The Singing Suspects Read online

  “That’s weird,” Nancy said. “Water wouldn’t leave a stain like that. It would have disappeared when it dried.”

  “Unless the stain didn’t come from a water bottle,” Bess said.

  George took a sip from her Triple T water bottle. Then she placed it on the stage, next to the stain. She lifted the water bottle and compared the mark it left with the other ring. “The stain isn’t from a Triple T bottle,” she said. “This bottle’s way bigger!”

  “Which means”—Nancy sighed—“Mrs. Tuttle and the triplets are innocent.”

  Nancy took her notebook out of her pocket. Then she crossed out Mrs. Tuttle.

  “No more suspects,” Nancy said. “What do we do next?”

  “How about ice cream?” Bess asked.

  Nancy listened. She could hear the bells on the ice-cream truck jingling as it rolled into the park.

  The girls raced to the truck. Nancy and George bought Fudgsicles. Bess bought a box of Bon Bons. They were about to toss their wrappers in the trashcan when George pointed inside the barrel.

  “It looks like Andrew was selling lemonade in the park today,” George said. “There’s one of his cups.”

  Nancy stared at the small blue cup. “Lemonade!” she said. “Maybe the stain was made by a lemonade cup!”

  “There’s only one way to find out,” George said, reaching into the trash can.

  “Eww!” Bess said, wrinkling her nose. “How can you touch garbage?”

  George picked up the cup and smiled. “Like this!” she said.

  The girls ran back to the stage. George placed the cup on top of the stain.

  “A perfect match!” Nancy declared.

  “What if Andrew Leoni is the thief?” Bess gasped. “He was selling lemonade in the park the day the sunglasses vanished!”

  “Why would Andrew take them?” George asked. “All he wants is a new skateboard.”

  “That’s it!” Nancy cried. “Andrew wanted to sell Eric’s sunglasses to the Rock On Café. So he could get money for a new skateboard—”

  “Woo-hoooo!” a voice shouted.

  The girls spun around. A boy on a skateboard was charging down the path. As he got closer, Nancy gasped.

  “It’s Andrew Leoni!” Nancy said. “And he’s riding a skateboard!”

  6

  Flips and Tips!

  Maybe he sold enough lemonade to buy a new skateboard!” George said.

  Nancy narrowed her eyes and said, “Or maybe he sold Eric Stanley’s sunglasses!”

  Andrew waved as he whizzed by.

  “Andrew, stop!” Nancy called. “We want to ask you something!”

  “No way, Nancy,” Andrew called over his shoulder. “I’m on a roll. Woo-hoooo!”

  Just then Nancy saw Orson. He was walking his dogs across the same path!

  “Andrew!” Nancy cried. “Look out!”

  Nancy and George dropped their Fudgsicles and covered their eyes. Bess clutched her box of Bon Bons.

  “Whooooa!” Andrew yelled. As he swerved his skateboard flipped out from beneath his feet—and Andrew flipped onto the grass!

  The dogs barked as they pulled Orson over to Andrew. They surrounded him and began licking his face.

  “Cut it out, you guys!” Andrew cried.

  “Why don’t you look where you’re going?” Orson said, pulling back his dogs.

  Nancy, Bess, and George ran over to Andrew. He was wiping dog slobber off his face with his sleeve.

  “Yuck!” Andrew said. “Dog spit!”

  “Andrew,” Nancy said. “How did you get that skateboard?”

  “The Rock On Café gave it to me,” Andrew said, standing up.

  “Because you sold them something that belonged to Eric Stanley?” Nancy asked.

  “Sort of,” Andrew said.

  “Aha!” George cried. “You did steal Eric Stanley’s sunglasses!”

  “What are you talking about?” Andrew asked. “I gave them the dollar bill that Eric signed. The one the fan club had.”

  Nancy stared at Andrew. “How did you get that?” she asked.

  “Mindy’s sister used it to buy lemonade the other day,” Andrew said. “I found it while I was counting my cash this morning.”

  George whistled between her teeth. “So that’s what happened to that dollar!”

  “It was mine fair and square,” Andrew said. “So I gave it to the Rock On Café. And they gave me this cool skateboard.”

  “Instead of money?” Nancy asked.

  Andrew nodded as he picked up his skateboard. “It once belonged to some other rock star,” he said. “I think his name was Elvis something-or-other.”

