“Maybe the deliveryman left the refrigerator door open by mistake, and you didn’t notice it,” George suggested. “Maybe he was in a hurry and just didn’t get it closed.”
“No. He put the cranberries and potatoes in one of the storerooms,” Mr. Davidson said. “He didn’t need to open the refrigerator door. Anyway, I’m sure it was closed when I left early this morning.”
Nancy walked over to the refrigerator and examined the handle. It didn’t look very sturdy, and she was sure it wouldn’t take much effort to open the door. The handle was also right next to the edge of a long table, which had several small white feathers and a brown-and-gray one beneath it.
“Is this where you plucked your turkeys, Mr. Davidson?” Nancy asked.
“It’s one of the places,” Mr. Davidson answered.
“What color were the feathers of your turkeys?” she asked.
“They were all white,” Mr. Davidson said. “Why?”
“I was just curious, that’s all,” Nancy said.
She couldn’t believe it. The brown-and-gray feather was just like the ones Bess and George had found at the other crime scenes. She quickly put it into her pocket.
“Well, I guess we’d better be going,” she said. “I think there’s something we need to investigate.” She turned to Bess and George. “Come on, let’s go.”
Once outside, Nancy took the feather out of her pocket and showed it to them.
“Wow!” Bess said. “Now all three of us have feathers!”
“That’s not the point, Bess,” Nancy said.
“It isn’t?” said George.
“No,” Nancy said. “Do you realize that we’ve found the same kind of feather at all three crime scenes?”
“Oh yeah!” Bess remembered.
“I think the thief is using feathers as his calling card,” Nancy said. “He—or she—wants us to find them so we’ll know it’s the same person committing the crimes.”
“Why?” George asked.
“Some criminals like to be known by things like that,” Nancy explained. “When they read about ‘the Feather Bandit’ in the newspaper, they feel special.”
“That’s true!” Bess said. “You see it on television all the time!”
“Right!” George put in. She looked at Nancy. “What are we going to do about it?”
“We’re going to tell Mrs. Ramirez that we need to do some sleuthing instead of practicing our parts, and then we’re going to my house to do a little research on the Internet,” Nancy said. “I want to find out if there have been crimes in other towns where feathers have been left.”
The Internet didn’t turn up anything on “feather bandits,” so Nancy and the Clue Crew took their feathers to Mary White Cloud’s house.
“This is the third time we’ve found a feather at the scene of a crime,” Nancy told her. “We think it’s the thief’s calling card.”
“Oh, I’ve heard about that on television,” Mary said. She sighed. “I’m sorry, but if these feathers did come from a thief and we have the pageant, I don’t think you can use them.”
“Why not?” George asked.
“Well, if they were dropped by a thief instead of a bird,” Mary explained, “then that means they’re negative, not positive, and you always need to use positive feathers in a pageant when you’re dealing with Native American culture.”
“That makes sense,” Nancy said. Bess and George nodded.
“We’ll just have to start all over,” said Bess. She looked at her feather. “It was so pretty, too.”
“Do you know what kind of feathers these are, Mary?” Nancy asked.
Mary shook her head. “No, I don’t. We don’t always know what kind of a bird drops its feathers, but in our culture, it doesn’t really matter, as long as the bird does it willingly.” She looked at Nancy. “Is it important to your investigation?” she asked.
“I think it could be,” Nancy said. She looked at Bess and George. “It might give us a clue as to who the thief is, if we knew where the feathers came from.”
“What if the thief is just picking them up off the ground like we were doing?” asked Bess. “It might mean nothing.”
“Or it might mean something,” George said. “I agree with Nancy. We should check this out.”
“Well, you could ask Mrs. Fulton,” Mary suggested. “She teaches science, so she might know about birds.”
“That’s a great idea,” Nancy said. She looked at her watch. “We still have time. It won’t be dark for another hour.”
