Case of the Sneaky Snowman Read online

  Nancy’s heart sank. She’d thought she had the whole thing figured out, but she didn’t.

  “If Deirdre was trying on shoes at five thirty,” she said, “then she couldn’t have ordered the pizza.”

  Bess stopped walking. Her eyes flashed with fear.

  “If Deirdre was right about the pizza then she’ll be right about me,” Bess said. “I’m going to fall on the ice in front of hundreds of people!”

  “Right,” Nancy chuckled. “And our snowman will take a long journey too!”

  “As if that’s going to happen!” George laughed.

  Bess finally smiled too. “You’re right,” she said. “The only snowman who can walk is Frosty!”

  The girls began singing “Frosty the Snowman.” Their singing stopped when they reached the water fountain.

  Nancy, Bess, and George looked around. Something was missing.

  “Um . . . Bess, George?” Nancy said. “Where’s Sherlock?”

  CHAPTER THREE

  SNOWBALL FRIGHT

  “Are we sure this is the right spot?” Bess asked.

  “Totally,” Nancy said.

  The three friends stared at the empty spot in the snow—the spot where Sherlock had been standing just yesterday.

  “Maybe he melted,” Nancy said.

  “He couldn’t have melted,” George said. “The temperature is still below freezing. And all the other snowmen from yesterday are still around.”

  “Then what happened to Sherlock?” Bess asked. “Did he take a walk? Just like Deirdre said he would?”

  Nancy walked to the spot where Sherlock had stood. She patted the snow on the ground. “Someone probably knocked him down,” she said. “That’s all.”

  “Then where is Sherlock’s scarf?” George asked. “And his broccoli nose? And my dad’s old boots?”

  “I don’t know,” Nancy admitted. She saw a big footprint in the snow. Looking up she saw a whole trail of footprints leading away from the site.

  “Look,” Nancy said. “Whoever knocked down Sherlock left footprints.”

  George tilted her head as she studied a print. “The soles had a diamond design—just like my dad’s old boots,” she said. “The boots we put on Sherlock.”

  “Then Sherlock did walk away!” Bess gasped. “Just like Deirdre said he would.”

  Nancy shook her head. She didn’t believe for a minute that Deirdre was a fortune-teller. There had to be a reason that Sherlock wasn’t there!

  “Hey, guys!” a voice called out.

  Nancy turned. Their friends Marcy Rubin and Trina Vanderhoof were walking over. Trina’s thick furry boots made loud clomping sounds in the snow. Marcy wore blue rubber boots with a pretty white snowflake design.

  “Guess where we’re going?” Marcy asked.

  “To the beach!” George joked. “To swim with the polar bears and penguins!”

  “Very funny,” Trina said with a smirk. “We’re going to see Madame Chocolata!”

  Oh, no, Nancy thought. Not them too!

  “Trina and I saw Madame Chocolata yesterday,” Marcy said. “She told me I’d get a bright and shiny surprise.”

  “What did that mean?” Nancy asked.

  “Ta-daa!” Marcy sang. She held up her wrist to show a bracelet with glittery pink beads. “This was in my mailbox this morning. Isn’t it awesome?”

  “Totally,” Bess muttered.

  “Madame Chocolata said I’d get a new basketball,” Trina chimed in. “And this morning I found a basketball in my front yard! How cool is that?”

  “Way cool,” Bess muttered again.

  “Who needs a magic eight ball when you have Madame Chocolata?” Marcy said.

  “Her hot chocolate is pretty good too,” Trina said. “Come on, Marcy. Let’s see what’s in the marshmallows today!”

  “Maybe I’ll get earrings to match my bracelet!” Marcy said excitedly.

  Nancy, Bess, and George were silent as their friends walked toward the playground.

  “I have to go to the ice-skating rink now,” Bess said in a small voice.

  “To practice?” George asked.

  “No,” Bess said. “To quit!”

  Nancy felt bad for Bess. Skating with Alexi and Svetlana was her dream—Nancy couldn’t let Deirdre spoil it!

  “Deirdre is not a fortune-teller,” Nancy said with a firm voice. “And the Clue Crew is going to prove it!”

  “How are we going to prove it?” Bess asked.