  Andrew hopped on his skateboard. He adjusted his helmet, then zoomed away.

  “Let’s get permission to go to the Rock On Café,” Nancy told her friends. “I want to see this dollar bill with my own eyes.”

  As they turned to go, Orson hurried over with his dogs.

  “Wait up!” Orson said. He held all six leashes tightly. “I heard every word you said!”

  Bess popped a Bon Bons into her mouth. “It’s not polite to listen to other people’s conversations,” she said.

  “Neither is talking with your mouth full,” Orson said. “Look . . . I have top secret information about the sunglasses!”

  “The missing sunglasses?” Nancy asked. “What do you know?”

  “Not so fast,” Orson said. He looked at Bess and held out his hand. “Valuable information always comes with a price.”

  “You mean Bon Bons?” Bess cried.

  “Give him one,” George commanded.

  Bess frowned as she handed Orson a Bon Bons. The dogs panted as Orson popped it into his mouth.

  “Yesterday when I was walking my dogs,” Orson said as he chewed, “the beagle sniffed out some black sunglasses. They were under a bush near the stage.”

  “Maybe they were Eric’s!” Nancy said excitedly. “What did you do with them?”

  Orson held out his hand and said, “That will cost you too.”

  “Give me a break!” George cried.

  “Okay, okay,” Bess said as she tossed Orson another Bon Bons.

  “Now what did you do with the sunglasses?” Nancy asked. “Tell us!”

  “I did what any honest kid would do,” Orson said. “I brought them over to the lost and found.”

  “Did the glasses have a silver S on them?” Nancy asked excitedly. “Did they?”

  Orson held out his hand again.

  “You want it?” George asked. She grabbed a couple Bon Bons from the box and threw them over Orson’s head. “Then go get it!”

  The dogs barked and dragged Orson across the grass to fetch!

  “Stay! Heel!” Orson shouted.

  “Come on,” Nancy said. “Let’s go to the lost and found and see for ourselves.”

  The girls raced to the lost-and-found hut. Mr. Kelly stood at the window. He had snowy white hair and a bright smile.

  “Hi there, girls!” Mr. Kelly said. “What did you lose today? A jump rope? Roller skate? A tooth?”

  “A pair of sunglasses!” Nancy said.

  “Sunglasses, huh?” Mr. Kelly said. “A pair was turned in just this week.”

  The girls jumped up and down while Mr. Kelly ducked beneath the window.

  “I hope they’re Eric’s!” Nancy said.

  Mr. Kelly stood up wearing goofy sunglasses decorated with green plastic palm trees. “Are these the ones?” he asked.

  “No,” Nancy sighed.

  “How about these?” Mr. Kelly asked. He held up a tiny pair of baby sunglasses.

  Nancy shook her head. “Don’t you have a pair of black sunglasses?” she asked.

  “Let’s see,” Mr. Kelly said. He ducked beneath the window again.

  “I think Orson was teasing us,” Bess said. “Just so he could have my Bon Bons!”

  But then—

  “Well, what do you know?” Mr. Kelly’s voice said. “Look what I happen to have here. Black s
unglasses!”

  Nancy stared at Bess and George. Could they be Eric Stanley’s sunglasses?

  7

  Clues-Paper!

  Here they are!” Mr. Kelly said. He smiled as he held up the black sunglasses.

  Nancy gasped. Not only were they black, the glasses had a silver S on the side!

  Mr. Kelly handed them to Nancy.

  “They’ve got to be Eric’s!” Nancy said. But when she slipped the glasses on, she frowned. “Everything looks so . . . fuzzy.”

  “There’s no scratch on the lens, either,” Bess said. “They can’t be Eric’s.”

  “They look exactly like the missing pair!” George said. “I don’t get it!”

  “Me neither,” Nancy said. “But they could be a good clue.”

  Mr. Kelly gave the girls permission to borrow the sunglasses.

  “As long as you bring them back tomorrow. I don’t think anyone will claim them before then,” Mr. Kelly said.

  The girls found a bench to sit on. Nancy opened her notebook and wrote her new clues: 1) THE LOST-AND-FOUND SUNGLASSES LOOK JUST LIKE ERIC’S. 2) ORSON FOUND THEM BY THE STAGE.

  “By the stage,” Nancy said. She stared down at her page. “Maybe the person who lost these sunglasses thought Eric’s were his.”

