The Midnight Mystery

by Beverly Lewis

  He looked everywhere for Honey. In the living room, under the coffee table. He looked in the dining room, under the dinner table. He even looked in the garage.

  “What’s happened to Ellen’s dog?” Dunkum whispered. He felt sick inside.

  Honey was missing!

  He sat on a kitchen chair and stared at the floor where Honey had slept. Where was she?

  Ellen would need Honey first thing tomorrow. And Ellen’s father was coming for her next week!

  Dunkum had to find Honey.

  Soon!

  FIVE

  Dunkum’s heart pounded.

  He grabbed a flashlight and headed to the dimly lit basement. Slowly, he shone his flashlight into the darkest corners. Light zigzagged across boxes of Christmas ornaments.

  Flash! He shined the light on rows of canned goods. But Honey was nowhere in sight.

  Dashing upstairs, Dunkum ran outside, past the party ants. He spotted something lying in the grass. At first it looked like a fake red snake. He leaned down. “What’s this?” he said softly.

  It was a leather collar. Just like Honey’s collar. Dunkum read the tags. It was Honey’s collar!

  His eyes caught the swarm of ants. He’d forgotten again! But instead of going inside for paper towels, he marched to the outside faucet. He would hose down the ice-cream drippings, ants and all!

  Just as Dunkum turned on the hose, a light flashed on above his head. He looked up to see his parents’ bedroom, filled with light.

  Oh, rats, he thought.

  Turning off the hose, he ran toward the house.

  But his father met him at the door. “What’s going on, son? Why are you outside at midnight?”

  Dunkum opened his mouth to speak.

  “Don’t you know what time it is?” His father tapped on his watch.

  “It’s late,” Dunkum blurted, trying to explain. “I think Honey left the house.” He held up her collar.

  “You think?”

  Dunkum’s mother was coming down the stairs. He stood in the doorway, hoping to block her view of the ants.

  Dad told Mom the bad news. “Dunkum says Honey’s missing, dear.”

  “What?” Mom let out a little wail. “Are you sure? Have you searched the house and the yard?”

  Dunkum nodded. “I’ve looked everywhere.”

  “Who was the last person to see Honey?” Dad asked.

  Dunkum wasn’t sure. “I think Ellen was the last person to see Honey.” It sounded dumb because Ellen couldn’t see at all.

  “You know, I had a real strange feeling about Honey sleeping downstairs tonight.” Dunkum’s mom pushed the front door shut. “By the way, this door was standing wide open when I went to bed.”

  “It was?” Dunkum had forgotten that, too.

  “Well, that’s it, then,” his father said. “Honey took off sometime after Ellen went to bed.”

  Dunkum felt horrible. Guide dogs were special. Lots of time went into training them. Lots of money, too. Besides that, Honey was part of the family.

  A lump the size of a scoop of ice cream filled his throat.

  Dunkum’s mother pushed her bangs back. “Honey will probably come home when she’s hungry.”

  “Hungry? That’s it!” Dunkum shouted.

  His parents watched in amazement as Dunkum led them out the front door. “I think I just remembered!” He pointed to the sidewalk.

  His mom gasped. “Oh, look at those horrid ants!”

  Dunkum tried to explain. “After the party, Carly’s cone was dripping onto the sidewalk.”

  Suddenly, Dad seemed to understand. “And we all know how much Honey loves vanilla ice cream,” he said. The lines in his forehead grew deeper.

  “Honey must’ve followed the drips,” Dunkum’s mom said.

  “So . . . she might be somewhere up the street,” Dunkum said. “Maybe even at Abby’s house.” He started up the sidewalk.

  “It’s midnight,” his mom called to him. “It’s much too late to search now.”

  “That’s right,” Dad said. “Honey will be all right until morning.”

  But Dunkum was worried. Honey was trained to guide blind Ellen. Who knows what dangers were lurking in the midnight shadows?

  Tears stung Dunkum’s eyes. This was all his fault.

  SIX

  The next morning, Dunkum hurried downstairs.

  Was Mom right? Had Honey come home for breakfast?

  He searched the front yard, then the back. Honey was nowhere to be seen.

  He ran through the neighborhood and asked each Cul-de-sac Kid if they’d seen Honey.

  Nobody had.

