She opened the screen door again and went back into her kitchen. I left the window and returned to my work.
A little later, both the kids came running into the house. I managed to capture them long enough to tell them about the cookies and milk.
"Beat you there!" Robert shouted to Star.
There was a scuffle and they ran out the front door. I noticed then that Star had dropped the coin and I picked it up and sent it to Jim Pietre.
"Hello, Jim," I said into the phone. "Are you still there?"
"Yep, still waiting for an answer," he said.
"Jim, I think you'd better come over to the house right away. I'll leave my office now and meet you there. Can you get away?"
"Can I get away?" he exclaimed. "Boss says to trace this coin down and do nothing else. See you in fifteen minutes."
He hung up. Thoughtfully, I replaced the receiver and went out to my car. I was pulling into my block from one arterial when I saw Jim's car pulling in from a block away. I stopped at the curb and waited for him. I didn't see the kids anywhere out front.