Lights, Camera . . . Cats! Read online

  Contents

  Chapter 1: Trouble…Take One!

  Chapter 2: Going…Going…Gone!

  Chapter 3: It’s in the Bag

  Chapter 4: Turtle-napped

  Chapter 5: Monster in the House

  Chapter 6: Chewy, Gooey…Phooey!

  Chapter 7: Miss Snooty’s Revenge

  Chapter 8: Show and Shell

  1

  Trouble…Take One!

  I think I’ve seen every movie Lucy Webb was in,” eight-year-old Nancy Drew said.

  “Wow!” Nancy’s best friend Bess Marvin said. “That’s a lot of movies.”

  Nancy’s other best friend, George Fayne, whistled. “That’s a lot of popcorn.”

  It was Saturday. A movie was being filmed right in River Heights. It was called Totally Tina, and it starred the girls’ favorite nine-year-old actress.

  A few days earlier, a group of kids from Carl Sandburg Elementary School had been picked to be in the movie. Three of them were Nancy, Bess, and George.

  Now Mrs. Marvin was driving the girls to where the movie was being made.

  “I heard that Jason, David, and Mike were picked, too,” Mrs. Marvin said.

  “The boys?” Bess groaned.

  “I didn’t know this was a monster movie,” George said.

  “Let’s not think about the boys,” Nancy said. “We’re finally going to meet Lucy.”

  “And she’s visiting our school on Monday,” George added.

  “I’m going to wear my new pink sweater on Monday,” Bess said, twirling a strand of her blond hair. She turned to George. “What are you going to wear?”

  George shrugged. “Whatever’s clean.”

  Nancy smiled. Bess and George were cousins, but they were totally different.

  Mrs. Marvin stopped the minivan on Main Street. “Here we are,” she announced.

  The girls climbed out of the van. They looked around with wide eyes.

  “Are you sure this is Main Street?” Nancy asked. “It looks like Hollywood!”

  Trucks and trailers were parked everywhere. Wires and ropes lay on the sidewalk. Every few feet there were cameras and lights.

  “Welcome to the Totally Tina movie set,” a woman wearing glasses said. “My name is Vera. I’m the director’s assistant.”

  Vera showed the girls where to sign in. Then Mrs. Marvin arranged to meet them at the corner of Main Street in three hours.

  “Does anyone see Lucy?” Bess asked as Mrs. Marvin walked back to the van.

  “No. But here comes Rebecca Ramirez,” Nancy said.

  “I’m ready for my close-up, everyone,” eight-year-old Rebecca called. She peeked over a pair of dark sunglasses.

  George looked up at the sky. “It’s not even sunny, Rebecca,” she said.

  “I know,” Rebecca said. “But if I’m going to be in a movie, I might as well look like a movie star.”

  Nancy knew that Rebecca always wanted to be an actress.

  “Don’t you hope this movie makes us all famous?” Rebecca asked.

  “Nancy already is famous,” Bess said. “She’s the most famous detective in our school.”

  Nancy blushed a little. But Bess was right. She loved solving mysteries. She even had a blue detective notebook where she wrote down all her suspects and clues.

  George pointed to the bright purple sneakers on Rebecca’s feet. “Pretty cool sneakers, Rebecca,” she said.

  “Thanks,” Rebecca said. “I read in a magazine that Lucy’s favorite sneakers are purple. So I wanted a pair, too.”

  “Why?” Bess asked.

  “Because I want to be just like Lucy,” Rebecca said. She wiggled one sneakered foot. “From my head to my toes.”

  “Let’s look around,” Nancy suggested. “Maybe we’ll find Lucy.”

  “Good idea,” George said. But as they were about to explore the movie set, a boy shouted out.

  “Stop! Don’t move a single inch.”

  Nancy whirled around. It was Orson Wong, from their school.

  “Why not?” Nancy demanded.

  Orson pointed to a wad of gum stuck to the sidewalk. “Because I have to have that,” he insisted.

  “The chewed-up gum?” George asked.

  Bess scrunched her face. “Gross.”

  Orson kneeled to scrape up the gum. He dropped it into a plastic bag.

  “Nothing that once belonged to Lucy Webb is gross,” Orson said. He held the bag open. “Check it out.”

