“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 goi
ng 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.