The Mystery of Case D. Luc (2 page)

But then he remembered the girls.
They had made fun of his fantastic basketball.
Rats!
thought Dunkum.
Who needs them
.

Later, at bedtime, Dunkum read his Sunday school lesson. The verses were in Matthew 6. “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth . . . where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven. . . .”

Dunkum went to his dresser and reached for his basketball. “Maybe it's okay to store up just
one
treasure on earth,” he whispered.

Then he carried the ball to bed and pushed it down between the sheets. Dunkum crawled into bed beside it.

In the darkness, he thought about Abby and Carly Hunter. And Stacy Henry. How dare they call his basketball
silly
?

Reaching over, Dunkum felt the hard, round surface next to him. No thief was going to steal
his
treasure! Soon he fell
asleep with his arm around the giant lump.

Dunkum kicked the covers off. It was Sunday morning. His basketball was still in bed with him. The Cul-de-sac Kids would die laughing, but he didn't care.

He showered and dressed for church. Then he hurried to the kitchen. “Mm-m, eggs smell good,” he told his mother.

His dad passed the salt for the scrambled eggs. Then he held up the crossword puzzle in the paper. “Can you solve this?” his dad asked.

“Looks tough,” Dunkum said, studying it.

“Not for your dad,” his mother said.

Dunkum nodded. It was true, his dad could solve anything. Especially word puzzles.

Before Dunkum ate a single bite, he prayed. He wished his parents would pray
with him. He wished they would go to church, too. Sometimes it was lonely being a Christian.

Not long ago, Abby Hunter and her family were the only ones on Blossom Hill Lane who attended church. Now all the Cul-de-sac Kids were going. God's love was catching. And Abby's van was getting crowded with kids—including Dunkum.

After brushing his teeth, Dunkum dashed upstairs to get his Sunday school lesson and Bible. The memory verse was easy.
Let's see
, thought Dunkum.
There was a treasure on earth and a thief stole it. And there was a heavenly treasure and no thief could snatch it!

Before he left for church, Dunkum hid his basketball in the closet. He closed the door. Now his treasure would be safe. As safe as the heavenly treasure in the Bible.

THREE

Dunkum hurried to Abby's house. The Cul-de-sac Kids piled into the van. All but Dee Dee Winters.

“Where's Dee Dee?” Dunkum asked.

“Her cat is sick,” Carly replied.

“That's strange. I saw her cat outside yesterday,” Dunkum said.

“Maybe Mister Whiskers ate one of Dee Dee's cookies,” Jason teased.

Carly stuck up for her friend. “Dee Dee's cookies are the best in the world!”

“Seat belts, everyone,” Abby's father
said before starting the van.

After church, Abby's van pulled back into their driveway. She grabbed Dunkum's arm as they climbed out of the van. “We're having a club meeting. Right now! Before you start practicing your shots again.”

“Make it quick,” Dunkum said. His thoughts were on his new basketball.

Abby called the rest of the kids. They gathered in a circle on her porch. “Next Friday is April Fool's Day. I'm having a party after school,” she said. “For all the Cul-de-sac Kids.”

“Where?” Stacy asked.

“Let's have it outside,” Eric suggested.

“At the end of the cul-de-sac,” Carly said.

“Yes!” said Shawn, Abby's adopted Korean brother. “Beside big oak tree.”

Jason Birchall danced a jig. “What's to eat?”

Abby's eyes twinkled. She pulled a list out of her Sunday purse. “Here's the menu. Remember, it's an April Fool's Day party.” She began to read. “First we'll have ants on a log.”

“Ants?” squealed Carly. “I'm not eating ants!”

“Next is silly dillies,” said Abby, laughing.

“I know what
that
is,” Jason said.

“Don't tell.” Abby continued, “Number three is garden popsicles.”

“Mm-m,” said Eric. “Sounds good.”

Stacy held her hands over her ears. “Don't tell me, I want to be surprised.”

“Next,” said Abby. “We'll have jitter blocks.”

Carly giggled. “Must be something wiggly.”

“Last of all, we'll have sweet hearts,” Abby said.

Dunkum frowned. “I thought it was an April Fool's Day party, not a Valentine party.”

“Who cares,” said Jason. “Sweets are good any day.”

“You better stay away from them,” said Dunkum. “Remember Valentine's Day, when you pigged out on chocolates?”

Jason groaned and held his stomach. He remembered.

“Hey, Abby, what are jitter blocks?” Dunkum asked.

Abby smiled. “April Fool's Day food, that's what.”

Jason and Eric poked each other, laughing.

Jimmy Hunter, Abby's little Korean brother, tugged on the list. “I not like that American food.”

Abby hugged him. “It's just for fun,” she said. “You'll see.”

Stacy grinned. “What will we do at the party besides eat strange food?”

Dunkum had an idea. “We could play basketball.”

The kids groaned.

“Not
that
again!” Carly shouted.

“Then I'm not coming,” Dunkum said. And he leaped off the porch and headed home.

FOUR

Dunkum's friends called to him, but he kept running. He was sick of planning parties. He was dying to practice basketball.

As he turned toward his house, he heard Dee Dee Winters calling. She lived across the street.

Dunkum spun around. “What do you want?” he grumbled.

“Come over here,” she called from her front door.

Dunkum stomped across the street.

Dee Dee was holding her sick cat. “Did you get me a Sunday school paper?”

“I'm not in your class,” Dunkum replied.

“Well,
I
got one for you when
you
were sick. That's what friends are supposed to do.” Then she asked, “What was your memory verse today?”

“It was two verses, Matthew 6:19 and 20,” Dunkum said. “Read it for yourself.”

“I already did,” Dee Dee answered.

Dunkum shook his head. “Then why did you ask me?”

She grinned. “Just checking.”

Dee Dee's as sick as her cat
, thought Dunkum. He stormed down the steps and dashed across the street.
Ka-bang!
Dunkum slammed his front door.

Upstairs, he ran to his room and threw open the closet door. He reached for his basketball. It was gone!

Dunkum searched the back of the
closet. He looked behind his overnight bag.

“Mom! Dad!” Dunkum called. He ran downstairs, darting in and out of the kitchen. He checked the family room. The house was empty.

Then he remembered. The front door was
unlocked
when he came in. “That's it! A thief walked right into my house and stole my basketball!”

Dunkum didn't bother to check if anything else was missing. He could think of only one thing—his basketball.

Running back upstairs, Dunkum searched everywhere. He looked under his bed. Nothing.

He looked in the hamper. Nope.

He even looked behind the shower curtain. But his ball was nowhere to be found.

Dunkum fell on his bed. The lump in his throat grew and grew. He could hardly swallow. When he did, tears filled his
eyes. But he squeezed his eyes shut and wiped the tears away.

He got up and marched downstairs, wondering where his parents were. Looking on the counter, Dunkum spotted a note.

Dear Dunkum
,

We'll be back in a jiffy. We went to get fried chicken. I hope you're hungry!

Love ya,
Mom

P.S. I left the front door open. I guess you figured that out.

Dunkum put the note back on the counter. He stared out the kitchen window. “The thief might still be out there,” he whispered.

He almost wished that rotten thief was lurking nearby. Dunkum would sneak up behind him. And grab his basketball right back!