The Bell Bandit

Evan and Jessie struggle to find the tepee in the dark, and Evan worries that even if they do find Grandma, it might be too late. Jessie tells Evan that they need a more organized system if they want to be successful. They follow their tracks back to the bell and use their flashlights to look out from the top of the hill for a familiar landmark. Finally, Evan finds a withered tree struck by lightning, which points them in the right direction.

They find the tepee and rush inside to find Grandma sitting cross-legged on the ground. Just as Jessie bursts into the tepee, Grandma asks whether the bus is here yet as she has been waiting for hours. Grandma reiterates to Jessie that she is waiting for the bus, and Jessie, confused and upset, tells Grandma to “stop pretending. It isn’t funny!” (147). Grandma does not recognize Jessie and asks Jessie why she is yelling at her. Jessie begins to cry. Evan leads Jessie outside the tepee and gently explains that Grandma does know who they are but cannot access the memories right now. Inside the tepee again, Evan tells Grandma that the bus has a flat tire. He explains that he works for the bus company and is there to take her home. Grandma repeatedly tells Evan that she will send an angry letter to the bus company, but she agrees to walk with them.

On the way home, Jessie watches Evan as he calmly talks to Grandma, answering her questions in a gentle voice and explaining that her classes are canceled because of the snow. Jessie realizes that Grandma thinks she is young again and living in the days when she used to take the bus to the community college for classes three times a week. When they reach the house, they can see Pete and Mrs. Treski’s cars in the driveway. Walking into the house, Grandma thanks Evan for taking her home and tells him he can leave. Jessie and Evan stand outside, and Jessie asks if Grandma is okay. Evan tells her she is fine, simply different from who she used to be.

Evan tries to get Jessie to come inside, but she tells him that she needs to go check on Maxwell. Evan insists they go inside first so their mother can see that they are okay. He promises to walk her to Maxwell’s house later.

After reuniting with their mother and getting Grandma settled, Evan takes Jessie to Maxwell’s house. Evan takes her over and then offers to wait back at their house so Jessie can talk to Maxwell alone. He promises to pick her up again when she is ready. Maxwell’s mom, Mrs. Cooper, answers the door and brings Jessie to the living room. They sit together on the couch, and Mrs. Cooper asks Jessie to explain what happened. Jessie explains the entire story. When she finishes, Mrs. Cooper says she wishes the Sinclair boys had never moved to their neighborhood. She explains that they are mean to Maxwell and play tricks on him, including taping him inside a box and leaving him for hours even though Maxwell does not like small spaces.

Mrs. Cooper tells Jessie that she can see Maxwell. As she starts to go upstairs, Jessie stops and asks Mrs. Cooper, “What’s wrong with Maxwell?” (159). Mrs. Cooper explains that Maxwell sees the world differently from other people and that things affect him differently, too, like loud noises, changes in routine, and meeting new people. She also tells Jessie that although Maxwell is incredibly smart, he sometimes has difficulty understanding feelings. Jessie finds Maxwell in his room playing a video game and watches him for a while.

When he finishes, Jessie asks Maxwell if he thinks the Sinclair boys have the bell. He tells her he knows where the bell is: in his closet. Jessie runs to Maxwell’s closet and opens it to find the bell on the floor. She asks Maxwell why he stole the bell; he tells her that he did not steal it but took it to protect it so that Jeff and Mike Sinclair could not steal it as they discussed on the bus.

When she asks why he didn’t tell her he had the bell the whole time, Maxwell simply tells her, “Because you didn’t ask” (163). Because Jessie likes puzzles, he thought she wanted to figure it out on her own. He explains that he even told Grandma that he had taken the bell when he visited her in the hospital but that she had forgotten the conversation. Jessie tries pulling on the bell and realizes she cannot pick it up by herself. She asks Maxwell what his plan is to help her get it back up on Lovell’s Hill by tonight.

As it nears midnight, Evan hugs Jessie, and they look at the bell, recalling how he, Jessie, and Maxwell used a toboggan to get the bell back up the hill and into position earlier that night. Members of the community surround the bell as midnight draws nearer; Evan recognizes some people, but some unfamiliar faces are scattered among the crowd. Missing are Mrs. Treski and Grandma, who stayed behind to allow Grandma to rest. He spots Maxwell and his parents, who are talking to a young couple with a baby. Evan points them out to Jessie, saying that the baby must be the youngest and, therefore, will ring the bell this year. Jessie looks over and says that it is Pete and his family. Evan walks over to them, and Pete introduces Evan to his daughter, Kayley, and his wife, Melissa. They make small talk, discussing the Treskis’ plans to return home the next day, bringing Grandma with them, perhaps permanently. Pete promises to keep working on the house, thinking that he will finish the repairs by January.

Melissa asks who the oldest in the crowd is, and people call out their ages until someone asks where Mrs. Lewis, Grandma, is. Looking around, Evan thinks that if Grandma were here, she would be the oldest. Maxwell, keeping time, announces that they only have four minutes until midnight, and everyone crowds closer to the bell. Pete stands with Kayley closest to the bell alongside a 58-year-old woman until Jessie calls out that Grandma has arrived. Evan turns around and sees Mrs. Treski and Grandma cresting the hill. Jessie runs to them, pulling Grandma to the bell.

At the bell, Grandma points out that she and Kayley will be ready to ring the bell at midnight. She then pauses, telling the crowd that she wants Maxwell and Jessie to join her in ringing the bell. Jessie refuses at first, saying that it is not tradition, but Grandma insists, “I don’t care! […] This year I want something different. I want…” (171). Grandma trails off as she looks around the crowd until her gaze falls on Evan. She beckons him over. Evan reluctantly walks forward, upset that Grandma still does not remember who he is. When he reaches Grandma, she kneels in front of him and whispers that she knows who he is even though she cannot “put it all together” (172).

Grandma, Evan, Jessie, Maxwell, and Kayley crowd around the bell as everyone counts down. At midnight, they ring the bell together. As Evan listens to the bell’s peals, he thinks it sounds different this year, but then he thinks it sounds different yet the same as always. Grandma laughs, sounding like her old self, and Evan smiles at Jessie as she smiles back, shouting “Happy New Year” to her over the bell’s song.