The Baby-Sitter Burglaries by Carolyn Keene

Author:Carolyn Keene
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aladdin

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 jimmied. 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.

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