Jessie and Violet, who were still thinning and weeding plants, saw a young woman ride her bike almost right up to them.
“Hi,” she said as she locked her bike to the chain link fence that surrounded plot number three. “I’m Taylor Harris.”
Jessie stood up and introduced herself and Violet. They shook hands with Taylor Harris, who was dressed in purple and yellow cycling gear. Violet thought the colors looked really good against Taylor’s black skin.
“Are you helping Mr. Yee?” Taylor asked as she took a pair of dumbbells from her bike pack. Taylor began to do arm exercises with the dumbbells.
“Yes, we’re helping Mr. Yee. This is our first day. Are you training for a contest?” Jessie asked.
“No, no,” said Taylor. “I just like to keep fit.”
Jessie and Violet watched as Taylor put the dumbbells back into her cycle pack. She pulled out something else that looked heavy.
“Oops,” said Taylor, looking down at the ground. “Where did it go?”
“What did you lose?” asked Violet, who thought she saw something fall.
“A one-pound piece of metal, like a slug. It goes inside a slot in this leg weight, so I can make them lighter or heavier.” She held out a leg weight so that Jessie and Violet could see it.
“It has five little pockets sewn in,” said Violet.
Taylor nodded, still looking around. “I can fit one-or two-pound weights into each slot.”
Jessie spied the dark weight on the ground. It was hard to see because it blended in with the color of the dirt. Jessie bent and picked it up. “Here it is,” she said, handing it to Taylor.
“Thank you,” said Taylor. She looked at Jessie and Violet, then she looked down at the thinning and weeding they had done. “Hmmmm,” she said, “you girls are doing a very good job.”
“Thanks,” said Jessie and Violet together.
“Mr. Yee would like to win more blue ribbons,” said Taylor, “but he won’t. This year, it’s my turn to win, and I’ll do whatever I need to do to win those blue ribbons.”
Jessie thought Taylor Harris looked very determined as she said this.
“In fact,” continued Taylor, “I’d better do my leg exercises later. Time for me to garden.”
“What vegetables do you grow?” asked Violet.
“Oh, you name it, I grow it,” said Taylor. “But kale is my favorite. I love its color, its crinkly leaves, and its taste. I eat it raw or cooked, hot or cold.”
“Which vegetables do you hope to win blue ribbons for?” Jessie asked. “Just kale?”
“All of them,” said Taylor. “I’ve never won a blue ribbon before and I’m tired of not winning. This year I’m growing the best vegetables ever!”
Jessie and Violet watched as Taylor took a key out of her racing shorts and put it into the heavy lock on the garden gate.
“I built this fence and gate last month, all by myself,” she told them, “to protect my vegetables.”
“From rabbits?” asked Violet, who remembered that there had been rabbits hopping around the gardens earlier. They were probably Lucasta’s rabbits, but Violet wasn’t sure.
Taylor frowned. “No,” she replied. “I want to protect my vegetables from two-legged thieves.”
“Oh,” said Violet, “Mr. Yee told us somebody was stealing vegetables. What a mean thing to do, to steal the food somebody else has grown.”
Taylor pressed her lips tight and nodded. She seemed angry just thinking about it. “This is the first year we’ve had a thief,” she said. “Last year and the year before, everything was fine. But this year—this year somebody has been stealing vegetables almost every day! That’s why I built my fence.”
“Somebody is stealing vegetables every single day?” asked Jessie.
Taylor Harris nodded. “Just about every day.”
“From every plot in the community gardens?” Jessie asked.
Taylor stopped to think. “Mostly Section A,” she said, “though some people in B and C have had vegetables stolen, too.”
“That’s strange,” said Violet.
“Maybe,” said Taylor.
“Our brothers are also helping Mr. Yee,” Jessie told Taylor. “And the four of us are going to find out who is vandalizing the gardens and who’s stealing vegetables.”
Taylor looked at Violet and Jessie. “Well,” she said at last, “good luck.” Then she stepped into her garden and closed the gate behind herself.
Jessie and Violet stretched and brushed off their knees. “Mrs. McGregor will be picking us up soon,” said Jessie. “We can give her the thinnings for salad.”
“I like Taylor,” said Violet. “She looks good in purple and yellow.”
Just as Jessie stooped down to pick up the basket of thinned lettuce, radishes, and carrots, they heard Taylor Harris shouting loudly.
“My lettuce is gone!” she shouted. “And my kale! My lettuce and kale are gone!”
Jessie and Violet opened the gate to Taylor’s garden and rushed in. And Henry, Benny, Mr. Yee, and another man came running in after them. |