  “By finding out what really happened to Sherlock, that’s how,” Nancy said with a smile.

  “Another mystery!” George cheered. She pumped her fist in the air. “Bring it on!”

  Nancy looked at Bess. She didn’t seem excited. Just worried. “Bess?” she asked slowly. “We’re not the Clue Crew without you too.”

  Bess giggled at the rhyme. “Okay. I’m in,” she said.

  “Cool!” Nancy said. “The Clue Crew is on the case!”

  The girls were about to high-five when—whap! A snowball hit a nearby tree. As it exploded, sticky yellow stuff dripped down the trunk!

  “Ewww!” Bess said. “What is that?”

  “It looks like egg,” Nancy said, scrunching up her nose. “I think that snowball had a raw egg inside.”

  “Look out!” George shouted.

  Another snowball whizzed over Nancy’s head. It burst on the ground, splattering egg all over the snow. The girls ducked as more eggy snowballs flew by fast and furiously.

  “It’s an attack!” Bess cried.

  Nancy tried to see through the whirl of snow and eggs. The egg-balls seemed to be coming from behind a snow-covered bench!

  George was about to make her own snowball when—thwack! One exploded on the sleeve of her parka!

  “Gross!” George said. She watched as sticky egg yolk dripped down her sleeve. “I am never eating scrambled eggs again!”

  The icky snowballs finally stopped. The girls waited until they were sure the coast was clear. Then they walked slowly and carefully to the bench.

  Nancy peeked behind it. A half-empty carton of eggs lay on the ground. Next to the box were letters carved into the snow.

  “It looks like a message!” Nancy said.

  The girls hurried around the bench. Nancy read the message out loud. It said:

  “Gotcha! The Snowman!”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  COLD CASE

  “A snowman did this?” Bess cried. “Maybe it was Sherlock!”

  “How could Sherlock be so mean?” George asked. “We gave him a smile!”

  “But a broccoli nose!” Bess added. “No wonder he wants to get even with us.”

  “Oh, so now it’s my fault?” George demanded.

  “You guys, you guys!” Nancy said. “It might not be a real snowman!”

  “Then who is it?” George asked.

  “I don’t know,” Nancy said. “But we’ll find out.”

  “I thought we were going to look for Sherlock!” Bess said.

  “The pest who threw those eggs could have knocked down Sherlock too,” Nancy explained. “So let’s start looking for clues.”

  The girls squatted down to study the message.

  Nancy found some woolly green threads inside the letters.

  “The person who wrote the message must have been wearing something green,” Nancy said. She carefully picked up two threads. Then she dropped them into one of the plastic bags she always carried around “in case of a case.”

  Bess pointed to the message. “Look at the letter S,” she said. “It’s written in a curly way. Like a snake.”

  George found footprints leading away from the message. They were smaller than the ones near Sherlock. And instead of a diamond design, they had a starry design on the soles.

  Nancy and George wanted to look for more clues. But Bess had other plans. She had to practice for the ice show that afternoon.

  “Can we watch?” George asked excitedly. “I’d love to see Alexi and Svetlana Dubonov skate!”
<
br />   “And Bess Marvin!” Nancy added quickly.

  The girls hooked arms and walked through the snow. On the way out of the park they saw Marcy’s little sister Cassidy. The six-year-old was lying on her back making snow angels. As she waved her arms up and down, she sang at the top of her lungs: “I’m getting a puppy! A cute little puppy!”

  Nancy, Bess, and George stood over Cassidy.

  “Did your parents say you can have a puppy?” Nancy asked.

  “No, silly!” Cassidy said. “Madame Chocolata said I’d get one.”

  Nancy groaned under her breath. Madame Chocolata! Madame Chocolata! Madame Chocolata!

  “Not everyone believes in Madame Chocolata, you know,” Nancy said as they kept walking.

  “Oh, yeah?” George said. She pointed to a long line of kids outside Deirdre’s tent. They were all chanting, “We want Madame Chocolata! We want Madame Chocolata!”

  Nancy stared at the crowd. Then she shrugged her shoulders and said, “So they want hot chocolate. Big deal.”

