The Pumped-Up Pizza Problem by Franklin W. Dixon

Author:Franklin W. Dixon
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aladdin

6

Last Chance Trance

The Zack Pack told us to give up in the schoolyard,” Joe said. “I’ll bet this pizza’s from them.”

“Don’t forget what Dad always says,” Frank told Joe. “Consider all possible suspects.”

“But who else is there?” Joe asked.

Frank closed the lid. “This pie is from Pizza Paradise,” he said slowly.

“Kevin’s parents own Pizza Paradise,” Chet said.

Joe stared at the box. “You don’t think Kevin sent the pizza, do you?”

“Kevin seemed mad at us for entering the contest,” Frank said.

“Hey, wait a minute,” Chet said. “He was also in the supermarket this morning.”

Joe shook his head. “Kevin can’t be a suspect. He’s our friend.”

“We don’t know who stole the recipe,” Frank said. “Or sent this message. But this pizza is a great clue.”

“And a tasty one,” Chet said. He reached into the box and picked up a slice.

“Chet!” Joe shouted. “You’re eating the evidence.”

Chet took a bite and swallowed. “Since when do we waste a great pizza?” he asked.

“I think we should finish baking our own pizza first,” Frank insisted.

The boys flattened out the dough again. They dumped all of the ingredients on top. Then they called Mrs. Hardy to put it in the oven.

“Your pizza should be ready in about half an hour,” Mrs. Hardy said.

“What do we do in the meantime?” Joe asked Frank and Chet.

Frank looked at the clock. “We can watch People Are Strange on TV.”

The boys carried the Pizza Paradise pizza and paper plates to the den. Then they turned on the TV.

“Welcome to People Are Strange. I’m your host, Bob Oddly,” the man on TV said. “Our guest today is Dr. Sigmund Von Trance, the world-famous hypnotist.”

Joe picked up a slice of pizza. “Cool,” he said.

“Who are you hypnotizing today, Dr. Von Trance?” Bob asked the doctor.

The gray-haired doctor pointed to a man sitting on a stool. “Today I will make Mr. Rizzo think he is a pussycat.”

“Fat chance!” Mr. Rizzo laughed.

The doctor went on. “The only way Mr. Rizzo can come out of the trance is if I clap my hands three times.”

Dr. Von Trance swung a pendant in front of Mr. Rizzo’s face for about half a minute.

“When I count to three, you will be a tabby named Fluffy,” he told Mr. Rizzo. “One . . . two . . . three.”

“Meoooowww!” Mr. Rizzo howled. Then he licked both his hands.

“Wow!” Frank said.

“I hope his house has a litter box,” Chet said. He popped an olive in his mouth.

The audience clapped as Mr. Rizzo chased a windup mouse around the set.

“What else can you make people do, Dr. Von Trance?” Bob Oddly asked.

“I can make people remember just about anything,” Dr. Von Trance said.

Joe laughed. “Maybe he can get Chet to remember his dream pizza,” he said.

Frank stopped eating his slice. “That’s it!” he cried.

“What?” Joe asked.

“Mike Mendez invented some kind of gadget that’s supposed to hypnotize people,” Frank said.

Mike Mendez was the Hardys’ friend. He was always inventing things.

“Do you think Mike can hypnotize Chet?” Joe asked Frank.

“It’s worth a shot,” Frank said.

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