They used Mary’s telephone to ask Mrs. Fulton if they could come over because they had something very important to talk to her about. She told them they could.
“See you later, Mary!” the girls shouted.
Nancy and the Clue Crew headed to Mrs. Fulton’s house, which was down the street from Mary’s.
When they arrived, Nancy rang the buzzer.
Mrs. Fulton opened the door. “Goodness, that was quick!” she exclaimed. “Come on in, girls.”
The girls headed through the door.
“Well, to what do I owe the honor of your presence, Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew?” Mrs. Fulton said. “I don’t think either my husband or I have committed a crime, although some of my students probably don’t agree with me after that last test I gave them.”
“We found some feathers,” Nancy said. “We were hoping you could identify them for us.”
“Well, I may be able to, if they’re not too exotic,” Mrs. Fulton said. “I studied ornithology in college, actually.”
“Orni-what?” Bess asked.
“That’s the study of birds, Bess,” George said.
Nancy pulled the three brown-and-gray feathers out of her pocket and handed them to Mrs. Fulton. “Do you recognize them?” she asked.
Mrs. Fulton grinned. “Is this a Thanksgiving prank?” she said.
Nancy looked at Bess and George. “No, we’re very serious,” she said. “I’d rather not tell you where we found them, since it’s part of an ongoing investigation, but we thought that you, as the expert, could help us with the case.”
“Of course,” Mrs. Fulton said. “They’re wild turkey feathers.”
“Wild turkey feathers?” the girls exclaimed.
“You’re kidding,” Nancy said.
Mrs. Fulton looked at the feathers again. “Nope, that’s what they are,” she confirmed.
“Well,” Nancy said. She bit her lip in thought. “This is starting to make sense now. You’ve really helped—”
Just then, a man burst through the front door. “LOUISE! My green beans are ruined!”
Nancy and her friends looked at Mrs. Fulton.
“It’s my husband,” she said.
Nancy looked at Mr. Fulton. “Were your green beans at the elementary school, by any chance?” she asked.
Mr. Fulton nodded.
“Oh no,” Bess said.
“Not again!” George added.
“What are you talking about?” Mrs. Fulton asked.
“We’ve seen this happen before,” Nancy told her. She turned to Mr. Fulton. “Were your green beans supposed to be for the Thanksgiving feast?” she asked.
Mr. Fulton’s mouth dropped open. “Yes, but how did you know?” he said.
“It’s a long story,” Nancy told him. “Can you tell us what happened?”
“My poor green beans! I work so hard in the summer, tending to them carefully, then canning them when they’re ready, and then I put them in my garage until I take them to the school for the River Heights Thanksgiving Celebration,” Mr. Fulton said. “People love my green beans!”
“Oh yes!” Bess said. “They’re delicious, and I don’t even like green beans.”
“Let me guess. Somebody got into one of the storerooms and knocked all the jars off the shelves,” said Nancy, “and now there won’t be any, right?”
Mr. Fulton blinked. “Right,” he said.
“Did you find any feathers at the scene of the crime?” Nancy
asked.
“Yes, as a matter of fact, I did,” Mr. Fulton said. “Wow! You girls really are great detectives!” He pulled some brown-and-gray feathers out of his pocket and handed them to Mrs. Fulton. “Do you recognize these?”
“Yes, they’re wild turkey feathers,” Mrs. Fulton said. She turned to Nancy and the Clue Crew. “Does this have anything to do with your investigation?” she asked.
“Yes, it does,” Nancy told her. “We’re looking for a person who wants to destroy the River Heights Thanksgiving Celebration and who leaves a wild turkey feather at the scene of each crime!”
The next morning, Monday, when Nancy’s alarm went off, she sat up and stretched. The first thing she thought was, We need to find out who in River Heights would have access to a lot of wild turkey feathers, and we’ll solve the case.
With that in mind, Nancy hopped out of bed, put on her robe and slippers, and, as she did every morning, opened her drapes to let in the sun.