  “You mean the thief took Eric’s sunglasses by mistake?” Bess asked.

  “They look so much alike,” Nancy said. “And whoever did it, must have a name that starts with an S.”

  “Susie . . . Sam . . . Stanley?” Bess said.

  “Samantha . . . Sydney?” George said.

  The girls thought of names as they walked through the park.

  “I give up!” George said. “And the singing contest is tomorrow. I’m going home to practice our song.”

  “Me too. I want to pick out my coolest clothes for the contest,” Bess said. “If we don’t have Eric Stanley’s sunglasses, we’ll have to look as cool as we can.”

  Nancy stared at Bess and George. Were her friends giving up on the case?

  “Who says we won’t have Eric’s sunglasses by tomorrow?” Nancy said. “This case isn’t over yet!”

  But as Nancy walked home she wasn’t sure. What will I tell Riley if I don’t find the sunglasses? she wondered.

  Nancy spent the rest of the afternoon studying her detective notebook. She had no more suspects. Just a pair of strange sunglasses that looked just like Eric’s!

  “Time to ask Daddy,” Nancy told herself. She carried her notebook and the sunglasses to the backyard. Mr. Drew was busy barbecuing burgers. He was wearing an apron, but still had stains on his sleeves!

  Nancy giggled. Her dad was always getting spots on his clothes.

  “What’s up, Pudding Pie?” Mr. Drew asked as he flipped a burger in the air.

  Nancy showed her dad the sunglasses they’d gotten from Mr. Kelly. Then she told him about the lemonade cup stain.

  “It sounds like you’re on the right track, Nancy,” Mr. Drew said.

  “It’s too late, Daddy,” Nancy said. “Riley will be back tomorrow. She’ll see what a big mistake I made and never talk to me again.”

  “Everyone makes mistakes, Nancy” Mr. Drew said. He nodded down at the grill. “Look how I just burned this burger!”

  Mr. Drew used a spatula to lift the burger off the grill. “Hand me a piece of newspaper, please,” he told Nancy. “So I can drop this crispy critter on it.”

  “Sure, Daddy,” Nancy said. She found a newspaper on top of a chair. She was about to lift it up when she saw a picture on the front page. It showed Mayor Stone handing a trophy to the River Heights swim champ. He was wearing black sunglasses that looked just like Eric’s!

  “Daddy, look!” Nancy said. She ran to her father and showed him the newspaper.

  “When was the last time you saw the mayor?” Mr. Drew asked.

  “At the park!” Nancy said. “He was buying a cup of lemonade from Andrew.”

  “Lemonade?” Mr. Drew asked.

  Nancy stared at her dad. Then she stared at the lost-and-found sunglasses.

  “S for Stone!” Nancy exclaimed. “Daddy, I think I know who took Eric Stanley’s sunglasses!”

  • • •

  “Where do you think Mayor Stone is?” George asked the next day.

  It was Saturday. But the girls weren’t getting ready for the singing contest. They were riding their bikes down Main Street and looking for Mayor Stone.

  “My mom said he’s cutting a ribbon for a new supermarket,” Bess said as they pedaled. “But I forget which one.”

  “I bet that’s it!” Nancy said. She pointed to a crowd of people standing in front of the Green Onion Supermarket.

  The girls parked their bikes. Still wearing their helmets, they squeezed their way through the crowd.

  Nancy saw a red ribbon stretched across the supermarket door. A man holding giant scissors stood in front of the ribbon. And next to him stood Mayor Stone—wearing black sunglasses!

  “Mayor Stone!” Nancy shouted.

  A woman dressed in a blue suit hurried over. Her pin read BELINDA JACKS, ASSISTANT TO THE MAYOR.

  “Mayor Stone is busy right now,” Ms. Jacks said. “If this is about the roller coaster you kids want in your schoolyard—”

  “It’s not about a roller coaster!” George said. “It’s about-”

  “It’ll have to wait until the mayor finishes his speech,” Ms. Jacks cut in.

  “Speech?” Nancy gasped.

  The mayor cleared his throat and began to speak: “When I was a boy, I loved going to the supermarket. I would gaze upon the shelves filled with cookies . . . bread . . . ketchup . . .”

  “This is going to be the longest speech ever!” George groaned.

