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jagged ends of battery cable.
    “I guess there’s no way it could have happened accidentally?” Jessie said softly.
    “I’m afraid not.” Chuck shook his head.
    “Looks like someone doesn’t want us to get to Clarksville,” Coach Warren remarked.

    “Could it be someone on the Pirates team?” Michael asked.
    “No chance of that.” The coach took off his baseball cap and wiped his brow. “I talked to Coach Evert last night, and they can’t wait to beat the pants off us.” He smiled grimly. “They’re already planning a victory pizza party for after the game.”
    Benny was angry. “How do they know they’re going to win? We’ve got the best team around!”
    “I think so, too, Benny,” Coach Warren said. “But we can’t prove it if we can’t get to the game.”
    “How about your pickup truck, Chuck,” the coach said suddenly.
    “My truck?” Chuck looked doubtful. He glanced at the truck parked at the edge of the field. But then he brightened. “All right. We can’t miss our first game.”
    Coach Warren slapped Chuck on the back. “Okay, team, let’s a get a move on. We’ve got a game to play!”
    Henry helped Chuck unload the equipment from the van and hand it to the players. “Two people can sit up front with me,” Chuck announced, “and everyone else can pile in the back. There’s a couple of blankets back there. Spread them on the bed of the truck so you don’t get dirty.”
    Within minutes the truck was loaded, and Susan was wedged in between Jessie and Violet in the back of the truck. “Aren’t you coming with us, Coach?” Jessie asked in surprise.
    “I want to wait around for the road service. I called them when the van wouldn’t start. Don’t worry,” he added. “Chuck will take good care of you, and I’ll get to Clarksville in plenty of time.”
    Chuck made a thumbs-up gesture and pulled smoothly out onto the highway. “This is fun,” Benny said, leaning against Violet. It was a warm day, and he loved to ride in the open air.
    “Anybody hungry?” Susan asked. “Besides you, Benny,” she added, and everyone laughed. She opened a large plastic bag of brownies and passed it around.
    “These are great,” Violet said, biting into one. “Where did they come from?”
    “My aunt made them,” Susan replied. “She dropped them off before we started loading the van.”
    They had been driving for over half an hour, when Chuck suddenly pulled to the side of the road.
    “What’s wrong?” Nicole asked. Henry slid out of the front seat. “Chuck just wants to study the map,” he explained.
    “You mean we’re lost?” Benny wailed. “I knew it. It’s all because Stockings is missing.”
    “We’re not lost, Benny,” Chuck said. He spread open the map on the hood of the truck. “I just need to get my bearings.”
    “Where are we?” Nicole asked. They were on a dusty country road, bounded by farmland. In a nearby field, a group of black and white cows stared at them curiously.
    “I don’t know for sure,” Chuck admitted.
    “That means we’re lost,” Benny whispered.
    “Do you know if we’re even on the right road to Clarksville?” Violet asked. She was already nervous about the upcoming game, and it seemed like they were in the middle of one disaster after another!
    “Not really,” Chuck admitted.
    “Maybe Coach Warren is already there,” Michael said. “Maybe he’s wondering where we are.”
    Chuck groaned. “I hope not.” He held the map up and stared at a rusty road sign. “Route seven,” he said, shaking his head. “That’s not even on the map.”
    “Could we retrace our steps?” Henry suggested. “I think we left the main highway about ten minutes ago. Remember when we passed the fruit stand? We could go back there and get directions.”
    “Good idea,” Chuck agreed. “I just hope we can find it.”
    They piled back into the truck, and Jessie glanced at her watch. They had been on the road for forty-five minutes and Chuck didn’t even