Free Spy Cat by Peg Kehret Page B

tall one had on a floppy brown hat; the chunky one had a stubbly beard. Both wore sturdy work boots that laced.
    The bearded one carried a large cardboard box. Benjie couldn’t see what was in it, but he could tell from the way the man moved that it was heavy.
    “Be careful with those dishes,” the tall one said. “They’ll be worth more if they aren’t chipped.”
    Mom’s Buttercup, Benjie thought. Those mean men were stealing Mom’s good dishes.
    The men moved out of Benjie’s line of sight, but he didn’t dare shift position to keep watching them. He heard a van door shut and knew it was the rear door, where they had loaded everything in. He waited to give them time to get in themselves, but he didn’t hear the other doors close.
    As he thought about the van, he realized that he had forgotten the most important thing. He needed to get the number from the license plate. Then, as soon as the bad guys drove away, he could go inside and call the police and report what the van looked like and the license number, and the police would find it for sure.
    I should have looked at the number right away while the bad guys were still in the kitchen, Benjie thought. Well, it wasn’t too late. The van was still here.
    Benjie eased his head from behind the bush, far enough so he could see the truck’s license plate. 0 9 4 X C L.
    Benjie found a twig and began scratching the numbers in the dirt under the laurel bush. If it was written down, he wouldn’t forget it. 0 . . . 9 . . . 4 . . . As he worked, a dog barked somewhere in the next block. Benjie wished Rufus would come here and bark at the bad men and alert Mrs. Sunburg.
    He formed the numbers carefully. He could hear the men talking as he worked, but he concentrated on his printing and didn’t pay attention to what they said.
    As he started to print the
X
, the twig snapped. Benjie held his breath, fearing the men had heard it and would come to investigate, but they didn’t.
    *   *   *
    Pete finished the hamburger
,
tried one more time to open the glove compartment
,
and then jumped on the back of the seat. He needed to wash his whiskers
,
but he would do that after he got outside. He wished he had found something that would identify the crooks
,
but at least he’d had a good meal.
    The back of the van was full now. The thieves had even taken the grandfather clock. Pete could no longer get to the floor or squeeze between the items. There were too many things crammed into the van
,
and Pete’s stomach bulged from the hamburger and french fries.
    He had to walk on top of the television set
,
then pick his way across the boxes. He was balanced on the handlebars of Alex’s bike when he heard the men coming. Pete hunkered down
,
hoping they wouldn’t notice him.
    “
You drive
,”
one man said.
“
I never had a chance to eat my lunch
,
and I’m starving.
” He set one more box in the van.
    The back door of the van slammed shut.
    I should have left sooner
,
Pete thought. I could have carriedthe hamburger in my teeth and eaten it outside the van. Now I’ll have to jump past one of the men in order to get out.
    Pete turned quickly and went toward the front again
,
planning to jump out when the man opened the door. I’ll catapult past him
,
Pete thought. It’s a good thing I’ve been practicing.
    Before Pete could get into position
,
the door on the passenger’s side opened.
    “
Hey!
”
the man said.
“
Somebody swiped my lunch.
”
    “
What are you talking about?
”
the second man said.
“
Who would want a cold hamburger?
”
    “
Look at this! I left my burger and a box of french fries on the seat
,
and some lowlife got in here and ate them.
”
    Pete crouched on top of Alex’s bike
,
as close to the front as he could get without being seen. Both men now stood on the same side of the van
,
with the door open. Pete watched them over the top of the seat back
,
waiting for his chance to jump out without getting caught.
    “
Whoever it was