Free The Spy Catchers of Maple Hill by Megan Frazer Blakemore Page A

tables—he was still stuck on the fours and he blamed the polio, but Hazel knew that was just an excuse. So Hazel left without saying anything. Surely it was Mrs. Sinclair herself who had put the slip in Hazel’s cubby, and so she wouldknow that Hazel was at the office. Hazel headed down the hall against the rush of students hurrying to their classrooms before the bell rang to start the day.
    Hazel tried to imagine why she was being called to the office. In her highest flying fantasy it was because Senator McCarthy and his investigators had found out about her work and were coming to offer support and give her a medal. She knew that was unlikely, as she still had a long way to go in her investigation.
    When she arrived in the office, Mrs. Dunbarton, the secretary, had a phone cradled under her ear and a line of students waiting. When it was Hazel’s turn, she handed the office slip to Mrs. Dunbarton, who was still on the phone. She glanced at the slip and shook her head while speaking to the person on the other end of the line. “Got it. Out at one thirty p.m. Yes.” Pause. “Yes.” Another pause. “Mrs. Mitchell, I can’t make any guarantees as to whether Lucy will remember to bring her lunch box home today. Take it up with her teacher.”
    She sighed as she hung up the phone and then looked at Hazel. “Where’d you get this slip?”
    â€œIt was in my cubby.”
    Mrs. Dunbarton pressed her index finger onto the slip so hard the tip turned red and white. “There is one person in this school who writes the office slips. That person is me. This is not my handwriting.”
    Hazel felt herself flushing, though she hadn’t done anything wrong.
    â€œSo where’d you get it?”
    â€œI told you, Mrs. Dunbarton. It was in my cubby when I got to school.”
    Mrs. Dunbarton held the slip up to the light and examined it closely. “This is the real deal, no counterfeit. Someone stole an office slip!” She looked at Hazel through narrowed eyes over the top of her cat-framed glasses.
    â€œIt wasn’t me. I swear.”
    â€œI’m going to hold on to this. You get back to class.”
    Perplexed, Hazel made her way back to her classroom. When she opened the door, the class was in the middle of the Pledge of Allegiance. Hazel walked to her seat, joining in for the last line. After everyone was seated, Mrs. Sinclair said, “Hazel, where’s your tardy slip?”
    â€œI don’t have one,” she replied.
    â€œYou were tardy, so you need a slip.”
    â€œThere was an office slip in my cubby, so I went to the office—”
    â€œHazel, please hurry and get your tardy slip so you won’t be late for music.”
    Heaving a sigh, Hazel stood up. Connie and Maryann were smiling like cats, and Hazel instantly knew this was their doing. She also knew she had no proof. So she went back to the main office.
    â€œYou again?” Mrs. Dunbarton said.
    â€œI need a tardy slip.”
    Mrs. Dunbarton pulled out a small pad. She tucked a pieceof cardboard under the carbon copy slip. “Hazel Kaplansky,” she said to herself as she wrote. “Reason?”
    â€œExcuse me?”
    â€œYour reason for being tardy.”
    â€œI was here. With you.”
    â€œDon’t blame me for your tardiness,” Mrs. Dunbarton snapped.
    Hazel thought about telling her that it was Connie and Maryann who had swiped the office slip, but instead she said, “Is miscommunication a choice?”
    â€œI’ll just mark ‘Other.’” She tore off the top white piece of paper and stuck the yellow piece in a stack on her desk. “Let’s not have this happen again, okay?”
    Hazel agreed and, tardy slip in hand, headed back to the classroom. The class was just walking out of the room in two parallel lines, one for girls and one for boys. Hazel slipped into line next to Samuel. She spoke without looking at him so as