  The mayor took off his sunglasses and rubbed his eyes. “That’s funny,” he said. “These are supposed to be special reading sunglasses. But I’m straining my eyes!”

  Nancy pulled the lost-and-found sunglasses from her pocket. She began waving them in the air. “Try these, Mayor Stone!” she shouted out. “Try these!”

  8

  Spy Girlz Surprise!

  Nancy ran forward with the sunglasses. Bess and George followed.

  “I tried to stop them, Mr. Mayor,” Ms. Jacks said. “But they were too fast!”

  “It’s okay, Belinda,” Mayor Stone said. He took the sunglasses from Nancy. “Why, these look just like mine!”

  Nancy held her breath as the mayor tried on the sunglasses.

  “That’s better!” Mayor Stone said. “I must have had the wrong pair!”

  Nancy, Bess, and George cheered.

  “What’s going on?” Mayor Stone asked.

  “We’ll explain later, Mayor Stone,” Nancy said. “But for now, may we have those other sunglasses, please?”

  “I don’t see why not,” Mayor Stone said, handing over the sunglasses.

  Nancy, Bess, and George checked them out carefully. There was the silver S! And the long scratch!

  “It’s the real deal!” Nancy declared.

  “I have to cut the ribbon now, girls,” Mayor Stone said. “Can I help you with anything else?”

  “Sure,” George said. “About that roller coaster we want in the schoolyard—“

  “Thanks, Mayor Stone!” Nancy said, pulling George’s arm. The three friends squeezed their way back through the crowd.

  “I can’t believe it,” Bess squealed. “We found Eric Stanley’s sunglasses in the nick of time!”

  “Speaking of time”—George glanced at her watch—“the singing contest is in one hour. We’d better get ready!”

  Nancy slipped on Eric Stanley’s sunglasses. She smiled and said, “I am so ready for this contest now!”

  Nancy, Bess, and George rode their bikes to their houses. Nancy pulled on her cargo pants, black T-shirt, and orange sneakers. Then she put on the coolest thing of all—Eric Stanley’s sunglasses!

  Mrs. Marvin drove the girls to the park in her red minivan. They sang their song in the backseat
. Then Bess gave Nancy a pink string with clips on both ends.

  “I made it to hold Eric’s sunglasses,” Bess said with a big smile. “I told you I can fix anything!”

  “Thanks, Bess!” Nancy said. “Now I’ll never lose them!”

  At the park the girls hopped out of the minivan. They raced to the stage. A crowd of people stood under a colorful balloon arch and a banner that read STARS OF TOMORROW SINGING CONTEST.

  Nancy saw Mrs. Tuttle. She was handing out Triple T caps to everyone!

  “There’s Riley!” Bess said.

  Riley ran over to the girls. She pointed to the sunglasses around Nancy’s neck and said, “You took great care of Eric Stanley’s sunglasses!”

  “Well . . . ,” Nancy started to say.

  Suddenly Bess let out a shriek. She jumped up and down. “Omigosh!” she screamed. “Look who’s a judge in the contest. Look!”

  Nancy glanced at the judges’ table. She saw Mrs. Oshida, the principal of Carl Sandburg Elementary School. Sitting next to her was Mister Lizard, the star of Nancy’s favorite kids’TV show. At the end of the table Nancy saw a teenage boy with dark hair and eyes.

  “It’s Eric Stanley!” Nancy squealed.

  All four girls shrieked at the tops of their lungs. They were still screaming when Miss Butcher walked onto the stage.

  “Hey, River Heights!” she said. “It’s time for the Stars of Tomorrow contest. So let’s rock on!”

  The Girly Girls were up first. They wore pink and performed a song called “Sweet as Candy.” The next group to sing was Bad Newz. Their bubblegum rap got big laughs until Mike squirted a can of sticky string into the audience. Triple T performed next. They sang and did perfect cartwheels. Even after Carly’s headband slipped over her eyes!

  Finally it was time for the Spy Girlz! Nancy tried not to look in Eric’s direction while they performed. But when they took their bows she sneaked a peek.

  “Did you see that?” Nancy whispered. “Eric smiled at us!”

  “I wonder if he recognized his sunglasses,” George whispered back.

  Four more groups did their routines. When the contest was over, the judges took some time to decide the best group. They wrote their choices on blue cards and handed them to Miss Butcher.