Big Worry in Wonderland

by Carolyn Keene

  “I promised Orson I would help,” Nancy said. “And a promise is a promise.”

  “You heard her,” Orson said. “A deal’s a deal. So deal with it!”

  “Fine,” George said.

  “Good luck,” Bess said.

  Nancy watched as her two best friends walked away. She felt awful!

  “Well, what are we waiting for?” Orson asked Nancy. “Let’s get to work!”

  “Okay,” Nancy said. “But first let me take out my detective notebook.”

  “What’s that?” Orson asked.

  “It’s where I write down all my suspects and clues,” Nancy answered.

  “What are they?” Orson asked.

  Nancy sighed. Working with Orson wasn’t going to be easy. She pulled out her notebook and turned to a clean page.

  “Here!” Orson said. He held out a bright green-and-orange pen. “Use this!”

  “It’s a nice pen,” Nancy admitted. “But why should I use it?”

  “Teamwork!” Orson replied. He shook the pen at Nancy. “Go ahead. It’s yours.”

  “Thanks.” Nancy shrugged. She took the pen and wrote “The Mystery of the Missing Hat” at the top of the page.

  “Nancy and Orson’s Mystery of the Missing Hat!” Orson corrected.

  Nancy groaned to herself as she changed the words. Then on the same page she drew a sketch of Orson’s missing hat.

  “There was a label inside,” Orson reminded her. “It said, ‘Sid’s Novelty Shop.’”

  Nancy drew the label under the picture of the hat. Then she began her list of suspects.

  “My first suspect is Kyle,” Nancy said. “He was mad at you for knocking into him with your big hat. And I saw him sneaking around your hat in the schoolyard yesterday.”

  Orson’s jaw dropped open. “Then case closed!” he declared. “Kyle stole my hat—and that’s that!”

  “No, the case is not closed,” Nancy said, shaking her head. “We still need more proof!”

  “Rats!” Orson muttered. Then his eyes lit up. “Hey! That Troy Marvello wanted my hat—for his store window. Remember?”

  “Yes,” Nancy agreed. “But I didn’t see Troy in the schoolyard yesterday.”

  “Then who else?” Orson asked.

  Nancy glanced around the auditorium. Most of the kids were sitting quietly and reading their scripts. But Brenda was busy passing out more party invitations.

  “Hmm,” Nancy thought out loud. “Brenda said your hat was perfect.”

  “So?” Orson asked.

  “She’s also having a party,” Nancy said. “Where everybody has to wear something special.”

  “So?” Orson asked again.

  “So,” Nancy said slowly, “maybe that something special is . . . a hat!”

  4

  Queen Brenda’s Surprise

  A hat party?” Orson asked. “How would we know for sure?”

  Nancy noticed a bunch of backpacks piled up against the wall. One had a bright pink envelope sticking out of its pocket.

  “That’s Emily’s backpack,” Nancy whispered. “And she has an invitation!”

  “And the invitation must say what kind of a party it is!” Orson said. “Emily is onstage rehearsing. Let’s grab her invitation and check it out!”

  “It’s not right to take things out of other people’s backpacks,” Nancy said. “I’ll ask Emily about it after school.”

  “Boring!” Orson groaned. He reached into his detective kit and pulled out a glove. “Let my Spy Smart Sticky Fingers do the trick!”

  Orson crept over to Emily’s backpack. When he reached for the invitation, it stuck to his fingertips!

  “Let’s see Bess and George do that!” Orson said, holding out the invitation.

  Nancy read it quickly. “It’s a Hats-Off-to-Brenda party!” she gasped. “And a prize will be given for the best hat!”

  “No wonder Brenda wanted my hat!” Orson said. “We have to go to that party!”

  “But how can we?” Nancy asked. “We never got invitations!”

  “But we do have disguises!” Orson said sneakily. “My secret spy kit comes with two camouflage hats!”

  Nancy didn’t want to sneak into the party But the sooner they found the hat, the sooner she’d stop working with Orson!

  “Okay. Brenda’s party is on Saturday.” Nancy sighed. “Tomorrow is Saturday. I’ll ring your doorbell at two o’clock.”

  “Teamwork!” Orson cheered. He grabbed Nancy’s hand to shake.

