Under Locker and Key: Meet Becca!

Guys...8 days!

For all of you in Utah, next week on the 19th, I will be having my launch at the Provo Library at 7 pm. It's open to the public, and will be a fun event, so you should all come!

All right, I'm sure some of you have been looking forward to this week's character interview, so I'll get right to it. This week, we have with us Becca Mills, 12-year-old private investigator.

Becca: Hello. Yeah, I guess that's kind of me. Without those heels. I don't like heels.

Me: All right, so I'm going to ask you some questions.

I've seen the past posts with Wilderson's crook friends. I know how this works.

Some of your questions will be a little different.

They'd have to be. I don't work the same way those criminals do.

So tell me about your work. What do you do, exactly?

Like you said, I'm a private investigator. When kids have problems, like stolen goods, or if they're framed for cheating, they can hire me to solve the case and clear their name. My rate is reasonable.

I hear it's not just kids who hire you.

It's true. I'm a peer mentor during the school year, so the teachers give me a certain amount of responsibility, and I'm glad to say I've earned it all. They know if there are kids sharing gum in class or cheating on their cell phones, I'll find out and stop it. I ALWAYS stop it, and I do it WITHOUT breaking the rules!

May I ask how you got your start?

Sure! I've always wanted to fight crime. Dad's a lawyer, and Mom's a detective. I've grown up watching them make the world a better place by stopping criminals, and they seem so strong and happy. Especially Mom. So, when I entered middle school and saw what a lawless nightmare it was, I joined the peer mediators and started taking on individual cases. I did some freelance solving in elementary school. Not much, but enough so people knew I was the girl for the job.

It sounds like you're well on your way to being Scottsville's next big detective.

You really think so? That would be great!

So, tell me how you eat your pizza?

So, I am getting some of the criminals' questions. Hmm. Normally, I guess. I pick up the slice and eat it, and then toss the crust. It's a waste of stomach space. I like veggie pizzas best.

Me too, typically. What's your favorite Disney movie?

That's easy. I like Tangled. But, honestly, Zootopia really spoke to me. Maybe that one will become my new favorite. But right now, Tangled is definitely my favorite.

I notice that both those movies involve charming thieves.

What are you saying?

Just making an observation.

Reclaimed thieves. Both of them. Eugene and Nick both stop stealing and work for the good side.

Have you come across any thieves you think may be reclaimed, then? Someone who might switch sides?

I thought I had. Turns out I was wrong.

May I ask who?

I don't want to talk about it. What's your next question?



Favorite thing to do when you're not working?

Working is my favorite thing to do. But when I'm between cases, I like hanging out with my friends. Elena throws great sleepovers, and Liesl is the best to just spend time with at the mall or at a movie or something, though I prefer to be with all my friends.

Sleepovers? The mall? You like girly things like that?

Why so surprised? It's not like they take time away from my work or from the track and field team.

Tell me more about track and field.

I throw shotput. There's not much more to say. Coach says, though, that I'm the smallest shotput athlete he's ever had, and that's something to be proud of, I think.

*Silence while I speculate on how someone so small can throw shotput and decide to drop it*

Anyway...I have two more questions for you.

Fire away.

What are you most afraid of?

I'm not afraid of anything.

Everyone's afraid of something.

Not me.

You sure?

*glares at me*

Yes.

...Okay, then. Last question. What do you think about Jeremy Wilderson?

I don't want to talk about that creep.

Well, he's going to be here next week, and I'm going to ask him about you--

And he'll tell you all kinds of lies because that's what he does! He's a thief and a liar and he gets away with all of it! It's not lawful and it's not fair and I won't stand for it. Sure, the guy's cute, I'll give him that much, but it shouldn't matter. It doesn't matter. Crime is crime. If no one else is going to stop him, then I guess I'll have to do it.

That wraps it up. Thank you, Becca.

You're welcome. It was a pleasure. Can I go now?

You're free to go.

Don't talk to me like I'm a suspect. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a thief to take down.

All right, that was Becca! Come back next week when we have the big man himself here and I interview Jeremy Wilderson.     


Here are this week's debuts:

Middle Grade:
Lindsey Becker - The Star Thief (4/11)

Young Adult:
JC Davis - Cheesus was Here (4/11)
Corrie Wang - The Takedown (4/11)