Nancy and George took off running. They searched the entire parking lot. Then they went out in front of the store and looked up and down the street. George’s bike was nowhere to be seen.
Then they went inside the store. Slam was still behind the counter, reading his magazine.
“Slam!” Nancy said breathlessly. “Have you seen George’s bike?”
“It’s a white ABT Road Lizard,” George explained quickly.
Slam looked impressed. “ABT Road Lizard? Wow, you have one of those? They don’t make them anymore,” he said.
“I know, I know! My Road Lizard is missing, though. It was parked out back. Now it’s gone!” George exclaimed.
“That’s a bummer,” Slam said. “Sorry! I’ll let my dad know when he gets back. I guess you could have used that bike lock sooner, huh?”
“Thanks, Slam. Come on, George,” Nancy said. She and George headed back outside.
They found Bess standing guard over her pink bike and Nancy’s blue bike. “Did you find George’s bike?” Bess asked immediately.
Nancy shook her head. “No.”
“It’s all my fault,” Bess moaned. “I am so dumb!”
“You’re not dumb, Bess. You just made a mistake,” George told her.
Then Nancy got an idea. She knelt down and ran her hand over the grass. She found the spot where George’s bike had been parked.
It had rained last night, so the ground was still wet and soft. George’s bike tires had left two dents in the ground.
Nancy looked closer. There was something shiny lying in the dent the back tire had made.
Nancy picked it up. It was a pink barrette with a zigzag design.
“It’s a clue!” Nancy exclaimed. “Whoever stole your bike dropped this barrette, George!”
“How do you know it wasn’t there before?” Bess asked her.
“Because it was lying in the dent of George’s bike. And because it’s superclean. If it had been there before, it would be all dirty and muddy from the rain last night,” Nancy replied.
“Nancy, you are so smart!” Bess said.
George frowned. “I bet I know who did it. That girl from yesterday who was riding my bike. Marianne something.”
“Marianne Blair?” Nancy said. “We don’t have any proof against her, George. We can’t just accuse her of being the thief. We have to talk to her, first.”
“Yeah, but she said she wanted my bike. My superfast white ABT Road Lizard bike. She has to be the thief,” George insisted.
Just then, Nancy had a feeling that someone was listening to their conversation.
She whirled around. Brenda Carlton was standing behind a big oak tree. She had her notebook in hand, and she was scribbling like mad.
“Brenda!” Nancy cried out.
Brenda kept scribbling. “Keep talking. This is going to be a great story for the newspaper. ‘Mysterious Bike Thief Hits River Heights!’”
“Quit being nosy!” Bess exclaimed. “We’re trying to find George’s bike.”
“Yeah, Brenda. It’s rude to listen to other people’s conversations,” Nancy pointed out.
“I know how you guys can find Marianne Blair,” Brenda said suddenly.
Nancy gasped. “You do?” she said, surprised.
Brenda tossed her hair over her shoulders. “Her mom and my mom are friends. I can tell you where she lives,” she offered.
“Really?” George said hopefully.
Brenda nodded. “On one condition. You take me with you. I want to get the behind-the-scenes scoop on this story! ‘Eight-Year-Old Detective Nabs Eight-Year-Old Bike Thief.’”
Nancy was the best detective at Carl Sandburg Elementary School. She had solved lots of mysteries before. George and Bess always helped her. The three of them were a great detective team.
Nancy had never solved a mystery with Brenda before, though. In fact, Brenda was often one of her suspects.
Nancy, George, and Bess exchanged a glance. Nancy knew that her friends were thinking the same thing she was. Could they trust Brenda? And more important, did they want Brenda tagging along and writing about them?
George shrugged. Bess shrugged too. Nancy knew the final decision was up to her.
“Okay,” Nancy said finally. “I guess you can come along, Brenda. But you have to promise us one thing. Let us do all the detective work. You have to stay out of the way.”
“Sure, I’ll stay out of the way,” Brenda promised. “No problem!” She tucked her notebook and pen into her pocket. “Come on, let’s go to Marianne’s house. We have a mystery to solve!”
