Judy Moody, Girl Detective (3 page)

Stink scratched his head. He snapped his fingers. “I bet Mouse got into your moose and ate your mice!”

“Interesting,” said Judy. “How did you know they were gummy
mice,
Stink? I said gummy
candy.
I never said gummy
mice.
”

“
Moose. Mouse. Mice.
My tongue got twisted. And I know how much you like those gummy mice. More than gummy scabs and gummy frog legs.”

“Stink, take off your shoes.”

“Huh? Why? But —”

“Just do it.”

Stink took off his sneakers.

“Aha! Just as I thought! You have two different socks on. And one of the socks you’re wearing matches this sock.” She held up the striped sock. “The Case of the One-Striped-Sock-Wearing Candy Stealer is solved. Stink Moody, what do you have to say for yourself?”

“I sure could use that lipstick now,” said Stink.

“What for?”

“For writing
SOS.
You said that when a person is in trouble, he can use the lipstick for writing
SOS.
”

The next morning, Judy went to Virginia Dare School, third grade, Class 3T, like always. She sat in the second row, like always. Mr. Todd started telling Class 3T about the day ahead, like always. Except something was different.

Mr. Todd held a paper at arm’s length and squinted at it. “We have a special guest coming to school this afternoon,” he told them.

Rocky raised his hand. “Mr. Todd,” he said, “something about you is different today.” Judy turned to look at Rocky and tapped her head as if to say,
ESP. You read my mind!

“Are you growing a beard?” Rocky asked.

“I’m afraid not,” said Mr. Todd, scratching his chin.

“You got taller?” said Jordan.

“I don’t think so,” said Mr. Todd.

“You’re growing gray hair!” said Bradley.

“You kids
are
giving me a few gray hairs,” Mr. Todd teased.

Judy looked at Mr. Todd.
Something
was different. And she would use her best Nancy Drew super-sleuth amazing detective powers to figure out the Case of the Different Mr. Todd.

Judy Moody studied him up, down, and sideways, like he was a shiny-wrapped Christmas present. Mr. Todd did not have a new tie or a new haircut or new shoes.

Mr. Todd leaned on his desk and told the class about the special guest: a policeman named Officer So-and-So and his dog So-and-So, who were coming to school that afternoon to talk about Such and Such. Mr. Todd squinted at his paper again.

That’s when it hit her. Judy’s super-amazing, mystery-solving powers figured out that Mr. Todd looked different because he was not wearing his glasses.

“Mr. Todd got contacts!” Judy called out.

“I did not get contact lenses,” said Mr. Todd, squinting at Judy.

Crumbs! Judy had thought she’d cracked the case.

“But I seem to have misplaced my glasses.”

Misplaced? Maybe. Lost? Hardly. Mr. Todd never took his glasses off. Judy looked around Class 3T. Which kid looked like a third-grade glasses stealer? Bradley? Jordan? Anya? Owen? Jessica Finch, Super-Smart Stellar Speller? Was she the Super-Secret Glasses Stealer? Jessica Finch did not even wear glasses. But maybe, just maybe, she stole some so she could look
even smarter.

Rare! A mini-mystery, on a school day, right here in Class 3T: the Mystery of the Teacher’s Missing Eyeglasses.

She, Judy Drewdy, was on the case.

During morning recess, Judy stayed inside so she could investigate. She took out her flashlight and magnifying glass and searched on desks and under chairs. She searched in cubbies and in plastic tubbies. She searched behind the computer and the fish tank and the class guinea-pig cages.

All Detective Judy found were a sheet of wizard stickers (Rocky’s), a glue stick (Frank’s), and a pink-pig paper clip that could only belong to one person — Jessica Finch, Pig Lover. Judy put the stickers in Rocky’s folder, the glue stick in Frank’s desk, and the piggy paper clip on —

Wait just a Nancy Drew minute!
Eagle Eye Moody spotted a clue on Jessica Finch’s desk. Right on top of the spelling homework was Jessica’s pink-piggy lunch tote. Peeking out from an unzipped corner was what looked like one stolen pair of grown-up teacher glasses.

