“Why?” Kendra asked. “You don’t have to pay for anything at this circus.”
“Exactly!” Nancy said. “If everyone else feels the same way, then they might not go to the real circus, and that means there won’t be as many ticket stubs entered for the drawing.”
“Oh, yeah! We need as many as possible!” Kendra said. “Well, maybe the acts won’t be any good.”
“That’s not likely,” said George. “Everything Deirdre does is top-notch.”
“I told Deirdre I could be an ape if she wanted me to,” Kendra said. “I still have my ape costume from our school play, but she said she also needed people in the audience, so that’s what I’m doing.” She looked Nancy, Bess, and George up and down. “That’s what you’re doing too, isn’t it?”
“I’m glad you could tell, Kendra,” Bess said. She rolled her eyes.
Just then they heard a loud whistle. The boy with black hair came out of the circus tent. But now he was dressed like a ringmaster.
“What’s he doing here?” Nancy whispered.
“That’s Joey DeLuca,” Kendra said. “He’s the son of the ringmaster at the circus.”
Nancy, Bess, and George looked at one another.
“So he’s Deirdre’s surprise,” Nancy said.
“Well, one mystery has been solved,” said Bess. “We know who that boy is.”
“But now we’ve got another mystery,” George said. “Why is he helping Deirdre put on her backyard circus?”
“And don’t forget the main mystery,” Nancy added. “Who stole all those things from the real circus?”
Joey blew his whistle again and cracked a black whip. “Come one! Come all!” he shouted. “Here inside the big top is the Greatest Show on Earth!”
“We need to hurry,” Kendra said, “or we won’t get very good seats.”
Kendra started running toward the entrance to the tent. Nancy, Bess, and George followed right behind her.
When they got inside, Nancy was amazed. There was a ring in the middle of the tent. A trapeze was hanging down above it.
Nancy, Bess, and George took seats with Kendra at the top of the bleachers. Kevin, Madison, Brianne, and Marcy were sitting in the row in front of them.
“Don’t forget to go to the other circus tonight,” Nancy whispered to them. “We have to win that stuffed bear for the children’s hospital.”
“We will!” they all promised.
Just then Joey entered and waved to the bleachers. “Welcome to the Greatest Show on Earth!” he shouted. He ran to the center of the ring. “Let the circus begin!”
On cue, Deirdre pranced in. She was wearing a pink ballerina costume. She was holding Marshmallow, her white cat. Behind Deirdre marched Peter. He had on purple tights and an orange cape. Nancy thought he looked really embarrassed.
“Love the color!” Kevin shouted.
The clown, the horse, the camel, and the elephant followed Peter.
When everyone was inside the tent, Joey cracked his whip and shouted, “Our first act will be Miss Deirdre and her rare but dangerous white tiger!” He put two kitchen stools a few inches apart in the center of the ring.
With Marshmallow in her arms, Deirdre ran into the ring. She pranced around for a couple of minutes, then put the cat on one of the stools. She held a ring between the two stools, and Marshmallow jumped through it onto the other stool.
The crowd cheered.
“Well, I take back all the unkind things I ever said about that cat,” George said. “That wasn’t bad.”
After Deirdre, Peter swung by his legs from the trapeze, the clown acted silly, and the horse, the camel, and the elephant each did a couple of tricks.
“Well, that’s the show, folks,” Joey said finally. “We hope you enjoyed it.”
The crowd roared.
“I didn’t see any of those things that are missing from the circus,” George said. “I guess Deirdre and Joey didn’t take them after all.”
“Well, we don’t know that for sure, George,” Nancy said. “We only know that they didn’t use them in the circus.”
“Good point, Nancy,” said Bess. “It’s still a mystery what happened to them.”
The three friends joined the rest of the crowd in the center of the ring, where everyone was congratulating the circus performers.
Deirdre introduced Nancy, Bess, and George to Joey.
“You’re a great ringmaster,” George told him. “Are you going to follow in your father’s footsteps when he retires?”