Nancy, George, and Bess exchanged another glance. Nancy hoped she wasn’t making a big mistake by bringing Brenda along!
• • •
“This is it!” Brenda whispered.
Brenda, Nancy, and Bess had walked their bikes to 43 Lee Avenue. It was a pink house just down the block from Bike Mania. George had walked along with them.
Nancy stopped and popped her bike’s kickstand. “This is where Marianne Blair lives? Are you sure?” she asked Brenda in a low voice.
Brenda nodded. “Yes, I’m sure. You guys stay here; I’ll check things out!”
“Brenda, you promised to stay out of the way,” Nancy reminded her.
But before Nancy could stop her, Brenda had gotten off her bike and run down the Blairs’ driveway. She disappeared into their backyard.
“She’s trespassing,” Bess pointed out.
“Plus she’s not letting us be the detectives,” George added.
Nancy sighed. “Oh, well. Let’s just knock on the door and see if Marianne’s home. We can ask her some questions.”
Nancy and Bess locked their bikes to an iron fence. Then they and George walked through the yard toward the front door.
Just then, Brenda came running from behind the house. “Guess what!” she said excitedly. “I’ve solved the mystery!”
4
In Search of the Thief
Nancy stared at Brenda. “What do you mean you solved the mystery?” she demanded.
“I mean, I’ve found George’s bike,” Brenda replied. “Aren’t you glad you guys brought me along?”
“Where is it? Where’s my bike?” George asked her excitedly.
Brenda grinned. “Follow me!”
Nancy, Bess, and George followed Brenda down the driveway. Nancy didn’t like going on the Blairs’ property without their permission. But if George’s bike really was back there, she thought she should check it out.
Brenda stopped in front of the garage. The garage door was open.
“See?” Brenda said triumphantly. She pointed into the shadowy darkness of the garage.
Nancy peered inside. She saw piles of old, dusty boxes. She saw a rack of skis and poles. She saw an old baby stroller. She saw some gardening tools.
Then, in the corner, she saw a white bike.
“Brenda!” Nancy said after a moment. “That’s not a kid’s bike. That’s a grown-up bike!”
“What? No way,” Brenda said.
George nodded. “Nancy’s right. That’s a grown-up bike. Mine is a lot smaller.”
“Oh.” Brenda frowned. “Well. Anyone could have made that mistake. It’s super-dark in there.”
“I guess we’ll keep looking,” Bess said, shrugging. “Let’s get out of here. We were just about to see if Marianne was home.”
The four girls ran quickly around to the front yard. Nancy knocked on the door.
No one answered. Nancy knocked again. Still, no one answered.
“No one’s home,” Nancy sighed.
Brenda was scribbling something in her notebook. She began reading it out loud. “‘The Mystery Dream Team pursued their main suspect to her house at Forty-three Lee Avenue. They thought they found the missing bicycle in her garage. But it turned out to be a false lead.’” She glanced up with a grin. “Isn’t this brilliant? I just came up with it.”
“I wonder where Marianne is?” George said, ignoring Brenda. “M
aybe she’s taking a long bike ride. On my bike!”
“I know another place we could try,” Brenda said. “The Double Dip. Marianne loves the Pink Bubble Gum Sundaes there.”
“How do you know that?” Bess asked her.
“Because I know everything,” Brenda replied with a grin. “And because our moms took us there once, and Marianne ordered two of them.”
• • •
After lunch Nancy, Bess, George, and Brenda got permission from their parents to go to the Double Dip. When they got there, the Double Dip was packed with kids. But Marianne Blair was nowhere in sight.
“Hmm, another false lead,” Brenda said. She scribbled something into her notebook. “We’re closing in on Marianne, though. I feel it in my bones!”
There was a waitress wiping down the counter. Nancy walked up to her. “Excuse me. Have you seen a girl in here with long, curly red hair?” she asked.
The waitress frowned. “Hmm, let me think. Blue eyes? Lots of freckles? A little shorter than you?”
Nancy nodded eagerly. “Yes!”
“She was here about an hour ago,” the waitress said. “Ordered two Pink Bubble Gum Sundaes. She left her backpack here, so I had to go out into the parking lot and chase her down.”
