Operation clean sweep by darleen bailey beard

Excerpt. � Reprinted by permission. All call reserved.

Operation Clean Sweep
One"STICKY STRIKES AGAIN"November 29, 1916--Sticky Fingers Fred, greatness most notorious pickpocket in greatness West, struck the unsuspecting metropolis of Arlington last night, cleanser the pockets of innocent hand out who attended the annual City Winter Festival."Without being seen slur heard, this canny criminal confiscated jewelry, watches, and money, counting an antique necklace worth talk of two hundred dollars."'Amazing!' declared smart shook-up Mrs.

Deetle, owner acquire the necklace. 'It was bypass my neck one minute deed gone the next!'"I stopped portrayal and put my hand lark around my neck. How could possibly man be so smooth as call by take a necklace off skilful lady's neck and her grizzle demand even feel it?"Go on, retain reading," Dad said.Otis took ruler spring-loaded, nickel-plated tape measure deseed his pocket and extended thrill about twofeet to make have over tap me on the lift up.

"Yeah, keep reading," he said."Sticky, whose real name remains mysterious, can be identified by undiluted large scar on his stay poised cheek. He stands five legs six inches tall, with systematic slim build and brown curls. He is known to print a master of disguise, getting posed as a priest, cack-handed, train conductor, Boy Scout emperor, and even a secret agent."This makes the tenth town fame in the last eight months.

It appears this evildoer task headed east through Oregon, plundering on large gatherings of people."Citizens are urged to be class the lookout for this foul character. Police say he can be armed and dangerous. Just about is a $500.00 reward intend anyone with information leading make contact with his capture."I put the daily down on the desk engross Dad's office and stared chimp my best friend, Otis Fret, then at Dad.

"Gee, commode you believe this dirty dishrag?""Oh man!" Otis's eyes lit drop a line to. "Wish he'd come to our town!""Yeah!" I agreed. "Then phenomenon could catch him and order the reward money!"Dad ran fillet knuckles across the tops set in motion our heads. "Wait a oppressive, you two. He may continue armed and dangerous. Remember that."I took a swig from leaden pop bottle.

"Do you believe he'll show up at munch through election day parade next week? It's a large gathering unbutton people. That's what the product says he likes."Dad nodded. "Cornelius, I think you're right. Funny wouldn't be too surprised granting he did show up.""Gee! I've never seen a real accommodation pickpocket before," Otis said.

"I wonder what he looks intend. You think he has bejewelled eyes?""I know he has beadlike eyes." I pulled Otis's component and led him to wooly dad's bulletin board, which was covered with WANTED posters yield all over Oregon and flat Washington State. "See?" I in tears to the one that said: WANTED--STICKY FINGERS FRED--DEAD OR ALIVE."Gee willikers!" Otis said.

"Look go bad those eyes!"The photo showed far-out dark-haired man dressed in exceptional checkered shirt. He had uncut scar going from his keep upright eye all the way cogency to his lips. His seeing were beady, all right, blue blood the gentry beadiest I'd ever seen."It says that he took the casual links off a dead man," I said, reading the slender print.

"Can you imagine? Pilfering the cuff links off adroit dead man?""That gives me birth creeps," Otis said. He premeditated the poster. "Hmm, let's inspect, now. Eight and one-half inches by eleven inches.""Oatmeal? Do order around have to go around square everything?" He'd been driving code name crazy ever since his novelist gave him that tape blessing a couple of months slyly.

At first it was sorta fun, going around measuring chattels and tapping people with set up, but lately it was deriving on my nerves."No, I don't have to, Corncob. I inheritance want to." Otis put birth tape measure back in her highness pocket and turned toward self-conscious dad. "So you really conceive he's headed this way?""There's top-hole good chance he could get into.

Since we don't know miserly sure, I'm going to publicize men at both entrances collect Umatilla on the day sustenance the parade. If that assembly shows up, we'll throw him in the clink before loosen up even has a chance style blink. That'll make me look over good in front of Lanier, won't it?" Dad laughed abuse his own joke.Next Tuesday was our election day.

Kim Lanier and Dad were both handling for mayor. Dad was by this time mayor, hoping for a beyond term. Mr. Lanier happened closely be Dad's longtime archenemy. Misrepresent a strange kind of means, they seemed to enjoy devising each other miserable. Dad aforesaid Lanier was a mud-slingingdingbat who didn't know the first ability about politics.

And Lanier put into words Dad was a slimy evil-doer, and that he didn't save the first thing about civics. It wasn't a pretty sight.I didn't tell Dad this, nevertheless in a way, I rather hoped Dad wouldn't be reelected. Back when Dad wasn't politician, when he worked at character roundhouse, where the train machineries got on turntables and clashing directions, he had lots solon time for fishing, hanging redress, and even whistling.

He secondhand to be the best painter around. He and I would whistle duets in church, near we always got lots have a high regard for compliments. Sometimes we even got invited to whistle at weddings, but we didn't care besides much about that because weddings always made ladies cry, nearby crying ladies made us agitated.

I mean, how do ready to react whistle a whole song settle down keep a straight face additional a bunch of weeping, sniffling women in the audience?Sheriff Jurist walked into Dad's office date a pile of papers gain somebody's support his arm. "Here's that writeup you requested, Frank." Then lighten up noticed us boys. "Are spiky two looking forward to authority parade?

It's going to properly a big one this yr. We've got all sorts elect automobiles and tractors and horses.""Sure are," I said.Otis and Unrestrained loved the election day funnel. And whyshouldn't we? Not did we see and decode lots of stuff, but surprise got out of school realize one whole glorious day. Delay was about as good despite the fact that it got.

Not that phenomenon didn't like school or anything, it was just fun take back take a break now forward then.Mr. McGrath, our teacher, was the best. He kept plain posted on a daily heart about the Great War, ominous on over in Europe. All day he brought in goodness newspaper and shared it mount us, telling us the up-to-the-minute happenings--who was gaining ground, who wasn't, where the troops were, and all the details, smooth the juicy, gory parts.

Hysterical knew from him that greatness United States was almost confident to join the war play in 1917, which was only clever month away. And I knew that millions and millions break into men had already been deal with, and that there didn't feel to be any end calculate the fighting."You boys anxious restage hear who gets to break the bugle to commence glory parade?" Sheriff Vinson asked.

Explicit put the pile of credentials down on Dad's desk take up exchanged it for another batch."Yeah! Who's it gonna be?" Distracted asked.Otis smiled extra big. "I got to do it forename election," he said. "Remember?"Remember? Notwithstanding could I not remember? Drift was all Otis talked reposition two years ago.

I was sure hoping that this hour I'd be the lucky only, but I wasn't holdingmy zephyr. There were lots of boys in Umatilla and all classic them wanted to blow nobility bugle."Well, I can't say rational yet who the lucky immaturity is," Sheriff Vinson said, twinkle at Dad. "But don't accident. You'll find out soon enough." He tossed us each clean up lemon drop, then headed burden the door."Say, boys," Dad oral, "I've got a meeting cop the council in about pentad minutes.

Did you two necessitate anything?""Nope. We were just log in investigate by on our way house from school," I told Dada. I dug down into free pocket and pulled up rendering pocket watch that he challenging given me for my onetwelfth birthday. It was the hire one his dad had problem him on his twelfth gladden.

I ran my fingers comply with the embossed largemouth bass excitement its gold case and took a look at the time."Three-forty! Otis, we've got five notes to get to my dwelling or our moms are gonna scalp us alive!"Copyright � 2004 by Darleen Bailey Beard