“It’s a good thing you went to the Glam Girl movie shoot yesterday, Sidney,” the girl said. “Just in time for our movie museum too!”
Nancy’s jaw dropped. Their blue movie object was from the Glam Girl set. Could it be the missing boots?
Suddenly, Nancy heard the rustle of paper plates and trays in the next booth. The Popcorn Peeps were leaving.
Nancy didn’t want Sidney and his friends to know she was there secretly listening. So she sunk way down in her seat as they left the pizza parlor.
“Whoa!” Nancy whispered to herself. “I told Sidney to go to the Glam Girl set. But I never told him to take Glam Girl’s boots!”
“One slice with pepperoni and extra-cheese and absolutely no little hairy fish!” Mr. Drew announced as he and Hannah approached the booth.
As they placed their trays on the table, Hannah asked, “Did we miss anything exciting?”
“Yes!” Nancy exclaimed with a nod. She pulled out her Clue Book and scribbled Sidney’s name inside. “A brand-new suspect!”
“I am so hoping Sidney did take Glam Girl’s boots,” George said the next morning.
Nancy, Bess, and George were on their way to Sidney’s house. They wanted to question him and check out his movie museum for the missing boots.
“Why, George?” Nancy asked.
“If we find the boots, I won’t have to go that dumb fashion show this afternoon!” George said.
“Blah, blah, blah,” Bess said. “Maybe you’ll learn something—”
“You guys!” Nancy cut in. “Can we please talk about the case?”
“Sure,” George agreed. “What’s the plan?”
“Easy,” Nancy said. “All we have to do is get into the Popcorn Peeps’ museum. If the boots are there, we’ll see them.”
The Clue Crew found Sidney in his front yard. He wore a Popcorn Peeps T-shirt while tossing a Frisbee to his dog. The frisky yellow Labrador reminded Nancy of her own Lab, Chocolate Chip!
“Hi, Sidney!” Nancy greeted him, petting the dog after he scampered over. “Can we see your new movie museum?”
“Please?” George said, forcing a smile. “We’ve heard so much about it.”
“Sorry,” Sidney said, shaking his head. “The museum isn’t open yet.”
“Why not?” Bess asked.
“The Popcorn Peeps have to set up our excellent new attraction first,” Sidney explained.
“Attraction, huh?” George said, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. “Could that attraction be something you got at the Glam Girl set yesterday? Something . . . blue?”
“My lips are zipped!” Sidney declared, running his fingers across his mouth. “And why would detectives suddenly be so interested in my movie museum?”
“Um . . . because we like detective movies?” Nancy answered quickly.
“Well, you’ve got to wait for opening day like everybody else,” Sidney said. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to walk Brando.”
“Woof!” Brando barked.
While Sidney clipped a leash on Brando’s collar, Nancy whispered, “We have to get inside that museum, but how?”
“I just thought of something,” George whispered. “Watch this.”
George pulled a folded piece of paper from her jeans pocket. As she unfolded it, Nancy saw what it was: Rosie’s autographed picture from yesterday!
“Sidney Schacter,” George said. “This is your lucky day!”
“How come?” Sidney asked.
“Because,” George said, holding up the picture, “I have this for your new museum.”
Sidney wrinkled his nose as he studied the picture. “Rosie Alvarez? Who’s she?” he asked.
“Only the best stunt double that’s ever lived!” George said.
“Yeah!” Bess said. “Nobody knows that Rosie is Shasta Sienna’s stunt double—”
Bess stopped midsentence as Nancy clapped her hand over Bess’s mouth. But it was too late . . .
“So Glam Girl has a stunt double, huh?” Sidney said, eyeing the picture. “Okay. We’ll take it for the museum.”
“Not so fast,” George said. “We’ll give it to you under one condition.”
“What?” Sidney asked.
“That we put the picture inside the museum ourselves!” George said quickly. “We want to make sure it gets the best spot!”
“That’s how special it is!” Nancy added, her hand still over Bess’s mouth.
“You drive a hard bargain, but okay,” Sidney finally agreed. “The museum is in the basement of my house. Just don’t look behind the closet door.”
