“Nancy, you’re brilliant!” George said. She began typing another message to Violet.
“Watch out, Natasha!” Nancy cried out.
Nancy repeatedly tapped the up arrow on her keyboard to make her Petopia avatar run and jump. On the screen, Natasha and the cyber Mocha Chip, which was another name for the computer Mocha Chip, leaped off the cobblestone path and into a fizzleberry bush—just in time to avoid a fire-breathing dragon.
It was after dinner, and Nancy was in her cozy blue pajamas. Her father had given her permission to play a few minutes of Petopia before going to bed.
The only other time she had played Petopia was on Sunday night, after coming home from Deirdre’s. Since then, Nancy’s avatar, Natasha, and the cyber Mocha Chip had made three friends, completed one quest, and uncovered four pieces of treasure. As a result, Nancy had collected a total of twenty-four points. She wasn’t sure how many more points she would need by the end of the week to win the contest—and a new backpack for Mocha Chip. But it was probably a lot more than twenty-four. She knew from IM’ing with George and Bess a few minutes ago that George had thirty-five points and Bess had twenty-three.
But at the moment, Nancy wasn’t thinking about winning the contest. She was thinking about the Clue Crew’s case.
George had said in her IM that she’d heard Gaby already had forty-nine points—the highest of any of the girls. Gaby really, really, really wants to win the contest, George had written.
Nancy sat back in her chair and stared at her computer screen, looking at the image of Natasha and the cyber Mocha Chip hiding in the fizzleberry bush. She thought about Gaby and her amazing computer skills.
Could Gaby have broken into Violet’s account and messed up her game? Nancy wondered. But why? Or maybe Gaby isn’t just after Violet. Maybe Gaby is planning on messing up everyone’s games so she can win the contest.
Then something else occurred to Nancy.
Could Gaby have stolen Hoppity too? And is she planning on stealing everyone else’s Make-a-Pets?
“But Gaby already has a Make-a-Pet,” Bess said at lunchtime the next day. “Her chick, Butterball.”
“I think it’s Buttercup,” Nancy corrected her. “But you’re right. So why would she want to steal Hoppity?”
George bit into her peanut butter and jelly sandwich. “Maybe she doesn’t really want Hoppity,” she said after a moment. “Maybe she’s just trying to cause trouble so she can win the contest.”
“Huh? How can she win the contest by causing trouble?” Bess asked her.
“Because we’d all be too busy looking for missing Make-a-Pets and trying to figure out who’s messing up people’s Petopia games,” George explained. “And while we’re doing that, she’d be scoring major Petopia points.”
“That’s a really good theory,” Nancy said. “I know! Why don’t we talk to some of the other girls and see if they’ve had any problems with their Petopia games? Like if someone’s been logging in to their accounts and making their avatars and pets do weird stuff?”
“Good idea,” George agreed.
Nancy pulled the blue doughnut out of her backpack. “Plus, I want to see if this belongs to anybody.”
“Whatever it is,” Bess said with a shrug.
Nancy glanced around the cafeteria. She remembered that Sonia was out sick today. She spotted Deirdre, Kendra, and Madison sitting across the aisle. They had their Make-a-Pets with them: Deirdre had her mouse, Kendra had her pony, and Madison had her turtle.
Nancy walked up to them, followed by Bess and George. “Hey, guys!” she called out.
“Hey, Clueless Crew!” Deirdre said cheerfully. “We’re kind of busy right now. Kendra and Madison are helping me figure out which backpack to buy for Squeak Squeak when I win the Petopia contest!”
Kendra and Madison exchanged a funny look.
“That’s great, Deirdre. How many points do you have so far?” Nancy asked her.
“Uh, well, a lot,” Deirdre said, flipping her ponytail over her shoulders. “I’m sure it’s way more than you have.”
Bess put her hands on her hips and started to say something to Deirdre. Nancy elbowed her.
“So we were wondering . . . does this belong to any of you guys?” she said, holding out the blue doughnut.
Deirdre made a face. “Uh, no? What is that, anyway?”
“It looks like a dog toy,” Kendra spoke up.
“Or food from outer space,” Madison added. The three girls cracked up.
