Marty Frye, Private Eye--The Case of the Stolen Poodle Read online

  BOOK

  TWO

  MARTY FRYE

  PRIVATE EYE

  THE CASE OF THE

  STOLEN POODLE

  & OTHER MYSTERIES

  JANET TASHJIAN

  illustrated by LAURIE KELLER

  Begin Reading

  Table of Contents

  About the Author

  Copyright Page

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  For Jake, another true poet.

  —J. T.

  To the Talented Tashjians,

  Janet and Jake

  —L. K.

  1

  THE CASE OF THE

  ANGRY NURSE

  THE CRIME

  Marty Frye was standing at the water fountain when Billy ran down the hall and almost knocked him over.

  Marty liked the new school nurse but agreed that she sometimes had quite the temper.

  Billy rolled his eyes. “Do you have to rhyme all the time? Can’t you just talk like a regular kid?”

  Of course Marty COULD talk without rhyming, but if you’re a poet detective, rhyming is part of the job.

  “I make up rhymes while I solve crimes,” Marty answered.

  “Then you better get to Nurse Laughlin’s,” Billy said. “Because she’s been robbed.”

  Marty skidded into the nurse’s office. He found Nurse Laughlin collapsed on one of the beds usually reserved for sick students. Her face was as red as the cough drops she handed out during flu season.

  “They were here yesterday but now they’re gone,” Nurse Laughlin said.

  Marty knew he had to take notes if he was going to find Nurse Laughlin’s missing equipment. He took out the spiral notebook he used to solve all his crimes.

  “I’ve been trying to keep everything clean and organized.” Nurse Laughlin pointed to the shelves, which were neat as a pin. “Why would someone want to steal tongue depressors?” She was NOT happy.

  Marty wrote down everything Nurse Laughlin said. It was time to get busy.

  SEARCHING FOR CLUES

  Nurse Laughlin took a cloth from her cabinet and ran it under the faucet. She lay down and placed the cloth on her forehead. “There are some things only a cold compress can cure,” she said.

  While Nurse Laughlin was resting, Marty took out his magnifying glass to get a closer look around the office.

  He opened the cupboard and found five boxes of bandages.

  He found squares of gauze and jars of cotton balls.

  He found lots of papers in the wastebasket.

  He found swabs and inhalers and allergy medicine—but no tongue depressors.

  When he approached Nurse Laughlin on the examining table, she jumped up with a start.

  Nurse Laughlin no longer looked angry, but tired. “I’m just trying to run a sensible office,” she said.

  “I’ve got a hunch I’ll solve this by lunch.” Nothing would make Marty happier than getting Nurse Laughlin back on her feet—with her tongue depressors.

  Nurse Laughlin gave Marty a hall pass so he could continue snooping.

  The first place Marty decided to look was the art room. He remembered making log cabins out of sticks in Ms. Paquette’s class last year. Could someone have taken Nurse Laughlin’s tongue depressors to use for an art project?

  Ms. Paquette must’ve been in another part of the building because her classroom was empty. It was the perfect time for Marty to snoop around.

  He searched through bins of crayons. He sorted through stacks of construction paper. He looked at the empty glass jars and the sinks filled with bowls of water. The tongue depressors were nowhere to be found. He left the art room without a clue.

  When his classmate Emma asked where he was going, Marty told her about the theft in the nurse’s office.

  “I have recess next,” she said. “Can I help?”

  Did Emma think she was going to be his new sidekick? But even Marty had to admit that being a detective could be a lonely job. He decided to take her up on her offer.

  Marty felt a little nervous as they headed down the hall. The clock was ticking and all he had so far were dead ends.

  THE SUSPECTS

  Marty looked outside to the playground. Several of his classmates were playing tag and climbing on the jungle gym. Didn’t Emma know better than to suggest such a crazy idea?

  “OUR work,” Emma added.

  Marty noticed Joe from another class working in the school garden. He remembered when Joe asked for volunteers during their last assembly. Emma followed Marty outside.

  Joe leaned on his shovel and pointed to several plants. “These are carrots, radishes, lettuce, and tomatoes. We’re harvesting them to make salads for school lunches.”

  While Emma admired the plants, Marty examined the handmade signs sticking out of the dirt. He asked Joe who made them.

  “I did,” Joe said proudly. “Drew the pictures myself.”

  Marty yanked one of the signs out of the ground. (The word “radish” was spelled wrong.)

  Joe grabbed the sign away from Marty.

  Just as Marty was about to ask Joe where he got the sticks, Coach Martin blew his whistle signaling recess was over. Marty tried to question Joe further but Coach Martin guided them inside. Joe raced back to class before Marty could catch up.

  “We can question Joe after class,” Emma said. “But I think we should keep looking.”

  Marty was frustrated that his lead had fizzled out. He and Emma checked in on Nurse Laughlin who was still resting. And complaining. And resting.