  Nancy peeked inside the bag. “A scrunchie… a penny… a tissue?”

  “It’s my collection of Lucy Webb souvenirs,” Orson said. “Neat, huh?”

  “How do you know all this stuff belonged to Lucy?” Rebecca asked.

  Orson grabbed the bag away. “Because I found it around her trailer, that’s why.”

  The girls looked at one another.

  “Orson has a crush on Lucy!” George sang. “Orson has a crush on Lucy!”

  Orson’s face turned bright red. “Will you pipe down?” he said. Then he turned around and ran down Main Street.

  Rebecca gave a sigh. “There are big pests and little pests. Orson is somewhere in between,” she said.

  “And speaking of big pests,” George said. “Look who’s over there.”

  Nancy turned and saw Brenda Carlton standing in front of a trailer. She was tapping her foot impatiently.

  “Don’t tell me Miss Snooty Pants is in the movie, too,” Rebecca said.

  Nancy saw a pad and pencil in Brenda’s hands. “She’s probably writing some article for the Carlton News,” she said.

  “You mean the Carlton Pe-ews,” Bess said with a giggle.

  The Carlton News was Brenda’s own newspaper. She wrote it at home on her father’s computer.

  Just then the door to the trailer swung open. A girl with curly brown hair stepped out.

  “It’s Lucy!” Nancy said excitedly.

  Nancy, Bess, George, and Rebecca ran toward the trailer. Brenda jumped in front of them. She held up her hand.

  “Back off!” Brenda shouted, waving her pad. “I saw her first.”

  The girls stared at Brenda as she stepped in front of Lucy.

  “A few questions for the Carlton News,” Brenda said. “Is it true you pour orange juice on your cereal?”

  “I’m sorry. I don’t have time for an interview today,” Lucy said politely.

  “What!” Brenda gasped.

  “How about tomorrow?” Lucy suggested.

  Brenda stomped her foot. “Tomorrow is Sunday. I have a birthday party to go to.”

  “Give me a break,” George muttered.

  “I’m really sorry,” Lucy told Brenda.

  “So am I,” Brenda said meanly. “And I hope Totally Tina is a total flop!”

  Brenda flipped her long brown hair and stomped off.

  “What’s her problem?” Lucy asked.

  Nancy shook her head. “She’s just being Totally Brenda,” she said.

  Nancy, Bess, George, and Rebecca introduced themselves. Then Lucy had to leave to try on a costume.

  “See you later,” Lucy said. She looked over her shoulder and grinned. “Oh, and I don’t pour orange juice on my cereal.”

  “She’s really nice,” Nancy said after Lucy left.

  “Do you think she noticed my sneakers?” Rebecca asked.

  “How could she not?” George asked. “You kept wiggling your foot.”

  “It was asleep!” Rebecca insisted.

  Just then they heard Vera calling their names. “You’re in the pizza parlor scene, girls,” she said. “Follow me.”

  “Ye-es!” Nancy said excitedly.

  Nancy hardly recognized the inside of Phil’s Pizza Parlor. It was filled with cameras and
lights. People wearing Totally Tina caps scurried around everywhere.

  “Hi, girls,” a man with a beard said. “I’m the director, Steven Bluestone.”

  Rebecca held out her hand. “Rebecca Ramirez. Actress and future star.”

  Mr. Bluestone showed the girls to a table. On it was a hot, steaming pizza.

  “Oh, great,” George whispered as they sat down. “The boys are in this scene, too.”

  Nancy saw Jason Hutchings, David Berger, and Mike Minelli at a nearby table. They were laughing and sticking pieces of pepperoni over their eyes.

  “Okay. Here’s the scene,” Mr. Bluestone called out. “Lucy just lost the big spelling bee. She runs into the pizza parlor and yells, ‘Quick! I need an emergency pepperoni pie with extra cheese!’ Any questions?”

  Mike raised his hand. “Can we eat the pizza?” he asked.

  “Yes,” Mr. Bluestone said.

  Rebecca raised her hand. “How about if I tell Lucy to order the mushroom instead of the pepperoni?” she asked. “And she’s so grateful that we become best friends forever and ever and ever—”

  “You don’t have any lines,” Mr. Bluestone interrupted.