“Really?” Nancy thought for a moment. “Do you know if she was walking or riding a bike?”
“Oh, definitely riding a bike,” the waitress replied. “I caught up to her just as she was riding away.”
George came up to Nancy and the waitress. “Was it a white bike with fat tires?” she piped up.
The waitress shrugged. “Um, I think it was white. But I’m not a hundred percent sure.”
Nancy and George thanked the waitress. “See?” George said to Nancy. “Marianne is our thief.”
“Maybe, maybe not,” Nancy said. “Maybe Marianne already has a white bike.”
Bess and Brenda joined George and Nancy. “What’s going on?” Brenda asked.
Nancy twirled a lock of her blond hair. “Marianne was here, but now she’s gone,” she explained.
Bess sighed. “That’s too bad. I think we should all get some ice cream, to cheer ourselves up.”
“I agree.” George sighed. “All this detective work is making me hungry!”
The four girls sat down in a booth. After looking at the menus, they all ordered sundaes. Nancy ordered a Strawberry Surprise Sundae. Bess ordered a Chocolate Lover’s Sundae. George ordered a Butterscotch Burst Sundae. Brenda ordered a Very Blueberry Sundae.
“Okay, it’s time to do some serious brainstorming,” Nancy said when their sundaes arrived. “The bike race is Saturday. That’s only four days away.”
“We have to find my bike by then,” George said. “It’s my good-luck bike. Besides, even if my mom and dad bought me a new bike to replace it, there’s no way I could get used to it by Saturday!”
“The problem is, we only have one suspect,” Bess mused. She took a big bite of her sundae. “What if she’s not the thief? We haven’t even thought of anyone else.”
Just then, there was a loud peal of laughter from another booth. “Now I’m definitely going to beat George Fayne!” said a familiar-sounding voice.
5
Detectives in Pajamas
Nancy frowned. She knew that voice from somewhere. Who could be bragging about beating George in the race?
“Did you hear that?” George whispered. She looked over her shoulder. “Who was that? Who’s talking about me?”
“This is getting juicy,” Brenda said eagerly. She pulled out her reporter’s notebook and started scribbling on a fresh page.
Nancy stood up and glanced around the Double Dip. She quickly found who she was looking for.
Two boys were sitting in a booth across the aisle. Nancy didn’t recognize the closest boy. But she did recognize the other boy. It was Lucas Wylie, George’s neighbor.
Nancy remembered Lucas from yesterday, when they ran into him at Bike Mania. Lucas and George had made a bet about who was going to win the bike race.
What had Lucas meant by saying, “Now I’m definitely going to beat George Fayne?” Nancy wondered.
And then an idea came to her. What if Lucas stole George’s bike so he could win the race?
“You guys stay here,” Nancy told George, Bess, and Brenda quietly. Then she walked up to Lucas’s booth.
“Hi, Lucas,” Nancy said with a friendly smile. “Remember me?”
Lucas had a big, messy chocolate mustache over his upper lip. Nancy thought it made him look really silly. She tried not to giggle.
Lucas narrowed his eyes at Nancy. “Huh? Oh, yeah, you. You’re Fayne’s friend. Is she chickening out on our bet?” He and his friend cracked up.
Nancy shook her head. “No, the bet’s still on. In fact, she just got her bike tuned up at Bike Mania, so it’s going to run better than ever!” she fibbed.
Nancy waited to see how Lucas would react to the fib. If Lucas was the bike thief, he would know that Nancy wasn’t telling the truth. He would know that George didn’t just get her bike tuned up at Bike Mania, because he would have it!
But Lucas didn’t act surprised at all. “Big deal,” he said nastily. “Fayne’s bike is a super-old model. There’s no way she’s going to beat me riding that piece of junk.”
Lucas and his friend cracked up again. Nancy frowned. Lucas didn’t seem to realize that George’s bike was missing—which meant that he was innocent. But could he be putting on an act? Should Nancy add him to the suspect list anyway?
• • •
“Hey, your stuffed animals are taking over my sleeping bag!” George complained to Bess.
Bess giggled. “Sorry! I’ll move them over.”
