The Midnight Mystery

  The woman’s smile faded. She looked down at the ID bracelet in her hand. “Thanks for returning this. I’ll see that Adam gets it.”

  “Where is Adam exactly?” Dunkum asked.

  “Just two streets down,” she said. “Maybe you can catch him. He’s playing detective today, his favorite game.”

  The kids said good-bye and walked down the steps.

  “Sounds like Adam’s super lonely,” Abby said.

  “He’d have to be to make up a story like that,” Stacy whispered.

  Dunkum heard what Abby and Stacy said. Having pretend friends can’t be any fun, he thought.

  “Any kid who lies about going to a party must be desperate!” Abby said.

  “No kidding,” Eric said.

  Shawn and Jimmy were nodding their heads.

  Carly and Dee Dee looked very sad.

  Jason did not dance or jive. He stood still for the first time in a long time.

  Suddenly, Dunkum wished he could change things for Adam. And he knew just what he must do!

  TEN

  The Cul-de-sac Kids ran down two streets and turned the corner. “Look for Adam’s bike,” Dunkum said. “It’s a faded green one with lots of rust.”

  They didn’t have to look too long. The old bike was propped up against a police car. Three houses down.

  Abby gasped. “What are the police doing here?”

  “Let’s find out.” Dunkum led the way to the house.

  Adam was sitting on the front step. His face was smeared with dirt. “Hi, Dunkum. What are you doing here?” asked Adam.

  “Your grandmother sent us,” Dunkum said.

  Adam’s eyes widened. “She did?”

  “She said you were playing detective,” Jason said.

  Adam’s face lit up as two policemen brought a bald man outside. The man was handcuffed.

  “Wow! My theory was right,” Abby said.

  The policemen led the man to the patrol car. They put him in the backseat and zoomed off.

  Dunkum stared at Adam. He hardly noticed the boy’s crummy old clothes. “Looks like you’re an excellent detective.”

  Adam beamed a smile. “Thanks.” He told how he’d tracked down the bad bald guy. “It all started last Friday night. I was spying on your party. After everyone left, Honey wandered outside. The front door was wide open.”

  “My fault,” Dunkum muttered.

  “I sat on the curb just petting her,” Adam said.

  “And then what happened?” Dunkum asked.

  Adam sighed. “I saw a black jeep at the end of the street. It was real late, so I said good-bye to Honey and went home. I didn’t even suspect the bald guy of stealing Honey. Not till yesterday.”

  Abby asked, “What made you curious about him?”

  “You told me about your ad, remember?” Adam replied.

  Dunkum felt a lump in his throat. Things were finally starting to make sense.

  “How’d you ever find this house?” Eric asked.

  “I called 9-1-1 and told the police what I’d seen.”

  “So . . . where’s Honey now?” Dunkum asked.

  “In the backyard, waiting to go home.” Adam got up and went around the side of the house. He returned with Honey.

  The Cul-de-sac Kids cheered and rushed to her. Honey’s gentle eyes seemed to say, I’m glad you found me.

  Dunkum thanked Adam for his detective work. “Ellen always believed Honey would be safe,” he said. “She missed her dog, but she never worried.”

  “I should’ve told you right away what I saw,” Adam admitted. “Please tell Ellen I’m sorry I waited.”

  “Why don’t you tell her yourself?” Dunkum said.

  “Really?” Adam’s face burst into a giant grin. “Do you mean it?”

  “Lickety-split!” Dunkum said to Honey. And she ran between him and Adam all the way back to Blossom Hill Lane.

  Abby and the others dashed close behind. They arrived at Dunkum’s house, out of breath.

  Dunkum told Adam about Honey’s ice-cream trick.

  Adam’s eyes lit up. “Honey does tricks?”

  Dunkum nodded and called to Ellen. “Guess who’s hungry for a vanilla cone!”

  Ellen squealed with delight from her room. “Oh, come here, girl!”

  Honey raced upstairs, tail wagging.

  “Don’t forget about the reward money,” Abby said.

  But Adam shook his head. “I didn’t do this for the money.” He looked straight at Dunkum. “But I do want something.”

  Dunkum was sure what Adam wanted. The boy who needed a bath also needed a friend.

