The Secret of the Scarecrow (7 page)

Nancy couldn't believe her eyes. Harvey Mueller was dressed as a scarecrow!

“What are you doing up here?” George asked.

“It's my tree house!” Harvey exclaimed. “What are you doing up here?”

The girls dropped what they were holding.

“First tell us why you look just like Jake McStuffings!” Nancy demanded.

“Uh . . . I am Jake McStuffings,” Harvey blurted.

“Say what?” George asked.

“Every fall I jump off my pole,” Harvey said
in a hushed voice. “To roam the streets of—”

“Liar, liar, pants on fire!” Bess said, jumping up and down. “You are not Jake McStuffings and you know it.”

“You're just pretending to be Jake,” Nancy demanded. “Aren't you, Harvey?”

“I guess you could say that,” Harvey said.

“So that was you dancing around in Nancy's yard on Friday?” George demanded. “And hiding behind Bess's hedge yesterday?”

“I guess you could say that, too,” Harvey said sheepishly.

“No wonder you knew I had a porch,” Bess muttered.

Nancy frowned at Harvey. She planted both hands on her hips and said, “Why would you want to scare us like that?”

Harvey waved his hay-stuffed arms in the air.

“I wanted everyone to think Jake was real,” Harvey explained. “I was sick of getting laughed at for my scary stories.”

“You know what's really scary, Harvey
Mueller?” Bess said angrily. “Not knowing what happened to Autumn!”

Harvey wrinkled his nose. “What do you mean?”

“Don't act dumb, Harvey,” George said. “You were sneaking around everyone's yards all weekend. You probably sneaked away with Autumn!”

“Are you saying I stole her?” Harvey gasped.

“Well?” Bess said. “Did you?”

Harvey shook his head. “All I wanted to do was pretend to be Jake,” he insisted. “Cross my heart and hope to croak, drop an eyeball in my Coke!”

“Ew!” Bess said.

Nancy studied Harvey and almost believed him. She just had one more question. . . .

“Where were you at nine o'clock on Saturday morning?” Nancy asked.

“That's easy,” Harvey said. “I was on Main Street with my mom buying new sneakers.”

Nancy glanced down at Harvey's clean, white
sneakers. Even the laces looked new.

“If you don't believe me,” Harvey went on, “ask Mr. Allen at the Shoe Shack. He'll tell you that I was there.”

Harvey then grabbed a jar and said, “While you're here, do you want to try on some fangs? I washed the spit off just yesterday.”

“No, thank you!” Bess blurted.

“And before we leave,” Nancy said, “promise us you'll never pretend to be Jake McStuffings again.”

“No fair!” Harvey exclaimed. “What am I going to do with all these scarecrow clothes?”

“Halloween's coming,” George called as the girls climbed down the ladder. “I'm sure you'll need a costume!”

The girls walked away from the Mueller house. Nancy was certain Harvey told the truth about Autumn, but Bess still wasn't sure.

“Let's talk to Mr. Allen at the Shoe Shack,” Bess said. “If Harvey made up Jake McStuffings, he could have made up buying new sneakers too.”

“But his sneakers did look new,” Nancy said.

“Pleeeeeease?” Bess said. “Tomorrow is Monday. There isn't much time left to find Autumn!”

“Okay,” Nancy agreed. She didn't think they would find anything new. But Bess was getting frantic.

Nancy, Bess, and George walked from Harvey's house to Main Street. On the way to the Shoe Shack they stopped at Darcy's to check out the fall window. The colorful leaves were hung in place. A few pumpkins were scattered over a floor covered with hay.

“I wonder where they'll put Autumn,” George said.

“If we ever find Autumn!” Bess said sadly.

“The day isn't over yet, Bess,” Nancy said gently. “We still have time to find our scarecrow.”

As they turned away from the window Nancy glanced across the street at Hudson's Apparel. They didn't have a fancy store window like Darcy's—only suitcases and a stuffed squirrel like Leanne said.

Just then a woman and a small girl stepped out of the revolving doors. Nancy recognized the girl and her pumpkin-colored jacket.

“There's Leanne's sister, Trixie,” Nancy pointed out.

But as Nancy looked harder she recognized something
else—the big flowered hat on the little girl's head!

“You guys,” Nancy said. “Isn't that the hat Autumn wore?”

“Trixie probably got one at Darcy's Department Store,” George said. “Autumn didn't have the only one.”

“But Trixie's parents own Hudson's Apparel,” Nancy said. “If Leanne doesn't shop at Darcy's, why would Trixie?”

Then Nancy remembered something else. . . .

“Leanne was on a hayride when she's supposed to be allergic to hay,” Nancy said slowly.

