A policewoman came to Marvin’s classroom. She wore a blue police uniform and a silver badge. Handcuffs dangled from her belt. She didn’t have a gun. Her hair was red, like Marvin’s, and almost as short.
“This is Officer Watson,” said Mrs. North. “She wants to talk to us about something important, and she’s also brought some interesting things to share with us.”
Marvin wondered if she was there to tell him not to ride down Suicide Hill. He hoped so.
Officer Watson said hello to the class. The first thing she showed them was a bulletproof vest. She put it on over her police uniform. Then she took it off and passed it around the room.
Marvin was surprised by how heavy it was. Officer Watson must be really strong, he realized, to wear it. He wished he could borrow it when he rode down Suicide Hill. If he rode down Suicide Hill.
“Are those real handcuffs?” asked Nick.
Officer Watson turned to Mrs. North and asked, “Aren’t they supposed to raise their hands before asking a question?”
“They’re supposed to,” said Mrs. North.
Officer Watson wiggled her finger at Nick, asking for him to come up to the front of the room.
Marvin watched Nick nervously get out of his chair and go to her.
“Hold out your hand,” she told him.
Nick held out his hand.
Officer Watson took the handcuffs off her belt. She clasped one of the cuffs around Nick’s wrist.
Everyone laughed.
Then she walked him over to Mrs. North. She clasped the other cuff around Mrs. North’s wrist.
Marvin gasped. Next to him, Casey Happleton laughed so hard her ponytail went around in circles.
“Yes, those are real handcuffs,” Officer Watson told Nick.
Marvin had never seen Nick’s face so red.
Officer Watson patted her pockets. “What did I do with the key?” she asked. She looked worried.
So did Nick.
But she was only kidding. She unlocked the handcuffs, and Nick ran back to his seat.
She also brought a fingerprint kit. She had everyone press their thumbs on an ink pad and put their thumbprints on a piece of paper.
The whole class had purple thumbs.
The last thing Officer Watson showed them was a lie detector.
“I bet Mrs. North would love to have that!” said Travis.
“I don’t need one,” said Mrs. North. “I always know when one of my students isn’t telling the truth. That’s the first thing you learn when you become a teacher.”
“Who would like to try it out?” asked Officer Watson.
Marvin had an awful feeling in the pit of his stomach. He knew Officer Watson was going to call on him and ask him if he was scared to ride his bike.
He ducked his head down and tried to hide behind Warren, the boy who sat in front of him. He felt like a criminal.
Officer Watson seemed to be looking right at him. “How about you?” she asked.
“Okay,” said Casey Happleton. She hopped out of her seat. Marvin watched her sideways ponytail bob up and down as she went to the front of the room.
The lie detector was on Mrs. North’s desk. Casey sat in Mrs. North’s chair. Officer Watson attached some wires to Casey’s right arm and fingers. She strapped a belt around her chest.
“I’m going to ask you some questions,” Officer Watson told Casey. “This machine will let me know if you are lying. Ready?”
“Ready,” said Casey.
“What’s your name?”
“Michael Jordan,” said Casey.
Officer Watson checked the machine. “That was not the truth,” she said.
“Casey Happleton,” said Casey.
“How old are you?”
“Nine.”
“What did you have for breakfast this morning?”
“Scrambled eggs.”
“I don’t think that’s the truth,” said Officer Watson.
Casey sighed. “Well, my mom gave me scrambled eggs, but I fed them to my dog.”
“How does that machine know what Casey had for breakfast?” asked Clarence.
“It doesn’t,” said Officer Watson. “When you tell a lie, your body gets nervous. Your muscles tense. You sweat a little bit more, and there are changes in your heartbeat and breathing. The machine registers those changes in your body.”
She asked Casey some more questions.
“Did you do all your homework yesterday?”
“Yes.”
“Did anyone help you?”
“No.”
Officer Watson cleared her throat. “Are you sure?”
Casey frowned. “My mom helped me.”
“That’s better,” said Officer Watson.
“There’s nothing wrong with that,” said Mrs. North.
“Do you like Mrs. North?” asked Officer Watson.
“Hey!” Casey exclaimed. “That’s not a fair question.”
“Okay, I’ll ask a different question.”
“Ask her if she likes Marvin Redpost!” called Melanie.
Officer Watson smiled. “Who’s Marvin Redpost?”
Everyone pointed at Marvin.
Officer Watson turned back to Casey. “Do you like Marvin Redpost?”
Marvin buried his head under his arms. But he didn’t cover his ears. For a long time Casey didn’t answer. Then she said, “I like Mrs. North.”
Officer Watson unhooked her and let her return to her seat.
“Okay, we’ve had some fun,” Officer Watson told the class. “But now I want everyone to settle down. I want to talk to you about something important. It may save your life.”
Marvin paid close attention.
“I’m talking about illegal drugs,” said Officer Watson.
She told the class that drugs were bad for them. Drugs could kill you. Drugs could destroy your brain and make you stupid. If you started doing drugs, even just once, you might not be able to stop.
Everybody promised Officer Watson they would never take illegal drugs.
She walked around the room and in between the desks. She stopped next to Kenny. “What if all your friends took drugs?” she asked him. “Then would you?”
“No way!” said Kenny.
She turned to Nick. “What if they said they wouldn’t be friends unless you took drugs?”
“Then they’re not really my friends,” said Nick.
“If my friend jumped off the Empire State Building, that doesn’t mean I should jump off, too,” said Judy.
“If they were my friends,” said Casey Happleton, “I would do everything I could to get them to stop using drugs.”
“Very good,” said Officer Watson. She leaned on Marvin’s desk and stared right into his eyes. “What about you, Marvin?” she asked. “What if everyone said, ‘Marvin Redpost is chicken!’?”
She made him feel nervous. “I—I still w-wouldn’t,” he said.
“Good for you,” she said. “That’s not being scared. That’s being smart. Remember, taking drugs doesn’t make you brave. It takes a lot more courage, sometimes, to say no to your friends.”
Marvin nodded. His hands were sweaty. His body was tense. His heart was beating a little faster than normal. He took a deep breath.