Suddenly she gasped. Two wild turkeys were down on the front lawn, pecking at the dead grass, their bright red wattles flapping in the wind.
“Oh, wow!” Nancy exclaimed. “What are you two . . .”
Nancy didn’t finish her sentence. All of a sudden, she was sure she was looking at the solution to the mystery the Clue Crew was investigating! But she also knew she had no real evidence—unless you could count the three wild turkey feathers—and how could she prove that they came from these two turkeys?
“I have to take you both into custody,” Nancy whispered. “You may not like it, but if you two are out to destroy the River Heights Thanksgiving Celebration, then the Clue Crew is going to stop you!”
Of course, what would happen once she had them in custody? Nancy wondered. How in the world would she ever figure out if they were missing any of their feathers? Do feathers grow back? Nancy thought. Wow, these crimes get more and more complicated around here! Still, it had to be done, Nancy knew. She slowly closed the drapes so she wouldn’t spook the turkeys if they happened to glance at her upstairs window.
Next, Nancy hurriedly called both Bess and George and told them the same thing: “You’re absolutely not going to believe this. You have to come to my house right away! And use the back door!”
Then Nancy returned to the window and peeked out again. For a minute she panicked because the two wild turkeys weren’t where they had been, but she craned her neck and saw that they were over by a tree on the far side of the yard.
Suddenly the turkeys flapped their wings, as though they were trying to fly but couldn’t. Then they headed for the street.
“Oh my gosh!” Nancy cried. “They’re escaping!”
Nancy dressed quickly, then raced downstairs.
As she started for the front door, Hannah called, “Where are you going without your breakfast, Nancy Drew?”
“I’m on a case, Hannah! I don’t have time for food!” Nancy said as she unlocked the door. At that moment, someone rang the back doorbell, and Nancy was sure it was Bess and George. “Please tell them to come this way, Hannah! I’m chasing two turkeys down the street!”
“You’re what?” Hannah cried.
But Nancy was already running down the front porch steps. She could still see the turkeys. They were trotting down the middle of the street. A car coming toward them swerved to keep from hitting them.
“Nancy!” Bess called out from the front yard. “What’s going on?”
“Hurry up!” Nancy shouted back. “I’ll explain on the way!”
Just as Bess and George reached Nancy, the turkeys decided to change direction.
“They’re headed for Suzie’s front yard!” Nancy said.
“So what?” said Bess.
“So I think they’re the ones who’re trying to destroy Thanksgiving in River Heights!” Nancy replied.
“Turkeys?” said George.
“Yeah, wild turkeys,” Nancy said.
Nancy and the Clue Crew reached Suzie’s house just in time to see the turkeys fly over the side fence.
“I didn’t know turkeys could fly,” Bess said.
“They can’t fly very far,” George said.
“Yeah, just enough to create problems for us,” said Nancy. “Come on!”
They ran toward the gate that led to Suzie’s backyard.
“Maybe Suzie can help us,” Bess said.
Nancy looked at her watch. “She’s probably already at school. She likes to get there early to use the library.”
George glanced down at her watch too. “That’s where we should be, Nancy, at school!” she said. “Mrs. Ramirez said we were going to have a math quiz first thing.”
Nancy had forgotten that. She needed a good grade on this one, too, because she had missed several problems on the previous quiz.
Now the girls were inside Suzie’s backyard, and the turkeys were running around, looking for a way to escape.
“I think we have them,” George said. “Here, turkey, turkey! Here, turkey, turkey!”
Suddenly the turkeys raced for the back fence, flapped their wings a couple of times, and were gone.
“Oh, great,” Nancy said. “Well, let’s see if we can find them on the next block!”
George pointed to her watch. “The time, Nancy, the time!” she said.
“We have to do this, guys!” Nancy told her friends. “We can’t let them destroy Thanksgiving!”
Bess turned to George. “Nancy’s right,” she said. “We owe it to the citizens of River Heights, and that includes Mrs. Ramirez and her family!”
