Pets on Parade Read online

  CONTENTS

  CHAPTER ONE: CHIP, CHIP, HOORAY!

  CHAPTER TWO: WHAT STINKS?

  CHAPTER THREE: SQUAWK TALK

  CHAPTER FOUR: CLUE AT THE ZOO

  CHAPTER FIVE: BYE-BYE TIE

  CHAPTER SIX: SQUIRRELED AWAY

  CHAPTER SEVEN: CREEPY CAPE-R

  CHAPTER EIGHT: TRICK OR RETREAT

  CHAPTER NINE: SOUR POWER

  Clue Crew-and YOU!

  CHAPTER TEN: THE NOSE KNOWS

  ABOUT CAROLYN KEENE AND PETER FRANCIS

  CHIP, CHIP, HOORAY!

  “I don’t get it, Nancy,” eight-year-old George Fayne admitted. “If Chocolate Chip is dressed up as a vampire, then where are her fangs?”

  Nancy Drew, also eight, couldn’t answer. She was too busy trying to keep her puppy from chasing a squirrel in the park!

  “Dogs already have pointy teeth, George,” Bess Marvin, Nancy’s other best friend said. “Like furry vampires.”

  “Chip howls like a vampire too.” Nancy giggled as the squirrel ran away. “But only when she sees a squirrel!”

  “I thought only werewolves howl!” George said.

  “Maybe vampire dogs do too!” Nancy joked.

  It was Friday afternoon and a few days before Halloween. Thanks to Mayor Strong the Halloween fun had already begun in River Heights, starting with a Howl-a-ween Pet Parade on Saturday.

  “Neat!” Bess said as the friends gazed around the park. “It’s like all the pets in River Heights are here.”

  “But only one pet will get to lead the Howl-a-ween Parade,” Nancy reminded her. “Hopefully the judges will like Chip in the pet show today and pick her!”

  The judges were already seated at a picnic table. Instead of a picnic basket, lemonade, and potato salad, the table was covered with papers and pens.

  “I know all the judges’ names!” Bess said. “They’re Ted and Tanya Rupert, the owners of the Fur-Ever Glam Pet Salon; Dr. Emily Poulos, a veterinarian; and Felipe Gomez!”

  “Felipe Gomez?” Nancy exclaimed. “He’s a dog-trainer superstar!”

  Almost anyone with a dog knew Felipe and his web series The Peaceful Pet. Felipe trained dogs the Felipe Way. That day he would demonstrate his method on a River Heights dog—Mayor Strong’s big drooling dog, Huey!

  “The judges look like they’re getting ready for the pet show soon,” George pointed out. “Do you think Chip is ready, Nancy?”

  Nancy nodded. She knew Chip would behave as the pets marched single-file past the judges’ table. But good behavior wasn’t the only thing the judges would look for.

  “I hope Felipe and the other judges like Chip’s vampire costume best,” Nancy said. “It once belonged to Murray the Monster Mutt!”

  “Who?” Bess asked.

  Nancy pointed to the three M’s stitched to the back of the cape. “Murray the Monster Mutt had his own TV show before we were born. My dad found Murray’s cape at a vintage clothes store on Main Street!”

  “I heard about that show from my mom and dad,” George said. “But where’s Murray now?”

  “I don’t have a clue,” Nancy admitted. “I just know that Murray lived right here in River Heights—”

  “And now he’s a ghost-dog!” someone cut in.

  Nancy turned to see Quincy Taylor from the girls’ third grade class. Perched on Quincy’s shoulder was his ferret, Slinky, dressed as a clown.

  “What do you mean? What’s a ghost-dog?” Nancy asked.

  “Dogs don’t live as long as humans do,” Quincy explained. “So Murray has got to be a ghost by now.”

  “Not if Murray really is a vampire dog,” George informed. “Then he’d live forever!”

  Quincy pointed to Chip’s cape. “Aren’t you scared that Murray’s cape will turn your dog into a Monster Mutt too?”

  “No way!” Nancy chuckled. “I’ve heard of haunted houses, not haunted capes!”

  “And we’re detectives,” Bess pointed out proudly. “So if there were ghosts around, we’d have found them by now!”

  Nancy nodded in agreement. She, Bess, and George loved solving mysteries more than anything. So much that they started their own detective club called the Clue Crew. Nancy even had a Clue Book where she wrote down every suspect and clue!

  “Whatever.” Quincy sighed as he handed a small white card to Nancy. “But if your dog acts weird give us a call.”

