The Problem

N.K. Beckley

Description

The Problem is the thirteenth book that Mrs. Beckley has written for Xlibris. This is a different kind of genre that Mrs. Beckley has written for us.
This book introduces the reader to some new characters by the names of Abby, Allan; and Toni and Terri, who are twin girls in the second grade; Peter and Matthew, their brothers; and Detective Andreas, Detective Marcus, Officer Black, Mr. Frank Fitzgerald, and his mother, Mrs. Betty Black Fitzgerald.
This book is pure fiction and takes place around the Bryn Mawr Police Department, where Peter and Matthew are earning service points for school, working with the Detectives Andreas and Marcus solve the suicide of their science teacher, Mr. Frank Fitzgerald.
I hope you have enjoyed reading Peggy, The Three-Some (Book 2), The Writer’s Corner (Book 3), The Golden Nugget (Book 4), Emily (Book 5), This Is as Good as It Gets (Book 6), The 1940 Diary (Book 7), Pockets (Book 8), Pam and Jodi’s Journey (Book 9), The Journal (Book 10), The Reunion (Book 11), Christina’s Secret (Book 12), and now The Problem (Book 13).
This book has been written for the older student such as those in high school due to its content.
This book has been written for my friends and family, especially Angela, Bobbie, Aunt Edwina, Gwen, Jean, Jane, Kate, Peggy, Renee, Susan, Father Don, Father Andy, Sister Mary De Chantel, Mrs. Mitchell, and my parents, Fred and Elizabeth. And, finally, for my classmates from NPHS Fred, Lynne, and Robert. Thank you for all your love and support.
Many of my friends have asked me where I get my ideas. Some of them come from my imaginations and watching TV, and some of them have come from my experiences growing up in Rose Valley, and later in Detroit, Michigan. Then the rest of them have come from my teaching experiences over a period of thirty years. I hope you all enjoy reading them as much as I did writing them.

Sujets

• Problem
• 13 (number)
• Thirteen
• Fiction
• 13

Informations

• Publié par: Xlibris US
• Date de parution: 25 janvier 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781669860099
• Langue: English

Extrait

The Problem
 
Book 13
 
 
 
 
N.K. Beckley
 
Copyright © 2023 by N.K. Beckley.
 
