Time Thief

by Carolyn Keene

  “Which makes Mr. Higgins innocent,” Nancy said, placing the cup down. She could hear the auction starting outside the door. “We’d better leave now.”

  “Not until I see what’s inside that box,” George insisted. “Whoever the thief is still could have sold Margie to Mr. Higgins!”

  “But we promised Mrs. Higgins we wouldn’t touch any of the antiques,” Nancy warned.

  “I’m not touching the antiques,” George promised. “I’m just touching the box.”

  Lifting the box George gasped. Underneath wasn’t Margie but a big mechanical robot!

  George jumped back as the robot began to whir. His eyes flashed red and his antennae spun round and round.

  “I am Sammy the Spaceman!” it droned. “Take me to your leader.”

  “It must have turned on when I picked up the box,” George cried. “How do I turn it off?”

  Sammy’s arm jutted out. The girls jumped back as his blaster fired silver sparks. He kept firing as he lumbered across the room, knocking antiques off tables and boxes.

  The girls lunged forward, catching each antique before it hit the floor. Suddenly Sammy spun around and marched out of the room.

  “He’s heading for the auction room!” Nancy cried.

  Running to the door the girls looked out. Sammy was marching straight toward Mr. and Mrs. Higgins!

  “Cheese and crackers!” Mr. Higgins cried.

  “I am Sammy the Spaceman,” the robot buzzed as it lumbered toward the podium. “I come to protect my planet.”

  Mrs. Higgins chased Sammy around the podium. Mr. Higgins glared over at the girls, until one of the guests shouted, “I bid two hundred bucks for Sammy the Spaceman!”

  “Three hundred!” a woman shouted out. Mr. Higgins turned toward the guests.

  “Um . . . do I hear five hundred?” Mr. Higgins asked, picking up the gavel.

  “Five hundred for an original Sammy?”

  The auction was in full swing as the girls sneaked past the guests and out the door.

  “I’m glad that’s over,” George groaned. “Now we can change into our normal clothes.”

  “These are my normal clothes,” Bess giggled as she tugged at a fake-diamond earring.

  Nancy was happy to be out of the Time Warp Auction House too. But she wasn’t happy that they hadn’t found Margie.

  “Back to our headquarters, Clue Crew,” Nancy sighed as Hannah drove up. “And back to work.”

  Hannah drove the girls to the Drew house. While she made them sandwiches in the kitchen the girls hung up their coats.

  “We can’t give up, you guys,” Nancy said. “The thief is out there somewhere.”

  Suddenly Bess let out a little gasp. Then she cried out, “Oh, noooo!”

  “Bess, what’s the matter?” Nancy asked.

  “I just stole something!” Bess cried. “And that makes me a thief!”

  Chapter Nine

  Spilled Secret

  “Since when are you a thief, Bess?” Nancy asked.

  “You wouldn’t even steal a base at softball,” George said. “If you played softball.”

  Bess reached into her jacket pocket. With a frown she pulled out the pink diary from the Time Warp Auction House.

  “When I heard Mrs. Higgins coming, I stuck this in my pocket,” Bess explained. “But I forgot to put it back!”

  “Great!” George groaned. “Now we’ll have to go back to that auction house.”

  Nancy knew they’d have to return the diary. But not before she sneaked a peek inside.

  “I never read someone else’s diary before,” Nancy said, feeling mischievous. She took the diary from Bess and opened it to the first page. On it was a smiley face doodle and a date.

  “Hey!” Nancy said with a smile. “This diary was written the same year the time capsule was buried!”

  “Whose was it?” George asked.

  Nancy turned to the next page and read out loud: “Dear Diary, before I tell you my secrets, let me tell you who I am. My name is Cathy Silvano. I’m in the third grade at River Heights Elementary School.”

  “Like us!” Bess said, smiling again.

  “I’m going to find the day the time capsule was buried,” Nancy decided. “It was buried exactly thirty years and three days ago!”

