The Baby-Sitter Burglaries Read online

  On the way to the Mustang, Nancy heard George moaning under her breath about baby-sitting again. Nancy wasn’t looking forward to it, either—Carlos would probably be there, and Carlos was always trouble. On the other hand, Juanita was working hard, and she needed all the help she could get.

  “What’s next, Nancy?” Bess opened the door of the car.

  Nancy got behind the wheel. “I think we should tail Reese Gardner. We can’t ignore the fact that he has a criminal record,” she said.

  Nancy drove the short distance to River Estates. The neighborhood was quiet; most people were still at work. A car was parked in the Gardner driveway. “Looks as if he’s home,” said George.

  Nancy parked the Mustang across the street. “Let’s hope he goes somewhere,” she said.

  After watching the house for fifteen minutes, Bess yawned and slumped back in the seat. “This is so boring, Nancy,” she said. “What if he’s taking a nap or something?”

  “Shh . . . there he is,” Nancy said. Mr. Gardner locked the door behind him and walked toward his car. “Duck!” Nancy said.

  A moment later Nancy heard his car start and drive away. Three heads popped up cautiously, then Nancy started the Mustang and headed after Mr. Gardner. She tried to keep a good distance behind him, with at least one car between them.

  Mr. Gardner drove downtown and parked a few stores away from the Magic Shop.

  “That’s strange,” Nancy said, pulling the Mustang over across the street. “He didn’t turn his engine off or get out of the car; he’s just sitting there.”

  A few minutes later, David came out of the Magic Shop. He got into his truck and drove off.

  “There goes Mr. Gardner,” said George.

  “He’s following David,” said Bess.

  Nancy pulled the Mustang out into the traffic, keeping a couple of cars between her and Mr. Gardner. She was perplexed. They were following Mr. Gardner, and he was following David.

  It wasn’t long before Nancy realized David was headed toward Juanita’s neighborhood. Finally, he stopped his truck in front of Juanita’s house. Mr. Gardner stopped, too, and parked behind a row of shrubs on the corner. Nancy pulled over behind a parked car on the other side of the street.

  By this time David was going into Juanita’s house. Mr. Gardner hurried out of his car and ran over to David’s truck. He looked in the side storage compartments in the back of the truck. Then he peered through the window.

  Nancy heard a screen door slam just as Mr. Gardner reached for the door handle. Carlos skipped into view and stopped short when he saw Mr. Gardner. Nancy quietly opened the door of the Mustang. What would Mr. Gardner do when he saw Carlos?

  Mr. Gardner backed quickly away from Carlos, climbed back into his car, and drove away.

  Bess jumped out of the Mustang and caught up with Carlos, who was dragging his bicycle from the bushes. “Carlos!” Bess cried. “You know Juanita doesn’t want you to ride your bike without a helmet.”

  Nancy slapped the steering wheel in frustration. Reese Gardner’s car had turned the corner. There was no point in chasing after him now.

  “I wasn’t going far,” Carlos said, biting his lip.

  “Bess,” Nancy said between clenched teeth, “why don’t you take Carlos into the house so he can get his helmet.”

  “Come on, Carlos,” Bess said, holding out her hand. He took it, and they went back into the house.

  “That Carlos,” George said. “He keeps turning up, like a bad penny.”

  Nancy relaxed. “Might as well make the most of it,” she said, and got out of the Mustang.

  “I wonder what Mr. Gardner was looking for,” George said as she climbed out of the car.

  “I don’t know,” Nancy said, “but I want to get a good look at David’s truck. The last time I saw David, he lost his temper and practically threatened me. Maybe Mr. Gardner knows something about David that I don’t.”

  Nancy walked over to the truck. She could see some magic props lying in the back of the truck, along with emergency road equipment. Nancy looked through the window and saw the end of a rope sticking out from under the front seat. She opened the door slowly, wincing when a rusty hinge let out a loud squeak.

  Nancy pulled on the rope. It turned out to be a long, lightweight rope ladder. She held it and wondered whether someone could use a rope ladder to climb into a house.

  A voice behind her made her jump. “What are you doing, Nancy?” David asked.

  Nancy turned. David was holding a crowbar and glaring at her. She flashed him a sheepish look, cleared her throat, and said, “Uh, I was wondering—why do you have a rope ladder?”

