“The boys — I knew it!” George interrupted. “Come on, Bess. Before she throws Squirmy Wormies in our hair.”
“I wouldn't!” Nancy gasped as her friends walked away. “Never!”
“Uh-oh,” said Kyle Leddington from her class. “Here comes Mrs. Reynolds.”
“And trouble,” Peter DeSands said.
“What a mess,” Mrs. Reynolds said. She looked at the dirt and shook her head.
“It was an accident, Mrs. Reynolds,” Nancy explained.
“Was this for a flower you were going to plant, Nancy?” Mrs. Reynolds asked.
Nancy opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.
“All right, then,” Mrs. Reynolds said. “Go to Mr. Ingstrom's office and tell him about this, please.”
“Yes, Mrs. Reynolds,” Nancy said.
She was glad her teacher was sending her to the custodian's office and not to the principal's.
Nancy hurried down the hallway. When she reached Mr. Ingstrom's office she found the door shut. She was about to knock when she heard the custodian talking to someone.
“So, Enid,” Mr. Ingstrom was saying. “What's this about a big surprise?”
Nancy knew that Enid was Mrs. Carmichael's first name.
“Oh, it will be a surprise, Bob,” Mrs. Carmichael answered. “When everyone sees that dinosaur they're going to flip!”
Nancy gasped.
Dinosaur? Did she just say “dinosaur”?
6
Dino-Saw
What dinosaur? Nancy thought. And how can that be? Dinosaurs are extinct!
Nancy jumped as the door flew open.
“Nancy!” Mrs. Carmichael said. She walked out of the office and smiled. “What a nice surprise.”
“Hi, Mrs Carmichael,” Nancy said in a squeaky voice. She wanted to ask her about the dinosaur, but it wasn't polite to snoop. “B-b-bye, Mrs. Carmichael.”
After apologizing to Mr. Ingstrom about the dirt, Nancy hurried back to her class room. On the way she stopped to open her detective notebook.
In the Dinosaur column she wrote “Mrs. Carmichael's Surprise.”
Maybe Mrs. Carmichael didn't say dinosaur, Nancy thought as she stared at the page. Maybe she said . . . cole slaw.
Nancy studied the two columns and sighed. Now there were no clues in the Not a Dinosaur column. Zero! Zip!
Who cares? Nancy thought. All I want to do is solve this case. And most of all — get my best friends back.
Nancy stopped at her cubby to take out a pencil. But when she reached inside she found a note. It was on blue stationery with white designs and was folded into a neat square.
Nancy opened the note. Inside it read, “Don't go where you don't belong!”
Nancy stared at the angry words. The note was written on a computer, but she had a pretty good idea who had left it.
Bess and George, Nancy thought. They're telling me not to hang around the boys anymore.
Nancy felt a lump in her throat. She slipped the note in her pocket.
And they're probably right!
During recess Nancy got permission to go to the school library. There she looked at more pictures of dinosaur teeth. She was almost sure that the object Chip had dug up was a real dinosaur tooth.
“Next stop, River Heights Museum,” Nancy whispered to herself.
When school was over Nancy ran straight home for the tooth. Then Hannah drove her to the River Heights Museum.
“If it's a real dinosaur tooth, you'll be rich, Nancy,” Hannah told Nancy in the car.
“How come?” Nancy asked.
Hannah nodded to the dinosaur tooth in Nancy's lap. “Can you imagine how much the tooth fairy will leave for that?”
Nancy giggled as Hannah parked the car. They stepped out and walked through the glass doors of the museum.
“I'm going to find someone who I can show this tooth to, Hannah,” Nancy said.
“Okay,” Hannah said. “Meet me at the butterfly exhibit in twenty minutes.”
Nancy checked her watch. After saying goodbye to Hannah she saw a man with dark hair and a mustache. He wore a museum badge on his blue jacket.
“Sir?” Nancy asked. “I think I found a dinosaur fossil. Who can I show it to?”
“That would be me,” the man answered. “I'm Dr. Jacobs, the museum's paleontologist”
“Pay-lee-what?” Nancy asked.
“Pa-le-on-tol-o-gist,” Dr. Jacobs repeated. “A person who studies dinosaurs.”
