The Mudhole Mystery

by Beverly Lewis

  Beverly Lewis Books for Young Readers

  PICTURE BOOKS

  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

  © 1997 by Beverly Lewis

  Published by Bethany House Publishers

  11400 Hampshire Avenue South

  Bloomington, Minnesota 55438

  www.bethanyhouse.com

  Bethany House Publishers is a division of

  Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

  www.bakerpublishinggroup.com

  Ebook edition created 2012

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

  ISBN 978-1-4412-6072-7

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

  Cover illustration by Paul Turnbaugh

  Story illustrations by Janet Huntington

  For Emily,

  who likes to make

  muddy messes,

  mostly in

  Minnesota.

  Contents

  Cover

  Beverly Lewis Books for Young Readers

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  The Cul-de-sac Kids Series

  About the Author

  Other Books by the Author

  Back Cover

  ONE

  Splash, splish. Ooey, gooey.

  Globs of mud mashed between Dunkum’s fingers. He pressed his hands deep into the dirt. Digging for treasure was a great way to spend a Saturday.

  Dunkum’s real name was Edward Mifflin. His friends called him Dunkum. He was very tall. And the best basketball player around.

  Basketball was the last thing on Dunkum’s mind, today. He was dreaming of gold gems and jewels. Maybe the pirate kind.

  Today was May twenty-second. A special day. His grandma’s holiday book called it: Mysteries Are Marvelous Day.

  Dunkum loved mysteries. Today was a good day to dig for one. Gold or jewels. Anything would do!

  He really didn’t know if there was gold in the hole. But it didn’t matter. He loved the ooshy-gooshy feel.

  What a messy, mucky hole it was—a giant one. It was the biggest mudhole in the world. Well, in the cul-de-sac.

  Suddenly, Dunkum’s fingers touched something slimy. Out of the goosh, he pulled a long, skinny worm.

  “Maybe I should save this creepy creature for Stacy Henry. She hates worms.”

  “Says who?” someone called behind him.

  Dunkum looked around.

  Stacy was standing there, grinning.

  Gulp.

  “Oh, hi,” he said. Dunkum tossed the worm back into the muddy brown pudding.

  Burp! The mudhole belched right there in Mr. Tressler’s backyard.

  “You were talking to yourself, weren’t you?” Stacy asked.

  Dunkum didn’t answer.

  “I heard you.” Stacy stared at him, then at the mudhole. “What a horrible mess.”

  Dunkum pulled out a mound of mud. “Care for a glob of pudding?”

  Stacy shook her head. “I hate dirt. Messes too.”

  “No kidding,” Dunkum whispered. He threw the mud back into the hole. Splat!

  “Remember Pet Day?” Dunkum said. “Remember when Jason’s bullfrog landed on your lap?”

  Stacy twisted her blond hair. “So what?”

  Dunkum continued. “You had to go wash the froggy feel off your hands. That’s what.” He laughed about it.

  “It’s not nice to dig up the past,” Stacy said.

  Dunkum stuck his hands back into the mud bubble. Deeper and deeper into the gloppy bog he pushed.

  He was up to his funny bones on both arms. No one tickled his funny bone and got away with it. But something was definitely thumping his left elbow. And it wasn’t a tickle. It was a bumpity-muddy-bump.

  “Hey!” he hollered at the mudhole. “Quit that.”

  Stacy laughed at him. “Now, who are you talking to?”

  “The mudhole, that’s who.” Dunkum hit the oozy-goozy mud again.

  There was definitely something there. Something big.

  Dunkum’s eyes grew wide. “Hey! Maybe I’ve found a mystery!” He pulled and sputtered. His face turned hot purple.

  Stacy stepped back. She sure didn’t want to get her new outfit dirty. Or her sneakers. “What is it?” she asked.

  Dunkum’s eyes were slits. His lips flattened out. “A mystery in a mudhole,” he whispered.

  He was thinking of pirates and treasure. Maybe gold!

  What was in the mudhole?

  TWO

  Dunkum stirred the mud around. He swirled and mixed it. He struggled against the hard lump.

  “Maybe it’s a dinosaur bone,” he said.

  “Cool!” Stacy said. “We could put it on display. Maybe start up a museum.”

  Just then the mudhole gobbled up Dunkum’s arms.

  Stacy yelled, “I can’t see your elbows!”

  Dunkum grunted and shoved. His face was down close to the mud. “The lump is too big. I need a shovel.”

  Click. Someone was opening Mr. Tressler’s yard gate.

  Dunkum looked up. There stood Jason Birchall. He was carrying his bullfrog, Croaker.

  “Who needs a shovel?” Jason asked.

  Stacy spoke up. “Dunkum thinks he found a dinosaur bone. Over there.”

  Jason pushed up his glasses. “Croaker doesn’t see any dinosaur bones. Do you, old buddy?”

  Stacy giggled. “Since when do frogs understand English?”

