The L.A. Dodger (7 page)

Mike jumped up from the bench. “All right! I knew it would work!” he said to Kate. “Put it there!” He gave Kate a high five.

Kate smiled. “It wasn’t what we planned, but it did work out,” she said. “I guess you caught him red-handed, Mike! Get it? With the ketchup!”

Kate’s father groaned. “Oh, that’s bad. But I’m glad you made a big scene so that the security guard came over,” he admitted. “How about putting that
salsa de tomate
to an even better use? Like on French fries? Mr. Thomas, the chief of security, told me he’d meet us at the Dugout Club when he was done investigating.”

“Oh boy, food!” Mike called out. “Now, that’s a reward!”

Mr. Hopkins led them to the Dugout Club. Mike, Kate, and Mr. Hopkins slid into a booth and watched the rest of the game on the large TVs sprinkled around the indoor restaurant. There was only one inning left. When it was over, the Dodgers had won 4–1.

A black-and-white picture was mounted on the wall of their booth. It showed two old-time Dodgers players fooling around during spring training.

At first Kate didn’t notice anything unusual. But then something jumped out at her. “Mike, look at the baseball hats in that photo,” she said.

Mike examined the hats. They were a dark color and had a large, fancy white
B
on the front. “That’s the same
B
that’s on the Boston
Red Sox’s hat,” he said. “But their shirts say
Dodgers.
”

“That’s right, Mike,” Kate’s father said. “Those are the old uniforms. The
B
on the hat is for Brooklyn, not Boston. The Dodgers changed the hats after they moved to Los Angeles.”

Mr. Thomas, the Dodgers chief of security, sat down across from Mr. Hopkins. He nodded to Mike and Kate.

“Hello again,” Mr. Thomas said. He looked at the table covered with dishes and soda cups. “I’m glad you were able to find something to eat.”

“Yup. The fries were great. Thanks,” Kate said. She pointed to the black-and-white picture on the wall. “We thought the Dodger was wearing a Boston Red Sox hat, but it was a
Brooklyn
hat!”

“That’s pretty good detective work,” Mr. Thomas said. “Your Dodger’s real name is Zoot Tambor. He is a private detective from Brooklyn. A rich woman hired him to scare the team. She loved the Dodgers when she was little, and she wants them back in Brooklyn. She was hoping after all the problems that they would leave L.A.”

Mr. Hopkins slapped the table. “So that’s why he was trying to get my scouting notebook!” he said. “And why he made those threatening calls. How did he steal the cell phone and the other items from the coaches and managers?”

Mr. Thomas shifted in his seat and straightened his tie. “Well, um, that was a mistake,” he admitted. “He got a job with the cleaning crew and had access to the locker rooms and offices. We’ll make sure that doesn’t happen again.”

“What’s going to happen to him?” Kate asked.

“We’ve called the police,” Mr. Thomas said. “They’re going to question the woman from Brooklyn, too. Zoot Tambor has already been arrested. The police will decide what to charge him with later. But I can tell you, he won’t be getting close to the L.A. Dodgers anytime soon! Now we can get back to baseball and winning some games.”

Mr. Hopkins snapped his fingers. “That reminds me,” he said. He reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out
his
notebook. “I’ve got some notes on a few players who would be great for the team. Looks like it’s safe to give them to the manager. I’ll do that on our way out.”

Mr. Thomas stood up. “I’ve got to get back to my office,” he said. “As our thanks for
catching the Dodger, we want you to come to tomorrow night’s game as our guest. Make sure to come early, because we have a special job for you.”

“A special job?” Mike asked. “Like helping the batboy?”

“Not exactly, but you will help the team,” Mr. Thomas told them. “We’d like you to go up to the broadcast booth and meet Vern Samson, our announcer. He’s pretty famous around here. And while you’re there, you two can start the game by announcing, ‘It’s time for Dodger baseball!’ over the loudspeakers!”

Mike’s eyes opened wide. “Wow!” he said. “It’s like we’ll be in charge of the baseball game. Maybe we can say it’s free Dodger Dog day or something!”

“Not so fast, Mike,” Mr. Hopkins said. “It’s
a pretty big honor just to introduce the game.”

“Okay,” Mike said. “But you can’t blame me for trying.”

Mr. Thomas laughed. “See you tomorrow night,” he said.

“I have one last thing to show you,” Mr. Hopkins said as they left the restaurant. They rode the elevator up to the top level of the stadium. It was twilight, and the moon was just coming out. The stadium was empty except for the cleaning crew picking up the trash from the day’s game. The mountains behind center field were mostly dark, though Mike and Kate could still make out the large
THINK BLUE
sign on one of the hills. Just over the mountains, the stars were starting to twinkle.

“Isn’t it wonderful up here at night?” Kate’s father said. “It’s so peaceful and quiet, it’s hard to believe you’re in the middle of a big city.”

“It was fun looking for movie stars in Hollywood yesterday. But they’re just movie stars. It’s nice to see the stars up in the sky at night,” Kate said.

“You’re right, Kate,” her father said. “But by capturing the Dodger, I’d have to say that today, you and Mike were the
real
stars of Los Angeles.”

Dugout Notes
 
Dodger Stadium

Vern Samson
. Vern Samson doesn’t exist. But Vin Scully does. He is the most famous Dodger who wasn’t a baseball player. For over sixty years, Scully was the play-by-play announcer for the Dodgers. He started broadcasting Brooklyn Dodger games in 1950. Scully continued for many, many years after the team moved to Los Angeles. He was famous for saying, “It’s time for Dodger baseball!” at the start of each game.

Jackie Robinson
. Jackie Robinson made history as the first African American to play in the major leagues. The Brooklyn Dodgers hired Robinson in 1947. Although Robinson had to endure harsh racial prejudice, he always played with dignity and control. He was the second baseman for the Dodgers for ten years and played in six World Series. He retired before the team moved to California.

Ebbets Field, Brooklyn
. Ebbets Field in Brooklyn was the home of the Dodgers from 1913 until 1957. After that, they moved to California. Ebbets Field was small and cramped, which some people felt made the games even more exciting.

Dodger Dogs
. Most baseball fans like hot dogs. But Dodger fans love Dodger Dogs. At Dodger Stadium, Dodger Dogs can be cooked two ways, either steamed or grilled. Many people think that to be real Dodger Dogs, the hot dogs need to be grilled. Dodger fans started calling their
hot dogs Dodger Dogs around the time the team moved to California.

Dodger Stadium
. Dodger Stadium is the largest major-league ballpark. It sits on top of a hill in Elysian Park in central Los Angeles. The Dodgers have played there since 1962, when it opened. From 1958 to 1961 they played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Dodger Stadium is so big that it even has its own zip code!