Story Eight: Who is KBV?

Late summer afternoon in Barbieville.  Nikki and Taylor just returned from school shopping with their friends and brought home a stack of Keep Barbieville Virtuous literature.

Taylor:  I am so sick of the lies these people are spreading.  Not just about Mom, either, they've attacked Mr. Spiner.  I wish we could do something about it.

Gabriella:  A lot of the people who own businesses in this town are getting it.  Even Kida.  You'd think they'd at least have a little respect for the dead, but no...  My parents said they've never been happier to be poor.  

Nikki: We need, like, CSI people to examine the paper or something.  But Mom won't make the cops investigate.  She says...

Claudia:  I have an idea!  Taylor, hand me one of those pamphlets.

Claudia:  We're in luck!  There's a watermark.  And not just any watermark - my brother works at this print shop.  I bet he can tell us something.

Taylor: Won't he get in trouble?

Claudia: He won't tell us anything secret.  He needs the job too bad. 

Taylor: Grab our shoes, Nikki.  We're going for a walk.

Ben:  I've never seen anything from this group come through here.  

Claudia:  But it has the American Splendor watermark.  Are you sure? 

Ben:  Yeah, that's our watermark.  The order must have come in on my day off or something.  Let me get my boss, she'll know.  

Violet: We aren't giving out confidential information on our customers.  Especially not to a pack of teeny-boppers.

Taylor: But the things they are saying about...  

Violet: I just fill the orders and cash the checks.  If anyone wants to know what you're asking, they need a court order.  

Once the girls leave, Violet takes Ben aside.  

Violet:  Do you make a habit of telling Claudia who comes in here?

Ben: I might mention if someone she knows comes in, but I don't tell her who has what printed.  And she's never even shown an interest before.  I don't know what that was about. 

Violet: You need to control your sister.  She should not be sticking her nose into adult matters.

Ben: She's just trying to help her friends.

Violet: She's going to help you to the Unemployment Office if she keeps it up. 

Ben: I'll talk to her.  

After scolding Ben, Violet slips into the back room and makes a telephone call.

Rose-Grace: (pulling over to the side of the road) What are you girls up to?  

Taylor: Just taking a walk.  

Rose-Grace:  You should have brought the dogs.  

Nikki: If you give us a ride home, I volunteer to do the dishes for a week.  (The other girls scoff.)  What?  My feet hurt!  I've been on them pretty much all day!  

Claudia:  You're on them all day every day.

Nikki: Yeah, on nice soft grass.  Not pavement and concrete.

The girls pile into the car and they head back to the Pike house. 

The next day, stacks of this flyer are found around town.