Pets on Parade Read online

Nancy’s heart did a triple flip as she wrote the latest results in her Clue Book: Cape on = Chip nuts!

  She glanced up from her Clue Book. Chip was now rolling around and around on the rug like a dog possessed!

  “Maybe Quincy was right,” Nancy said slowly. “Maybe the ghost of Murray the Monster Mutt does want his cape back!”

  TRICK OR RETREAT

  “Do we have to go inside that creepy-looking house?” Bess gulped.

  Nancy nodded her head slowly. It was Sunday morning, the morning after her cape-on, cape-off experiment. The results made her add Murray the Ghost-Dog to her suspect list!

  “I called Quincy last night,” Nancy explained. “He told me we should meet him at this house on Whisper Street where Murray used to live.”

  “When he was alive.” Bess shuddered. “And maybe after.”

  The girls stared at the peeling paint on the house, a broken window, and what looked like cobwebs hanging from the porch.

  “So what are we going to do in there?” George asked.

  “Quincy told me we’ll look for Murray’s ghost,” Nancy explained. “When we find him, we’ll give him this!”

  Nancy held up the vampire cape she had brought along. George’s dark curls bounced as she shook her head.

  “Can’t you see Quincy is playing with us?” George asked. “He wants you to think Chip’s cape is haunted so we’d call Ghost Grabbers!”

  Nancy stuffed the cape inside her jacket pocket as Quincy and his Ghost Grabber friends headed toward them. All four kids wore matching sweats. In their hands were flashlights, badminton rackets, and a camera.

  “Meet Liam, Kendall, and Tabitha,” Quincy introduced. “We knew you’d see things the Ghost Grabber way sooner or later.”

  “Did you bring the cape?” Kendall asked Nancy.

  “Got it,” Nancy said, nodding down at her pocket.

  “Good,” Quincy said. “Then it’s all systems go!”

  “Not so fast!” George warned. “Nancy isn’t totally sure Chip’s cape is haunted by Murray, right, Nancy?”

  “Right,” Nancy admitted. “I’m not sure I believe in ghosts.”

  “Ha!” Kendall laughed.

  “That’s what they all say!” Liam snorted.

  Bess stepped forward. “If we’re going to go inside that creepy place, can we please get it over with?”

  “Okay,” Quincy replied, “but first the Ghost Grabber rules: If you see a ghost, no screaming. And leave the grabbing to us. Any questions?”

  “Just one,” Nancy said. “How can you grab a ghost? Wouldn’t your hands go right through?”

  Quincy exchanged puzzled looks with his friends. He then turned to Nancy and said, “Too many questions. Let’s get to work!”

  The Clue Crew and Ghost Grabbers stepped up on the old wooden porch.

  “What if it’s locked?” Nancy asked.

  “You’re kidding me, right?” Quincy chuckled. “Haunted houses are always abandoned.”

  “Except for the ghosts!” Liam added.

  Quincy grabbed the rusted old door handle and gave it a twist. The door opened with a creak.

  “Whoa,” George murmured as they filed inside the house.

  Not only was it dark, there were cobwebs draped over the staircase banister, and creepy framed portraits were on the walls. This definitely looked like a haunted house!

  Nancy pointed to a portrait of a dog wearing a dark cape. “That’s Murray!”

  “When he was alive,” Liam said. Then he laughed, “Mwah, hah, hah.”

  “Are you sure that portrait isn’t alive?” Bess gulped. “The eyes are moving back and forth as if they’re watching us!”

  Nancy noticed it too. She also noticed two doggy dishes on the floor against the wall. One was filled with water, and the other was filled with dog food.

  “Ghosts don’t eat,” Nancy pointed out. “And if Murray was alive years ago why would his food be fresh?”

  “The water would have evaporated too,” Bess agreed. “We learned that in school.”

  George pointed to the floor. “Check out those muddy paw prints. They look pretty fresh too.”

  “Ghosts don’t have feet,” Bess shared. “Do they, Quincy?”

  “Too many questions!” Quincy exclaimed. “Are we going to look through this house for Murray’s ghost or what?”

  “Wait!” George said. She began sniffing the air. “What’s that smell?”

  “Liam’s sneakers?” Tabitha asked.