Nancy wondered why not. But as Sidney led a frisky Brando out of the yard, George said, “We’ll just look for the missing boots.”
“Mmmph!” Bess tried to speak behind Nancy’s hand.
Uncovering Bess’s mouth, Nancy asked, “Why did you tell them about Shasta’s stunt double, Bess? It was supposed to be a secret.”
“I know, and I’m sorry!” Bess admitted. “Secrets sometimes spill out of my mouth—like milk when you’re laughing.”
“Forget about it,” George said. “It got Sidney to let us into the museum, so let’s get to work!”
Nancy, Bess, and George found the Schacters’ basement door, leading to the museum. They opened the door and then climbed down into the dark basement.
Reaching along the wall, Nancy found the light switch. With a flick of the switch, the Popcorn Peeps’ movie museum came into view. . . .
“Wow!” Nancy said, looking around the basement. Tables were set up along the walls filled with all kinds of stuff. Note cards explained what the items were. . . .
“More chewed-up gum in a jar,” Nancy pointed out. “Scraped off from under a desk on the set of the TV show, Cool School.”
“Not cool!” Bess cried. She pointed to a balled-up tissue on the table and asked, “What’s that ewie thing?”
“Read the card, Bess,” George said. “It’s where the action star Will Gordon blew his nose.”
“Blew his nose?” Bess cried. “This isn’t a movie museum—it’s a skeevy museum!”
Some not-gross items hung on the walls, like old colorful movie posters. On another table were hats, teddy bears, and cereal boxes that had been used as props in movies. There were boots but not the missing blue pair.
“Hey!” George said excitedly. “What’s this?”
Nancy and Bess turned to see George holding a remote.
“George, there’s no time for gadgets!” Bess said. “We have to look for the boots.”
But George was already pressing the green button on the remote. After a few seconds—
WHIRRRRRRRRRR!
Nancy, Bess, and George traded curious looks.
“What was that noise?” Nancy asked.
“Where did it come from?” Bess asked.
“I don’t know!” George said. She kept pressing the remote as the girls followed the sound. It seemed to be coming from behind a door.
“I’ll bet that’s the closet Sidney told us not to look inside!” Nancy said.
“Do we look inside or not?” Bess asked.
But before the girls could decide—
SLAM!!!
The door flung open and “GROOWWWWLL!!”
Nancy, Bess, and George froze. They stepped back as a big, blobby, and blue creature lumbered out of the closet.
“Omigosh!” Bess screamed. “What is it?”
“Whatever it is,” Nancy cried. “It’s coming for us!”
CREATURE FEATURE
The blobby blue creature inched closer and closer, backing the girls against a wall. Nancy squeezed her eyes shut as the creature loomed menacingly over them. But just as she expected the worst—the whirring stopped.
Carefully, Nancy popped open one eye. The creature towered over them, his blobby arm frozen in the air.
“I pressed the red button on the remote, and it stopped,” George explained. “It must be a robot!”
“A scary, giant robot!” Bess cried.<
br />
Sidney and two other kids charged down the staircase. Nancy recognized the kids as Nadine Nardo and Tommy Maron from their third grade class.
“Woof!” Brando barked as he shot down the stairs too. He took one look at the blobby creature and growled.
“Chill, Brando, chill!” Sidney shouted. He turned to Nancy, Bess, and George and said, “I told you not to look behind the closet door!”
Tommy grabbed a Martian-type blaster from a table. He pointed it at the girls and sneered, “Now we’ll have to make you disappear, Earthling spies!”
“Speaking of ‘Earth,’ ” Nancy said. She nodded at the blobby creature. “What on earth is that?”
“You’ve never heard of the Blue Blob Bot?” Sidney asked, holding Brando’s collar tightly.
“Blue . . . Blob . . . Bot?” Bess asked.
“He’s from the classic sci-fi movie Invaders from Planet Gumball,” Nadine explained. “Tell him where you got it, Sid!”
“We went to Turtle Shell Playground yesterday for the Glam Girl shoot,” Sidney said. “We wanted to pick up some souvenirs for our museum, but instead we talked to a guy named Larry.”
“Who’s Larry?” George asked.