  “Ouch!” Nancy complained. Orson was still wearing his sticky fingers glove!

  I promised to help, Nancy thought glumly. And a promise is a promise!

  • • •

  That night during dinner Nancy told her father about the missing hat. Mr. Drew was a lawyer. He often helped Nancy with her cases.

  “Orson wants to use all these gadgets, Daddy!” Nancy complained.

  Mr. Drew smiled as he poured dressing on his salad. “The most important things a detective can use, Pudding Pie,” he said, “are her eyes and her ears!”

  “And her mouth!” Hannah joked. “So she can eat a second helping of macaroni!”

  Nancy smiled and held out her plate. “Yes, please!” she said.

  Macaroni and cheese always made Nancy feel better. So why didn’t she feel better about this case?

  • • •

  “Ta-daaaa!” Orson sang as he flung the door open.

  It was Saturday afternoon. Nancy stood on Orson’s doorstep with wide eyes.

  “That is the weirdest-looking hat I have ever seen in my life!” Nancy gasped.

  “Thanks!” Orson said cheerily. The big hat covered half of his face. There were holes cut out for his eyes and mouth. And a big spinning propeller on the top!

  “Your turn!” Orson said. He plopped a huge hat over Nancy’s head. A thick veil covered her face. A huge yellow sunflower bobbed on the top!

  “It’s called undercover work!” Orson said happily.

  I wish I were under the covers, Nancy thought glumly. At home—in bed!

  As they walked to Brenda’s house, Nancy was worried. What if the Carlton’s recognized her—or Orson? When Mrs. Carlton opened the front door she smiled.

  “What clever hats!” Mrs. Carlton said. She waved them inside. “Brenda’s party is downstairs in the basement.”

  “All systems go!” Orson hissed as they hurried downstairs.

  Nancy looked around. The basement was decorated with balloons and streams of pink-and-white crepe paper. A big banner over the snack table read, LONG LIVE QUEEN BRENDA!

  “Oh, great!” Orson sneered. “This party is all girls!”

  Orson was right. Through her veil Nancy saw many girls from her class. Then she saw Brenda. She wore a blue velvet dress and a huge top hat decorated with big paper daisies.

  “That’s my hat!” Orson whispered. “And she ruined it with goofy flowers!”

  Nancy and Orson froze as Brenda clapped her hands for attention.

  “Hold onto your hats!” Brenda announced. “Because it’s limbo time!”

  Brenda turned on her CD player. Music filled the basement as Molly and Amara held up the long limbo bar. Girls giggled as they leaned backward under it.

  “Whatever you do, Orson,” Nancy whispered, “do not lose your hat!”

  When it was Nancy’s turn she slid under the limbo bar. But when Orson went under the bar he froze.

  Nancy froze too. The propeller on his hat was caught on the limbo bar!

  “Okay, okay!” Brenda sighed. “What’s the problem?”

  “His—her hat is stuck on the limbo bar!” Nancy said, disguising her voice.

  “Hel-lo?” Amara said, rolling her eyes. “Then take off the hat!”

  “Take off the hat!” everyone chanted. “Take off the hat! Take off the hat!”

  Oh, no! Nancy thought. If Orson takes off his disguise, the truth will be out!

  Then Amara and Molly lifted the limbo bar—and lifted Orson’s hat rig
ht off his head!

  “It’s Orson!” the girls shrieked.

  “Busted!” Orson groaned.

  “How did you get in here, Orson Wong?” Brenda demanded.

  “He came with me!” Nancy said. She stepped forward and pulled off her hat. “We were looking for his missing hat.”

  “We thought you stole it!” Orson said. He pointed to Brenda’s top hat.

  “Did not!” Brenda told Nancy. “My mother made this hat. I told her what Orson’s hat looked like and she sewed one just like it—with flowers!”

  Nancy was starting to believe Brenda. But Orson shook his head.

  “Nice try, Carlton!” he sneered. “Now let’s see what you’re hiding under those daisies!”

  Brenda shrieked as Orson plucked the daisies right off of her hat.

  Suddenly Nancy noticed something. The hatband wasn’t covered with yellow polka dots. It was covered with red stripes!

  “Orson!” Nancy shouted. “Look at the hatband. It is not your hat!”

  Orson stared at the hat. “Whoops.” He gulped.