  “Let’s trace the ice-cream trail,” Abby suggested when she heard the whole story.

  The kids agreed.

  So, starting at Dunkum’s house, they counted twenty ice-cream drops to Abby’s house.

  “Look, you can even see Honey’s tongue marks,” said Jason.

  Eric looked closer. “Cannot.”

  “Gotcha!” hooted Jason.

  Abby frowned, ignoring Jason. “What other clues do we have?” she asked Dunkum.

  He showed Honey’s dog collar and the ID bracelet. “This is all I found last night . . . at midnight.”

  Eric looked at the bracelet. He studied the initials. “A. H.? Maybe it belongs to Abby.”

  “It’s not mine.” Abby twisted her hair. “Think of all the kids we know with those initials.”

  “I’ll make a list of people’s names,” Stacy offered.

  “Good idea,” Eric said.

  The kids split up and hopped on their bikes. Up and down the street they rode, whistling and calling for Honey. They talked to each neighbor on Blossom Hill Lane. They even checked at the Humane Society, where lost pets are kept.

  But no Honey.

  At last they followed Dunkum into his house. Ellen was having breakfast. Her eyes were red from crying.

  Dunkum raced into the kitchen. “We’re going to find Honey for you,” he said. “I promise.”

  “We’ll do our detective best,” Abby said and gave Ellen a hug.

  “Let’s put an ad in the paper,” Dunkum said. “If someone sees Honey, we might get a phone call.”

  Abby suggested, “We could offer a reward.”

  “Hey, good thinking. That ought to help,” Jason said. He held up the newspaper. “Look, here’s someone offering twenty dollars for a brown beagle.” The kids crowded around Jason.

  Stacy pulled out a pencil and a pad. “If we each give some of our allowance, we’ll have enough for a nice reward,” she said.

  “Don’t count Ellen,” Eric said. “It wouldn’t be fair for her to put money into a reward.”

  “I think twenty bucks is too cheap,” Dunkum said. “Let’s go with closer to forty.”

  So the reward for finding and returning Honey would be thirty-six dollars.

  Dunkum divided nine kids into thirty-six bucks, leaving Ellen out. “Four dollars each,” he told them.

  “Not bad,” said Dee Dee.

  “I have more than that in my piggy bank,” said Carly.

  “Me too,” said little Jimmy Hunter.

  “It’ll be worth it to have Honey back,” Abby said. “Now, let’s decide on our ad.”

  LOST—

  one golden Labrador guide dog.

  Answers to Honey.

  $36 reward.

  Call 555-1028

  or return to 233 Blossom Hill Lane.

  “I really hope this works,” Ellen said. She wiped her eyes.

  “We all do,” said Dunkum.

  SEVEN

  “Let’s ride our bikes to the newspaper office,” Dunkum said.

  The Cul-de-sac Kids called their good-byes to Ellen.

  On the way, they saw a dogcatcher. Dunkum cringed. Honey had lost her collar last night. What if the pound found her? How would a beautiful, smart dog like Honey feel locked up with mangy mutts?

  “Hey, mister!” Dunkum called. “Have you seen a golden Lab around the neig
hborhood?”

  The Cul-de-sac Kids stopped pedaling.

  Jimmy Hunter’s eyes were wide as saucers. His older brother, Shawn, looked very worried. Carly and Dee Dee whispered to each other. Abby and Stacy were silent. Eric pulled his bike up next to Jason’s.

  The dogcatcher walked toward them, mopping his forehead. “Sorry, kids. No dogs like that around here.”

  “Thanks anyway,” Dunkum said. He felt kind of sad. But glad, too, that Honey wasn’t considered a stray.

  The kids pushed on, past the corner store. When they came to the post office, Dunkum spotted Adam Henny. He was mailing a letter, wearing one of his Ratty R Us outfits.

  Dunkum sped up. He hoped Adam wouldn’t see him. Because Adam Henny was the last person Dunkum wanted to talk to today.

  “Yo, Dunkum! Wait up!” It was Adam shouting at him.

  The Cul-de-sac Kids slowed down. Abby waved to Adam. So did Eric and Jason. Jimmy and Shawn rode their bikes over to Adam.

  Dunkum gripped his handlebars, watching his friends. He felt too tense. He did not want shabby Adam in their club!

