The Clue at the Zoo

For my daughter, Laurie, with love

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

A Biography of Patricia Reilly Giff

“W
HAT DO YOU
want to do today?” Dawn Bosco asked.

“I don’t know.” Jill Simon shook her head. The green plaid bows on her four braids shook too.

Dawn squinched her eyes almost shut. She peered out the screen door. “I have to find a mystery before school starts next week. Just one little—”

Dawn’s grandmother put a bowl of grapes on the table. “I know what we’re going to do today,” Noni said. She pointed to the street.

A car was stopping in front of the house.

Jill leaned forward. “Is that Arno? Arno Eliot and his mother?”

“I don’t believe it,” Dawn said. “What’s that kid doing here?”

They had met Arno and his mother at the beach two weeks ago.

Noni and Mrs. Eliot were friends now.

Too bad.

Arno had to be the worst six-year-old kid in the world.

Dawn jammed her Polka Dot Private Eye hat down over her eyes.

She and Jill made gagging noises.

“Ssh,” said Noni. “Here they come.”

Arno was hopping up the path in front of his mother.

He had a yellow knapsack over his shoulders. The straps were flying all over the place.

Arno had long skinny legs.

He had big fat knees.

He had a button that said:

I CAN SPELL . . . ALMOST.

Arno’s mother looked worn out.

Anyone would be worn out if she had to take care of Arno, Dawn thought.

“Now, listen, girls,” Noni whispered. “Don’t make a fuss. Mrs. Eliot has to work. She needs a baby-sitter for Arno.”

Dawn wiggled her nose. She made an anteater face. “I’m not going to baby-sit that—”

“Of course not,” said Noni. “I am. I’m going to watch Arno all week.” She smiled at Dawn. “And you can help.”

Arno reached the top step.

He gave the screen door a kick.

“Open up,” he yelled.

Dawn shuddered. She pushed open the door.

Behind Arno came Mrs. Eliot.

She was carrying about a hundred games and toys.

She dumped them on the floor. “Games that make you think,” she said. “Arno always wins. He likes to think.”

Dawn looked at one of the games.

She hoped she didn’t have to play with him.

She didn’t want to be beaten by a six-year-old boy.

“I like to spell too.” Arno pointed at Dawn. “B-g n-s.” He laughed. “Big nose.”

“Almost right,” said his mother. “Very good.”

Dawn wiggled her nose again. She tried to make it look smaller.

Jill was grinning.

Arno pointed at Jill. “U-t-u,” he said. “You too.”

Dawn and Jill looked at each other. “Some kid,” said Dawn.

“Bye, Arno,” said his mother. She waved her hand.

She looked glad to go.

Arno didn’t even notice she was leaving.

He was headed for the stairs.

“What’s up there?” he asked.

“My bedroom,” said Dawn. “It’s private. Keep out.”

Noni clicked her tongue at Dawn. “Let’s be n-i-c-e,” she spelled.

Arno looked back. “Let’s be nuts?” he asked.

Dawn tried not to laugh.

She and Jill followed him up the stairs.

He stopped short at Dawn’s bedroom door. “Just what I thought. Girl’s stuff. Junk.”

Dawn started to shut the door.

“Never mind,” he said. “I’ll take a look anyway.”

“Look doesn’t mean touch,” she said.

Arno got down on the floor. His head disappeared under the bed . . . and then his shoulders.

“Get out of there,” Dawn said.

He backed out again. “What’s this?” He was dragging a polka dot box.

“It’s a private eye box,” said Dawn. “It has lots of stuff to solve crime.”

Arno looked interested. He tried to open it.

“Locked,” said Dawn. “The key is around my neck.”

He held his hand out. “How about—”

“No.” Dawn shook her head. She shoved the box under the bed again.

Arno stood up. “I bet you couldn’t solve a crime.”

“I solved one two weeks ago. Remember?”

“Bet a nickel you can’t solve another one,” said Arno.

“Don’t bother.”

“I’m rich,” said Arno. “I can bet a dollar. Two dollars.”

