Free Philip and the Case of Mistaken Identity and Philip and the Baby (9781597051095) by John Paulits

eating some candy. But
when he arrived on one particular day, who should be there but
Emery’s little sister, Amy. Mrs. Moriarty was baby-sitting her.
    Philip got mad and left and hadn’t gone back
since. And he hadn’t played with Emery once all summer.
    Finally, it was time for Philip’s family to
go to the beach for their vacation. It was wonderful. He played on
the beach, swam in the ocean, and went to the amusements at night.
But all too quickly the vacation was over, and it was time to go
home.
    Philip stayed in the house the first few days
after his family returned from the beach. But then he heard some
news that sent him out of the house as if his pants were on fire.
His mother told him that Emery’s mother was going to have another
baby. Poor Emery! Another baby in the house. Two babies.
Philip ran all the way to Emery’s house and knocked on the
door.
    “Philip! What do you want? Didn’t Chinko beat
you up yet?”
    “I’m sorry I wasn’t your friend before,” said
Philip. He didn’t want to waste a minute. “My mother told me your
news.”
    “Oh. Isn’t it terrible?” Emery came outside
and shut the door behind. “My mother takes a nap now every time Amy
does. I’m afraid to move around. No fun. Right?”
    “Come on over to my house. We can play out
back and make all the noise we want. Emery,” said Philip as they
walked down the street. “We have to be best friends. We both have
babies coming.”
    Emery stopped and stuck out his hand.
    “What’s that for?” Philip asked.
    “If we’re going to be best friends, we should
shake on it.”
    Philip remembered Emery’s diaper hands but
didn’t want to hurt Emery’s feelings. So he shook Emery’s hand once
and let it go quickly.
    “Now, I can teach you chess if you promise
not to kick over the game again. I almost lost the queen last
time.”
    Emery and Philip’s friendship lasted all
summer. They swam in Philip’s tiny swimming pool; they played ball
and a little chess; they often visited Mrs. Moriarty for candy and
cartoons. And slowly but surely, the summer slipped away.
    ~ * ~
    The day before school began, Philip and Emery
sat talking in Philip’s pool.
    “Don’t you feel good, Philip?” Emery
asked.
    “It’s almost time for school to start.”
    “I know. I have that old witch Miss Smith
this year. I hate her. She’s always calling kids names. She called
John a cry baby last year.”
    “She did?”
    “I heard her say it in the lunchroom.”
    “I have crabby Mrs. Moh. But even worse. When
school starts that means my new baby will be here soon.” Philip’s
mother had told him it could be any day now. “Do you think our
mothers wanted other babies ’cause they were tired of us?”
    “I don’t know. My mother wanted two babies. She must have been real tired of me. I wish I could go
somewhere and never see a baby again.”
    “Emery! Why don’t we?”
    “Why don’t we what?”
    “Why don’t we go away and forget all about
babies?”
    “Go away where?”
    “Emery, let’s run away. No babies and no
school.”
    Emery thought a minute. “I saw on TV where
two boys ran away and were killed by a werewolf.”
    “A werewolf! A werewolf? There’s no such
thing.”
    “I saw it on TV. The werewolf ate one boy,
and the other boy ran away. You’d probably let the werewolf eat me,
and you’d run away. But it wouldn’t matter. The werewolf caught the
other boy and ate him, too.”
    “Emery, there are no werewolves. It’s make
believe. Like witches.”
    “Miss Smith is a witch. I don’t want to go
away. I’m scared of werewolves.”
    “Well, I’m going.”
    “Away from home?”
    “Why not?”
    “Because if the werewolf sees you...”
    “Oh, Emery, shut up.”
    The conversation ended. The boys stayed in
the pool until it was time for Emery to go home for dinner. But
Philip had made up his mind. His parents were more interested in
the new baby than in their old son. Good. If that’s the way they
wanted to be, he