The big clock in Room Nine has a secret. Every Monday, it is five minutes slow. On Tuesday, it is right again.
九号教室的那只大钟有一个秘密。每个星期一，它都慢五分钟。到了星期二，它又走准了。
Ximena notices it first. She sits near the wall. She looks at the clock a lot. She likes numbers.
最先发现的是希梅纳。她坐在墙边，常常看那只钟。她喜欢数字。
"Is our clock broken?" she asks the teacher on Monday.
“我们的钟坏了吗？”星期一，她问老师。
The teacher looks up. "It is a mystery," she says. "A new battery does not help. A new clock does not help. Every Monday, the same thing."
老师抬起头。“这是个谜，”她说，“换了新电池没用，换了新钟也没用。每个星期一，都是一样。”
Ximena opens her notebook. She writes at the top: The Clock Case.
希梅纳打开笔记本，在最上面写下：时钟案。
Clue one: the clock is slow only on Monday.
线索一：钟只在星期一慢。
Clue two: it is right by evening.
线索二：到了傍晚，它就准了。
Clue three: nobody in class sees the change.
线索三：班里没有人看到它变慢。
She thinks about it all week. On Tuesday, she asks the caretaker. He is a kind man with a big key ring.
她想了一整个星期。星期二，她去问管理员。他是个和蔼的男人，带着一大串钥匙。
"I do not touch that clock," he says. "I only clean the room at night."
“我不碰那只钟，”他说，“我只是晚上打扫教室。”
"Then who does?" Ximena asks.
“那是谁碰的呢？”希梅纳问。
He smiles and shrugs. "A good question for a good detective."
他笑着耸了耸肩。“这个问题，留给一位好侦探吧。”
Ximena goes home with a plan. On the next Monday, she wakes up very early. She walks to school in the gray light. The building is still quiet. She slips into Room Nine at seven o'clock. She hides behind the coat rack.
希梅纳带着一个计划回了家。下一个星期一，她起得很早。她在灰蒙蒙的晨光里走去学校。大楼里还很安静。七点整，她溜进了九号教室，躲在衣帽架后面。
She waits. She hears her own heart. A bird sings outside.
她等着。她听见了自己的心跳。窗外有一只鸟在唱歌。
At seven-thirty, the door opens. Someone walks in. It is a boy with a big green bag. It is Zane, the quiet boy from the back row.
七点半，门开了。有人走了进来。是个背着绿色大书包的男孩。是赞恩，后排那个安静的男孩。
Zane looks at the door. Then he looks around. He does not see Ximena. He pulls a chair to the wall. He stands on it. He lifts the clock down. He turns a small wheel on the back.
赞恩看了看门，又看了看四周。他没有看到希梅纳。他把一把椅子拉到墙边，站了上去，把钟取了下来。他拧了拧钟背后的一个小轮子。
Ximena steps out. "Hello, Zane," she says.
希梅纳走了出来。“你好，赞恩，”她说。
Zane jumps. He nearly falls from the chair. The clock shakes in his hands.
赞恩吓了一跳，差点从椅子上摔下来。钟在他手里晃了晃。
"Ximena!" he says. His face goes red. "Why are you here?"
“希梅纳！”他说，脸一下子红了，“你怎么在这儿？”
"I am a detective," she says. "I want to know about the clock."
“我是侦探，”她说，“我想知道这只钟的事。”
Zane sits down on the chair. He holds the clock on his knees. For a moment, he says nothing.
赞恩在椅子上坐下，把钟放在膝盖上。有一会儿，他什么也没说。
"Every Monday, my little sister has dance class," he says. "It ends late, and I walk her home. My mother works at the hospital. So I come to school late on Monday morning."
“每个星期一，我妹妹要上舞蹈课，”他说，“下课很晚，我要送她回家。我妈妈在医院上班。所以星期一早上我只能晚点到学校。”
"The clock helps you," Ximena says slowly.
“这只钟在帮你，”希梅纳慢慢地说。
"A slow clock helps me," Zane says.
“慢的钟在帮我，”赞恩说。
"My name is not on the late list."
“迟到名单上就没有我的名字。”
"It is only five minutes. But I was afraid to ask for help."
“才五分钟而已。可是我不敢开口求助。”
Ximena looks at the clock. She looks at Zane. "You do not need a trick," she says. "You need to tell the teacher."
希梅纳看看钟，又看看赞恩。“你不需要耍花招，”她说，“你需要告诉老师。”
"What if she says no?"
“要是她说不行呢？”
"She will not," says Ximena. "She is not a monster."
“她不会的，”希梅纳说，“她又不是怪物。”
Zane laughs a little. He hangs the clock on the wall. Ximena helps him. They set it right.
赞恩轻轻笑了一下。他把钟挂回墙上。希梅纳帮着他，两人把它调准了。
At eight o'clock, the other students arrive. The teacher comes in and puts down her bag. Zane stands up. His hands shake, but he walks to her desk. Ximena watches from her seat.
八点，别的同学到了。老师走进来，放下包。赞恩站起身，手在发抖，但他还是走到了她的桌前。希梅纳在座位上看着。
Zane talks for a short time. The teacher listens. Then she smiles and puts a hand on his shoulder. She writes something in her book.
赞恩说了一小会儿。老师听着。然后她笑了，把一只手放在他的肩上，在本子上写了点什么。
When he returns, Zane sits down beside Ximena. He whispers, "She says Mondays are fine."
赞恩回来，在希梅纳身旁坐下。他小声说：“她说星期一没关系。”
Ximena opens her notebook. Under the last clue, she writes two big words.
希梅纳打开笔记本。在最后一条线索下面，她写了两个大字。
Case closed.
结案。