Dawn narrowed her eyes. “If I had a mystery to solve, I’d do it.”

Arno didn’t answer. He raced downstairs again.

“Can we go to the zoo?” he asked Noni.

Noni thought for a minute. “Why not?” she said.

“Good,” said Arno. He stuck out his tongue at Dawn. “They’ll probably put you in the alligator swamp.”

Dawn gritted her teeth. “I’d like to put you in a lizard tank.”

“I think we’re ready to go,” said Noni.

“Don’t forget your private eye box,” said Jill.

“You’re right.” Dawn started for the stairs.

With Arno around, there probably would be trouble.

N
ONI PARKED IN THE
zoo lot. “Don’t forget anything,” she said.

Arno climbed out over Dawn.

His knapsack strap hit her in the nose.

“Ouch,” Dawn said. “Why don’t you close that thing?”

He crossed his eyes. “I’m going to look for alligators.” He started across the lot.

Another car pulled in.

A woman got out with a dog.

She had a rose pinned to her hair.

So did the dog.

Dawn and Jill began to laugh.

The dog growled.

The girls ran to catch up with Arno.

“Wait,” said Noni. She sank down on a bench under the trees. “My big toes are squished in these shoes. I think I’ll sit here.”

Dawn dropped her private eye box on the bench next to Noni. “Whew, that’s heavy.”

She opened it and grabbed her private eye hat. “I’ll put this on, just in case.”

“Let’s go, let’s go,” said Arno. He ran halfway up the path, then back again. “Hurry.”

Noni took a breath. “Tell you what. The three of you go together.” She took out a crossword puzzle and a pencil. “You can leave your things here, Arno.”

Arno thought about it.

He shook his head. “Someone might steal my stuff while you’re not looking. My dollars too.”

“Why don’t you stay with Noni?” Dawn said. “You can watch everything yourself.”

Noni lowered one eyebrow. She stared at Dawn.

“I guess not,” Dawn said. She raised her shoulders in the air.

She and Jill started up the path.

Arno stopped to make faces at the monkeys. Then he dashed in front of them.

The path curved ahead of them.

Arno disappeared around the curve.

“Yeow,” yelled a voice.

Dawn and Jill looked at each other. “What now?”

They raced to look.

A girl was rubbing her knee.

Two boys were sprawled on the ground. They looked like twins. Red balloons were tied to their wrists.

The woman with the rose was dashing up the path.

“Sorry.” Arno raised his shoulders in the air. “Now I need a drink,” he said.

He went back to the water fountain.

He straightened up. He looked at Dawn.

His cheeks were puffed with water.

“Don’t try it,” Dawn told him. “Don’t even think about it.”

Arno stared at her for another minute.

Then he spit the water onto a rosebush.

“Gross,” said Jill.

“Double gross,” said Dawn.

“Plants need water,” said Arno.

He danced around them, then ran ahead again.

He kept yelling something back over his shoulder . . . something about alligators.

Dawn didn’t pay attention.

She was looking for a mystery . . . looking hard.

At first everything seemed ordinary.

A green hill stretched up on one side of her. It was covered with shady trees.

On the other side was a stone house with a picture of a snake. Its tongue was darting out.

Dawn shivered a little.

She looked up the path toward the seal pool.

A seal with whiskers stared back at her.

Dawn smiled. Seals were fun.

“Hey,” said Jill. “What’s that?”

Dawn twirled around. A notebook was lying in the middle of the path.

“I don’t think it was here a minute ago,” Jill said. She bent down and picked it up.

Dawn looked over Jill’s shoulder.

On the front, in yellow, it said:

FROM A TO Z

IT’S ME

Underneath, someone had written in crayon:
R.L.

Jill ran her fingers over the cover. “What’s all this white stuff?”

She handed the book to Dawn.

Dawn could feel lumps stuck to the book. Small white lumps.

Jill opened to the first page.

There was no writing.

Just pictures . . . two of them.

“A red stop sign,” said Dawn. “And a bottle.”