  “I guess it’s a big deal when your tongue depressors go missing,” Emma whispered to Marty.

  “It might be traumatic, but she’s too dramatic.” Marty suggested they try the library.

  Marty liked the librarian, Ms. Stanton. She used funny voices during Book Talks and had quotes from her favorite picture books painted on the walls. It was tempting to plop down in the story corner and grab one of his favorite books, but Marty took his detective job seriously.

  With Emma’s help, he scanned the shelves.

  “Sometimes kids put things between books to remember their place,” Emma said. “I found a few pencils but no tongue depressors.”

  But Marty had something else on his mind as he checked out Ms. Stanton’s desk. He removed several bookmarks from the wicker basket. The bookmarks were wooden sticks wrapped in colorful yarn. Ms. Stanton couldn’t be involved—or could she? Marty asked the assistant librarian where Ms. Stanton was.

  “She’s preparing for an author visit,” Mr. Malloy said. “She’ll be back soon.”

  Marty didn’t want to believe Ms. Stanton was the thief, but the evidence was overwhelming.

  Marty and Emma hurried down the hall for a quick break before questioning Ms. Stanton.

  THE SEARCH CONTINUES

  Marty peeled his orange and handed a section to Emma. They were waiting outside Joe’s classroom to ask him about the signs in the garden.
/>   “They sure looked like the missing tongue depressors to me,” Emma said. “I don’t think Nurse Laughlin’s going to be happy.”

  “I’m sure she’ll be hurt if they’re covered in dirt,” Marty agreed.

  Their friend Tammy came out of the classroom first. She called Emma over.

  Emma told Tammy she had art later in the day and couldn’t wait to make a bracelet too. Marty rolled his eyes—how could Emma be talking about jewelry at a time like this?

  When Joe came out, Marty told him that Nurse Laughlin’s tongue depressors had gone missing and that they looked exactly like Joe’s signs.

  “I bought my sticks at the craft store,” Joe said. “My sister drove me there last night.”

  Marty didn’t believe him—until Joe pulled out a crumpled receipt from his pocket. “You owe me an apology, Marty.” Joe crossed his arms and waited.

  Before Joe could accept his apology, Marty took off down the hall when he spotted Ms. Stanton. If Joe wasn’t the culprit, maybe their beloved librarian DID commit this crime.

  AHA!

  Marty and Emma waited while Ms. Stanton answered the phone. Marty wasn’t looking forward to questioning his favorite librarian.

  Because he was a good detective, Marty noticed that Emma was now wearing Tammy’s bracelet.

  “She’s letting me borrow it,” Emma said. “I can’t wait to make my own.”

  Marty examined the bracelet on Emma’s wrist. Did Ms. Paquette let the students use metal in class now? He was surprised to find the bracelet was made of something else.

  Emma gave Marty the bracelet just as Ms. Stanton hung up the phone.

  “And how can I help two of my favorite students today?” the librarian asked.

  But Marty and Emma were already halfway to the art room.

  Ms. Paquette’s class was lined up at the sink filling bowls of water. Ms. Paquette took a box out of a large bag. The box was labeled TONGUE DEPRESSORS.

  Marty turned to Emma and pointed to the stolen sticks.

  Ms. Paquette took a tongue depressor out of the box. “If you soak these sticks for a few hours, you can bend them into lots of things.” Ms. Paquette demonstrated by slipping a wet tongue depressor against the top of a jar. After a few minutes, the stick was bent into a semicircle.

  Marty asked Ms. Paquette why she hadn’t asked Nurse Laughlin for permission.

  “Our last nurse always ordered extra tongue depressors and would let me have some. Since Nurse Laughlin is new, I left a note on her desk explaining what I was using them for. I’m so sorry she was upset.”

  Marty borrowed Tammy’s bracelet and went to tell Nurse Laughlin the news.

  A JOB WELL DONE

  Nurse Laughlin wasn’t too happy her tongue depressors were now painted and bent like pretzels. “I can’t put these in students’ mouths.” She studied the bracelet more closely. “It is pretty, though, isn’t it?”

  She gave the bracelet back to Marty.

  “But I do wish the art teacher had asked first.”

  Marty rummaged through the wastebasket near Nurse Laughlin’s desk that he’d looked in earlier. He took out a sheet of paper and held it up to Nurse Laughlin.

  Nurse Laughlin read the note from Ms. Paquette asking for permission to use the tongue depressors. After that, she had to lie back down with another cold compress. “I was so busy keeping my office neat that I cleared papers off my desk before reading them.”

  Nurse Laughlin thanked Marty for solving the mystery then filled out an order for more tongue depressors. She even ordered an additional box for Ms. Paquette. On the way to return the bracelet to Tammy, Marty ran into Billy.

  All this crime solving had made Marty hungry. The next mystery was figuring out what the cafeteria was serving for lunch.