“So?” George asked.

“So maybe Leanne didn't want to help make our scarecrow for a reason,” Nancy said. Her eyes flashed as she stared at her friends. “Maybe
she
had something to do with Autumn disappearing!”

“What do we do, Nancy?” Bess asked.

Nancy looked across the street. Trixie and her mom were turning the corner.

“We follow Trixie,” Nancy said urgently, “and get a better look at that hat!”

Nancy, Bess, and George tried not to let Mrs. Hudson or Trixie know they were being followed. They walked several feet behind them, ducking behind trees every time Trixie looked back.

Finally Trixie and her mom turned into the front lawn of a white house with a red roof and shutters.

“There's Leanne,” Nancy said.

She could see Leanne jumping rope in her front yard. She kept playing as her mom and sister entered the house.

“Hi, Leanne!” Bess called.

Leanne stopped as the girls walked over. She blinked with surprise before saying, “Hi.”

“We saw you on a hayride today,” Nancy said. “I guess your hay allergy must be better.”

“Um . . . k-k-kind of,” Leanne stammered.

Nancy could tell Leanne was nervous—as if she had something to hide.

“If your allergy is better,” Nancy said. “Then you'll have no trouble being around scarecrows.”

Leanne dropped her jump rope on the grass. “I don't know where Autumn is!” she said. “I didn't steal her—if that's what you're thinking.”

Nancy stared at Leanne. “I never said Autumn was missing,” she said. “Or stolen.”

“So how did you know?” George asked.

“I can't talk anymore,” Leanne said quickly. “I promised Trixie I'd help out with her tea party.”

“Is that why Trixie is wearing such a fancy hat?” Bess asked. “The same hat as Autumn's?”

“I told you, I've got to go!” Leanne insisted. She picked up her jump rope and ran straight into the house.

Nancy, Bess, and George stood staring at the house.

“How are we going to get to Leanne's room to see if Autumn is there?” George asked.

“Good question.” Nancy sighed.

“Wait,” Bess said. “Do you hear someone?”

The girls became quiet.

That's when Nancy heard someone singing “I'm a Little Teapot.”

“It's coming from behind the house!” Nancy said.

“Everything lately is behind the house,” George groaned. She waved toward the back. “Come on, let's check it out.”

Nancy, Bess, and George rounded the corner to see a garden filled with fall chrysanthemums. In the middle of the garden was a table covered with a lacy tablecloth, a vase of yellow flowers, and a toy tea set.

“It's Trixie's tea party,” Bess whispered.

Trixie sat in one of the chairs, her back to the girls. She kept singing as she poured for her
guests: a doll, a stuffed giraffe, a teddy bear, and—a scarecrow!

“It's Autumn!” Nancy gasped.

The Clue Crew marched straight to the table. When Trixie saw them she scowled. “You again?” she snapped. “Get away from my toys!”

“We don't want your toys!” George said. “Just our scarecrow.”

Trixie jumped up as George lifted Autumn out of her chair. “Let go!” Trixie shouted. “Leanne gave me the scarecrow fair and square. It's mine!”

“It's ours!” George said, holding Autumn.

Trixie grabbed Autumn's legs and began to pull. George pulled back. Soon Nancy and Bess were watching a full-blown scarecrow tug-of-war!

“Stop!” Bess cried as straw flew everywhere. “You're going to break her!”

A back door swung open. Leanne raced outside with a plate of cookies. She took one look at the tug-of-war and shouted, “Quit it, you guys. Quit it right now!”

George and Trixie dropped Autumn. Instead of picking the scarecrow up, Trixie ran crying into the house.

Leanne stared down at Autumn. “Um . . . what's a scarecrow doing in my yard?” She gulped.

“Why don't you tell us?” Bess said.

“Maybe it walked over here!” Leanne said quickly. “Just like that scarecrow Harvey was talking about.”

“Harvey admitted that Jake wasn't for real,” George said.

“Oh,” Leanne said, casting her eyes downward.

“Why did you do it, Leanne?” Nancy asked gently. “Why did you take Autumn?”

“I was afraid everyone would shop at Darcy's Department Store because of that silly window,” Leanne said. “And no one would come to my family's store anymore.”

“So you took the best part of the window—the scarecrow,” Nancy said.

“How did you know it was on my porch?” Bess asked.

“I was wheeling home a new suitcase from Hudson's Apparel,” Leanne explained. “We have tons of suitcases at home.”

“Go on!” George urged.

“I saw a scarecrow on a porch,” Leanne said. “I didn't know it was Bess's porch, but I knew it was our scarecrow from the clothes it was wearing.”