The Midnight Mystery (2 page)

The Cul-de-sac Kids were waiting at
the flagpole. “What kind of ice-cream toppings are we having?” asked Jason.

“That's not polite,” Eric piped up. “Just wait and see.”

Dunkum elbowed Eric's ribs. “Hey, relax, Eric. School's out. It's pig-out time!” He began to name off all the toppings. “Jelly beans, chocolate sprinkles, strawberry syrup . . .” He paused. “Uh, I forgot the rest.”

“Come on, try!” Jason pleaded. “Dunkum's always forgetting stuff,” Ellen said.

“It's a good thing Abby's our club president,” Dunkum said. “
She
never forgets anything.”

“And don't you forget it,” Abby agreed.

It was true. Dunkum was a good detective only because Abby and the others were his partners. She paid attention to details. So far they'd solved every mystery known to man. Well . . . at least the ones
on Blossom Hill Lane.

Dunkum waited at the curb for Honey to step into the street. Ellen gripped the harness with her left hand. “Honey, forward,” she said.

But Honey waited for two more cars. When it was safe, she led Ellen across. “Good girl,” Ellen said.

A black jeep was parked in the driveway across the street. On the back was a bumper sticker. It read
I
pets!
A bald man was holding a fluffy, gray cat.

“Hey, that's Mister Whiskers!” Dee Dee said, racing across the street.

“What's that man doing with your cat?” Dunkum asked, staring.

The man turned and frowned. “Poor thing. I found him just wandering around,” he explained. He gave Dee Dee her cat.

“That's strange,” Abby said. “I thought he stayed in the house.”

“Mister Whiskers?” The man looked at the cat in Dee Dee's arms. “What a nice name.” He stroked the kitten, but his eyes seemed very dark. At least Dunkum thought so.

“Mister Whiskers is a cool Cul-de-sac Cat,” Jason said, nodding his head.

The man turned and looked at Honey. “That's one nice dog you've got there,” he said.

“Thanks,” Ellen said. “She's my eyes.”

“I can see that,” the man said. Suddenly, he got into his car.

“Thanks for taking care of my cat,” Dee Dee called to him.

“Anytime,” the man said out his car window.

The kids raced to Dunkum's house.

Party time!

In the kitchen, a row of ice-cream toppings lined the table.

Jason was the first to be served. “Hey, look!” he said. “There's a worm in my ice cream.” He held up something green and wiggly. He waved it at Carly Hunter.

“Ee-ew!” squealed Carly as Jason dropped the green Gummi Worm into his mouth.

Dunkum and Eric ate two worms each. Just plain.

Abby, Stacy, and Carly asked for waffle cones. Dunkum's father scooped up chocolate ice cream for them. He pushed the ice cream into their cones. “Some worms for the ladies?” he asked, smiling.

“Not for me, thanks,” Stacy replied.

“How about sprinkles?” Dunkum's dad asked.

The girls nodded. “Sprinkles are fine, thanks,” Abby said.

“They're really chocolate-covered ants,
you know. Fried and dried,” Dunkum teased.

“Double dabble yuck,” Abby said, giggling. She slid in beside Ellen at the table.

Honey lay close to Ellen's feet, taking a snooze. The dog seemed at home in Dunkum's house. Ellen did, too.

Ellen's dad was out of the country with an overseas job. Dunkum didn't mind at all. It was lots of fun having Ellen and Honey visit.

Dunkum's mom dished up some ice cream for Ellen. Honey's nose twitched, and she opened one eye. “I think it's time for Honey's performance,” Dunkum said.

Eric sat across the table. He wiped off his chocolate mustache with a napkin. “Go for it.”

Ellen reached down and touched her dog's head. “Honey, let's play Lickety-split.”

Dunkum made a drum-roll on the table.

All the kids watched closely.

Honey stood up. The tips of her ears stood at attention. She kept her eyes on Ellen. Only Ellen.

“Hey, check it out. The dog obeys better than I do,” Jason said, laughing.

“Honey is real smart,” Dunkum said. “Just watch.”

THREE

Dunkum scooped up some ice cream. He put it in a cone for Ellen. “One vanilla cone coming up,” he said.

“Woof, woof!” Honey barked.

Ellen smiled. “You like this trick, don't you, girl?”

Honey barked again.

Dunkum handed the cone to Ellen. She held it in front of her and gave the command. “Honey, take two licks. But only two.”

Honey's tongue slurped the cone. Twice.

All the kids clapped.

“That's double dabble amazing!” Abby said. “Our dog would
never
do that.”

“Nope,” little Carly said. “Our dog would bite the cone right out of your hand!”

“Wait . . . there's more,” Ellen said softly.

Honey waited. Ears perked, tongue out.

Ellen gave the command. “Honey, take three licks.”

The kids counted, “1 . . . 2 . . . 3,” as Honey licked the cone.

Eric slapped his forehead. “I don't believe this!”

“I not, either,” said Shawn, Abby's Korean brother.

“Tell Honey to take twenty licks,” Jason shouted.

“She doesn't know that number,” Ellen
said. “But she knows
this
.” Ellen held up the cone again.

Honey looked up at the ice cream.

“Honey,” Ellen whispered. “Lickety-split!”

Carefully, Honey opened her mouth wide and held the cone in it. She carried the cone across the room without eating it.

Then she stood on her hind legs and tossed the cone up . . . up into the air.

Poof!

In one gulp, the ice cream—cone and all—disappeared into the dog's mouth.

The kids shouted with delight, “Do it again!”

Honey licked her chops and gave Ellen a kiss. Dunkum quickly made another cone.

And Honey did the trick again.

Soon, it was time for the Cul-de-sac Kids to go home. Dunkum followed his friends to the door.

“Thanks for the party,” Carly said. She waved while her second ice-cream cone dripped off her hand. Vanilla drops dripped all the way down the sidewalk.

“Your party was fun, Dunkum,” said Stacy. “Even the fried ants.” She made a face and giggled with Abby.

“See you tomorrow.” Dunkum waved to them.

That's when he saw something red flash in the bushes across the street!

White moonbeams cast their shadows on Blossom Hill Lane. Dunkum stared at the bushes.

Was someone in a red shirt hiding over there? Or were his eyes playing a trick on him?

FOUR

Dunkum rubbed his eyes, still watching.

I saw something
, he thought.
I just know it!

“It's bedtime,” called his mother from the house.

Dunkum didn't go back inside. Instead, he ran across the street. He searched the bushes and found some old newspapers.

Then he saw an ID bracelet. Dunkum picked it up. The letters A. H. shone in the moonlight.

A. H.? Must belong to Abby Hunter
, he thought.

Dunkum looked up the street. He could see Abby, Carly, and their adopted brothers walking with Stacy.

He shook his head. “There's no way Abby could've dropped this. Not way over here.”

He stuffed the bracelet into his pocket and headed back across the street. Looking down, he saw vanilla ice-cream globs on the sidewalk. “What a mess,” he whispered.

He remembered seeing Carly's ice-cream cone drip on the sidewalk as she left. He hurried inside to get some wet paper towels. He wanted to clean up the mess before his mother found it. And before any ants started showing up. “Mom hates ants,” he muttered.

He left the front door open and dashed into the kitchen.

Ellen was still sitting at the table, humming softly. “I'm too tired to put Honey's harness back on,” she said with a yawn.

Dunkum glanced at Honey. “Looks like she's zonked out,” he said. “Here, I'll help you upstairs.”