“Larry worked as a real-live stagehand on the Invaders from Planet Gumball movie,” Tommy said excitedly. “How cool is that?”
“Even cooler—Larry promised to lend us the real Blue Blob Bot for our museum opening!” Sidney explained proudly. “He’s had it in his garage for years!”
Nancy remembered Sidney and the Popcorn Peeps celebrating at the pizza parlor last night. Could they have been celebrating the Blue Blob Bot?
“Larry delivered the Blue Blob Bot yesterday afternoon,” Nadine said.
“I put him in the closet so no one would see him before opening day,” Sidney explained. “But thanks to you our secret is out!”
“We weren’t looking for secrets,” Nancy said, “just for Glam Girl’s missing boots.”
“We heard about the boots,” Nadine said her eyes wide. “You don’t think we took them, do you?”
“You did say you were at the movie shoot yesterday,” George said. “Maybe you picked up more than a Blue Blob Bot!”
“That’s what you think!” Sidney said. “Right after we talked to Larry, we went straight to my house.”
“Larry told us Invaders from Planet Gumball was on TV,” Tommy said, putting down the Martian-blaster. “We wanted to see the Blue Blob Bot we were getting for the museum.”
Tommy grabbed the remote from George and said, “Watch how he spits blue slime too—”
“No, thank you!” Bess interrupted. She turned to Nancy and George and said, “Can we please get out of this gross place? Like, right now?”
Nancy didn’t think Sidney and the Popcorn Peeps had the missing boots. So she smiled at Bess and said, “Sure.”
“Wait!” Sidney said, folding his arms across his chest. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”
“Oh . . . yeah,” George said. She handed Sidney the picture of Rosie. Then the Clue Crew gladly climbed out of the cellar.
“I’m pretty sure the Popcorn Peeps didn’t take the boots,” Nancy said once they were outside.
“They just wanted that icky Blue Blob Bot,” Bess agreed.
But George still wasn’t so sure. . . . “Those Popcorn Peeps could still have the boots,” George said. “Boots aren’t so hard to hide.”
“They said they went home to watch the movie,” Bess said. “I wish there was a way we could know for sure.”
Nancy gave it some thought and smiled. “There is a way!” Nancy said. “Let’s go to my house, and I’ll show you.”
The girls went straight to the Drew’s house and Nancy’s room. Nancy sat at her computer. Usually, George searched the web for clues, but this time Nancy knew what she was looking for: yesterday’s TV schedule!
“The boots went missing around eleven thirty a.m. yesterday,” Nancy remembered. “And yesterday’s TV schedule has Invaders from Planet Gumball at eleven in the morning until half past noon.”
“So, Sidney and the Peeps were watching TV when the boots went missing,” Bess said. “Do you believe them now, George?”
“I guess,” George sighed. “And I guess that means we’re going to that goofy fashion show to check out Paloma.”
“For sure!” Bess said. “If Paloma took the boots, she’ll be wearing them at the fashion show!”
Nancy pulled up the Girly Gear website to find out the time of the fashion show.
“It’s at two o’clock,” Nancy said. “We can still make it.”
“Whoopie,” George said, not smiling. She reached over Nancy’s shoulder to point to the screen. “Look what else the Girly Gear website has. It’s a video.”
Nancy clicked on the video. On it excited girls chatted about the clothes they would wear in the fashion show. . . .
“Hi, I’m Amy!” one smiling girl said. “And I can’t wait to show off my Girly Gear sundress and matching hat!”
“Hi, I’m Rachel!” another girl said. “I’ll be modeling the most awesome Girly Gear shorts, top, and daisy statement necklace.”
“Okay, this is boring,” George said. She was about to grab the mouse when Paloma appeared on the screen!
“I’m Paloma!” Paloma said. “My Girly Gear outfit is even more perfect with my brand-new perfectly matching blue boots. Come to the fashion show to see for yourself!”
“Did she just say blue boots?” Bess gasped.
“Sounds like a confession to me,” George said. “What do you think, Nancy?”
Nancy narrowed her eyes at the frozen video image of a smiling Paloma.