“Not me! I hate the circus. We travel all the time and I never get to stay in one place long enough to make good friends,” Joey said. “I’d love to live right here in River Heights and have a normal life.”
Nancy though Joey sounded sad. “And I have a plan to make that happen, too,” he added.
Chapter Seven
Dead End?
When Joey turned around to say something to Deirdre, Bess whispered, “We may have our thief after all!”
“What do you mean?” George asked.
“Well, Joey said he wants to lead a normal life,” Bess explained, “so maybe he’s trying to close down the circus by stealing the costumes.”
“I don’t know, Bess,” said Nancy. “Wouldn’t it take a really long time to do that?”
Bess thought for a minute. “Joey might not plan to steal them all,” she said. “He could steal just enough that some of the performers would get mad and quit.”
“Or people would stop going to see the circus,” George said. “It’s not much of a circus if the clowns are only wearing their street clothes!”
“Hmm,” Nancy said. “This is kind of beginning to make sense. Joey!” she called.
Joey turned back around. “Yeah?” he said.
“Would you be able to give us a backstage tour before the show tonight?” Nancy asked. “We’d like to see what goes on behind the scenes.”
“Sure. No problem!” Joey replied. “I’ll meet you at the main entrance.”
“Cool!” Nancy said. “We’ll be there.”
Just then Brianne and Madison asked Joey to sign their autograph books.
“Now that I think about it, he doesn’t act like somebody who’s been stealing costumes, Nancy,” Bess whispered. “I wouldn’t want a lot of people snooping around if I were guilty.”
“That’s just it, Bess,” Nancy said. “Dad told me that some criminals try to make you think that they’re being cooperative. But they really just want to make sure you don’t find anything that might make you suspicious of them.”
“If he’s the thief, then maybe we’ll find where he’s hidden everything,” George said.
“We should be so lucky,” Bess said.
“Well, I promised Hannah I’d help her clean out the cupboards in the kitchen before we go to the circus tonight, so I need to go home,” Nancy said.
The three friends jumped on their bicycles and left Deirdre’s house.
That evening Bess and George arrived at Nancy’s in time to have some of Hannah’s freshly baked cookies before they headed to the circus. But Hannah had a headache and decided to stay home.
In the car on the way to the show, Nancy said, “Daddy, Joey DeLuca is going to give us a behind-the-scenes tour before tonight’s performance. He’s the ringmaster’s son, but we think he may be the one who’s stealing parts of everyone’s costumes. That way, the circus will close and he can live a normal life here in River Heights.”
“That’s an odd way of trying to put the circus out of business,” Mr. Drew commented.
“That’s what I thought too, Daddy,” Nancy said.
“But criminals do odd things sometimes,” said Mr. Drew. “Just make sure you three stay together while you’re sleuthing.”
“Oh, we will,” Nancy assured him. “We never do anything foolish.”
“All right,” Mr. Drew said. “I’ll probably look around the area myself. I’ve always wanted to see what went on behind the scenes.” He looked over at Nancy
and grinned. “But I’ll stay out of sight so I won’t embarrass you.”
“You won’t embarrass us, Daddy,” Nancy said. “You’re one of our top investigators.”
When they got to the circus, Mr. Drew parked the car. He followed Nancy, Bess, and George as they headed toward the main entrance. In a few minutes Joey appeared, still dressed in his ringmaster outfit.
Nancy introduced him to Mr. Drew. Then Joey asked, “Are you ready?”
“We sure are!” the three friends cried.
With Joey in the lead, they started walking to the back of the huge tent. Some of the performers were coming out of their trailers, heading toward the circus tent.
“We’ll be able to see more after everyone’s gone,” Joey said. “That’s when I really like wandering around out here.”
“I bet,” George muttered. “You can take whatever you want.”
Nancy nudged her to keep quiet.
“Do you collect anything?” Bess asked. “You know, like circus souvenirs?”