Judy unzipped the lunch box the rest of the way. She got out her magnifying glass and turned on her flashlight.

Well, lookee here. Scoo-bee-doo! Mr. Todd’s missing glasses!

She, Judy Drewdy, had solved the crime, just like Nancy Drew. She would save the day
and
give the gift of sight back to Mr. Todd.

Just then, Jessica Finch came back into the classroom. “Hey! What are you doing with my lunch box?” she asked.

“Nothing,” said Judy, hiding the glasses behind her back.

“Mr. Todd!” Jessica tattled. “I think Judy Moody is stealing my lunch. She’s trying to take my pink chocolate cupcake!”

All eyes were on Judy Moody, Lunch Stealer, as the other third-graders filed back in. Fudge-a-roni! “I’m not the stealer. You are,” said Judy.

“Oh, yeah? Then let’s see what’s behind your back.”

“Girls? What seems to be the problem?” Mr. Todd asked. “Judy, do you have something you’d like to show us?” Judy Moody brought her hands out from behind her back. They were not holding a pink chocolate cupcake. They were holding . . . Mr. Todd’s glasses.

“Uh!” the whole class gasped.

“
I
didn’t steal them! Honest!” said Judy. “I found them in Jessica Finch’s lunch box.
She
stole them. And I know why — so you wouldn’t be able to
see
that she didn’t finish writing her spelling words five times.”

“I did, too!” Jessica flipped her paper over to show the words on the back.

“Nobody stole anything,” said Mr. Todd. “Jessica was showing me all the clever compartments inside her new lunch box this morning. I must have taken off my glasses to get a closer look.”

“And they ended up inside my lunch box!” said Jessica.

“Judy, you know better than to get into someone else’s personal things.”

“But I was on a case! And I did find your glasses.”

“That’s no excuse. You wouldn’t like Jessica going through your lunch box, would you? You need to apologize.”

“Sorry,” Judy mumbled. She, Judy Moody, was in a mood. A why-do-I-always-get-in-trouble mood.

“Okay, show’s over. Take your seats. Mystery solved.” Mr. Todd put his glasses back on. “Except for the mystery of why I can’t see through my glasses.”

Jessica Finch pointed and laughed. “Pink icing! From my cupcake.”

Mr. Todd swiped off the icing and licked his finger. He raised his eyebrows. He rubbed his glasses with a hankie. “Good as new,” said Mr. Todd.

Judy Moody, Frank, and Rocky sat in the second-to-front row, waiting for the all-school assembly to start.

“Why did you bring your backpack?” asked Frank.

“It’s not my backpack. It’s my detective kit,” Judy told her friends. “You never know when a mystery might pop up, just needing to be solved.”

“In the multipurpose room?” asked Rocky. Judy frowned.

“I can’t wait to meet Officer Mr. Chips,” said Frank.

“That’s a funny name,” said Judy.

“Not if you’re a dog,” Frank said, laughing.

“A police dog is coming here? To school?” Judy asked.

“Earth to Judy. Come in, Judy. Didn’t you listen to anything Mr. Todd told us this morning?” Rocky asked.

“Sorry,” said Judy. “I was on a case.”

“It’s a police puppy,” said Frank.

“Girls and boys,” the principal announced, “as you know, October is Crime Prevention Month. We are very pleased to have with us today two crime fighters: Officer Kopp and his partner, Mr. Chips.”

A policeman in a dark blue uniform with patches on his sleeves came onstage. He was leading a brown puppy on a leash. The puppy had blue eyes, floppy ears, and a shiny, wet nose. He was all legs, with huge puppy paws.

“Aw! So cute!” kids from the audience said all at once.

“I’m Officer Kopp, and this is Mr. Chips,” said the policeman. “Mr. Chips is a chocolate Lab. Labs are smart, friendly, dependable, and good-natured. He likes to run, fetch, and play ball. And he really likes kids.”

Officer Kopp showed the kids how Mr. Chips could chase after a ball and bring it back. Next, Mr. Chips carried an egg in his mouth all the way across the stage without breaking it! The crowd went wild.