  Rebecca pouted and sank in her chair.

  “Ha, ha,” Jason snickered.

  Mr. Bluestone gave a signal. The lights flashed on brighter than ever.

  “And ACTION!” Mr. Bluestone shouted.

  The door flung open. Lucy ran in.

  “I just lost the spelling bee,” she groaned. “I need a—”

  “Eeeeeek!” Bess screamed. She jumped up from her seat. “Something is crawling on our pizza!”

  2

  Going…Going…Gone!

  CUT!” Mr. Bluestone shouted.

  The girls stood up and backed away from the table.

  “There is something crawling on our pizza, Mr. Bluestone,” Nancy said.

  Jason leaned over the table. “It looks like a turtle,” he said.

  “It’s Harry!” Lucy shouted.

  The girls stared at Lucy as she picked up the turtle. It was almost three inches long.

  “What is Harry doing on the set again?” Mr. Bluestone demanded.

  Vera turned to a young man with freckles. “Arnold? Wasn’t it your job to turtle-sit?” she asked.

  Arnold held up a pink plastic carrying case. “He must have escaped again, Vera.”

  Nancy watched Lucy cradle Harry in her hands. “Is Harry your pet?” she asked.

  Lucy nodded. “He goes everywhere with me. Even to movie sets,” she said.

  Rebecca leaned over and whispered to Nancy. “Purple sneakers… now all I need is a turtle to be just like Lucy.”

  Phil, the owner of the pizza parlor, shook his head. “I don’t allow animals in here. Even if he is a star,” he said.

  “Harry’s not a star,” Lucy said. She pointed to Harry’s back. “But he does have a star-shaped mark on his shell.”

  Nancy smiled. “And two little white dots on his head,” she added.

  “And icky cheese and tomato sauce all over his feet.” Jason laughed.

  “Kids,” Mr. Bluestone called. “We have a movie to shoot, remember?”

  Lucy gently placed Harry in his pink carrying case. “This time I’m closing both latches,” she said firmly.

  Nancy watched Lucy lock the case and hand it back to Arnold.

  “Places, everyone!” Mr. Bluestone said.

  “Here,” Phil said when they sat down. He placed a fresh pizza on Nancy’s table. “Extra cheese and no turtle feet.”

  The girls giggled.

  “Take two!” Mr. Bluestone called.

  “That’s movie talk for, ‘Let’s do it again,’” Rebecca whispered.

  The lights flashed on again. Mr. Blue-stone pointed to the door. “And… action!”

  During the second take, Lucy forgot her line. In the third take, Mike dropped a slice of pizza. The fourth take was great.

  “That’s a print,” Mr. Bluestone said. “Thanks, everyone.”

  “There will be a fifteen-minute break,” Vera announced. She turned to the girls and smiled. “You’re done for today.”

  The boys grabbed their slices and ran out of the pizza parlor.

  As the girls walked out, Nancy felt Lucy tap her shoulder.

  “Nancy?” Lucy asked. “Can you watch Harry while I go to the makeup trailer?”

  Nancy was too surprised to speak. Lucy Webb was asking her for a favor!

  “I thought Harry goes everywhere with you,” Rebecca said.

  “He does,” Lucy said. “But all that face powder makes him sneeze.”

  “Turtles sneeze?” George asked.

  “I’ll be glad to look after Harry,” Nancy said quickly. She saw Rebecca flash her an angry look.

  “Thanks,” Lucy said. She handed Nancy the pink plastic case. “Take good care of him. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  “Wow,” Bess said after Lucy left. “Nancy is doing a favor for a movie star!”

  “Nancy, Nancy, Nancy!” Rebecca said angrily. She put her hands on her hips. “I’m the best actress in school. Lucy should have asked me to look after Harry!”

  “What does playing Tinker Bell in your class play have to do with watching a turtle?” George asked Rebecca.

  “You just don’t understand!” Rebecca said dramatically. She looked at her watch. “I have to go. It’s time to meet my father.”

  The girls watched Rebecca walk away.

  “Don’t worry, Nancy,” Bess said. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

  “I know,” Nancy said. “And I’m going to take good care of Harry as I promised.”

  George pointed to a snack table. “And I’m going to get some doughnuts. Anybody want some?” she asked.