  “No!” George sniffed again. “It suddenly smells in here like rotting leaves. Or rotting . . . something else.”

  “I smell it too,” Nancy agreed, taking a whiff. “It didn’t smell like this when we came in!”

  “Where’s it coming from?” Bess asked.

  For the first time, the Ghost Grabbers looked worried too. Quincy opened his mouth to speak when—“Wooooooo!!!”

  “What was that?” Quincy yelped.

  Kendall’s eyes popped wide open. “It—it—it sounds like—”

  “Murray the Monster Mutt!” Liam cried.

  Quincy turned to Nancy, Bess, and George, his face beaded with sweat. “Um . . . I just remembered I have a soccer game right now!”

  “I have math tutoring!” Kendall added.

  “Karate!” Tabitha uttered.

  “Cake decorating!” Liam squeaked.

  The Clue Crew watched as the Ghost Grabbers charged out the door.

  “Should we leave too?” Bess asked.

  Nancy wanted to leave but was curious about the strange sounds and smells. She was about to answer when—

  “Getting a head start on your trick-or-treating?” someone with a deep voice asked from behind them.

  The girls whirled around and froze. Stepping out from the shadows was a tall man dressed in black. His bushy eyebrows matched the shock of white hair on his head.

  Nancy gulped at the sight of the creepy guy inside the creepy house. “Who’s he?” Nancy whispered.

  “Maybe Murray is more than a ghost-dog,” George exclaimed. “Maybe he’s a shape-shifter, too!”

  SOUR POWER

  A small smile spread across the man’s face. “Oh, I assure you. Murray is neither a ghost nor a shape-shifter.”

  “How do you know?” George asked.

  “I’m Max, Murray’s owner and manager,” Max replied. “I knew Murray very well . . . and still do!”

  “Still do?” Bess asked. “You mean . . . ?”

  Max stuck two fingers in his mouth and whistled. After a few seconds, a grizzled old dog padded into the entrance hall next to Max. The girls stared at the old dog. Could it be what they thought it was?

  “Is that Murray?” Nancy asked.

  “He’s alive!” George exclaimed.

  Max stooped to scratch Murray’s fuzzy hunched back. “Murray is very much alive.” He laughed. “He doesn’t get out much anymore, just for short walks three times a day.”

  “But Murray used to be a star!” Nancy said. “I saw his show myself!”

  “Murray is too old to act on television,” Max said. “Instead, he likes to snooze by the fire or watch old tapes of his show.” Max smiled proudly at his dog. “But he still howls the same way he used to!”

  “We know!” Bess giggled covering her ears.

  “If Murray isn’t a ghost,” George said, looking around, “why does this place look like a haunted house?”

  Max heaved a big, sad sigh. “Every year I decorate this old house for Halloween,” Max explained. “I even keep the door unlocked days before Halloween in case I get visitors.” Max shook his head and said, “But hardly any kids come trick-or-treating because they think it’s really haunted.”

  “We thought so too, Max,” Nancy admitted. “The portrait with the moving eyes gave us goose bumps.”

  “So did that icky, rotten smell that came out of nowhere!” Bess added. “P. U!”

  Max looked happy to explain: “The portrait with the moving eyes was a prop in the Murray t
he Monster Mutt Show. As for the smell, it comes from a special aromatherapy machine I bought for Murray.”

  “Aromatherapy?” Nancy repeated. “Like a smell machine?”

  “This one is called A-Rover-Therapy.” Max nodded. “It fills the room with smells dogs love and people don’t. Like rotten meat, sweaty sneakers—”

  “Gross smells,” Bess cut in. She wrinkled her nose. “We get it.”

  “There it is.” Max pointed to a small table in the hall. On it was a black box with a round dial on the top.

  “Sweet!” George declared. “I want to check it out!”

  As George headed toward the A-Rover-Therapy machine, Max called, “Stop!”

  George froze in her tracks. “Why? I just want to check out the new gadget.”

  “You might accidentally turn the dial to citrus fruits,” Max said, “and dogs hate the smell of citrus fruits!”

  “Then why is it on the machine?” Nancy asked.

  “It’s for when owners want to keep dogs out of a room,” Max explained. “Like when they’re setting up for a party. Or if there’s a newborn baby.”

