The Gumdrop Ghost Read online

  “It’s a deal,” Lizzie promised.

  Lyle held up his whistle.

  “On your mark,” Lyle shouted. “Get set—go!”

  Lyle blew the whistle and the girls were off. Nancy raced up the first aisle.

  She grabbed a doll for Bess, a soccer ball for George, and a mystery game for Jessie. Then Nancy grabbed the prize she wanted most of all—the white ice skates with the fluffy pink pom-poms.

  A bell went off when the five minutes were up. Nancy, Rebecca, and Lizzie posed for a picture in the River Heights News. Then Lyle passed out cookies and punch to the kids. Nancy couldn’t remember when she had had so much fun.

  “When are you going to play with all of your tremendous toys?” Hannah asked later as she drove Nancy home.

  Nancy sat in the backseat with her new ice skates on her lap. Her other games and toys were in the trunk.

  “Real soon,” Nancy said. “But first I have to do something very important.”

  Hannah glanced over her shoulder and winked. “I wonder what that could be.”

  Nancy smiled. She placed her ice skates on the seat next to her. Then she opened her notebook and began to write:

  I still don’t believe in ghosts.

  But I do believe that anyone can be scared sometimes—even detectives!

  I’m glad I went into the old house on Tide Street. Now I have a new friend and a new pair of ice skates.

  And with all the mysteries I’ve been solving, I’ll soon need a new detective notebook, too!

  Case closed.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.

  A MINSTREL PAPERBACK Original

  A Minstrel Book published by

  POCKET BOOKS, a division of Simon & Schuster Inc.

  1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020

  www.SimonandSchuster.com

  Copyright © 1999 by Simon & Schuster Inc.

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.

  For information address Pocket Books, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020

  ISBN: 0-671-03709-9

  ISBN 13: 978-1-4424-7200-6 (ebook)

  First Minstrel Books printing October 1999

  NANCY DREW, THE NANCY DREW NOTEBOOKS, A MINSTREL BOOK and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster Inc.

  Cover art by Joanie Schwarz