Treasure Trouble by Carolyn Keene

Author:Carolyn Keene
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aladdin
Published: 2009-05-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIX

Trouble in Store

“I don’t get it!” Nancy said the next morning. “Even if there is a lake monster here, why would he want to steal stuff like toy telescopes?”

“The better to see us humans, my dear!” George joked in a deep voice. “Mwah, hah, hah!”

“Quit it, George,” Bess said, giving her a light whack. “Now I don’t want to go in the water. I don’t care how hot it gets.”

The three friends sat in a red vinyl diner booth finishing breakfast. Mrs. Fayne was paying the bill at the cash register.

Sitting in the next booth were tourists from Japan. They had said hello to them during breakfast. Now they were looking at pictures they had taken of Lonny the night before. One man wore an I SAW LONNY T-shirt.

“I’m surprised this town doesn’t serve Lonny Burgers,” George muttered.

“They do,” Bess said, pointing to the menu. “With bacon and cheddar cheese.”

Mrs. Fayne returned to the booth. As she dropped her wallet into her bag she said, “You girls can help me run an errand this morning.”

The girls exchanged worried looks. How could they run errands when they had to find Casey?

“What’s the errand, Mom?” George asked.

“I want to visit a party shop called Chuckles,” Mrs. Fayne explained. “And buy some balloons for my next party in River Heights.”

“Does Chuckles just sell party stuff?” Bess asked.

“No,” Mrs. Fayne replied. “I heard that Chuckles is famous for its costumes, too.”

Costumes, huh? Nancy thought.

As they left the diner, Nancy whispered, “Do you think that Lonny creature we saw was someone wearing a costume?”

“He looked pretty real to me,” Bess said. “But some costumes look real too.”

“If Chuckles sells lake lizard costumes,” George said, her eyes wide, “that could prove Lonny is a fake!”

Chuckles was two blocks from the diner, on a busy street called Wharf Way. They were about to walk inside when Nancy saw a girl walking with her mother. She was wearing the green froggy T-shirt they had seen at Lonny Land. She also had bright copper-penny-red hair.

“Bess, George,” Nancy said, “that girl’s hair is the same color as the hair we found!”

“Lots of kids have red hair,” George said. “Even you.”

“My hair is reddish-blond,” Nancy said.

“Close enough,” George said sighing.

As the girls followed Mrs. Fayne into the store, they could see why it was called Chuckles. Hanging from the ceiling were rubber chickens and all kinds of funny hats. A glass case was filled with fake fangs, mustaches, rubber lips, and whoopee cushions!

“Girls, this is Lou,” Mrs. Fayne said. “He’s owned this store for about thirty years!”

A gray-haired man stepped over and grunted. Nancy gasped when she saw his nose. It was enormous and covered with huge warts!

“What are you looking at?” Lou asked. “Do I have spinach in my teeth?”

“Um…your nose,” Nancy blurted.

“I have spinach in my nose?” Lou demanded.

“No!” Nancy said. “It’s…it’s…”

“It’s fake!” Lou said. He plucked the nose off his face. “We’re having a sale on rubber and plastic noses. Three for a dollar. Three-fifty for pig snouts.

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