Library of Congress Control Number:
2022923648
ISBN:
Hardcover
978-1-6698-6007-5

Softcover
978-1-6698-6008-2

eBook
978-1-6698-6009-9

 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
 
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
 
Rev. date: 12/29/2022
 
 
Xlibris
844-714-8691
www.Xlibris.com
848265
Contents
Chapter 1My Family: Introduction
Chapter 2The Meeting
Chapter 3The Twins
Chapter 4The Homecoming
Chapter 5The Homework Problem
Chapter 6The Phone Call
Chapter 7A Family Discussion
Chapter 8The Interview
Chapter 9Their First Day at Their New School
Chapter 10Dinnertime
Chapter 11The Honor Ceremony at the Bryn Mawr Police Department
Chapter 12The Surprise
Chapter 13The Reading of Mr. Frank Fitzgerald’s Will
Chapter 14Family Night
Chapter 15The Christmas Festival
Chapter 16St. John the Baptist Catholic School
Chapter 17A Family Discussion about Piano Lessons
Chapter 18The Entrance Exam
Chapter 19The New Investigation Into Mr. Frank Fitzgerald’s Suicide
Chapter 20The Court Hearing
Chapter 21Family Time
Chapter 22The Picnic Surprise
Chapter 23The Opening of Café Betty
Bibliography
Dedicated to Mrs. Mildred Mitchell. Thank you for all your love and support.
Chapter 1 My Family: Introduction
This story is pure fiction and takes place in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 2019–2020; and it is about the McGinley family. It consists of Terri, Toni, who are twin girls and are in second grade at Martin Luther King Elementary School in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, and their two older brothers—Matthew, who is in the ninth grade, and Peter who is in the tenth grade at JFK High School, also in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.
They both have vivid imaginations and are super sleuths for the Bryn Mawr Police Department.
“I don’t understand why Mr. Frank Fitzgerald hasn’t been in class for the past four days, and no one has heard from him or checked up on him,” said Matthew.
“Matthew, maybe we should talk to Mom and Dad first,” said Peter.
“Do you think they would believe us since it is so hard for the police department in Philadelphia or Bryn Mawr to believe us?” said Peter.
“Well, now you have a point there. Everyone says we are reading too many Hardy Boys Mysteries,” said Matthew.
“Someone is going to have to do something about this, thought Peter, and why now his students echoed Mathew.”
“We will have to tell someone, but instead, why not take Dad with us and have him call Detective Andreas from Mr. Fitzgerald’s house,” said Peter.
Both boys went inside the garage, where their father, Allen, was giving their mom’s car a tune-up. Allen was very gifted at fixing anything around the house, and that counted the family cars too.
“Dad, can we talk to you, it’s really important,” said the boys together.
“Please come out from under Mom’s car?” said Peter.
Dad rolled out and asked the boys, “What’s so important that it couldn’t wait until I finished Mom’s car?”
“Dad, we think something has happened to our science teacher, Mr. Frank Fitzgerald, at school, and no one seems to be doing anything about it. Could you walk over to his house with us and find out what is going on? Then could you call Detective Andreas and his partner about because they will listen to you more than they will listen to us?” said Matthew.
They walked down to Mr. Fitzgerald’s house, and what they saw would scare anyone. The garage door windows were fogged up, and they heard the car running. Allen took out his cell phone and called the Bryn Mawr Police Department.
“Hello, Bryn Mawr Police Department, Sergeant Black speaking. What is the emergency?”
“This is Allen McGinley, and we came over to visit a friend of ours, Mr. Frank Fitzgerald, and the house is locked up tight, but the garage door windows are fogged up, and it sounds as if the car is on. Please send someone to 24 Willow Club Drive, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, as soon as you can?”
“Please stay there until we get there,” said Sergeant Black.
“We will,” said Allen.
They both hung up.
Shortly after they hung up everyone heard the sirens of the fire trucks in the distance.
“I hope they send Detective Andreas. He is one of the detectives who really believes us,” said Peter and Matthew.
Chapter 2 The Meeting
“I’m Detective Andreas, and this is my partner, Detective Marcus. You’re the man that called the police department.”
“Yes, my name is Allen McGinley, and I called you earlier today. These are my sons, Peter and Matthew.”
“We are acquainted with your sons. We have worked together to solve some unsolved murder mysteries. They are wonderful junior supersleuths. We would never have solved some of the cases without their help. So tell me, what this is all about, boys?”
“Mr. Frank Fitzgerald, our science teacher, hasn’t been in class for four days, and no one seems to know why? So we asked our dad to walk over with us and find out why. We noticed the house was locked up tight but that the garage windows were clouded over and the car was running. We thought it best to have Dad call you and have you investigate what was going on,” said Matthew.
Jim was one of the officers with Detective Marcus and Detective Andreas.
“See if you can get into the garage. If not, break the glass,” said Detective Marcus.
“I can’t get into the garage. It’s locked,” said Detective Marcus.
“I know a way in,” said Peter.
“How, Peter?” asked Detective Marcus.
“Follow me. I know where there is a key to the house, and it’s connected to the garage. Detective Marcus and Detective Andreas and the police officer followed Peter while he found the key in a flowerpot on the front porch.
“Peter you and your brother had better stay with your dad and let us do our job so you won’t get into any trouble. You stay outside here. I’ll let you know what we find out,” said Detective Andreas.
“Dad, I get the feeling that Mr. Fitzgerald is dead of carbon monoxide, but I just don’t understand why?” asked Peter.
“One of his secret hiding places to put important papers is behind his daughter’s portrait in the living room. There might be a note about why he did this there,” said Matthew.
***
“Marcus, before you go inside, put something over your face so you won’t breathe in anything in the garage. Then we will need to air out the house and the garage,” said Detective Andreas.
Both the detectives and Officer Black went inside the house to check around, then to the garage to check on Mr. Fitzgerald. They both went to the car and turned it off and to check for a pulse on Mr. Fitzgerald. There wasn’t any, but in the left palm of his hand was a note that read:
I’m sorry everyone I just couldn’t stand living alone anymore after my wife Ginny died with my son Eric. You will find all the important papers in my safe in my office behind the large painting above my desk. The combination is 5 left, 30 right, 7 left, 9 right. Tell all my students especially Peter and Matthew McGinley I’m so sorry, but to remember me with smiles and laughter and to do their best in school. I will always be with you. Love, Mr. Frank Fitzge rald.
“It’s time to call the medical examiner Max, and have him take the body out, but make sure that Peter and Matthew aren’t there. Tell their dad to take them home and I will call him later with the details,” said Detective Andreas.
“Will do,” said Detective Marcus, and he went outside and gave the message to Allen.
“Ok,” said Allen.
“Come on, boys, let’s go home and let the detectives do their job. I know they will let us know what they find out later.”
“But, Dad!” said the boys.
“No buts about it. I said now!” said Allen.
They all walked home quietly with their minds filled with their own thoughts. Once they got inside, the phone was ringing; and Abby, Allen’s wife, picked it up.
“Hello, this is Detective Andreas, may I speak to Allen please?”
Abby handed him the phone.
“Hello, this is Allen.”
“This is Detective Andreas. Tell the boys they were right, and we did find a suicide note in Mr. Fitzgerald’s hand. The boys are really supersleuths just like the Hardy Boys books.
“I know my boys love to read, and we are so thankful for that. They have set a wonderful example for their twin sisters, Toni and Terri, because they like to read too. It really passes the time while they are in the hospital with tonsillectomy surgery.”
“What do they like to read?” asked Detective Andreas.
“They are reading the Clementine series now and are really enjoying it, thanks for asking,” said Allen.
“Please thank the boys for all of us. We would like to thank them