An Accidental Witness
Addison slipped on her sneakers, grabbed her soccer ball, opened her front door, and raced outside into the spring sunshine. Haley, Addison’s best friend and neighbor, skipped out of her garage, and sang, “Hey Addison! Think you can get one past me today?” Addison laughed. “Are we still playing the run-from-cars game?” Haley replied, “Of course! We’ve been playing that game all eight years of our lives!”
The two young girls passed the ball across their front lawns for a while, and then Haley plopped down on her grass, insisting on a break. Addison trotted over and joined her, sprawling out to look up at the clouds. “Mr. Harris bought another new Ferrari,” Haley said. “Wow, they are so rich! Why don’t they buy a mansion already?” Addison responded. “Mrs. Harris was talking to my mom, and she said that they are one of the top 50 richest families in America. Like who keeps track of that? And she said they didn’t want to move because their house now is perfect for them,” Haley said.
Just then, they heard a car racing down the street. They both popped up and sprinted to the big green bush. A slick black Ferrari sped into the driveway of the house across from Addison’s. “There he is now. Mr. Harris, Mr. Rich, Mr. Brilliant Computer Designer,” whispered Addison. Haley giggled. They watched from their hiding spot as he, dressed in a designer suit, climbed out of his Ferrari and grabbed a small red box from his passenger seat. “Another gift for his wife, I bet,” muttered Haley. As Mr. Harris went outside, the girls emerged from their hiding spot and began to pass again.
An hour later, Addison’s mom called her in for dinner. “Hey, meet me out here at nine to finish our match Addison! You’re going down!” Haley shouted to Addison right before she went inside. The girls met a little after nine and began warming up. “My cones are farther apart than yours are!” Addison whined. “No way! I measured them exactly! They’re perfectly equal!” Haley exclaimed. “Fine, I’ll trust you. Rock-paper-scissors for who starts with the ball,” said Addison. Haley won, and began dribbling towards Addison. “Timeout! Car!” yelled Addison.
The girls sprinted behind the bush and sat down on the mulch, breathing deeply. “Haley. Something’s wrong. This car is slowing down, and no one on our street has a large black van like that.” Haley looked up attentively. “Maybe someone’s having a party.” Addison whispered, “Really? Are you having a party? Because I’m not, and they’re slowing down in front of our houses. Haley, I’m scared.” With wide eyes, the girls watched the van creep up into the Harris’s driveway.


“Addison, don’t make a single noise. Don’t shout to them and ask what they’re doing, don’t sneeze, nothing,” Haley whispered. Addison silently nodded. Three figures, dressed in all black, slowly stepped out of the car, each of them looking around to make sure that no one was near. “It’s really getting dark, Haley. I should go home,” Addison whispered softly. Haley shook her head no and pointed to the car. Then Haley took a stick and wrote the license plate number down in the mulch.
The three mysterious people ran to a side window, and one of them pulled out a hammer, smashing it. Haley covered her ears as she heard Mrs. Harris’s high pitch scream. No one else in the neighborhood was out, so no one besides the girls heard this or could help them. The people came out one by one, each with a different valuable.
One robber came out carrying the computer, the next with Mrs. Harris’s jewelry box. “I wish we could see their faces, but they have those dumb masks on,” Haley mouthed. Then, both girls froze. The last figure came out with the greatest valuables in that house, Mr. and Mrs. Harris. They both had black sacs over their heads, and their hands were tied. The kidnapper was pushing them along, pausing to open the back of the truck and shove them each in.
Then, all of the robbers jumped in the car and sped away, just like that. Now, a very rich and powerful man in America and his wife were kidnapped, with little to no hope in being saved. Not unless a ransom was paid, not unless the girls did something. They sat there behind that bush for another hour, until Addison’s mom finally came looking for her. “Addison! Haley! What are you doing? We were all very worried about you two!” Addison looked up at her mom, and slowly stated, “Mom. We’ve seen something.”
The next morning Addison woke up and asked her mother if the police had found the van yet. Her mother shook her head, “Not yet, they are close though. Very close.” After Addison and Haley had told their parents the story, Haley’s dad called the police instantly. Their parents had stayed up nearly all night, providing the police and FBI with the information about what the girls said, about the Harris’s wealth, and so on.
A week later, the Harris couple was safe back home. They were hosting a party to honor the two girls. In the middle of the party, Mr. Harris called a toast, and a waiter brought out two small red boxes. Addison and Haley both recognized them as the same kind Mr. Harris was bringing home that fateful day. “These beautiful diamond necklaces are to thank our two very important accidental witnesses.”