Read Horrible Harry Cracks the Code Online
Authors: Suzy Kline
Horrible Harry Cracks the Code (2 page)
“The ketchup war is over!” Harry sang out.
“I'm telling on you boys!” Mary said, raising her hand in the air. “Mrs. Doshi!”
The lunch aide came running over to our table. “What's going on here?” she said.
“A ketchup war,” Mary tattled. “Harry Spooger and Sidney LaFleur are not using their ketchup packets properly. And Song Lee's sweater is stained!”
Mrs. Doshi asked the three ketchup victims to follow her.
Several minutes later, they came back. Song Lee's sleeve was wet, but you could see the purple-and-yellow pansy. The ketchup was rinsed out.
Sid's face was clean and shiny.
Harry's hair was wet and combed.
Everyone watched Mrs. Doshi walk over to the portable blackboard. She wrote two names in white chalk.
Harry Spooger
Sidney LaFleur
Sidney LaFleur
When she returned to our table, she handed Harry and Sidney each a wet sponge.
“You two will wash all the cafeteria tables and all the chairs during lunch recess. The bucket is in the corner.” Then she added, “There will be no ketchup packets allowed at this table for the rest of the week. If you want ketchup, I'll give you some from a large bottle.”
Harry glared at Mary. “You just cost me a kickball game at noontime. Thanks a lot, Mary!”
“Yeah!” Sid groaned. “Thanks a lot!”
Mary blew up her bangs. “Well, thanks to you we won't have ketchup packets this week.”
Harry gritted his teeth. “Listen to me, tattletale. We could have cleaned up the mess ourselves. Tattle on me one more time, Mare, and I'll tattle on you!”
Mary snickered. “That could never happen, Harry Spooger!” she said. “I
always
follow the rules!”
always
follow the rules!”
Always?
I thought.
I thought.
It was just a matter of time.
The Biggest Case Ever in Room 3B
T
he next morning when we were hanging up our jackets in Room 3B, Harry had a bag under his arm. “Okay, guys, I know why I goofed up my last case,” he said.
he next morning when we were hanging up our jackets in Room 3B, Harry had a bag under his arm. “Okay, guys, I know why I goofed up my last case,” he said.
Mary hung up her wool scarf. “I do too. You're a horrible detective!”
Harry opened his bag. “Nope. I just forgot to wear my detective hat.”
“Detective hat? There's no such thing!” Mary scoffed.
“Oh, yes there is!” Harry replied. “Haven't you ever heard of Sherlock Holmes? He's the world's greatest detective! He wore a special kind of hat when he was trying to solve a case.”
“That's true,” ZuZu said. “I've seen pictures of Sherlock Holmes in a book. He is a famous character in lots of detective stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. He wears a deerstalker hat. My dad tells me about some of his adventures.”
“Cool!” Harry said. Then he reached into a brown bag and pulled out a baseball cap. “I'm about to show you my deerstalker hat. When I get it on, I'll be ready to investigate.”
Mary rolled her eyes. “I think you'll be ready for baseball.”
“I'm not done yet,” Harry snapped.
We watched him reach into his bag again and take out a second baseball cap. He put the second one on top of the first so the visor was facing in the other direction.
ZuZu nodded slowly. “You know, Harry . . . that kind of looks like a deerstalker hat now.”
“It will be good for shade,” Song Lee added.
Ida and Mary snickered and giggled.
Dexter and Sidney shook their heads.
“So what are you investigating, Harry?” ZuZu asked.
Harry took off both caps and hung them up on a hook. “Well, that's the problem, Zu. I don't have a case yet. But when I do, I'll be ready!”
Oh, boy
, I thought.
I hope it's an easy one
. I didn't want Harry to botch up two cases in a row. His reputation as a detective was on the line!
, I thought.
I hope it's an easy one
. I didn't want Harry to botch up two cases in a row. His reputation as a detective was on the line!
As soon as we said the pledge and heard the morning announcements, we got a surprise visitor. It was Mrs. Funderburke, our school cook!
She was holding a blue plastic lunch tray with a carton of milk in the upper right-hand compartment. Harry flashed a toothy smile. He loves her. “Hi, Mrs. Funderburke!” he said. “What are you doing out of the kitchen?”
“Hi, Harry! Hi, boys and girls!”
“Hi, Mrs. Funderburke,” the class replied.
“I'm coming around to make an exciting announcement to each classroom.”
Lots of us leaned forward in our seats.
“I think we have the best students at South School,” she said.
We all smiled.
Harry stood up and took a bow.
“So we are going to have some lucky lunch trays for February fun!”
“Lucky lunch trays?” we all replied.
Song Lee clasped her hands together.
Mary pretended to clap. She didn't want to make any noise.
“Starting today, one lucky person in each classroom will find an orange star sticker underneath their milk carton or juice box.” She lifted her milk carton up and tilted the blue lunch tray so all of us could see.
“The star is pumpkin orange!” ZuZu said.
“It's big!” Ida said.
“It's sparkly!” Mary exclaimed.
“If you find one,” Mrs. Funderburke continued, “bring it to me.”
Then she set her tray down on a nearby desk and reached into her pocket.
“I will give you this!” she said, holding up a gold coin.
“Ooooh!” we said.
“One gold coin for your orange sticker,” Mrs. Funderburke said. “It will buy you one treat from the Student Store!”
Now everyone clapped and cheered.
Harry put two thumbs up. “There's one thing in that Student Store worth its weight in gold,” he announced.
We all waited to hear Harry's choice.
“
The light-up Wiffle Ball!
”
The light-up Wiffle Ball!
”
Dexter and I cheered. We thought it was cool too.
Mary pooh-poohed it. “I'd pick the pink princess notebook.”
“I'd pick the monster eraser with the crazy blue hair,” Sid chuckled.
“I know what I'd pick,” Song Lee said softly. “My favorite thing.” And then she didn't say what it was.
Mrs. Funderburke continued, “There will be lots of treasures to choose from in the Student Store. But,” she added, “if your name was on the cafeteria chalkboard yesterday, your sticker won't be good today.”
Sidney and Harry frowned.
Mary did another silent clap.
ZuZu raised his hand. “How are you going to decide which lunch tray gets an orange star? Will it be fair?”
Mrs. Funderburke picked up her stuff and headed for the door. “It will be very fair, ZuZu. I'm learning about a special set of numbers in a college math class I'm taking. It will give everyone a chance to win.”
When I looked back at Harry, he wasn't frowning anymore. He had a smile as big as that Cheshire Cat in
Alice in Wonderland
. Ear to ear!
Alice in Wonderland
. Ear to ear!
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