Okay, so much for that, Nancy thought. “We were wondering about something else too. Have you guys noticed anything funny with your Petopia games?”
“What do you mean, ‘anything funny’?” Kendra said.
“You know, like, your avatar doing stuff you didn’t tell it to do,” George explained.
Deirdre, Kendra, and Madison all shook their heads. “Why, is your avatar doing stuff like that?” Deirdre asked George. “That’s probably because you don’t know how to play the game right!”
“Okay, well, thanks anyway!” Nancy said quickly, dragging George and Bess away. She didn’t want to waste time arguing with Deirdre about who was better at Petopia.
“Why is Deirdre so rude sometimes and so nice sometimes?” Bess whispered as they walked away. “She’s confusing!”
“She’s Deirdre,” George said simply.
Just then, the three girls passed Catherine, who was sitting at table by herself and doodling in a notebook.
Pausing, Nancy saw that she was drawing pictures of bunnies dressed in different colorful outfits: a pink ballet tutu, purple pajamas, and a flowery party dress.
“Your bunnies are supercute,” Nancy said. “Are they Make-a-Pets?”
Catherine’s cheeks flushed red. She slammed her notebook shut. “No!” she said, sounding annoyed. “I’m designing a new line, called . . . uh . . . Create-a-Pets. Yeah, that’s right, Create-a-Pets! They’re going to be way better than Make-a-Pets. Their clothes are going to be way better too.”
“Oh! That sounds cool,” Bess said eagerly. “Can I see your designs? I love fashion, so I could maybe help you with—”
“No thanks,” Catherine said shortly. She turned away and opened her notebook at a weird angle so that her drawings were hidden from the girls’ view.
“Ooookay,” George whispered as they walked away. “What’s up with Catherine today?”
“Or lately,” Bess added. “She’s been supercranky!”
“Hey, guys! Guess how many Petopia points I have so far? Seventy-five!”
Nancy turned around. Gaby was standing there. She was clutching a book against her chest called How to Win at Petopia.
“Hi, Gaby,” Nancy said, waving. Bess and George waved too.
Hi! So I’m totally going to get first place,” Gaby said smugly.
“You’re totally going to get first place because you’re cheating!” Bess blurted out.
“Bess!” Nancy and George said at the same time.
“Cheating? Bess, what are you talking about?” Gaby looked shocked.
“You’re hacking into people’s Petopia accounts,” Bess fumed. “Well, Violet’s, anyway. So far. And you stole Hoppity! Are you going to try to steal Itty Bitty, too? And everyone else’s Make-a-Pets? You have a lot of nerve, Gaby Small!”
“What?” Gaby gasped. “That makes, like, zero sense! I’ve had the most Petopia points of anybody since day one. I don’t need to hack or steal or whatever to win. I’m the best one at computers in our whole class. Maybe in our whole school!”
Nancy looked at Gaby, wondering if she was telling the truth. Or if maybe she was as good at lying as she was at computers.
“Carrotcake456,” Violet said, typing her password into George’s computer. “Isn’t that the best password ever? I didn’t change it, just like you guys said. But if I ever have to, I think I might change it to something totally different. I was thinking maybe Chocolatemilkshake789.”
It was after school, and Nancy, Bess,
George, and Violet had all gone over to George’s house to work on the case. Nancy and her friends had updated Violet on the day’s events, including their lunchtime conversations with Deirdre, Kendra, Madison, and Gaby.
“So you think Gaby might be the hacker?” Violet said.
“Maybe. Maybe not.” Nancy stared at the screen as the words “Welcome, Princess Pompom and Hoppity!” flashed across a bright green background. “When was the last time you played Petopia?”
“Not since I IM’d with you guys yesterday,” Violet replied.
“Okay. Why don’t you open up your game and start playing? We can see if the hacker’s been back,” Nancy suggested.
“Sure!” Violet typed several commands. After a moment, a gloomy landscape spilled across the screen. Dark storm clouds hung over a churning gray river.
“The hacker’s definitely been back!” Violet said. She pointed to two figures sitting on the riverbank. “Princess Pompom, what have you done? Omigosh, I think she dumped all her treasure into the river. Not that she had a lot to begin with. And Hoppity ate too many carrots, and now she’s too fat to move!” she added.