  Luckily there was a date on each page so Nancy knew just where to look.

  “Found it,” Nancy said when she reached the page. It had a doodled face on it too. But this one wasn’t smiling. It was frowning!

  “Today Linda did something bad with the time capsule and made me promise not to tell anyone,” Nancy read out loud. “Not even you, Diary!”

  The rest of the page was blank!

  “Who was Linda?” Bess wondered.

  “I don’t know,” Nancy said, shutting the diary. “But I know how we can find out.”

  Nancy led her friends downstairs to the basement. After searching through old clothes, arts and crafts projects, and picture albums, Nancy found what she was looking for—her dad’s school yearbooks!

  Mr. Drew had one yearbook for each year at River Heights Elementary School.

  “Here it is,” Nancy said, pulling a red, bound book from the stack. “The year of the time capsule.”

  The first thing the girls did was turn to Mr. Drew’s third-grade picture.

  “Look how much hair he had!” Bess gasped.

  “Is that a tiny alligator on his shirt?” George asked.

  “I think it’s another stain,” Nancy sighed. “Let’s look for Linda.”

  The girls found three Lindas. But there was something about Linda Troutman’s picture that looked familiar.

  Bess read the words underneath her picture: “Favorite color: blue. Favorite food: macaroni and cheese. Favorite book: cookbook.”

  “Macaroni and cheese, cookbook,” George repeated. “Sounds like Mrs. McGillicuddy to me.”

  “Favorite color blue . . . blue hairnet!” Bess gasped. “Maybe Linda Troutman is Mrs. McGillicuddy!”

  Nancy stared at the picture, then at her friends.

  “I saw Mrs. McGillicuddy at the movies last night,” Nancy remembered. “And Mr. McGillicuddy called her Linda.”

  “Maybe it’s a coinky-dink,” Bess said.

  “And,” Nancy said as she remembered more, “Mrs. McGillicuddy knew the color of the missing doll’s hair!”

  “That’s no coinky-dink,” Bess said.

  “Come to think of it,” George pointed out, “Mrs. McGillicuddy has been acting—and cooking—weirdly lately.”

  Nancy studied Linda’s picture, imagining a blue hairnet over her head.

  “If Mrs. McGillicuddy is the Linda who did something bad,” Nancy said, “maybe she knows something about Margie!”

  The girls put together a plan. They would check out Mrs. McGillicuddy at school, first thing in the morning.

  “Something is definitely cooking,” Nancy said firmly. “And this time it’s not macaroni and cheese!”

  “Let us in, Digger,” George said the next morning. “We have to go to the lunchroom!”

  Digger, the fifth-grade hall monitor, was also the school yard monitor. And he wasn’t about to budge.

  “No one allowed inside the school before the bell,” Digger said as he guarded the door. “Those are the rules.”

  “But—I need my cupcakes!” Bess blurted out.

  “Did you say . . . cupcakes?” Digger asked. “It’s my birthday and my cupcakes are inside the fridge,” Bess lied. “Chocolate and coconut.”

  “And there’s plenty for everyone,” George said, eyeing Digger. “Even fifth-grade hall monitors.”

  “Make it snappy,” Digger said, swinging the door open. “And make mine chocolate!”

  “Deal!” Bess said as the girls flitted through the door. They ran straight to the lunchroom. Stopping at the kitchen door they could see Mrs. McGillicuddy preparing the day’s lunch.

  “Mushrooms . . . whipped cream . . . sardines,” Mrs. McGillicuddy said, as she
gathered the ingredients.

  “She’s messing up another lunch!” George groaned. “We’ve got to stop her.”

  Just then the kitchen phone rang. Mrs. McGillicuddy picked it up and said, “Teachers’ lounge needs milk for the coffee? I’m on it.”

  The girls plastered themselves against the wall as Mrs. McGillicuddy walked out of the kitchen. She didn’t see the girls, and instead of milk she was carrying prune juice!