  Nancy and George got permission to watch Bess practice. An hour later Mrs. Marvin drove the girls to the ice-skating rink in her red van. As Mrs. Marvin parked on River Street, Nancy glanced out the window. She saw Toby Leo standing in front of the Toys 4 You store. His nose was pressed against the glass window as he gazed at the new sleds.

  Maybe Madame Chocolata told him he’d get a new sled, Nancy thought glumly.

  Inside the rink Nancy and George sat on the bottom bleacher. They cheered for Bess as she skated out on the ice. She wasn’t wearing her costume yet—just a pair of pink sweats. Svetlana and Alexi skated out to meet Bess. They were wearing matching black and silver bodysuits. Still skating, Alexi lifted Svetlana way over his head!

  “There they are,” Nancy whispered.

  “They are so awesome!” George said.

  Alexi and Svetlana skated over to Bess.

  “Today we practice as if we’re in the show!” Svetlana announced with a Russian accent.

  “Hit music!” Alexi called out.

  The song “Winter Wonderland” blared through the loudspeakers. Svetlana, Bess, and Alexi held hands as they glided across the ice.

  “I can’t believe Bess is skating with Svetlana and Alexi Dubonov!” George whispered.

  Nancy turned to George and said, “And she hasn’t fallen once!”

  “Whoooaaaa!”

  Nancy turned her head just in time to see Bess sliding across the ice on her bottom!

  “Oh, noooo!” Nancy cried.

  “Stop music! Stop music!” Alexi shouted.

  Bess slid to a stop but didn’t stand up. She just sat on the ice with her head bowed.

  “Don’t worry, Bess,” Svetlana said.

  “Even we fall sometimes!” Alexi said. He pointed to his knee. “See? Hole in tights!”

  Bess forced a little smile. She let Svetlana and Alexi help her to her feet.

  Mrs. Marvin sat on the bleacher behind Nancy and George. “Oh, dear,” she said. “Bess must be a bit nervous.”

  George leaned over to Nancy. “Or she’s thinking about what Madame Chocolata told her,” she whispered.

  Nancy nodded sadly.

  The ice show was in three days. If they were going to find out what happened to Sherlock, they would have to find out fast!

  CHAPTER FIVE

  PRANKS A LOT!

  “I’m such a loser,” Bess said. “Maybe I should get training wheels for my skates! Or maybe Alexi and Svetlana should carry me onto the ice instead. Like a big baby!”

  It was Thursday morning. The park was still covered with snow as the girls made their way through the main gate.

  “You’re not a loser or a baby, Bess,” Nancy said. “You were just nervous.”

  “Sure!” George said. “I’d be nervous too if I had to skate with stars like Svetlana and Alexi. And if hundreds of people were watching me.”

  “Gee, thanks,” Bess groaned. “I feel much better now!”

  “Make way for the great Madame Chocolata!” a voice declared.

  Nancy turned and saw Toby walking into the park. He was dragging the rolled-up purple and gold tent. Walking a few steps behind him was Deirdre. They were both dressed in their turbans and capes.

  “There she is,” George whispered. “The Marshmallow Medium!”

  Nancy saw a white picnic cooler in Deirdre’s hand, probably filled with hot chocolate, cups, and marshmallows.

  Nancy was about to say hi when two kids ran over.

  “It’s her! It’s Madame Chocolata!” a girl said.

  “Madame Chocolata—you rock!” said a boy.

  “Thank you, thank you,” Deirdre said. She held up her hand. “But no autographs, please!”

  As the kids walked away, Deirdre turned to Nancy, Bess, and George. Her eyes flashed with excitement.

  “Do you believe it? Almost all of my fortunes are coming true!” Deirdre squealed. “And I only became Madame Chocolata because I wanted kids to read my website. Now I’m totally famous—like a rock star!”

  Give me a break, Nancy thought. She hoped Bess and George wouldn’t tell Deirdre about their missing snowman. It would just give her another reason to brag!

  “What do you think of Madame Chocolata fortune cookies?” Deirdre asked. “They would be chocolate-flavored fortune cookies, of course—”

  “Whoa!” Toby shouted. “Check it out!”

  Nancy looked to see where Toby was pointing. A few feet away were some bushes wrapped with white toilet paper. The kids walked over to the bushes to check them out.

  “It looks like some kind of prank,” George said.