  “Sorry, Brenda!” Nancy blurted. “We really didn’t mean to—”

  “Out!” Brenda shouted. She pointed to the door. “O-U-T—out!!”

  The girls waved good-bye to Nancy as she and Orson hurried out of the basement.

  “How could you do that?” Nancy demanded when they were both outside.

  “I got us in, didn’t I?” Orson asked.

  They tossed their hats into a trash can. Then Nancy used Orson’s pen to cross Brenda’s name from her notebook.

  “Now what do we do?” Nancy asked.

  “Let’s get some pizza!” Orson said. “We couldn’t eat any chips or pretzels through those dumb hats!”

  Nancy frowned. How could Orson think of food at a time like this?

  But as they passed Casey’s Department Store, they skidded to a stop.

  Troy Marvello was in the window dressing a dummy. The dummy wore a long dress and a big hat. The hat had a red brim and a yellow polka-dotted hatband!

  “Look, Orson!” Nancy gasped. “That hat looks just like yours!”

  5

  The Dress Mess

  That is my hat!” Orson cried.

  Troy didn’t seem to notice Nancy or Orson. He was too busy working.

  Nancy pulled out her notebook. She compared the hat in the window to her sketch. The two hats looked exactly the same. But were they the same?

  “We have to get inside that window,” Nancy said, “and see if that hat has a Sid’s Novelty Store tag on it.”

  Nancy and Orson walked into the department store. The salespeople were busy helping customers.

  “Which way to the window?” Nancy wondered out loud.

  Suddenly she saw Troy. He was stepping out from behind a red curtain.

  Nancy and Orson waited until Troy walked away. Then they quickly slipped behind the curtain.

  “I can’t believe it!” Orson whispered. “I’m inside a real store window.”

  Orson flattened his nose against the glass. People walking by looked up at him curiously.

  “Will you stop?” Nancy cried. “Let’s check out the hat and get out of here!”

  “Wait!” Orson said. He reached into his pocket and plucked out a rubber dog nose. “Not until I put on my Secret Spy Schnozola!”

  “What does that do?” Nancy asked.

  “It’s supposed to give me a keen sense of smell,” Orson explained. “Just like a scent hound!”

  “Whatever!” Nancy sighed.

  Orson slipped on the nose and Nancy stood on her toes. She picked up the brim of the hat and read the label.

  “Madame Colette’s,” Nancy read out loud. “That’s not where you bought your—”

  “I’ll be in my window for a few minutes, Sally!” a voice interrupted.

  Nancy gasped. It was Troy’s voice. And he was coming back to the window!

  “We have to hide!” Nancy whispered.

  “Follow me!” Orson said. He tugged Nancy’s arm and yanked her underneath the dummy’s long, puffy skirt.

  Nancy peeked out from under the skirt. She could see Troy’s shoes right in front of her nose!

  “What’s a spring window?” Troy was asking himself, “without spring flowers?”

  Nancy watched as red rose petals scattered on the floor.

  “Roses make me sneeze!” Orson hissed. “And my Schnozola is making it worse!”

  “Then take it off!” Nancy whispered back.

  It was too late. “Ahh . . . ahh . . . choo!” Orson sneezed. He sneezed so hard that the long skirt blew out just enough to show Orson and Nancy’s shoes.

  “You two!” Troy shouted, lifting up the skirt. He was holding a basket of rose petals. “What are you doing under there?”

  Nancy crawled out with Orson. She knew she would have to tell the truth.

  “Orson’s hat is missing,” Nancy said. “And the dummy’s hat looks just like his.”

  “It doesn’t take a dummy to see that, Marvello!” Orson declared.

  Troy folded his arms. “Impossible!” He laughed. “This hat was imported from a very expensive design house in Paris!”

  Nancy remembered the label under the hat. The name of the store did sound French.

  “That’s why I wanted Orson’s hat,” Troy went on. “It looked just like the expensive kind.”

  “So you ordered the hat all the way from Paris?” Nancy asked.

  “Yes,” Troy said. He pulled the receipt from his pocket and held it up. “And it cost me over one hundred dollars.”

  “Bummer,” Orson said. “Mine just cost seven dollars and fifty cents.”

  Nancy studied the receipt. Everything Troy said was true. “I’m sorry if we caused any trouble,” she said.