“That's a big word!” Nancy said.
“So were dinosaurs.” Dr. Jacobs shrugged. “Now, what can I do for you?”
Nancy held up the dinosaur tooth. “My dog found this in our yard. I thought it looked like a dinosaur tooth.”
Dr. Jacobs put on a pair of glasses. He took the tooth from Nancy and turned it over in his hand. “Oh, yes,” he said “It definitely is a dinosaur tooth.”
“Yes!” Nancy cheered.
Dr. Jacobs handed Nancy the tooth.
“And there are plenty more where that came from,” he added.
Nancy's mouth dropped open. “More?” she asked. “In . . . my yard?”
“In our gift shop,” Dr. Jacobs corrected. “Follow me”
Gift shop? Now Nancy was totally confused. She followed Dr. Jacobs through the lobby and into the museum gift shop.
“You see?” Dr. Jacobs said. He waved his hand over a row of shelves. “These casts are our best sellers. Aside from the dinosaur egg pencil sharpeners.”
Nancy stared at the objects on the shelves. Each one looked exactly like the tooth she'd found in her yard.
“The casts were made by pouring plaster of paris over real dinosaur teeth,” Dr. Jacobs went on. “The real teeth are in a museum in New York City.”
“Oh,” Nancy said quietly. It was hard to hide her disappointment.
“Any other questions?” Dr. Jacobs asked.
Nancy really wanted to ask Dr. Jacobs about the footprint in the schoolyard, but she knew she couldn't.
“No, Dr. Jacobs,” Nancy said “But thanks for your help.”
As Dr. Jacobs left, Nancy was still confused. Even if the tooth was just a cast — how did it get into her backyard?
Nancy glanced around the colorful gift shop. It was filled with lots of dinosaur things — pencils with dinosaur erasers, rubber dinosaur slippers, even dinosaur earrings.
A salesgirl smiled at Nancy from behind the counter. “If you like dinosaurs,” she said “then check out this dinosaur stationery.”
The salesgirl handed Nancy a clear box filled with blue paper. Then she left to help another customer.
Nancy studied the blue stationery with the white shapes. She thought the shapes were clouds until she looked closer. They were all kinds of dinosaurs.
This paper looks familiar, Nancy thought. Where have I seen it before?
Suddenly Nancy remembered the note in her cubby. She pulled it out of her pocket and compared it to the stationery.
It was exactly the same!
That's funny, Nancy thought.
Bess's stationery is pink with yellow butterflies. And George's stationery has a soccer ball design. Neither one owns dinosaur stationery.
Nancy stared at the note.
Unless Bess and George didn't write the note, she thought.
But then, who did?
“So, is it area! dinosaur tooth, Nancy?” Hannah asked as they drove home.
“No.” Nancy looked down at the tooth in her lap. “Just a cast of one.”
“Oh, well,” Hannah joked. “At least you won't have to brush it twice a day.”
“Cute, Hannah.” Nancy smiled.
When they reached the house Nancy stayed outside. She wanted to find George's soccer ball once and for all.
“Now, where did George last kick it?” Nancy asked Chip as she searched the yard.
All of a sudden something strange caught Nancy's eye.
In the ground was a footprint. A giant footprint with three pointy to
es!
Nancy stared at the footprint. Then she glanced around. There were many weird footprints — all over the ground!
“Dinosaurs!” Nancy gasped. “In my own front yard!”
7
Three Toes — Who Goes?
Nancy tried to stay calm. She compared the footprints on the ground to the drawing in her notebook.
“Wide feet, pointy toes,” Nancy said to herself. “A definite match!”
All of the footprints seemed to lead around the house to the Drews' backyard.
Nancy took a deep breath as she slipped her notebook into her pocket.
“Come on, Chip,” Nancy said in a hushed voice. “Let's follow those footprints.”
Very quietly Nancy and Chip walked around to the backyard. The trails fanned out in different directions.
Nancy's eyes followed one trail. Then she froze. Sticking out from behind a tree was a giant green foot — with pointy purple toenails!
She stepped back. She was about to call for her dad when Chip dashed toward the tree.
“Chip!” Nancy shouted. “Come back!”