  Max gave the girls permission to pet Murray. The retired pet celeb seemed to like the attention as his gray-streaked tail waved back and forth.

  “We’d better go now,” Nancy said, “but we’re going to tell our friends to come trick-or-treating here tomorrow!”

  “And meet Murray the Monster Mutt!” Bess declared. “A real superstar!”

  “That would be wonderful!” Max boomed. “Don’t leave without Murray’s pawtograph!”

  A pawtograph was an autograph with a paw print instead of a signature. Max handed Murray’s pawtographs to Nancy, Bess, and George!

  The girls thanked Max and Murray, but as they walked under Murray’s portrait toward the door Nancy remembered something. . . .

  “I have Murray’s old vampire cape, Max,” Nancy said. “Would you and Murray like it back?”

  “Keep the cape as a memento!” Max declared. “A memento of Murray the Monster Mutt!”

  “Woof,” Murray barked weakly.

  Outside, Nancy crossed Murray the Ghost-Dog from her suspect list.

  “I’m glad Murray isn’t a ghost,” Bess said.

  Nancy glanced back at the old house. Murray wasn’t a ghost, but it still didn’t explain everything.

  “If Murray isn’t a ghost,” Nancy wondered out loud, “then why does Chip go nutty each time she wears the cape?”

  “I don’t know,” Bess admitted, “but at least we got to meet Murray.”

  “I wish I could have checked out that smell machine,” George said. “What are citrus fruits anyway?”

  “Don’t you remember from school, George?” Bess asked. “Some citrus fruits are lemons, limes, and oranges.”

  Lemons? The word caused Nancy’s heart to skip a beat. She stopped walking to stare at Bess and George.

  “What’s up, Nancy?” George asked.

  “You look like you just saw a ghost,” Bess said. “Which would be crazy because we know Murray isn’t one!”

  “I didn’t see a ghost,” Nancy insisted, “but I did remember something—something important!”

  Clue Crew-and YOU!

  Ready to think like the Clue Crew and solve what happened to Chocolate Chip? It’s your turn to get a piece of paper and crack this case—or turn the page to find out!

  1. The Clue Crew ruled out Felipe Gomez, Deirdre, plus the ghost of Murray the Monster Mutt. Who else could have wanted Chip out of the parade? List your suspects on a sheet of paper.

  2. When Nancy heard “lemon” she remembered something superimportant. Why would lemons be a clue, and why would they upset Chip? Write down your answers on a sheet of paper.

  3. Nancy likes writing her suspects and clues in a Clue Book. If you were a detective, what tools would you use? Make your list on a sheet of paper.

  THE NOSE KNOWS

  “What did we use to wash Chip’s cape to get the skunk stink out?” Nancy asked.

  Bess scrunched her brow trying to remember their special concoction. “I know we used tomato juice,” Bess recalled. “And vinegar—”

  “And lemons!” George cut in. “Lots of lemon juice!”

  “Bingo!” Nancy exclaimed. “Max said dogs hate the smell of citrus fruit. Maybe a lemony smell stayed on the cape after I rinsed it!”

  Bess tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Which could have made Chip nutty every time she wore it!” Bess said slowly before her eyes lit up. “That’s got to be it!”

  “Or not!” George disagreed. “What if Max made that up to keep me from touching the smell machine?”

  Nancy thought George had a point, but there was a way to find out. “Do a search on your tablet, George,” Nancy urged, “for smells dogs hate.”

  Nancy and Bess peered over George’s shoulders as she typed in the question. The first thing that popped up was a clip from Felipe’s webisode The Peaceful Pet!

  “Felipe Gomez!” Bess pointed to the screen. “What a coincidence!”

  “Let’s see what he talks about,” Nancy said.

  George pressed the arrow to start the video. It showed a smiling Felipe who said, “Want to know how to keep your dog from jumping on the sofa? Try the Felipe Way and spray your sofa with lemon juice!”

  The girls watched Felipe use a spray bottle to squirt a sofa. A Maltese pup lazing on the sofa perked up. With a whine, he immediately hopped off.

  “If lemon juice doesn’t work, try vinegar, another smell dogs hate,” Felipe suggested. “It’s not just for salads anymore!”

