I said. I heard my voice go up and thought, Get a grip, McGill. Then I said, "He's called you, too!"
    "Yup. We're part of his little phone terrorist circle."
    I said, "Maybe it is Cokie. Or Cary. I mean, maybe they heard about the graffiti on Kristy’s door and they're calling us to freak us out."
    "Maybe. But I don't think so." Claudia sighed. "What do we do?"
    "Answer the phone very, very carefully," I said. Then I added, "I'm going to call Kristy and let her know."
    "I'll call Mary Anne," said Claudia.
    "Good," I said. "And call me back if anything else happens."
    "Don't worry, I will," said Claudia fervently.
    Kristy took the news calmly. She said, "I'll check and see if anyone else has gotten phone calls. But I think it is just limited to the four of us, because whoever it is found our names in that newspaper article."
    "Are you home alone?" I asked.
    "Nah," said Kristy. "Nannie's here. And Emily Michelle. It looks as if Emily Michelle is coming down with a cold."
    "I'm glad you're not alone," I said. "If someone called me while I was home alone, I'd totally freak."
    "I might, too," Kristy admitted.
    What we didn't know then was that Mary Anne was home alone.
    And she was about to have a very unpleasant visit.
    Claudia called Mary Anne the moment she hung up after talking with me.
    When Mary Anne answered the phone, her voice was