  “Where’s everyone going?” Adam asked Abby.

  Dunkum took a deep breath. He wanted to say, “Get lost.”

  But Abby said, “Ellen’s dog is missing. We’re putting an ad in the newspaper.”

  Adam looked surprised. “Honey’s missing?”

  “Uh, we better get going,” Dunkum interrupted. He wanted to get away from Adam. Fast.

  So he led the group, speeding off and leaving the dirty boy behind. Once again.

  “Dunkum, wait!” Adam called after them. But Dunkum would not look back.

  At the newspaper office, Abby shoved her kickstand down. She glared at Dunkum. “What’s your problem?” she asked. “You were rude to Adam. Why?”

  “I don’t want him in on our plans,” Dunkum shouted back at her.

  “What’s the big deal? Nobody said it was a secret about Honey,” Abby said. Her hands were on her hips. She seemed angry.

  Eric stepped between them. “Don’t yell at her, Dunkum. Abby didn’t do anything wrong.”

  “Yeah, who cares if Adam knows?” Jason asked.

  Dunkum was no dummy. Eric and Jason were sticking up for Abby. “Adam Henny isn’t a Cul-de-sac Kid. That’s all,” Dunkum muttered. “He’s not in our club.”

  “Well, so what?” Stacy spoke up. “He’s a human being, isn’t he?”

  The kids stared at her, surprised. Stacy hardly ever raised her voice.

  “It doesn’t matter if Adam is in our club or not,” Abby shot back. “He can help us find Honey, can’t he?”

  Dunkum was afraid Abby might say that. No way should Adam get the reward money.

  Eric shrugged his shoulders. “Adam’s not so bad.” He turned and followed Abby up the steps to the newspaper office.

  The Cul-de-sac Kids were close behind.

  Dunkum stomped his foot. His summer was off to a rotten start. Thanks to a kid who needed a two-hour bath!

  EIGHT

  When Dunkum arrived home, Ellen was reading her Braille joke book. “Listen to this,” she said.

  Dunkum sat down. He was glad Ellen couldn’t see his face. He was also glad she couldn’t see into his heart.

  “Who was the world’s first banker?” she asked.

  “I don’t know,” said Dunkum, trying to sound interested.

  “Pharaoh’s daughter. She found a little prophet in the rushes to the banks.” Ellen began to laugh. “Isn’t that funny?”

  “Yeah, real funny,” Dunkum said, pouting.

  “What’s wrong with you?” Ellen asked, facing him.

  “How can you read jokes and laugh when Honey’s missing?”

  “God will take care of Honey,” she said.

  Dunkum felt terrible. He was getting it from all sides. Excusing himself, he went to his room. Every few minutes, he could hear Ellen laughing out loud.

  The joke book must be very funny, thought Dunkum.

  He decided to sit in his room, all by himself.

  An hour later, the doorbell rang. “I’ll get it,” Dunkum said. He rushed downstairs.

  Eric Hagel stood on the porch.

  “Hi, Eric. What’s up?” Dunkum asked.

  “Let’s talk somewhere private,” Eric said. His eyes blinked too fast.

  “Come to my room,” Dunkum said, leading the way.

  “Where’s that ID bracelet you showed us?” Eric asked.

  Dunkum went to his dresser and picked up the bracelet. “What do you want with it?”

  “I think I know who it belongs to,” Eric said. He took it from Dunkum. “I think A. H. stands for Adam Henny.”

  Dunkum gasped. “Of course!” Why hadn’t he thought of that?

  “But . . . we don’t know for sure,” Eric added.

  “It makes sense, though, doesn’t it?” Dunkum said.

  “Only if Adam dropped it in the bushes last night,” Eric said.

  “Adam must’ve been spying on our party,” Dunkum decided.

  “That’s strange.” Eric sat on Dunkum’s bed. “Do you think this is a dognapping case?” he asked.

  “Beats me,” Dunkum said. “Let’s have a club meeting. We’ll see what the rest of the Cul-de-sac Kids think.”

  “Ellen should come, too,” Eric said.

  “You’re right. She has sort of a sixth sense,” Dunkum said.

  They hurried downstairs to get Ellen.