The Clue Crew raced out of Suzie’s backyard, up to the corner, and over to the next street, where they saw the turkeys trotting down the center of the road.
“They’re not going very fast,” said Nancy. “They probably think they outsmarted us.”
“They could also just be tired,” George pointed out.
Just then, one of the turkeys turned its head and looked right at the girls. It made a loud gobbling sound to the other turkey, and the other turkey gobbled back. Then the two of them took off.
“What do you think they said?” Bess asked.
“The first one said, ‘You’re not going to believe this, but they’re behind us again!’” Nancy said, “and the second one said, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me!’”
“I had no idea you understood turkey talk!” Bess giggled.
“Oh yeah,” Nancy replied. “Come on.”
For the next twenty minutes, the Clue Crew chased the turkeys all around the neighborhood, but then the birds seemed to vanish into thin air.
“Look at us,” Bess said. “We’re all sweaty and messy!”
Nancy glanced down at her clothes. “You’re right. We need to go home and change.”
“No, we don’t,” George said. “At least this way, Mrs. Ramirez might believe the story we’re going to tell her.”
As it turned out, Mrs. Ramirez did believe their story, but they still had to stay after school to take the test, and because they had missed part of school, their parents were also called.
“This is kind of embarrassing, Nancy,” said Bess.
“Well, what’s really embarrassing, Bess, is that we failed to catch the turkeys,” Nancy said. She sighed. “If there’s no Thanksgiving Celebration this year, then it’ll be our fault.”
When Nancy got home, Hannah said, “The school called. Your father will be upset that you got there so late.” She shook her head. “I certainly hope you didn’t look like that all day!”
Nancy told Hannah about chasing the wild turkeys all over their part of town. “I’m sure they’re the ones responsible for what’s been going on, but the only evidence we have so far are three feathers.”
“Some evidence,” said Hannah. She took a deep breath, let it out, then added, “Well, why don’t you clean up before dinner?”
“Okay,” Nancy said. She looked around. “Where’s Dad?”
“He’s working late at the office,” Hannah told her.
“Oh, darn
!” Nancy said. “I wanted to talk to him about the case.”
“Well, it’ll have to wait until morning,” Hannah said, “because I have strict orders that you’re not to stay up until he gets home.”
Nancy was so tired, she didn’t argue this time. Chasing two wild turkeys around River Heights was not something she did every day.
When Nancy awakened on Tuesday morning, she opened her drapes in hopes that the two turkeys had returned. But she saw only dead leaves being scattered by the wind.
Mr. Drew was already at the breakfast table, drinking his coffee and reading the newspaper, when Nancy went downstairs.
Nancy gave him a big hug, then sat down next to him and drank half the glass of orange juice Hannah had already put by her plate.
“I’m sorry about being late to school yesterday,” Nancy apologized.
“It’s not like you, Nancy, so I’m guessing you must have had a good reason. Hannah said you had something important to tell me about your current investigation,” Mr. Drew said.
Nancy told him about the wild turkey chase. “But we finally lost them,” she finished, “and we don’t know where they went.”
Mr. Drew thought for a minute. “So you think these two turkeys are responsible for all the destruction?” he said.
“Well, Daddy, it’s really just a hunch, since the only evidence we have are three wild turkey feathers,” Nancy told him. “But the fact that the turkeys were in town makes them suspicious.”
“You’re right about that, Nancy,” Mr. Drew said. “I have an idea. I think I know where we might find these two birds—provided, of course, that they are responsible.”
“Really?” Nancy said. “Can you take us there after school?”
Mr. Drew drained his coffee cup and replied, “Of course!”
That afternoon Bess and George went home with Nancy, where Hannah gave them an after-school snack. Then Mr. Drew drove them to the new city park, two blocks from River Heights Elementary School.
Nancy looked around, puzzled. “Why are we here, Daddy?”