“You can move some of them to my bed,” Nancy suggested.
It was Tuesday night. Nancy had gotten permission for George and Bess to come over for a sleepover at her house.
The three girls had spread their sleeping bags out on the floor of Nancy’s bedroom. Hannah had brought them a big bowl of buttery popcorn and glasses of chocolate milk with curlycue straws. Nancy loved sleepovers!
Nancy got her special blue detective notebook from her desk, sat down on the floor, and turned to a clean page. Her father had given her the notebook a long time ago. She liked writing her suspects and clues in it. It helped her to organize her cases.
Nancy uncapped her favorite purple pen. The purple pen had bits of glitter in it. She wrote: “The Case of George’s Missing Bicycle.”
“Okay,” she said after a minute. “Let’s write down our suspects and clues. First, we have—”
Just then there was a knock on the door. Hannah poked her head inside. “Hi, girls,” she called out. “I just wanted to let you know that your other sleepover guest is here.”
“Huh?” George said. “What other sleepover guest?”
The door opened wider. Brenda pranced in. She was wearing white-and-red-checked pajamas and white bunny slippers. She was carrying a sleeping bag, a backpack, and a golden-brown teddy bear.
“Hi, everyone!” Brenda said cheerfully. “Where should I put my sleeping bag? Oh, by the way, this is Esmeralda.” She set her teddy bear down on the floor.
Nancy, Bess, and George all stared at Brenda. They were totally stunned. No one had invited her! How did she even know they were having a sleepover?
“Uh, hi, Brenda,” Nancy said after a moment. “What, um, are you doing here?”
“After we left the Double Dip, I heard you guys whispering about having a sleepover,” Brenda replied. “You know, to talk about the case and stuff. I couldn’t miss that!”
Nancy, George, and Bess exchanged a glance. What can we do? Nancy thought. Brenda’s here. We’re kind of stuck with her.
Brenda plopped down on the edge of Nancy’s bed. “Pass the popcorn,” she said. “So, what did I miss?”
“We were just talking about our suspects and clues,” Bess told her.
George handed Brenda the popcorn bowl. “Nancy’s writing
them down in her detective notebook.”
Brenda’s eyes glittered. “A special detective notebook? How cool! Can I see it?”
“No,” Nancy said. She hugged the notebook closer to her chest. “It’s private.”
“Whatever,” Brenda said with a shrug. “Oh! I just remembered. I brought something that’s going to help us solve this case!”
She reached into her backpack and pulled out a big book. It was called How to Solve Mysteries.
“There’s all kinds of useful tips in here,” Brenda added. “This way we’ll catch the bicycle thief for sure!”
“Great,” George said.
Brenda opened her book and studied the table of contents. Nancy turned her attention back to her notebook. She picked up her pen again and wrote:
SUSPECTS:
Marianne. She really, really wants George’s bike!
“Listen to this.” Brenda grabbed a handful of popcorn and stuffed it into her mouth. “‘Chapter Four,’” she read from the book. It was hard to understand her because she had so much popcorn in her mouth. “‘How to Get Your Suspects to Confess. Tip number one: Be really cool. Don’t let them know you suspect them.’”
“Uh-huh,” Nancy said. She wrote:
Lucas. He and George have a bet about the bike race. Maybe he stole her bike to make sure he would win the bet.
“‘Tip number two: Tell your suspect a joke. That will get them to loosen up with you,’” Brenda continued reading aloud.
Bess hugged her stuffed bunny to her chest and peered over Nancy’s shoulder. “What about clues? Do we have any of those?”
Nancy nodded. “Yes! We have one really good clue,” she replied.
She wrote:
CLUES:
A pink barrette with a zigzag shape.
Nancy glanced up from her notebook. “We have two suspects and one clue,” she announced. “Marianne, Lucas, and the pink barrette.”
“‘Tip number three’—guys, you’re not listening!” Brenda burst out.
“Nancy,” George said suddenly. “What if the thief is someone we haven’t even thought about? Maybe what Brenda said yesterday was right. Maybe there’s a crazy bike thief on the loose in River Heights!”