  Nancy, Bess, and George traded excited looks.

  “You washed Chip’s cape in lemon and vinegar!” Bess told Nancy.

  “But if the skunk smell came out in the wash,” George wondered, “why not the lemon and vinegar smell?”

  Nancy didn’t really know. But she did have an idea . . . “Let’s go to my house,” Nancy suggested. “It’s time for another experiment.”

  Nancy held up the lemon slice her dad had cut for them before going out to rake leaves. “One lemon slice!”

  “One lemon slice,” Bess repeated. “Check!”

  The Clue Crew stood huddled around the Drews’ kitchen table. On it was Nancy’s Clue Book opened to the experiments page. Also on the table were ingredients for Nancy’s experiment.

  “We can’t do the experiment without Chip.” Nancy called her puppy into the kitchen.

  Chip scurried in happily, wagging her tail.

  “Chip thinks she’s getting a treat,” Bess whispered.

  “She will,” Nancy promised. “But first . . .”

  Nancy stuck the lemon slice beneath Chip’s nose. Chip sniffed. She let out a snort and backed away!

  “Chip doesn’t like the smell!” George declared.

  Nancy wrote the first result in her Clue Book: Lemon Slice = Retreat!

  “Next step,” Nancy announced as she reached for a bottle of vinegar. The moment she removed the cap the sour scent filled the kitchen. With a whine, Chip darted out of the room!

  “Chip really hated that one!” George remarked.

  Bess squeezed her nose. “She’s not the only one!”

  Nancy beamed as she wrote the result in her Clue Book: Vinegar = Bolt!

  Next in her Clue Book, Nancy wrote: Culprits = Lemon juice and vinegar. Case closed!

  “Experiment a success!” Nancy stated.

  The Clue Crew high-fived. They then found Chip in the den to give her a well-deserved treat.

  “I’m glad we figured out what upset Chip,” Bess said as Chip crunched on a biscuit. “It’s just too bad she never got to lead the Howl-a-ween Parade.”

  “Yeah,” George agreed. “She would have been an awesome mutt-ster of ceremonies!”

  Chip glanced up from her biscuit. Her ears wiggled as she cocked her head.

  “Don’t worry, Chip,” Nancy said with a smile. “Howl-a-ween may have been a bummer—but there’s still Halloween!”

  An
d Nancy had a plan!

  “Check out all the kids smiling at Chip!” Bess pointed out the next day.

  “I know!” Nancy said excitedly. “It’s like Chip is a canine celebrity!”

  It was after school on Halloween and time for some serious trick-or-treating. Chip was dressed head to tail but not as Murray the Monster Mutt. Today she was dressed as another TV dog with a cape: Detective Sherlock Hound. After all, Chip did have a nose for solving mysteries!

  “Are you sure they’re smiling at Chip,” George muttered as they walked down a street filled with other trick-or-treaters, “or are they laughing at our superweird costumes?”

  Bess’s pointy blue crayon cap wobbled as she shook her head. All three friends were dressed up as crayons—red, yellow, and blue.

  “Our costumes rock, George!” Bess said. “But Chip is the star of trick-or-treat!”

  “And if anyone knows about treats,” George joked, “it’s Chip!”

  “Totally!” Nancy agreed with a big smile. “And if anyone knows about solving mysteries, it’s the Clue Crew!”

  CAROLYN KEENE is the author of the ever-popular Nancy Drew series of books.

  PETER FRANCIS lives and works in the United Kingdom. When he’s not helping the Clue Crew solve mysteries, he can be found sketching frantically in his studio, investigating hidden landscapes, or growing his own vegetables.

  Test your detective skills with even more Clue Book mysteries:

  Nancy Drew Clue Book #7: Candy Kingdom Chaos

  ALADDIN

  Simon & Schuster, New York

  Visit us at simonandschuster.com/kids

  authors.simonandschuster.com/Carolyn-Keene

  authors.simonandschuster.com/Peter-Francis

  Don’t miss a single

  Nancy Drew Clue Book:

  Pool Party Puzzler

  Last Lemonade Standing

  A Star Witness

  Big Top Flop

  Movie Madness

  Pets on Parade

  Candy Kingdom Chaos

  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.