Read Horrible Harry Cracks the Code Online
Authors: Suzy Kline
Horrible Harry Cracks the Code (5 page)
I couldn't. But if Harry could, that was a good thing. “All right!” I said, slapping him five.
Harry immediately tapped his tray with his spork. It didn't make a very loud noise, but he got the attention of kids close by. “I know who is going to get the lucky lunch tray tomorrow!” he announced.
“That's impossible!” Mary groaned.
“Not for the world's second-best detective,” Harry replied.
“Who's the best detective?” Sid asked. “I forgot.”
“
Sherlock Holmes!
” we replied.
Sherlock Holmes!
” we replied.
“So,” Mary said, “who does the world's second-best detective say the lucky lunch tray winner is tomorrow? Hmmm?”
Harry flashed a toothy smile. He liked his title.
“I don't have my detective hat on right now, Mare, so I can't tell you. But tomorrow when I come to school, I can.”
Mary rolled her eyes.
I secretly crossed my fingers under the table.
The World's Second-Best Detective?
T
he next morning while we waited for Harry to come to school, we gathered around Song Lee. She was showing us what she got at the Student Store with her gold coin.
he next morning while we waited for Harry to come to school, we gathered around Song Lee. She was showing us what she got at the Student Store with her gold coin.
“Oooh!” Ida said. “A pen with a peacock feather at the end!”
“Show us how it works!” Mary said. “Please!”
Song Lee wrote seven words in her notebook: I got a pretty rainbow pen today.
Each time she wrote a new word, she flicked the side of her pen and a new color of ink appeared.
“Look!” ZuZu said. “The words are in red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. All seven colors of the rainbow!”
“Oooooh!” Mary and Ida said.
“I hope my horseshoe charm bracelet brings me luck today,” Mary said, making it rattle. “I want the next gold coin! I want to get a rainbow pen too!”
When I looked up at the clock, there was one minute to the bell. “Where's Harry?” I asked.
“I'll bet he doesn't show up!” Mary moaned. “He doesn't know who is going to get the lucky lunch tray today.”
“You're right, Mare!” a voice sang out from the hall.
“It's Harry!” everyone said. He was wearing his detective hat.
Mary beamed. She loved being right.
“Well, actually, Mare,” Harry continued, “you're half right. I don't know
who
will get the lucky lunch tray. But,” he said, tapping his pocket, “I do know
where
a person has to stand in line to get it!”
who
will get the lucky lunch tray. But,” he said, tapping his pocket, “I do know
where
a person has to stand in line to get it!”
We watched Harry reach into his pocket. “After a lot of investigating, I found out Mrs. Funderburke is using the Fibonacci sequence. That's her special set of numbers.”
“Fib-bone-not-shee?” Sidney repeated.
“Yup!” Harry replied. “He's the guy who discovered the code!”
“You know the lucky place where someone has to stand today?” ZuZu asked.
“I sure do!” Harry said, holding up a folded piece of paper. “Got it written down!”
“Then tell us now!” Mary demanded.
“Can't,” Harry said, tucking his paper back into his pocket. “It would spoil the surprise.”
“When will you tell us?” ZuZu asked.
“When everyone's in the lunch line,” Harry said. “Just before we step into the kitchen.”
“Awww,” we groaned.
“Hey, I just solved a tough case with only two clues. You have to be patient for my solution,” Harry said, hanging up his detective hat.
Mary folded her arms. “I bet I know which place it will be in line!” she said with a grin.
“We'll see!” Harry said, walking to his seat.
I was sure glad we did something fun in class that morning, because the minutes were ticking away like hours! We couldn't wait to find out the second winner!
Miss Mackle set up a science demonstration. “Boys and girls,” she said, “I hope this experiment shows how important our sense of smell is when we taste something.”
We watched the teacher as she stood behind a table with newspaper on it. “What do I have in this hand?”
“An apple,” we said.
“And in this hand?”
“A potato,” we replied.
“I will now peel each one,” she said, reaching for a potato peeler.
We watched the red skin from the apple and the brown spotted skin from the potato fall to the table. When she finished, she asked a question. “Can you tell them apart?”
“No,” we answered.
Miss Mackle set the apple on a paper plate and chopped it into small chunks. On another paper plate she did the same thing to the potato.
“Let's start with the first person in row one,” she said.
Ida popped out of her seat.
Miss Mackle put a blindfold over her eyes to make sure she couldn't see what was on each plate. “Now, hold your nose, Ida,” she said.
“I will,” Ida replied. Her voice sounded nasal.
Everyone leaned forward in their chair.
“Taste this,” the teacher said, giving her one small sample.
Ida held her nose and took a bite.
“Is it apple or potato?” Miss Mackle asked.
Ida shrugged. “I don't know. It just tastes crunchy.”
“Taste it now without holding your nose,” the teacher said.
Ida took her fingers away and tasted the sample. “It's an apple!”
“We need our schnozz to taste stuff ?” Harry blurted out.
“We sure do!” Miss Mackle replied. “Our sense of taste depends on our sense of smell. Next!”
By the time everyone got a turn, it was almost lunchtime.
We couldn't wait!
As soon as the bell rang, we lined up and hurried down to the cafeteria. Harry had his detective hat on.
“So who is in the lucky place, Harry?” ZuZu asked.
Mary answered before he could say one word.
“It has to be the sixth place because that's where Harry is standing!” Mary snapped. “If he knows what place in line is going to get the lucky lunch tray, he'll be standing in that place. Harry wants that light-up Wiffle Ball from the Student Store!”
“That's true,” Harry said. “I do want that Wiffle Ball, but I'm not standing in the lucky place.” Harry took out a piece of paper from his pocket and read it. “The eighth person is!” he announced.
We turned around and quickly counted.
“
Sidney!
” everyone replied.
Sidney!
” everyone replied.
Sidney was clapping his hands and jumping up and down.
“Save your energy,” Mary said. “Harry botched up his last case, remember?”
Sid stopped jumping and made a face.
One by one, Mrs. Funderburke handed us our blue lunch tray with a milk carton on it. A few people asked for juice instead. One by one, the cafeteria aides added a large square of pizza, a bag of carrot sticks, a plastic container of applesauce, a big chocolate chip cookie, and a packet with a spork and napkin.
When we got to our lunch table, I checked under my milk carton. The orange sticker wasn't there.
“Boo again!” Mary said. “I don't have it!”
“Me either,” Ida said.
Mary lifted up Harry's milk carton. “He doesn't have it!”
“
I do!
” Sidney said, ripping it off his lunch tray. He held the orange star sticker high in his hand. “I'm getting a gold coin!”
I do!
” Sidney said, ripping it off his lunch tray. He held the orange star sticker high in his hand. “I'm getting a gold coin!”
“Well,” Harry cooed. “Like I said, Sidney was the eighth person in line. What do you have to say, Mare?”
Mary slowly sank down in her chair. In a very soft voice she said, “You got it right this time.”
We all clapped for Harry.
Harry took a bite of pizza and leaned back in his chair. He was feeling good!
“So, how come you didn't stand in the eighth place in line, Harry?” I whispered. “You could have gotten that gold coin.”
“'Cause solving a tough case is the best prize of all,” Harry said. “Cracking a code beats getting a light-up Wiffle Ball.”
I nodded.
Harry wasn't just a real detective. He was a real winner.
A real winner doesn't need a prize.
Epilogue
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