  Hurrying inside to the kitchen, Dunkum opened the freezer. He reached for a box of ice cream. “It’s time to throw a party for a fellow detective.” He smiled at Adam Henny.

  And Adam smiled back.

  About the Author

  Beverly Lewis loves to write pets into her stories. In this book, Dunkum’s blind cousin has a golden Labrador guide dog. Janet Huntington, who draws the inside pictures, suggested the dog for the story. “Labs are wonderful,” says Beverly. “They are gentle and kid-friendly.”

  Beverly will miss creating The Cul-de-sac Kids books. Every minute she spent writing was much more fun than work. Abby, Shawn, Jason, Stacy, and Dunkum—and all the others—will live in Beverly’s heart, and on Blossom Hill Lane, for a very, very long time.

  Learn more about Beverly and her books at www.BeverlyLewis.com

  The Cul-de-Sac Kids Series

  Don’t miss all the books

  in this exciting series

  for both boys and girls!

  Beverly Lewis Books for Young Readers

  PICTURE BOOKS

  Annika’s Secret Wish • In Jesse’s Shoes Just Like Mama • What Is God Like?

  What Is Heaven Like?

  THE CUL-DE-SAC KIDS

  The Double Dabble Surprise

  The Chicken Pox Panic

  The Crazy Christmas Angel Mystery

  No Grown-ups Allowed

  Frog Power

  The Mystery of Case D. Luc

  The Stinky Sneakers Mystery

  Pickle Pizza

  Mailbox Mania

  The Mudhole Mystery

  Fiddlesticks

  The Crabby Cat Caper

  Tarantula Toes

  Green Gravy

  Backyard Bandit Mystery

  Tree House Trouble

  The Creepy Sleep-Over

  The Great TV Turn-Off

  Piggy Party

  The Granny Game

  Mystery Mutt

  Big Bad Beans

  The Upside-Down Day

  The Midnight Mystery

  Katie and Jake and the Haircut Mistake

  www.BeverlyLewis.com

  Also by Beverly Lewis

  Amish Prayers

  The Beverly Lewis Amish Heritage Cookbook

  GIRLS ONLY (GO!)†

  Youth Fiction

  Girls Only! Volume One • Girls Only! Volume Two

  SUMMERHILL SECRETS‡

  Youth Fiction

  SummerHill Secrets: Volume One • SummerHill Secrets: Volume Two

  HOLLY’S HEART

  Youth Fiction

  Holly’s Heart: Collection One‡ • Holly’s Heart: Collection Two‡

  Holly’s Heart: Collection Three†

  SEASONS OF GRACE

  Adult Fiction

  The Secret • The Missing • The Telling

  ABRAM’S DAUGHTERS

  Adult Fiction

  The Covenant • The Betrayal • The Sacrifice

  The Prodigal • The Revelation

  ANNIE’S PEOPLE

  Adult Fiction

  The Preacher’s Daughter • The Englisher • The Brethren

  THE ROSE TRILOGY

  Adult Fiction

  The Thorn • The Judgment

  COURTSHIP OF NELLIE FISHER

  Adult Fiction

  The Parting • The Forbidden • The Longing

  THE H
ERITAGE OF LANCASTER COUNTY

  Adult Fiction

  The Shunning • The Confession • The Reckoning

  OTHER ADULT FICTION

  The Postcard • The Crossroad • The Redemption of Sarah Cain

  October Song • Sanctuary (with David Lewis) • The Sunroom

  www.BeverlyLewis.com

  †4 books in each volume ‡5 books in each volume

  From Bethany House Publishers

  Fiction for Young Readers

  (ages 7–10)

  ASTROKIDS

  by Robert Elmer

  Space scooters? Floating robots? Jupiter ice cream? Blast into the future for out-of-this-world, zero-gravity fun with the AstroKids on space station CLEO-7.

  THE CUL-DE-SAC KIDS

  by Beverly Lewis

  Each story in this lighthearted series features the hilarious antics and predicaments of nine endearing boys and girls who live on Blossom Hill Lane.

  JANETTE OKE’S ANIMAL FRIENDS

  by Janette Oke

  Endearing creatures from the farm, forest, and zoo discover their place in God’s world through various struggles, mishaps, and adventures.