  2

  THE CASE OF THE

  STOLEN CANDY

  THE CRIME

  On the walk home from school, Marty took off his backpack and climbed his favorite tree. The giant maple had lots of thick branches. From his perch, Marty had a great view of the park, town hall, fire station, pizza parlor, candy store, and pet shop. Lots of people were gathered at the fire station, probably for a field trip.

  Marty looked down from his perch to see Mr. Hammond from the candy store.

  “My famous hot jawbreakers have been stolen! Hundreds of dollars’ worth—GONE!” Mr. Hammond said.

  Marty scrambled out of the tree. His afternoon break would have to wait.

  SEARCHING FOR CLUES

  Marty followed Mr. Hammond to the candy store. It was one of his favorite places, with rows and rows of colorful penny candy. Lollipops, gum, candy necklaces, licorice, and fudge. The store carried everything a kid with a sweet tooth could want.

  Marty took out his notebook. “I’m here to snoop—so give me the scoop.”

  Mr. Hammond nervously wrung his apron as he spoke. “Felix Dupont, the food critic from the local paper, is coming to write an article about the store—especially our super hot jawbreakers. What am I going to do? I ran to the bank and when I came back, all the jawbreakers were gone.”

  Marty popped a lemon sourball into his mouth. If he was going to solve this crime, he’d need to study the evidence.

  Marty checked the locks on both doors but neither was broken. He asked Mr. Hammond if a customer might be involved instead of a burglar.

  “The only customer I have trouble with is Jerome. He tries to sneak candy into his pockets all the time.” Mr. Hammond looked around the store. “But I never thought he’d take every last jawbreaker.”

  Marty wrote this fact into his notebook. He also continued to look around the store. Something was definitely wrong.

  Marty pointed to the tile floor. It was perfectly neat, with no sign of discarded wrappers.

  Mr. Hammond didn’t have time to answer Marty because a tall man with a beard and a tape recorder entered the store. Mr. Hammond pulled Marty aside. “It’s Felix Dupont from the town paper— and I don’t have any jawbreakers!”

  The critic introduced himself to Mr. Hammond and Marty. He asked if the photographer had arrived yet. Mr. Hammond said no and led the critic to the fudge.

  From his place behind the chocolate coins, Marty spied on Mr. Dupont.

  The food critic was also writing in a spiral notebook. But even with that in common, Marty wasn’t sure he trusted this guy. Did Mr. Dupont know more about Mr. Hammond’s store than he was letting on?

  THE SUSPECTS

  Just as Marty was about to question the food critic, a woman burst into the candy shop carrying a fancy bag. It was Nancy Bowman from the comic book store across the street. Ever since Mrs. Bowman started selling treats alongside her comic books, she and Mr. Hammond had been in a candy feud. (Marty had already made a note to question Mrs. Bowman and was disappointed that now he wouldn’t get to visit her store—and her comic books.)

  As soon as Mr. Hammond spotted his competition, he guided Mrs. Bowman out the door.

  “That’s why I’m here!” Mrs. Bowman turned right around and came back in. She introduced herself to Mr. Dupont and handed him the fancy striped bag. “My store is right across the street,” she said. “And you simply must sample these new ginger squares!”

  Marty wondered if Mrs. Bowman was offering the hot jawbreakers alongside the ginger squares in her store.

  The food critic popped one of the candies into his mouth. “Delicious! I will certainly visit your store when I’m done.”

  “This is a disaster!” Mr. Hammond whispered to Marty. “Felix is here to write about my hot jawbreakers, not her ginger squares!”

  Out of the corner of his eye, Marty spotted a kid near the yogurt-covered pretzels. It was Jerome with the bottomless appetite for goodies.

  (The only thing that made Marty happier than solving a case was using a double rhyme.)

  Jerome took a step away from the counter but still kept his eye on the treats. Mr. Hammond looked like he was in the middle of a full-blown panic attack.

 
Making sure his clients stayed calm was an important part of a detective’s job. Marty had to find a clue—and fast.

  THE SEARCH CONTINUES

  If Jerome had stolen Mr. Hammond’s jawbreakers, why did he return to the scene of the crime?

  “If you made a score, why come back for more?” Marty asked.

  “I think you should ask Mrs. Bowman— all she does is complain that everyone in town likes Mr. Hammond’s store more than hers,” Jerome continued.

  Marty was usually good at reading people. Jerome DID seem like a candy freak, but he didn’t seem like a thief. Marty decided to ask Mr. Dupont about his food critic job. Maybe Mr. Dupont needed to sample more candy than Mr. Hammond was willing to give.

  The food critic talked into his tape recorder while he interviewed Mr. Hammond. He asked how long he’d been in business (eleven years) and what his favorite candies were (mint wafers). When Mr. Dupont said the photographer should’ve been there by now, Mr. Hammond started to panic (again).

  “The only jawbreakers she’ll be able to take pictures of are empty display cases,” Mr. Hammond whispered to Marty. “Why did I have to get robbed TODAY?”