Joey gave her a puzzled look. “Like what?” he said.
“Like clown noses or acrobat capes or feather headdresses,” Nancy said.
Joey winkled his nose. “Are you serious?” he said. “Why would I want to do that? I’m trying to forget the circus, not remember it.”
The three friends looked at one another.
“But it’s funny that you ask, because somebody must,” Joey continued. “A lot of those things you just mentioned have turned up missing.” He stopped and looked at them. “Hey, wait a minute! You three are the Clue Crew! You go around solving mysteries, don’t you?” He gave them a knowing look. “You thought I was the one taking all those things, didn’t you?”
“Well, you said you had a plan to stay in River Heights,” Nancy explained, “and we thought maybe if you closed down the circus, you could do that.”
Suddenly, Bess screamed.
Nancy, George, and Joey turned.
Brownie the Bear was heading right toward them! And he didn’t look very happy.
Chapter Eight
A Really Great Trick!
“You don’t have to be afraid of Brownie,” Joey reassured them. “He won’t hurt you.”
“What’s he doing loose?” Nancy asked.
“That’s one of Brownie’s tricks,” Joey explained. “He can unlock his cage.”
“Are you serious?” George said.
Joey nodded. “We usually just let him stay out for a while,” he said. “He doesn’t really do anything except wander around.”
Bess clutched her purse tightly. “He’s not getting this!” she declared. “It’s the only one I have that goes with my outfit!”
“Letting a bear walk around loose sounds kind of dangerous,” Nancy said.
Joey shrugged. “That’s circus life for you,” he said.
Right at that moment, Brownie’s trainer came running around the corner. He stopped when he saw Joey and the Clue Crew. “Sorry,” he said. He attached a leash to Brownie and led him gently back to his cage.
Nancy was impressed by how well he treated the bear.
“I think it’s really neat that you want to stay in River Heights and go to school with us,” she told Joey. “You said you had a plan to make it happen. What is it?”
“Well, I guess it’s really not much of a plan,” he said, “but my dad knows that I don’t want to be in the circus when I grow up, so I’m always talking to him about how important it is that I go to a real school.”
“River Heights Elementary is a great school,” Bess said. “We just won a national award.”
“I know. My uncle Frank told me. He lives here in River Heights,” Joey said. He grinned. “I could stay with him and his family.”
“Super!” George said.
“Helping Deirdre put on her backyard circus was also part of my plan,” Joey said. “I heard her asking some of the performers for advice on how to do it, so I thought if I could show Dad how well I got along with the kids here, he might think about letting me stay.”
“What if your plan doesn’t work?” Bess asked.
Joey shrugged. “Then I’ll just stay with the circus,” he said.
In the distance Nancy heard the band starting to play.
“We’d better take our seats,” Nancy said. “Thanks for the tour, Joey.”
“You’re welcome,” Joey said. “Enjoy the show!”
Nancy saw Mr. Drew standing a few yards away. She waved. Mr. Drew waved back.
When the Clue Crew reached him, Nancy frowned. “Well, we struck out again, Dad. Joey DeLuca isn’t the one who’s been stealing parts of the costumes. We’re back where we started,” she said.
“That can happen when you’re trying to solve a crime, girls,” Mr. Drew said. “It’s two steps forward, three steps backward sometimes. But if you don’t give up, you’ll eventually solve the case.”
“Oh, we don’t plan to give up, Mr. Drew,” George said.
“The Clue Crew never gives up!” Bess added.
By the time they found their seats, the circus parade had already started. Nancy, Bess, and George all noticed that there were even more things missing now. None of the clowns had their big red noses. And none of the acrobats had their sequined capes. And Nancy noticed that now some of the jugglers were even missing their bowling pins!
“They all look like they’re really angry,” Nancy said.
Just then two white horses pulled a big red and white cage in front of their section and stopped. Brownie was inside. He was dressed for his performance, in a red hat and a red vest.