  David studied her face. “If you must know,” he said, “I’m trying out a new trick based on an Indian rope-climbing illusion. That length of ladder should be perfect for it.”

  “And the crowbar?” Nancy asked.

  David’s mouth tensed into a straight line. “Look, Juanita asked me to pry open a stuck cabinet door. Why don’t you ask her if you don’t believe me,” he said angrily.

  “It’s not that I don’t believe you—” Nancy began. Sirens wailing, a group of police cars rushed by. “That’s Officer Brody,” George said. “He’s headed toward River Estates!”

  “See you later, David,” Nancy said. Bess ran out of Juanita’s house. Nancy waved her toward the Mustang. “Let’s follow Officer Brody,” Nancy said. “It could be another burglary.”

  Following the wail of the sirens, Nancy drove to River Estates. “There they are,” George said. Nancy parked behind the police cars in front of the Kileys’ house and dashed up to Officer Brody. He was leaning on a police car, talking into the radio microphone. “What happened?” Nancy asked him.

  He put the microphone down and said, “The Kiley house has just been robbed!”

  10

  Skating Secrets

  Nancy, George, and Bess followed Officer Brody to the Kileys’ front yard. Neighbors and children were gathered behind a yellow tape that read Do Not Cross.

  Nancy put a finger to her lips and pointed to the backyard. Bess and George followed her over to the chain-link fence. Nancy found the hole and squeezed through, followed by George and Bess.

  They searched the ground first for clues. Nancy knelt next to a basement window and saw dog tracks. She followed them along the flower bed, leaned down for a closer look, then saw a pair of paws.

  Nancy looked up. She was face-to-face with Buster, who was growling. “Whoa.” Nancy stood up. “Good dog . . . um . . . I thought you liked me, Buster. Remember?” Buster stopped growling. He studied Nancy for a moment, then turned and walked away.

  “Buster is trampling the evidence!” George whispered.

  Bess was frozen. “H-h-how did he—” she stammered.

  Nancy knelt down again and examined the ground. “Buster provided one answer, anyway,” Nancy said. “Judging from the size of his feet, these dog tracks can only be his.”

  “And the tracks at the Larsen house were just as big,” George said.

  “If those were Buster’s tracks at the burgled houses,” Nancy said, “then Mrs. Mendenhall may be our culprit. Buster might be following her when she goes out to break into houses.”

  The back door opened. One of the triplets—Jamie, Nancy thought—ran out into the yard. “My plastic fire truck is gone!” Jamie cried out. “It was in the sandbox. Someone took it!”

  Nancy knelt down and put her arm around him. A burglary had to be especially hard on a child. “What color was it?” she asked. “Red?”

  “How did you know?” Jamie asked.

  “I’m a detective,” Nancy said. “Don’t worry. I’ll find your fire truck.”

  He ran back into the house. George came up to Nancy, looking thoughtful. “Wasn’t Buster chewing a fire truck?” she asked Nancy.

  Nancy nodded. “And Juanita said it wasn’t hers when I showed it to her.”

  Nancy looked up at the window above the back porch. It looked as if the frame had been ji
mmied. This burglary fit the pattern.

  Mrs. Kiley came out of the house. “Ms. Drew,” she said, “I’m glad to see you on the case. Juanita told me you were a detective.”

  “Hello, Mrs. Kiley,” Nancy said. “These are my friends, Bess Marvin and George Fayne. I’m sorry this happened. When was the house broken into?”

  “Some time last night, according to the police. We returned from the family reunion at two o’clock this afternoon,” she said, and shook her head sadly. “Our security alarm didn’t go off.”

  Jamie ran out of the house again, followed by Robbie and Corey. “Our magic lady coins are missing!” Robbie cried, running up to his mother.

  “The police won’t believe us!” Corey added.

  Mrs. Kiley patted Robbie’s blond curls. “You probably just misplaced them,” she said.

  Jamie walked over to Nancy and held out his hand. “I still have mine,” he said.

  Nancy took the coin and held it up to the sunlight. It looked like the coin Carlos had been playing with—it said Magic Coin on it. She couldn’t see a lady on it anywhere. “Was this one of the coins Diego gave you guys after the magic show?” she asked.

  “How did you know?” Jamie asked. “You’re a great detective.” Nancy smiled as she gave the coin back to him. “Don’t worry, guys,” Jamie said to his brothers. “She’ll find your coins. She’s looking for my fire truck, too.”