Nancy leaned forward and studied the screen carefully. Violet was right. Her Petopia game was not going well. Her avatar—a tiny, red-haired princess—was sitting next to an empty treasure chest. And the cyber Hoppity was lying belly-up next to an enormous pile of frilly green carrot tops.
“You didn’t make Princess Pompom and Hoppity do that?” Bess asked Violet.
“No way!” Violet said. “Ugh. Things were bad enough yesterday when I signed on. And now they’re getting worse. . . .”
As Violet talked, Nancy noticed something next to the enormous pile of frilly green carrot tops. She stared at it closely.
It was a squirrel. But Violet’s avatar was still on the screen.
“I think I know who our hacker is,” Nancy said suddenly.
“Who is it, Nancy?” Violet demanded. “Who’s the hacker?”
“Check it out,” Nancy said, pointing to the screen. “You don’t have another pet in Petopia, right?”
Violet shook her head. “No. But who else is playing under my name?”
“Someone with a Make-a-Pet squirrel,” Nancy replied mysteriously. “Remember? Gaby told us that your avatar and pet can leave clues in the Petopia world.”
“Sonia!” Bess and George said at the same time.
Violet gasped. “Sonia stole Hoppity! And she’s the hacker!”
“Me play game too!”
Nancy turned around. George’s little brother, Scott, was standing in the doorway. He was dressed in a jelly-stained T-shirt and a diaper with cartoon characters on it.
“Me play pretty game!” Scott shouted, pointing to the computer screen. “Mine!”
“Scott, no! We’re busy. Mom, Scotty’s bothering us!” George called out. She reached into her desk drawer and pulled out a small plastic dinosaur. “Here, you put this in my coat pocket. Go find Mommy. Okay?”
“’K.” Scott grabbed the dinosaur from George and toddled off. Nancy heard George’s mother in the hallway speaking to him.
“He’s always hiding his toys and stuff in my pockets,” George explained, closing the desk drawer. “Sorry about that! Anyway, so . . . what do we do now?”
“I think we should go talk to Sonia,” Nancy replied. “We need to get some answers. Like, right away.”
Nancy, Bess, George, and Violet all received permission from their parents to walk over to Sonia’s house. Sonia lived two blocks away from George.
When the four girls reached the Susi family’s sprawling Victorian house, Nancy rang the doorbell. After a moment the door opened. Sonia was standing there, wearing pink pajamas and a gray hoodie.
“W-what are you guys doing here?” Sonia said, looking startled. Her gaze fell on Violet. “Oh, hey, Violet.”
Violet folded her arms across her chest and glared at Sonia. She didn’t say anything.
“You were out sick today. Are you okay?” Nancy asked Sonia.
“I had a really bad tummyache from eating too much pizza last night. I’m better now, though,” Sonia replied. “Do you guys want to come in?”
“Sure,” George said. “We have to talk to you. It’s superimportant.”
“Uh . . . okay.” Sonia led Nancy and her friends into the living room. “Do you guys want a soda or some juice or—Bess, what are you doing?”
Bess had gotten down on her hands and knees and was peering under the couch. “I’m looking for Hoppity,” she mumbled. “Where are you hiding her, Sonia? Come on, we know you’re the thief! Confess!”
Sonia gasped. “I’m not—I didn’t—Bess, what are you talking about?”
“The acorns,” Nancy said simply. “We know you hacked into Violet’s Petopia game.”
Sonia turned pale. “Acorns? What acorns? What are you talking about?”
“Didn’t you know? When you hacked into Violet’s Petopia game, you accidentally left acorn clues behind,” George explained.
Sonia glanced away, then sank down onto the couch. “Oops.”
“So you admit you’re guilty?” Violet demanded.
Sonia nodded slowly.
“Aha!” Violet cried out.
“I’m really, really, really sorry,” Sonia apologized. “It’s just that . . . well, I was so mad at you for stealing my idea about Hoppity.”
Now it was Violet’s turn to glance away.
“I told you last week how much I wanted a Make-a-Pet bunny named Hoppity,” Sonia went on. “How could you steal my idea, Violet?”