Chip stood at the tree and growled.
“Go awaaaaay!” yelled a voice from behind the tree. “Beat it! Scram!”
A talking dinosaur? Nancy thought.
Her mouth dropped open as Sylvie Arroyo stumbled out. On her feet were the dinosaur slippers from the gift shop.
“Woof! Woof!” Chip barked. She began nibbling on Sylvie's slippers.
“Help meeee!” Sylvie yelled.
Nancy watched as six more heads popped out from behind bushes and trees.
“The Dino Squad!” Nancy gasped.
The kids ran to help Sylvie. They were all wearing green dinosaur slippers.
“What are you doing here?” Nancy demanded as she tugged Chip away.
Marty pointed to his foot. “What does it look like we're doing?” he asked. “We're making tracks.”
“Tracks?” Nancy asked. “Why?”
A younger girl shrugged. “Because Sylvie told us to,” she said.
The yard was so quiet you could hear a leaf drop. Everyone stared at Sylvie.
“Okay, it was my idea,” Sylvie told Nancy. “I thought that if we planted enough fake fossils and footprints, you'd be too busy to look for a real dinosaur.”
“And we want to be the first kids to find area! dinosaur fossil,” the boy named Jared explained.
Just like Jason, David, and Mike, Nancy thought with a sigh.
“What difference does it make who finds a dinosaur fossil as long as it's found?” Nancy asked. “Then everyone can study it. And learn from it, too.”
Everyone was silent.
A girl wearing glasses turned to Sylvie. “She's right, you know.”
“Yeah,” a boy with a baseball cap said. “We've been trying so hard to find a fossil that dinosaurs aren't fun anymore.”
“I want to make more macaroni dinosaurs!” the younger girl cried.
“Okay, okay,” Sylvie said, waving her arms. “You win. Less work. More fun.”
Nancy planted her hands on her hips. “Does this mean you won't leave any more fake fossils in my yard?” she asked.
“Nah,” Marty said. “We ran out of stuff from the museum gift shop anyway.”
The gift shop! Nancy thought of the note and the dinosaur stationery.
“Sylvie?” Nancy asked. “Did you also leave a note in my cubby, telling me I shouldn't go where I don't belong?”
The curly-haired girl raised her hand. “I did,” she said. “Sorry.”
Nancy should have been mad but instead she was glad. The angry note wasn't from Bess and George!
“Hey, Dino Squad,” Sylvie announced. “There's a new flavor at the Double Dip. It's called Flaky Fossil Crunch.”
“Now, that sounds like fun,” Marty declared. “Let's go for it!”
The dinosaur feet made thumping sounds as the kids ran from the yard.
“Well, that explains who left the phony tooth and the note,” Nancy said to Chip. “But it still doesn't explain the weird footprint behind the school.”
Nancy's job was far from over. And the next day was Friday. If she didn't prove anything by then, the boys' deal would be off!
She wished she could tell Bess and George about the footprint, but a promise was a promise — even with the boys!
Nancy walked around to the front yard. She found George's soccer ball under a bush.
Nancy was about to pick up the ball when she got an idea.
“Hmmm,” Nancy said. “Maybe I don't have to show Bess and George the footprint behind the school. Maybe they can find it themselves!”
“Bess! George!” Nancy called the next morning. She ran through the schoolyard with George's soccer ball under her arm.
“My soccer ball,” George said. “You finally brought it in.”
“Want to practice kicking in back of the school?” Nancy asked.
“Why don't you ask the boys?” Bess said with a smirk.
“Because you're my best friends, not them,” Nancy said. “Come on”
Bess and George followed Nancy behind the school.
“I'll kick the ball over to you,” Nancy told George. She placed the ball on the ground. But instead of kicking it to George she kicked it toward the bushes. It flew past George and rolled right under the bush covering the strange footprint.
Perfect! Nancy thought.
“Hel-lo?” George called, waving her hands. “I'm over here!”
Nancy pretended to be embarrassed. “Whoops!” she said.
“I'll get the ball,” Bess called She ran over to the bush and brushed it aside.
Nancy held her breath. She began to count to herself. One. Two. Three —
“Look what I found!” Bess cried.