  Mrs. Kiley thanked Nancy, George, and Bess and held open the gate to let them out of the yard. As they walked back to the Mustang, Nancy said, “The Kiley house was robbed soon after the birthday party.” She looked at Bess and George. “Could someone at the party be involved?”

  “Carlos was sure he saw someone in the basement,” Bess said.

  “And the way he acted—I’m sure he was telling the truth,” Nancy said.

  “So who was at the party? George asked. “David was there, and he’s a former Secure employee. In spite of what he’s said, he could know the security codes. And he has a crowbar. Juanita could be helping him by giving him information about the families.”

  Bess frowned. “Not Juanita,” she said firmly, leaning against the Mustang. “Mr. Gardner and Mrs. Mendenhall are acting more suspicious, don’t you think? Mr. Gardner was at the birthday party, too, and he was lurking in the neighbor’s bushes.”

  “Mrs. Mendenhall wasn’t at the party, but she has wire cutters,” Nancy said. “Buster has been wandering around in yards where he shouldn’t be, and he had a fire truck that might be Jamie’s.” Nancy opened the car door. “Maybe those VCRs and other things in Mrs. Mendenhall’s trunk were the stolen goods. I think we’d better go talk to her.”

  Mrs. Mendenhall was in the front yard when the Mustang pulled up to the curb. Nancy parked behind a van that said Animal Control. Mrs. Mendenhall was shaking her finger at a woman who was holding a clipboard.

  “It wasn’t my dog you saw—Buster is in his yard. See?” Mrs. Mendenhall said, pointing to Buster, who was in the backyard, sprawled in front of his doghouse, chewing on a bone.

  The woman flipped the papers on the clipboard. “We have a dozen reports that a Doberman pinscher has been running all over town,” she said. “Your neighbors have said they’ve seen your dog jump the fence. This is a violation of the leash law. It’s also not safe for your dog or for children. If I catch him where he doesn’t belong, I’ll issue you a citation.” The animal control officer got in the van and drove off.

  Mrs. Mendenhall glared at Nancy. “What do you want?” she demanded.

  “Some answers,” Nancy said firmly. “We just found out that Buster’s paw prints are at the burgled houses in River Estates. Did you know he had a stash of plastic toys in his doghouse?”

  “My Buster? Plastic?” Her jaw dropped.

  Nancy nodded. “And you have a pair of heavy-duty wire cutters, which you could have used to cut a hole in the Kileys’ fence. You also had a trunkful of TVs and VCRs the other day. Frankly, Mrs. Mendenhall, you’re beginning to look like the River Estates burglar.”

  “Me? A burglar?” she gasped. “I was storing that stuff for a friend who’s moving. If you don’t believe me, I’ll give you his phone number!”

  Nancy pulled out her notebook. “I’ll be glad to check it out.” Mrs. Mendenhall recited the number, and Nancy wrote it down. She looked at Mrs. Mendenhall. “What about the fact that Buster’s tracks are all over the yards of the burgled houses?” she asked.

  “Buster has been jumping over the fence,” Mrs. Mendenhall admitted, “but I didn’t know he was stealing plastic toys. I’ve tried to walk him more. In fact, that’s why I had to cut that fence.”

  “The Kileys’ fence?” Bess asked.

  Mrs. Mendenhall frowned. “I was walking Buster Saturday morning when he pulled away from me and tried to jump into the Kileys’ yard. He caught his paws in the chain-link,” she explained. “The Kileys weren’t home, so I found some wire cutters in their shed and cut a hole to get him loose.”

  “But why didn’t you tell the Kileys?” George asked.

  “Because I was afraid,” Mrs. Mendenhall said. “Those rich folks are always looking for a chance to sue somebody.”

  “You may not be the burglar,” Nancy said, “but you’ve been spreading rumors that Juanita and her boyfriend are thieves. Why are you doing that?”

  Mrs. Mendenhall threw up her hands. “I don’t know whether they’re burglars or not—I just wanted people to think Juanita couldn’t be trusted so she couldn’t extend her play group to every day. I have to get my sleep. I can’t stand the noise!”

  “Well,” Nancy said, “I’ll let you work out the details with Mr. and Mrs. Kiley about paying for fixing the fence, but I expect you to stop bad-mouthing Juanita. Agreed?”