Violet’s lip quivered. “The thing is . . . I was at the Make-a-Pet store, and I saw the bunnies on the shelf,” she said finally. “They were soooo cute, I felt like I just had to get one! I had to! And then I couldn’t think of a name for her. But I remembered you mentioning Hoppity, and it was like the perfect, perfect, perfect name for my bunny. I didn’t think you’d mind if I just kind of borrowed it. . . .”
“You should have asked me first,” Sonia pointed out.
“I know, I know. I’m really, really, really sorry,” Violet apologized. “So . . . is that why you hacked into my Petopia game?”
“Uh-huh. I thought it was the perfect revenge plan,” Sonia admitted. “So where is Hoppity?” Nancy asked Sonia.
“I didn’t steal Hoppity!” Sonia said quickly. “I messed up Violet’s Petopia game. That’s all.”
Nancy, Bess, and George looked at each other. “So if you didn’t steal Hoppity, Sonia, then who did?” Bess said finally.
“I don’t know,” Sonia said. “But tell me what I can do to help you guys find her. I’ll do anything!”
Nancy thought for a moment. Then she pulled the blue doughnut out of her backpack. “This is our only clue so far. We found it in Violet’s cubby on Monday, when Hoppity disappeared. We can’t figure out what it is, though. Do you have any ideas?”
Sonia took the blue doughnut from Nancy. Her eyes lit up. “I know exactly what this is!” she announced.
“You do?” Nancy said eagerly.
“What is it?” Bess asked Sonia. “Is it a doll bracelet or a doggy toy or food from outer space or . . .”
Sonia shook her head. “None of the above. It’s a teething ring.”
“A . . . what?” Violet said.
“A teething ring,” Sonia repeated. “My little sister, Eden, used to have one when she was a baby.”
George nodded excitedly. “Yes! That’s where I recognize it from! My little brother, Scott, used to have one too! Except his was a green doughnut.”
“What are they for?” Nancy asked Sonia and George.
“When babies get teeth for the first time, their gums hurt a lot, I guess,” George replied. “So my parents would freeze these things, and Scotty would chew on them, and it would make his gums feel better.”
“Yeah, same with Eden,” Sonia added.
Bess began jumping up and down. “Yay! Mystery solved!” she crowed.
“Wait a se
cond. Back up. So why would the thief leave a teething ring in my cubby?” Violet said, looking confused.
“Maybe your thief is a baby,” George joked.
“Funny. Seriously, though. Who left the teething ring in Violet’s cubby, and why?” Nancy asked Bess and George.
“Well . . . the thief probably dropped it there by accident, right?” George mused. “The question is, why was the thief carrying a teething ring around?”
“So how is your big case going?” Carson Drew asked Nancy. “Have you figured out who did it yet?”
“Not yet, Daddy!” Nancy said.
Nancy picked up her taco and took a big bite. It was make-your-own-taco night at the Drew house. Hannah had laid out plates of yummy shredded cheese, beans, salsa, yellow rice, sliced avocados, and corn tortillas in a line.
On the table next to her plate was Mocha Chip. Tonight Nancy had dressed him in his light-blue sweater that she had bought at the Make-a-Pet store.
“As of a few nights ago, you had a couple of suspects, right, honey?” Hannah said. “Sonia from your class? And that Antonio boy? The one who put a fake spider in my purse once?”
“Yup,” Nancy replied. She went on to explain how the case had gotten more complicated because of the hacker. She added that Sonia had admitted to being the hacker, but not to stealing Hoppity. Which meant that the bunny thief was still on the loose.
“It could be Antonio,” Nancy finished. “We put Gaby Small on the suspect list too because she really wants to win the Petopia contest! She might have stolen Hoppity to confuse everybody and score lots of points.”
“Well, it sounds like the Clue Crew has made a lot of progress,” Carson said. “Do you girls have any clues?”
Nancy nodded eagerly. “We found this blue plastic doughnut in Violet’s cubby. We figured the thief dropped it there by accident. But we didn’t know what it was . . . until today. See, Sonia has a little sister, and she explained that the doughnut was something babies use, called a teething ring.”