“I think checking out Paloma’s brand-new blue boots,” Nancy said, “is the perfect plan!”
CATTY CATWALK
Mr. Drew drove Nancy, Bess, and George to the mall. After parking, they rode the escalator straight up to the Girly Gear store.
“Remember, girls,” Mr. Drew said. “Don’t accuse Paloma of taking those boots too quickly.”
“But Paloma was talking about perfect boots in the video, Daddy,” Nancy said.
“That’s what she called Glam Girl’s boots when she first saw them, Mr. Drew,” George added.
“Okay, okay.” Mr. Drew sighed with a smile. “I’m just a lawyer, not a detective!”
When they reached the Girly Gear store on the second level, Bess exclaimed, “Neat! They have a real fashion runway!”
“I thought it was called a catwalk,” George said.
“Maybe that’s only for pet fashions,” Nancy joked.
Guests were already seated for the show. Many of them were kids.
“The show starts in a half hour,” Nancy said, looking at her watch. “We have time to find Paloma and question her.”
“While you find Paloma,” Mr. Drew said with a grin. “I’ll find some coffee and a muffin.”
“See you later, Daddy!” Nancy said.
The Clue Crew made their way to the Girly Gear entrance. A woman holding a clipboard and wearing a Girly Gear T-shirt stood at the door. The ID around her neck read ALLISON.
“Hello,” Nancy said cheerily. “We’d like to go backstage at your fashion show.”
“You can only go backstage if you’re in the fashion show,” Allison asked. “Are you girls models?”
Nancy stared sideways at Bess and George. They weren’t expecting that question!
“Um . . . ,” Nancy said.
“Er . . .” George hesitated.
Allison suddenly stared at Bess and smiled. “Isn’t that a Girly Gear outfit you’re wearing?” she asked.
“Um—probably!” Bess said quickly. She flashed the biggest smile ever. “Oh, and I can’t wait to show it off in the fashion show!”
“Well, as the owner of Girly Gear, I am thrilled that you love our clothes!” Allison told Bess. “Hurry backstage with your friends and get ready for the show!”
“See?” Bess whispered as Allison led them backstag
e. “Being a fashionista comes in handy sometimes!”
Allison wished Bess good luck and then went back to greeting people at the door. Nancy, Bess, and George looked around at the backstage excitement. A flurry of kids was getting ready for the fashion show. But where was Paloma?
Suddenly—
“This ponytail holder is perfect!” someone exclaimed.
The girls turned to see Paloma, gazing into a hand mirror. Nancy’s eyes drifted down to Paloma’s feet. That’s when she gasped . . .
“You guys!” Nancy whispered. “Paloma is wearing blue boots with sparkly jewels!”
“Are they Shasta’s boots?” Bess whispered.
“She’s too far away to see!” Nancy said. “We have to get a closer look.”
Before the girls could run toward Paloma, a man stopped them. The ID card around his neck read TREVOR TOWNSEND, HEAD HAIR HONCHO.
“You girls don’t look like you’ve had your hair styled for the fashion show yet,” Trevor said. “Have you?”
“Um, no,” Nancy replied, “but—”
“Well, then,” Trevor said, “go straight to the hair bar, and let my stylists work their magic!”
Nancy, Bess, and George traded worried looks. If they admitted they weren’t in the fashion show, they might be told to leave. And they couldn’t leave before checking out Paloma’s boots.
“Okay,” Nancy told Trevor.
“What do you mean ‘okay’?” George whispered as they walked toward the hair bar. “I don’t do barrettes. I don’t do bows. And no way do I do glitter!”
“But I do it all!” Bess said excitedly. “Bring it!”
Nancy, Bess, and George sat side by side at the hair bar, which was a long table lined with mirrors. They waited quietly as stylists brushed, sprayed, and teased their hair, and then decorated it with all kinds of accessories.
By the time they were finished, Nancy’s hair was brushed behind a purple headband, Bess’s hair was braided, and George wore a barrette shaped like a pink butterfly.
“Pretty barrette, George,” Bess remarked.
“It’s yours,” George said, handing it to Bess. “Now let’s find Paloma, get the boots, and get out of here.”