  As Quincy walked away the girls checked out his card.

  “ ‘Ghost Grabbers Club,’ ” Nancy read out loud. “ ‘We catch ghosts so you don’t have to.’ ”

  “Put it away, Nancy,” Bess insisted. “Quincy’s ghost club sounds superscary.”

  “Speaking of scary,” George said in a low voice. “Look who else is here.”

  Nancy looked up from Quincy’s card to see Deirdre Shannon walking toward them. Prancing in front of her was her fluffy new bichon frise.

  “The dog’s name is Princess Pom-Pom,” Nancy whispered.

  “How do you know?” Bess whispered too.

  “Deirdre wrote about Pom-Pom in her blog, Dishing with Deirdre,” Nancy explained.

  George rolled her eyes. Deirdre Shannon usually got whatever she wanted—like her own blog and now a puppy.

  “If Pom-Pom is a princess, that makes Deirdre a queen,” George said. “A drama queen!”

  Deirdre stopped in front of the girls. She beamed proudly at Princess Pom-Pom, dressed like a real princess with a sparkly doggy gown and headdress.

  “Pom-Pom looks cute today, Deirdre.” Nancy smiled.

  “Princess Pom-Pom!” Deirdre corrected. “She just had a mani-pedi at Fur-Ever Glam Pet Salon. And a wash and blowout.”

  “I think they blew a little too hard,” George joked.

  “Very funny,” Deirdre snapped. “I’ll bet you didn’t know Princess Pom-Pom also has her own lady-in-waiting.”

  As if on cue, Sage Tenowitz from the second grade rushed over. Water splashed from a crystal dish she carried.

  “I was just getting Princess Pom-Pom’s vitamin water, Deirdre,” Sage said, placing the dish down on the ground. “Should I give Pom-Pom her foot massage after that?”

  “You touch doggy feet?” Bess wrinkled her nose.

  While Deirdre leaned down to Pom-Pom, Sage whispered to the girls, “I’ll do anything for Pom-Pom. Deirdre promised I could hang out with her and her cool friends for a whole week if I did!”

  “Was that a promise or a threat?” George teased.

  “Heard that, Georgia Fayne!” Deirdre sneered.

  George cringed at the sound of Georgia, her real name. She hated it more than broccoli-flavored jelly beans!

  “Do you have a dog too, Sage?” Bess asked.

  “No,” Sage admitted. “But I have lots of stuffed animals, and one looks just like Pom-Pom.”

  Deirdre leaned in toward Nancy, Bess, and George and said, “Who needs stuffed when you can have the real deal?”

  Suddenly—“Wooooooo!”

  Chip began howling as she strained on her leash. Another gray squirrel with a bushy tail scurried by!

  “Will you make Chip stop, Nancy?” Deirdre demanded as she scooped up Pom-Pom. “She’s scaring the princess!”

  “She’ll stop when the squirrel runs away,” Nancy explained. “Chip only goes nuts when she sees squirrels.”

  “Nuts, squirrels.” George laughed. “Good one, Nancy!”

  Deirdre tossed her hair and then huffed off with Pom-Pom. Picking up the doggy dish, Sage hurried after.

  “Deirdre may be snooty,” Nancy admitted, “but Princess Pom-Pom is kind of cute.”

  “I wish I had a fluffy little dog like Pom-Pom,” Bess said. “What kind of a dog do you want, George?”

  “Hmm . . . probably a robotic dog,”
George remarked.

  “Surprise, surprise.” Nancy giggled.

  Bess and George were cousins but as different as a Chihuahua and a bulldog. Bess loved girly girl clothes and accessories for her long blond hair. Dark-haired George only cared about how comfortable her clothes were. And her favorite accessories were electronic gadgets!

  “Okay!” Nancy declared as she tugged Chip’s leash. “Let’s get this Monster Mutt away from that poor squirrel.”

  Nancy, Bess, and George strolled with Chip through the park decorated for the pet contest. There were orange balloons tied to trees and painted pumpkins everywhere!

  Also there were more kids from school. Andrea Wu was walking her lively terrier, Angus, who was dressed like a superhero. Kevin Garcia’s beagle, Hudson, looked funny as a dragon. Shelby Metcalf’s new parrot, Ernie, made the perfect pirate with a buccaneer’s hat and silver medallion around his feathery neck.

  “Look!” Bess pointed out. “Felipe Gomez started his dog-training demonstration!”

  “Let’s watch!” Nancy said.