  The club meeting was in Abby’s backyard. She called the meeting to order. Then she said, “Any new business?”

  Dunkum held up the ID bracelet. “Eric and I have a theory. We think this clue might lead us to Honey.”

  Abby and Stacy sat in the grass, twirling their hair.

  Carly and Dee Dee were all ears. “What’s a theory?” asked Dee Dee.

  “It’s like a guess,” Dunkum explained.

  “I don’t want to guess about Honey,” Jimmy said.

  Shawn shook his head. He was worried about Honey, too.

  Eric was grinning. “Dunkum and I guess that this ID bracelet belongs to Adam Henny.”

  Abby’s mouth flew open. “Why do you think that?”

  “For one thing, there are only two kids with A. H. initials,” Dunkum said. He glanced at Abby.

  Ellen asked to hold the ID bracelet. She had a strange look on her face as she touched it.

  “If this does belong to Adam,” Dunkum said, “I think we’re looking at a dognapping.”

  “Wha-at?” Abby and Ellen said together.

  “It could be a case for the police,” Dunkum said. Talking about the police made him feel much better.

  If Adam Henny was to blame, maybe then he’d leave them alone.

  NINE

  The next day, Dunkum talked to Abby after Sunday school. “I’m sorry about yesterday,” he said.

  “You were upset. So was I.” She paused for a moment. “You know what?”

  “What?” asked Dunkum.

  “I’m sorry, too,” she said.

  Dunkum waited in line at the water fountain. “Did you see our ad in the morning paper?” he asked.

  Abby smiled, her eyes shining. “It looked terrific. But something’s strange. There were sixteen pets reported missing over the weekend.”

  “Wow, that’s a lot,” Dunkum said.

  “I think something’s going on,” she said.

  “What do you mean?” Dunkum asked.

  “I did some checking,” Abby told him. “I called six of the people who placed ads for lost pets.”

  “You did?” Dunkum was all ears. “What did they say?”

  “It seems that a bald man in a black jeep has been returning lost pets,” said Abby. “And, get this. Each owner had offered a reward.”

  Dunkum whistled. “Sounds like some nice guy.”

  “Unless he’s stealing them first and giving them back for money,” Abby said.

  “Hey, what a rotten thing to do!” Dunkum said.

  “If we coul
d just find that man, maybe we’d find Honey,” Abby said.

  Dunkum was silent, thinking.

  “Wait a minute!” Abby’s eyes danced. “If Adam was spying in the bushes, maybe he saw something that night.”

  “Like what?” Dunkum asked.

  “Maybe he saw the man driving his jeep around Blossom Hill Lane, waiting to steal Honey!”

  “I think you might be on to something,” said Dunkum.

  He hoped so.

  The Cul-de-sac Kids had another meeting. This time, near a run-down cottage. Shutters were drooping off their hinges. Paint was peeling off the door. Adam Henny’s house was a mess.

  “Let’s find out what Adam knows,” Dunkum told the Cul-de-sac Kids. He led his fellow detectives across the street.

  Abby carried the ID bracelet. Stacy held Honey’s leather collar. The kids lined up on Adam Henny’s front steps.

  Dunkum poked the doorbell. He hoped they were doing the right thing.

  The screen door opened. A woman with white hair peeked through. “May I help you?”

  Gulp! Dunkum didn’t know what to say. Was this the right house?

  Abby stepped up to the door. “Is Adam home?”

  The woman smiled. “Oh, he’s down the street.”

  Abby held up the ID bracelet. “Does this belong to Adam?”

  The woman nodded. “He’s been looking everywhere for it.”

  Eric spoke up. “Tell him Dunkum Mifflin found it Friday night—in the bushes on our street.”

  The woman raised her eyebrows. “Friday night, you say?”

  “That’s right,” Dunkum replied. She must be Adam’s grandma, he thought.

  “Well, now, let me think.” The woman frowned for a moment. “Adam said he went to a party after the school play. A special party.”

  “Special?” Abby asked. She looked at Dunkum and the others. There was a question mark in her eyes.

  “Oh, yes, and Adam was so pleased,” the woman said. “He told me his friends had the party just for him.” The wrinkled corners of her mouth curved up. “Is it possible that you are those friends?”

  “Uh, no, not really,” Dunkum said quickly.