  “She really does have something on her mind,” Bess said as the lunch lady made her way down the hall.

  “Let’s look for clues in the meantime,” Nancy suggested.

  The girls hurried into the kitchen. It didn’t take Bess long to find something on the floor— something blue and sparkly!

  “It’s a sequin,” Bess said, picking it up.

  “The Beauty in the Ballroom gown was blue and sparkly,” Nancy said.

  “There’s another!” George said, pointing to the floor. “And another . . . and another!”

  The girls followed the sparkly blue trail across the kitchen floor. It led them to a tall steel cabinet.

  “Maybe Margie is inside!” Nancy said, her heart beginning to thump. She pulled open the cabinet doors and looked inside. Shelves were filled with labeled food canisters. But no Margie doll.

  “That one says macaroni,” Bess said, pointing to a canister. “I wonder if it’s the macaroni and cheese kind.”

  Bess lifted the lid and peeked inside. Then she shrieked, “Hand!”

  “You mean elbow,” George said. “Elbow macaroni.”

  “Not this time,” Bess squeaked. “Look!”

  Nancy and George leaned forward and looked inside the canister. A tiny hand was sticking out from the dried elbow macaroni. A tiny doll hand!

  Chapter Ten

  Hello, Dolly!

  Nancy dug into the macaroni and yanked out the doll. It had a dark red ponytail and was wearing a blue ball gown with shiny sequins. Many sequins hung by threads.

  “It’s Margie,” Nancy declared happily.

  “Nice!” George cheered. But as she pumped her fist in the air she tipped the canister over. Dried macaroni spilled onto the floor with a loud clatter.

  “Holy macaroni!” a voice cried.

  Nancy, Bess, and George whirled around. Standing at the door was Mrs. McGillicuddy. But she wasn’t staring at the macaroni—she was staring at the doll in Nancy’s hand.

  “Um . . . what’s for lunch?” George asked with a gulp.

  Mrs. McGillicuddy’s shoes crunched through macaroni as she headed toward the girls.

  “I knew you were looking for my doll,” Mrs. McGillicuddy said, “but I didn’t think you’d find her.”

  “Your doll?” Bess asked. “Why would you steal your own doll from the time capsule?”

  “Because it was never buried with the time capsule in the first place.” Mrs. McGillicuddy sighed.

  “But there was a Margie on the list,” Nancy pointed out.

  “When I was in the third grade I did put my Margie doll in the time capsule,” Mrs. McGillicuddy explained. “But the night before we buried it I couldn’t sleep.”

  “Because you wanted her back?” Nancy asked.

  “You betcha!” Mrs. McGillicuddy said. “So the next morning before my principal could bury the time capsule I snuck her out.”

  “Didn’t anyone see you?” Bess asked.

  “I did it early in the morning before school,” Mrs. McGillicuddy admitted. “My best friend Cathy was the only one who knew and she promised not to tell anyone.”

  “Anyone but her diary,” George murmured.

  Mrs. McGillicuddy didn’t seem to hear George. She swept up macaroni from the floor as she went on.

  “When Principal Newman said he’d dig up the time capsule this year I decided to give Margie back to the school. But I was too embarrassed to admit what I’d done.”

  “So in the meantime you hid Margie in the macaroni?” Nancy asked slowly.

  “Exactly,” Mrs. McGillicuddy sighed. “For a whole week I couldn’t think of anything else.”

  “And for a whole week we had to eat yucky lunches!” Bess groaned.

  “I know I goofed,” Mrs. McGillicuddy said, tossing spilled macaroni in the trash can. “I was afraid you’d all hate me for ruining your time capsule.”

  Nancy felt bad for Mrs. McGillicuddy. She may have been a grown-up, but in her heart she was still a kid. A kid who still loved her doll!

  “I know something about kids because I am one,” Nancy shared. “And I know they’d understand if you’d tell them the truth.”