  “Agreed,” Mrs. Mendenhall said.

  Nancy, George, and Bess got back in the car and drove toward Nancy’s house. “So can Mrs. Mendenhall be eliminated as a suspect?” Bess asked from the backseat.

  “Probably,” Nancy said. “But I think we should make some phone calls and check out her story.” Nancy grinned and shook her head. “I don’t know how Mrs. Mendenhall is going to keep Buster from stealing toys.”

  George laughed. “At least we know it wasn’t the burglars who were stealing toys—it was Buster.”

  At Nancy’s house, George called Mrs. Mendenhall’s friend, who confirmed what she had said about the items in the trunk. And Mrs. Mendenhall’s boss told George that Mrs. Mendenhall had been at work on the nights of the burglaries.

  Nancy glanced at her watch. It was 3:30—almost time to help Juanita at the skating rink. But something was bothering her about the Kiley burglary.

  “It’s just a hunch,” Nancy began, “but if the Kileys were robbed right after a birthday party, then maybe the birthday party itself is important. What if there were birthday parties at the other burgled houses—before the burglaries?”

  “If the same person was at all the parties, he could case out each house,” Bess said.

  Nancy nodded. “David would be at all the parties if Diego was putting on a magic show.” Nancy got up. “I’ll call the Mowrers, Larsens, and Bairds.” She picked up the phone and called each family.

  When she was done, she stared at Bess and George. “Can you believe it?” she asked.

  “Incredible,” said George.

  “Amazing,” said Bess.

  Nancy held up her hand and counted on her fingers. “One: The Mowrers had a birthday party on March fifteenth, and their house was robbed on March eighteenth. Two: The Larsens had a party on March twenty-second, and their house was robbed on March twenty-sixth. And three: The Kiley party was on Saturday, and they were robbed last night or this morning.”

  George sat up straighter. “Wow—it looks like there is a birthday party connection,” she said. “But what about four, the Bairds?”

  Nancy checked her notebook. “The house was robbed on March twentieth. But they haven’t had a birthday party. Hmmm.”

  Bess looke
d at her watch, then jumped up from her chair. “You’ll have to figure it out later, Nancy. Juanita’s waiting for us at the skating rink.”

  • • •

  Rock music echoed off the walls at the rink as skaters whirled around the floor.

  Nancy picked out a pair of skates and pulled them on, then stashed her shoes in a locker. She rolled up the sleeves of her white blouse and smoothed her blue skirt. She spotted Juanita, who was trying to keep Carlos, Michael, and Sara skating clockwise around the rink. Nancy went onto the floor and joined them.

  Bess had Mitchell, Kyle, and Brian, who were hanging onto her flared pink skirt. In bicycle shorts and a roomy T-shirt, George took charge of Michael and Carlos, racing them past most of the crowd while Sara stayed with Juanita.

  Nancy swayed to the beat and started skating, enjoying the rhythm and the exercise. “You look great tonight, Nancy,” Max said as he skated up to her and matched her pace.

  “Thanks,” Nancy replied. “What are you doing here? I thought you had a million jobs that kept you busy.”

  “Skating’s great exercise. It helps me unwind after a hard day,” Max said. “But what I enjoy most is the magic business. Look, I’ve been practicing,” he continued. He dug into his pocket and pulled out a quarter. He tried to palm it the way Diego did, but he fumbled and dropped the quarter. It went spinning away and landed next to the barrier.

  Nancy tried not to laugh. “I guess you need a bit more practice,” she said. Max went off to retrieve the quarter, and Nancy searched the crowd for Juanita but saw Ian MacDonald instead. He was talking to David near the edge of the rink. This was the last place she expected to see Mr. MacDonald. He was waving his hands as if he were describing something to David.

  “That’s Ian MacDonald with David. Do you know him?” Max asked when he returned to Nancy’s side. Nancy nodded, and he added, “Ian is probably trying to sell David a new magic prop.” Max grabbed Nancy’s hand. “Come on, Nancy, let’s show these slowpokes how to skate.”

  Startled, Nancy followed Max gamely as he raced with her around the rink. Finally, he skidded to a stop and looked at his watch. “Sorry,” he said, “but I’m late for one of my jobs. See you later, okay?”