  “And I’m sorry I didn’t give you my hat,” Orson admitted. “I didn’t know you wanted it that badly!”

  “It’s okay,” Troy smiled. “You gave me the idea. And that’s also important.”

  Nancy smiled too. Until Orson threw back his head and started to sneeze . . .

  “Ahh . . . ahh . . . choooo!”

  Poof! Orson’s sneeze blew a blast of rose petals into Troy’s face.

  Nancy and Orson raced out of the store.

  “It’s good that he wasn’t very angry,” Nancy told Orson.

  “But bad that it wasn’t my hat!” Orson sighed. “Now what do we do?”

  They were about to walk along Main Street when Nancy spotted Lonny and Lenny.

  “Hey, Lenny!” Orson called. “Why are you carrying your backpack on a Saturday?”

  The twins stopped walking.

  “Um,” Lonny blurted. “We’re coming from the magic shop.”

  “Yeah!” Lenny said. He nodded toward his backpack. “I just got an awesome trick card deck.”

  “Really?” Nancy asked. “May we see?”

  “No!” Lonny blurted. He put his hands over Lenny’s backpack.

  “Leave us alone!” Lenny shouted.

  Nancy stared at the twins. Why were they acting so weird? And what were they hiding inside that backpack?

  6

  Hypno-Tease

  Lonny and Lenny turned and scurried up Main Street.

  “Did you see the way Lenny guarded his backpack?” Nancy asked. “Do you think they might know something about the hat?”

  Orson shook his head.

  “Lonny and Lenny are pests but they’re not thieves,” he insisted. “And I didn’t see them anywhere near my hat when it disappeared.”

  Nancy agreed. The only place Nancy saw the twins were behind the bushes, eating gummy worms.

  Nancy pulled out her notebook and crossed out Troy’s name. “Now our only suspect is—”

  “Kyle!” Orson whispered. With wide eyes he pointed over Nancy’s shoulder.

  Nancy spun around. She saw Kyle Leddington standing in front of the Sweet Dreams Candy Store. He was sharing a big bag of candy with his friend, Peter.

&nb
sp; “There’s our man!” Orson sneered. “Kyle Leddington—our final suspect!”

  “We don’t know yet,” Nancy warned. “We still need more evidence.”

  “You look for it,” Orson said. “I’m going home for milk and cookies.”

  Nancy and Orson planned to meet the next day to look for clues. But before Orson left he tossed Nancy a pair of goofy-looking fake ears.

  “They’re my Secret Spy Hear-ears,” Orson said as he walked away “They’ll let you hear things from miles and miles away!”

  Nancy giggled as she tried on the silly fake ears. But then she heard something. It was Kyle’s voice coming in loud and clear! Could Orson’s spy ears really work?

  “That Orson won’t be bothering me again,” Kyle was saying.

  “How come?” Peter asked.

  “Because,” Kyle said sneakily. “I took something that belonged to him!”

  Nancy gasped. She couldn’t believe her ears . . . her secret spy ears!

  • • •

  “So what are we going to do today?” Orson asked Nancy.

  It was Sunday morning. Orson was standing on the Drew’s doorstep. Draped over his shoulder was his secret spy bag.

  “We’re going to investigate Kyle,” Nancy said. “I heard him tell Peter that he took something of yours.”

  “Aha!” Orson cried. He pumped his fist in the air. “I knew it! I knew it!”

  Nancy made sure her detective notebook was in her jacket pocket. After saying good-bye to her father and Hannah she stepped outside and closed the door.

  “First we have to go to Kyle’s house,” Nancy explained. “And then we have to question him.”

  “Bor-ring!” Orson groaned.

  Nancy planted her hands on her hips. “Do you have a better idea?” she asked.

  “You bet I do!” Orson said. He pulled out a plastic pair of goggles with whirly spirals on the lenses. “I say we hypnotize Kyle. And make him confess!”

  Nancy stared at the glasses. They looked like something she would wear on Halloween!

  “Well?” Orson asked. He put on the glasses and waved his fingers. “Are you getting sleepy?”

  “Come on,” Nancy said, rolling her eyes.

  Nancy and Orson walked four blocks to the Leddington house. When Nancy rang the doorbell Mrs. Leddington opened the door.