  “We know how hard it is to give up a favorite toy,” Bess added.

  “It’s still hard,” Mrs. McGillicuddy admitted. “Principal Newman wanted to give my Margie to that Mona lady at Sapphire Toys. And I’d never see her again!”

  Nancy wished there was a way for everybody to enjoy Margie and the other toys.

  There was!

  “What if your Margie doll was somewhere you could her it every day?” Nancy asked. “Where we could see her too?”

  “How?” Bess and George asked at the same time.

  “Yeah, how?” Mrs. McGillicuddy asked.

  “You know the glass display case outside the principal’s office?” Nancy asked. “The one that has all our school trophies inside?”

  Mrs. McGillicuddy nodded.

  “How about making room inside for the time capsule toys?” Nancy asked, holding up the doll. “Margie included!”

  Bess let out a whoop. George gave a big thumbs-up.

  “Mrs. McGillicuddy?” Nancy asked.

  “I like it!” Mrs. McGillicuddy finally said. “And I like the way you girls work. You are great detectives.”

  “And you’re a great cook,” Nancy said, handing the doll back to Mrs. McGillicuddy. “When you’re not hiding a secret.”

  Mrs. McGillicuddy smiled as she took back her old doll. “Thanks, girls,” she said. “If there’s anything I can do for you—”

  “There is!” George blurted, glancing at the door. “Can you bake some chocolate cupcakes for Digger Mondesky?”

  Mrs. McGillicuddy did bake cupcakes for Digger and Mrs. Ramirez’s class. But first she shared her secret with Principal Newman and the whole school.

  In just two weeks River Heights Elementary School had something new to celebrate—a brand-new glass case filled with the time capsule toys, including Ballroom Margie!

  “Don’t forget, kids,” Principal Newman announced as the students filed past the case. “We’re putting together a new time capsule this year so think about what you want to put inside.”

  Nancy, Bess, and George had already decided what to put inside—some of their best clues.

  “I still have that wad of gum we once found,” George said. “The one with the kid’s tooth stuck in it!”

  “Eww!” Bess groaned.

  “Let’s skip the gross clues,” Nancy giggled.

  “I wonder what our school will be like thirty years from now,” Bess said dreamily.

  “Me too,” George said. “Do you think there’ll be more detectives like us?”

  Nancy knew the answer to that right away.

  “There’ll be lots more detectives,” Nancy said with a smile. “But only one Clue Crew!”

  It’s About Time Capsule!

  Nancy, Bess, and George can’t wait to bury the next school time capsule. Now you can make one too. All you need is a roomy container and lots of super-cool memories!

  You will need:

  1 plastic air-tight container

  Memories to put inside your time capsule (photographs, friendship bracelets, pet collars, party invitations, shells, etc.)

  Large resealable plastic bag to protect your time capsule from rain, dirt, and creepy crawlies

  Art supplies such as craft glue, stickers, glitter, sequins, feathers, and markers

  Label

  List of each item and why it’s special to you

  How to Assemble
Your Time Capsule

  Place your items inside the container and seal it tightly.

  Decorate the container with the art supplies.

  Decorate your label and paste it on the lid. Think about writing a note such as “Amy’s Time Capsule! Dig up in ten years!” (Or five years, or three years. You decide!)

  Carefully seal your time capsule in the plastic bag. With an adult’s help, bury your time capsule outside in your yard. Or if you live in an apartment, tuck it safely away in your closet.

  Remember This!

  Don’t put anything inside your time capsule that you may want or need. Show all items to an adult first to make sure it’s okay to bury them.

  Go easy on paper items because they will break down over time.

  Don’t forget your time capsule if you move. Memories are fun to share, but not with total strangers!

  Bury your time capsule deep enough, or your dog will be digging it up before you do!

  Most of all, be patient! Memories get better with age so the longer you wait, the more fun it is to open your time capsule. You dig?