All systems go! Nancy cheered to herself. She and George ran over to Bess. They kneeled down beside her.
“Check out that crazy footprint in the rock.” George whistled. “You don't see that everyday!”
“What kind of a footprint is that?” Bess asked. She looked nervous.
“I don't know.” Nancy shrugged. “Maybe a bear's. Or . . . a dinosaur's?”
“Dinosaur?” Bess cried. She jumped up and accidentally kicked the soccer ball. It rolled deeper under the bush.
“It's okay. I'll get it,” Nancy said. She brushed aside the bush and saw something she hadn't seen before. It was a name scratched into the rock.
The name was Enid.
“That's weird,” Nancy said slowly. “That wasn't here before.”
“How do you know?” George asked. “And who's Enid?”
“The only Enid I know is Mrs. Carmichael,” Nancy said. Then her eyes lit up. Mrs. Carmichael had spoken about a dinosaur yesterday. Maybe she knew something about the footprint.
“Bess, George,” Nancy said. “We have to go to the lunchroom right now. We have to speak to Mrs. Carmichael.”
“But it's Friday,” George said. “The reunion breakfast is going on. And Mrs. Carmichael is in charge.”
“I know,” Nancy said. “But this is important.”
Bess tilted her head. “Do you know something we don't know, Nancy?”
“Yes,” Nancy said. “And I'll explain everything. Soon!”
The girls got permission to visit Mrs. Carmichael. They hurried through the hallway past the murals and trophy cases.
The smell of breakfast filled the air as they neared the lunchroom.
“Pancakes and maple syrup!” Bess cried. “If we ask, maybe Mrs. Carmichael will give us some.”
Bess started to run toward the lunchroom. She froze near the door.
“Bess?” Nancy asked. “What's wrong?”
Bess's hand shook as she pointed. “N-N-Nancy!” she stammered. “Look!”
Nancy looked to see where Bess was pointing. Then she froze, too.
Sticking out of the lunchroom door was a long green tail with yellow spikes.
A dinosaur tail!
&nb
sp; 8
Mrs. Carmichael's Surprise
A dinosaur!” Nancy gasped.
The girls clutched one another and stepped back.
“W-w-what's a dinosaur doing in our lunchroom?” Bess asked.
“Maybe he likes pancakes,” George said.
The tail wiggled. The girls screamed and ran down the hall.
“Hey, now!” a voice called out. “No running in the hall!”
Nancy stopped. She turned around slowly and gasped. Standing in front of the lunchroom was Mrs. Car michael wearing a big green dinosaur suit.
“Mrs. Carmichael?” George asked. “Is that you?”
“What's the matter?” Mrs. Carmichael joked. “Don't you recognize me without my hairnet? Ha-ha-haaaa!”
Nancy blinked hard. Mrs. Carmichael's head was covered with a green hood. There was a hole cut out in the front for her face. Her body was big, green, and bulky. In her clawlike hands was a red yearbook.
As Mrs. Carmichael walked over, Nancy noticed something else — her big dinosaur feet had three pointy toes.
Just like the footprint behind the school! Nancy thought excitedly.
“Is that your new uniform, Mrs. Carmichael?” Bess asked with a gulp.
“This used to be my mascot costume when I was a sixth grader here at Carl Sandburg,” Mrs. Carmichael explained. “I wore it just for the reunion today.”
“This school had a mascot?” George asked excitedly. “What sport?”
“Basketball,” Mrs. Carmichael said. “The sixth-grade Crocodiles used to play the fifth-grade Kangaroos. I thought the Crocs could use some spirit, so I looked all over town for a crocodile suit.”
“Did you find one?” Bess asked.
Mrs. Carmichael shook her head. “The closest thing to a crocodile was this dinosaur suit,” she said “So I became Doogie the Dinosaur — school mascot.”
“How come it still fits you?” Bess asked. “I mean . . . it's a pretty big suit.”
“I was a big sixth grader,” Mrs. Carmichael said. She opened the yearbook. “Big enough to play basketball. But they didn't have a girl's team in those days.”
Nancy looked at a black-and-white picture in the yearbook. There was a young Mrs. Carmichael dressed up as Doogie.