  Nancy shook her head. “The powdered sugar might make Harry sneeze, too.”

  “I know,” Bess said. “We’ll bring you a doughnut without powdered sugar.”

  “Okay!” Nancy said. She watched Bess and George run toward the table.

  Nancy was about to peek into Harry’s case when she heard two people arguing. She looked up and saw Mr. Bluestone and Vera.

  “Vera, that turtle has got to go,” Mr. Bluestone was saying. “Every time he escapes from his case we lose more time.”

  Nancy’s mouth dropped open. Was the director talking about Harry?

  “But Lucy loves Harry,” Vera said. “And she did promise to lock both latches from now on.”

  “I don’t care if she puts him in cement shoes,” Mr. Bluestone said. “Find a way to get rid of that turtle for good!”

  “Yes, Mr. Bluestone,” Vera said.

  Nancy hid Harry’s case behind her back as Mr. Bluestone and Vera walked by.

  Just then Bess and George hurried over with a chocolate doughnut for Nancy.

  “The boys were hiding under the snack table,” George said. “Mike tried to tie my shoelaces together.”

  Nancy was about to tell her friends what she had heard when Bess grabbed her arm.

  “What is it, Bess?” Nancy asked.

  “I think I just saw another famous movie star,” Bess said excitedly.

  “No way!” Nancy said.

  “I have an idea,” Bess said. “Let’s see how many famous people we can find. Then we’ll ask them for their autographs.”

  “That sounds like fun,” Nancy said. “But I promised Lucy I’d watch Harry.”

  Bess looked disappointed.

  “You two go,” George said. “I’ll stay here with Harry.”

  Nancy looked down at the case in her hand. “But I promised Lucy I’d watch him.”

  “Don’t worry,” George said. She nodded toward a nearby bench. “I’ll sit right there with Harry’s case.”

  “Come on, Nancy,” Bess said. “How often do we get to meet real movie stars?”

  Nancy thought about George’s offer. Then she smiled. If she couldn’t trust her best friend, then who could she trust?

  “Thanks, George,” Nancy said. She h
anded the pink case to George.

  Nancy and Bess recognized lots of famous actors on the movie set. Soon they had four autographs each.

  “We’re on a roll!” Bess said, waving her autographs in the air.

  Suddenly they heard a loud crash.

  “What was that?” Nancy asked as they glanced around.

  “Oh, great,” Bess said. “The boys knocked down the whole snack table.”

  Nancy and Bess watched as doughnuts rolled everywhere. Then they ran to join George.

  “How is Harry, George?” Nancy asked.

  “H-Harry?” George asked.

  Nancy stared at George. She looked as if she had just seen a ghost.

  “What happened?” Nancy asked.

  “Did the doughnut make you sick?” Bess asked.

  George shook her head. Her dark eyes flashed.

  “When I heard the crash, I jumped up to see what it was,” she said. “I took my eyes off Harry for about a minute.”

  Nancy’s mouth felt dry. “George? Are you saying that Harry—”

  George shook the pink plastic case. The little door was open.

  “He’s gone!” George wailed. “Harry the turtle is gone!”

  3

  It’s in the Bag

  Harry can’t be gone!” Nancy said.

  “We’ll find him,” Bess said. “Turtles are slowpokes. How far can he go?”

  The girls looked around the bench. They even crawled underneath.

  “He’s nowhere in sight,” George said.

  Nancy’s stomach flipped over. “What will Lucy say when she finds out?” she said.

  Bess pointed over Nancy’s shoulder. Nancy stared at Bess. Then she spun around. Lucy stood right behind her.

  “Find out what?” Lucy asked.

  “Um,” George said. “Harry might have taken… a little walk.”

  “You mean he’s gone?” Lucy gasped.

  Nancy bit her lip and nodded.

  “But I trusted you,” Lucy told Nancy.

  “It’s all my fault,” George said. “I was watching Harry when he disappeared.”

  “We looked all over,” Nancy said.

  Lucy’s eyes were as wide as saucers.

  “Harry’s never escaped outside before. He could be anywhere by now,” she said.

  Bess patted Lucy’s shoulder. “You’ll find Harry. At least by the time you visit our school on Monday.”