  Nancy, Bess, and George rushed to join a small crowd watching Felipe train Huey. The mayor’s big dog obeyed the sit and beg commands perfectly. But then—

  “Woof!” Huey barked as he leaped up on Felipe. Resting huge paws on Felipe’s shoulders, Huey licked Felipe’s face with a loud SLUURRRRRRP!

  Everyone laughed as an embarrassed Felipe turned to the crowd. “H-Huey is saying th-thank-you—thank you for teaching me the Felipe Way!”

  Mayor Strong smiled as he hurried to grab Huey’s collar. “Thanks, Felipe.” He chuckled. “Now if you’ll return to the judges’ table we’ll begin the pet show!”

  “This is it!” Nancy said excitedly.

  Nancy and Chip fell in line with the other kids and their pets. As they began to march, Nancy heard barks, meows, and squawks, but not from Chip. Her puppy’s tail wagged cheerily as they strutted calmly past the judges.

  “Good girl, Chip,” Nancy told her dog.

  But just as the last pet, a cat dressed as a candy corn, walked past the judges’ table—

  “Eeek! That boy has a skunk!”

  “Skunk?” Nancy gasped.

  The crowd spread out as Antonio Elefano walked forward carrying a cage. Sure enough there was a skunk inside!

  Everyone in the girls’ class knew Antonio was a jokester, but nobody knew he had a skunk—until now!

  “I got Romeo just in time for Halloween”—Antonio grinned—“and he’s ready to lead the Howl-a-ween Parade!”

  “Sorry, young man,” Mayor Strong said, stepping forward, “but we can’t have a wild skunk in the parade. What if he sprayed his stinky stuff?”

  “Romeo’s not wild.” Antonio placed the cage on the floor and pulled up the door. “He’s totally tame. See?”

  Romeo seemed to yawn as he padded out from the cage. He sniffed the air before heading in Chip’s direction!

  “No, no, no!” Nancy cried.

  Using both of her hands, Nancy pulled Chip away from Romeo, but it was too late. The skittish skunk turned, lifted his tail, and—PFFFFFFT—sprayed!

  WHAT STINKS?

  Nancy was too shocked to scream. Chip’s Murray the Monster Mutt cape was soaked!

  “That dog smells funky!” a girl cried out.

  “You mean skunky!” shouted another boy, laughing.

  Chip seemed stunned, but she didn’t make a fuss—even when everybody else did.

  In a flash Nancy was joined by her friends.

  Bess pointed her finger at Antonio. “It’s all your fault, Antonio Elefano!”

  “Yeah!” George agreed. “Whoever heard of a pet skunk?”

  “Take that skunk away now, please,” Mayor Strong insisted as Antonio hustled Romeo back into his cage.

  “Okay.” Antonio sighed as he carried the cage away. “But what’s a skunk supposed to smell like—roses?”

  Bess put a gentle hand on Nancy’s shoulder. “Chip will be okay, Nancy.”

  “Sure, she will,” George agreed. “It’s just her cape that smells like a science experiment gone bad!”

  “But now Chip can’t compete in the costume contest.” Nancy sighed. “I guess she won’t be able to lead the Howl-a-ween Parade this year.”

  “Not so!” someone piped up.

  Who said that? Nancy looked up to see three of the judges.

  “Your dog stayed calm through the whole ordeal,” Dr. Poulos remarked. “That’s the kind of pet I’d like to see leading the parade!”

  “So would I,” Tanya Rupert agreed. “Especially dressed like Murray the Monster Mutt!”

  “Murray the Monster Mutt used to be our favorite show,” Ted Rupert said. “Chip should lead the parade!”

  “Omigosh!” Nancy exclaimed with surprise.

  “Besides,” Dr. Poulos went on, “Tanya, Ted, and I already picked Chip based on her excellent behavior during the show.”

  “That’s right,” Ted agreed. “The pet who came in second place was that princess pup.”

  An angry yelp arose from the crowd. Nancy was sure it was Deirdre’s!

  “Thank you very much!” Nancy said. “But what about the skunky smell?”

  “Just soak the cape in tomato juice,” Dr. Poulos advised. “That should get the smell out.”

  Nancy flashed a relieved smile. Not only was Chip still in the contest—she had just won!

  “Thank you, again!” Nancy told the judges happily. But not everyone was happy.

  “Wait a minute!” Deirdre demanded as she pushed through the crowd. Sage followed her with Pom-Pom. “Princess Pom-Pom smells like strawberry doggy shampoo—not skunk!”