Brownie’s trainer ran to the center of the ring. He stood there for a few minutes.
“What’s he waiting for?” a man in front of Nancy asked the woman next to him.
“Well, what are you waiting for?” the trainer shouted toward the cage. “The good people here are expecting us to put on a show.”
At that, Brownie lay on his back and started pedaling his legs. The crowd laughed.
“If you don’t work, you don’t get paid,” the trainer shouted to Brownie.
Brownie sat up quickly and opened his mouth in a grin. That made the audience applaud.
Then Brownie reached over, unlatched his cage, stepped out, and started walking toward the trainer.
At first the crowd gasped. Then they applauded again.
“Can that bear actually let himself out of his cage?” Mr. Drew asked.
“You bet!” Nancy said. “Joey said he even walks around the circus grounds by himself sometimes.”
“Well, I’m not quite sure that’s smart,” Mr. Drew said. “He may be trained, but he’s still a wild animal, and they can just as suddenly—”
Before Mr. Drew could finish his sentence, Brownie stopped, turned away from the trainer, and raced to the front row, where he grabbed a lady’s purse.
Several people screamed. Then the crowd laughed, as Brownie handed the purse back to the lady.
Nancy turned to Bess and George. “I have an idea,” she said.
Chapter Nine
The Mystery Is Solved!
As soon as the last act was over, Nancy said, “Daddy, I think we can solve this case tonight, but we need to talk to Joey again.”
“Well, they’re about to have the drawing for the stuffed bear, Nancy,” Mr. Drew said. “And remember that you have to be here when your name is called in order to win.”
The Clue Crew looked at one another.
“It’s a tough choice,” Nancy said, “but the children in the hospital come before our solving mysteries.”
Bess and George nodded.
A trumpet sounded, and a spotlight shone on the ringmaster in the center ring. A clown carried the metal box to him. The ringmaster opened the box and drew out a name.
“And the winner is . . . Hannah Gruen!” the ringmaster shouted.
“Oh, no!” cried Nancy. “You have to be here to win!”
“Here I am!”
Just then the Clue Crew
saw Hannah running toward the center ring. She grabbed the microphone. “I had a headache, so I stayed home. But just a few minutes ago I realized that I couldn’t let Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew down, just in case I won. So I got into my car and drove here. The children in the hospital are more important than my headache!”
“Way to go, Hannah!” the Clue Crew shouted.
The spotlight found them, and they waved to the cheering crowd.
“I think you can go solve the mystery now,” Mr. Drew whispered to Nancy. “Hannah and I will take care of the stuffed bear for you and meet you at the car in fifteen minutes.”
“Thanks, Daddy!” Nancy said.
“But it’s already dark, so just make sure you stay under the lights and around people,” Mr. Drew added.
“You got it!” Bess and George said.
“Come on!” Nancy said. “There’s Joey!”
The three friends raced down the steps of their section and across the center ring to the other side of the tent.
“Joey!” Nancy called. “Wait up!”
Joey turned. “Oh, hi,” he said. “Congratulations. I’m happy that you won the stuffed bear.”
“You don’t act very happy,” Bess said.
Joey let out a big sigh. “Dad won’t let me stay in River Heights,” he told them. “He’s really angry that somebody has been stealing things from the performers, and he doesn’t want to talk about anything else.” He sighed again. “I guess I’ll never have a normal life.”
“Well, maybe we can do something about that,” Nancy said. She looked at Bess and George. “Can’t we, Clue Crew?”
Bess and George nodded. “You bet!” they answered.
Joey shook his head. “I know you three have solved a lot of mysteries here in River Heights,” he said, “but I’m sure this is bigger than the kind of cases you’ve worked on.”
“Hey! You take that back!” Bess said. She was standing with her hands on her hips. “A crime is a crime is a crime! Those were just as important to the people they happened to as yours is.”
“I’m sorry,” Joey said. “I didn’t mean to—”
“It’s all right,” said George. “We know you’re upset.”