  A note was stuck to a branch. It was written in green ink. Nancy pulled it off and read it to herself. She blinked and read it again to make sure it was right.

  “Nancy! What does it say?” Bess asked.

  “It says,” Nancy said slowly, “‘That’s a wrap! The Snowman.’”

  “The Snowman again!” Bess gasped.

  “What Snowman?” Deirdre asked.

  “Um,” Nancy said. “Er . . .”

  Nancy wanted to change the subject, so she was happy to see their friends Kendra Jackson and Nadine Nardo walking by. But Kendra and Nadine looked sad as they pulled sleds covered with sticky green Silly String.

  “Why did you squirt Silly String all over your sleds?” Deirdre asked. “Is it a cool new look?”

  “We didn’t do it,” Kendra grumbled.

  “Kendra and I left our sleds by a tree while we made snow angels,” Nadine explained. “When we came back for our sleds they looked like this!”

  “Do you know who did it?” Nancy asked.

  Kendra shrugged and said, “Some weird message was written in the snow with pebbles. It said, ‘The Snowman Was Here.’”

  “No way!” George exclaimed. “The Snowman struck again!”

  “And I’ll bet he’s Sherlock!” Bess said.

  “Sherlock?” Deirdre asked. “You mean that snowman you built yesterday?”

  Nancy raised her eyebrow at Bess as if to say, “Don’t tell her.” But Bess was already babbling on. . . .

  “Our snowman did take a journey just like you said, Madame Chocolata,” Bess said. “And now he’s making trouble in the park!”

  “Cool!” Deirdre exclaimed.

  “What’s so cool about that?” Nancy asked.

  “It means another one of my fortunes came true!” Deirdre said. “The great Madame Chocolata scores again!”

  “Yeah,” Toby said. He sagged from the weight of the tent. “Scores again.”

  Deirdre and Toby left to set up the tent. Nadine and Kendra turned to the girls with angry eyes.

  “Who did you build anyway?” Nadine asked. “Frosty’s evil twin?”

  “You built him,” Kendra said. “Now you stop him.”

  Kendra and Nadine huffed away with their sleds.

  “Wow,” George said. “We didn’t build a snowman. We created a Frankenstein.”

  Nancy did
n’t get it. How could both her friends believe their snowman was alive? How could they believe in Madame Chocolata?

  “Come on, Clue Crew,” Nancy said. “Let’s find out who’s really making all this trouble. And I’ll bet it’s not Sherlock!”

  The girls went back to work. They found more green threads on the bushes. As Bess and George picked them up, Nancy gazed thoughtfully in the distance.

  This really is a mystery, Nancy thought. Who could the Snowman be?

  Suddenly something big and white dashed out from behind a tree. A bright blue scarf fluttered from its neck as it darted from tree to tree.

  “Yikes!” Nancy gasped.

  “Nancy—are you okay?” Bess asked.

  “Yeah,” George said. “You look like you just saw a ghost!”

  CHAPTER SIX

  SNOWMAN OR NO-MAN?

  Nancy gulped.

  She wasn’t sure what she saw. So she decided to keep the snowman part to herself.

  “I think I saw . . . a giant white squirrel,” Nancy blurted. “Yeah, that’s it.”

  Bess and George exchanged looks.

  “A giant white squirrel?” Bess repeated.

  “Was he carrying a giant nut?” George chuckled.

  Nancy shook her head and smiled. “I think my eyes played a trick on me,” she said. “Let’s go to our detective headquarters and sort out our clues.”

  “Good idea,” Bess said. “It’s so cold my face feels like it fell asleep!”

  As they walked away, Nancy glanced over her shoulder at the trees. She didn’t see anything big, white, and blue this time.

  All this talk about walking snowmen, Nancy thought. No wonder I imagined it!

  Bess stopped at a garbage can. It was filled with bright pink papers.

  “Hey!” Bess said, looking inside. “These are for the Ice Spectacular Show. But what are they doing in a garbage can?”

  “Come on, Bess,” George said, tugging her cousin’s arm. “We may be detectives, but we can’t figure everything out.”

  Nancy, Bess, and George were happy to reach the toasty-warm Drew house. When Hannah saw the shivering girls she poured three bowls of steaming-hot tomato soup.