  “So what’s your point?” Ted asked.

  “Sooooo,” Deirdre said in a singsongy voice. “Princess Pom-Pom should be leading the parade, not Chip.”

  Then Felipe stormed over with Huey’s leash clutched in his fist. “Huey is a natural to lead the Howl-a-ween Parade! He was trained the Felipe Way!”

  Then Huey piddled on Felipe’s leg. George could barely keep it together. Felipe didn’t notice as he turned to Mayor Strong and asked, “What do you say, Your Honor?”

  Mayor Strong shrugged his shoulders and said, “Of course I was hoping Huey would lead the parade. . . .”

  Nancy’s heart dropped. Until—

  “But three out of four judges chose Chip,” Mayor Strong added with a smile. “Since majority rules, Chocolate Chip will lead the parade!”

  “Yes!” Nancy cheered under her breath.

  After trading high fives with Bess and George, Nancy smiled at her dog. “Hear that, girl? You’re leading the Howl-a-ween Parade!”

  She looked up to see the other kids holding their noses. “Um . . . after we wash your cape!”

  “Do you think tomato juice is enough?” Bess asked.

  “Dr. Poulos seemed to think so,” Nancy replied.

  The three friends stared down at Chip’s cape soaking in the juice-filled basin on the laundry-room counter.

  Hannah Gruen, the Drews’ housekeeper, picked up the empty juice bottle for recycling. “You girls are lucky I bought a bottle of tomato juice at the supermarket today,” Hannah told them with a smile.

  “Thanks, Hannah,” Nancy said, smiling too. “It’s as if you read my mind!”

  Hannah gave her a wink before leaving the room. She didn’t read minds, but she did know Nancy inside and out. That’s because Hannah had known her since Nancy was three years old. She was also like a mother to Nancy, reminding her to wear her rain boots, do her homework, and eat all her string beans!

  “Once, my mom got stinky fish oil on her blouse at a catering job,” George explained. “She soaked her blouse in lemon juice and vinegar, and it got the fishy smell out!”

  Lemon juice and vinegar? Nancy’s eyes lit up. She would try anything to make sure the skunky smell came out.

  “Let’s try that too!” Nancy declared.

  “Tomato juice, lemon, and vinegar?” Bess chuckled. “Are we soaking a
stinky cape or making spaghetti sauce?”

  “Who cares as long as it works!” George stated.

  “It’s got to work!” Nancy called on her way to the kitchen. “The parade is tomorrow and Chip will be ready!”

  The next morning Nancy, Bess, and George headed to Main Street and the Howl-a-ween Pet Parade. With them was Chip wearing the Murray the Monster Mutt vest but not the cape. That was draped carefully over Nancy’s arm.

  “Wowee!” Bess exclaimed as they turned onto Main Street. “Look how many people came to watch the parade!”

  “And the parade leader Chip!” Nancy added proudly. She was happy to see other costumed pets and their owners—except one . . .

  Deirdre stormed over with Princess Pom-Pom. “No way could you have gotten that gross stink out of Chip’s cape!”

  “After washing it in a few secret ingredients,” Bess explained, “Chip’s vampire cape smells fresh as a daisy.”

  “Take a whiff!” George suggested.

  “No, thank you.” Deirdre huffed. She nodded at the cape over Nancy’s arm. “If the cape is clean, why isn’t Chip wearing it?”

  “I’ll tie it on when she’s up on the hay wagon,” Nancy answered. “Just in case Antonio shows up with Romeo again.”

  “Where’s Sage, Deirdre?” George asked. “Shouldn’t she be here to help Pom-Pom before she marches in the parade?”

  “That’s Princess Pom-Pom to you,” Deirdre corrected, “And Sage had something else to do.”

  Deirdre hugged Pom-Pom close. She then turned on her heel and huffed off.

  “I guess Princess Pom-Pom’s lady-in-waiting decided not to wait!” Bess giggled.

  “Well, I can’t wait for this parade!” Nancy stated. “Let’s check out the hay wagon we’ll get to ride!”

  The usually bustling Main Street was closed to traffic for the parade. The girls walked up the middle of the street until they spotted the hay wagon. It was painted bright red and hitched to a shiny black car.

  “Cool!” Nancy exclaimed, gazing up at the wagon. It was filled to the top with yellow pieces of hay. Also in the wagon were a few small bales.

  “It smells just like a farm!” Bess said, taking a long whiff. “A farm in the fall!”