  “Croaker does,” Jason said. He knelt beside Dunkum in the mud. “Where’s the bone? Is it a T-Rex T-bone?”

  Dunkum shook his head. “I don’t know yet. But whatever it is, it’s big. Very big.”

  Stacy stared into the sloppy mudhole. “Icksville,” she said.

  Suddenly, Dunkum saw a flash of gold. His eyes bugged out. “Hey, did you see that?”

  Jason spotted it, too. “It’s definitely gold!”

  Stacy stepped closer. Her eyes were round as quarters.

  “Here, hold my frog,” Jason said to Stacy.

  Stacy held her hands up. “No . . . uh, not today.” />
  “He’s not slimy, and he doesn’t bite,” Jason joked.

  “I know that,” Stacy said.

  “Here, just take him. You’ll be fine,” Jason said. And he handed Croaker to Stacy.

  Stacy took the bullfrog. She held him far away from her body. Croaker’s skin felt smooth and thin, like a balloon filled with air. She felt his lungs moving. In and out. Out and in.

  Stacy shivered. She thought she was going to drop Croaker. His body felt so weird.

  Then she glanced at the muddy mess. The mudhole.

  Dunkum was covered with muck. Jason dived into the mudhole. Hands first.

  Stacy looked at the bullfrog. Croaker’s round eyes blinked back at her.

  She smiled. “Frog-sitting is much better than mess-making!”

  Squooshy squish, the mudhole blubbered.

  Out of the spurting muddy custard came something shiny. It really was gold.

  “Hey, we’re rich!” Jason shouted.

  “We aren’t rich,” Dunkum said. “Our treasure is stuck in the mud.”

  Stacy looked at the shiny gold. “Looks like a lock.”

  Dunkum nodded. “It’s connected to something much bigger. But I don’t know what.”

  Stacy inched closer for a better look.

  Croaker blinked his froggy eyes. His lungs breathed in and out.

  Dunkum and Jason kept working. They pulled and tugged. They grunted and groaned.

  “It’s in there for keeps,” Dunkum said. “I can’t lug it out.”

  Jason began scooping handfuls of mud out of the hole.

  When more mud was removed, the boys tried again. They jerked and yanked. They fussed and yelped.

  But the mudhole wouldn’t let go.

  Jason was tired. He stood up all muddy.

  “Well, I’m not quitting,” Dunkum announced.

  Stacy headed for the gate. “I’ll get the rest of the Cul-de-sac Kids. Maybe all of us can pull the mystery out.”

  “Hurry!” Dunkum said, looking at the mudhole. “I think our gold is sinking!”

  THREE

  Something huge was in the mudhole!

  Dunkum wondered, Can it be a mummy?

  He went back to digging.

  After several minutes, Jason said, “It’s no use. We can’t get it out.” And he let go.

  “Please, don’t quit,” Dunkum pleaded. “My fingers are slipping. I need your help.”

  Jason leaped back toward the hole. He grabbed on to the giant lump. He held it with all his might.

  “You’re pushing it down!” shouted Dunkum.

  Jason crawled away. His face was caked with mud. Even his nose. He tried to brush it off. It smeared.

  “Just pretend it’s beef gravy,” Dunkum laughed.

  Jason pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket. He blew his nose. Now the handkerchief was yucky brown.

  “Gross,” Dunkum said.

  Jason was wound up. He licked his muddy fingers. “Yummy chocolate pudding.” Then he spit out the dirt.

  Dunkum glared at him. “Excuse me,” he said. He was still hanging on to the muddy lump. “Do you have a shovel?”

  “I’ll go home and check,” Jason said. He stood up. Thick mud stuck to his arms and legs. It was in his hair. Splashes of mud spotted his glasses.

  Dunkum scolded. “Wait till your mom sees you!”

  “I’ll be right back,” Jason called. He ran down the street.

  Dunkum was determined. He wanted the lumpy bump out of the mudhole. The lump with the gleaming gold object!

  For a moment, he relaxed his grip and stood up. It felt good to stretch his legs. But he wasn’t happy. He frowned at the mudhole.

  Dunkum knew one thing for sure. He wasn’t going home till the mudhole let go!

  Soon, the rest of the Cul-de-sac Kids showed up.

  Abby Hunter took one look at Dunkum. She shook her head. “Yuck, what a mess,” she said.

  “I told you it was icksville,” Stacy said. She was still holding Croaker.

  Abby and her little sister, Carly, stared at Dunkum. And at the mudhole.

  “Does Mr. Tressler know you’re digging in his yard?” Carly asked.

  Dunkum turned around. He glanced at Mr. Tressler’s back porch. “I’ve been digging here for years.”

  “Well, you ought to ask first,” Carly said. Her blond curls danced.

  “Don’t be bossy,” Abby scolded.

  Shawn and Jimmy Hunter ran over to the mudhole.

  “We help, yes?” Shawn said. He and Jimmy were still learning English. It was hard because they were born in Korea. They were Abby and Carly’s adopted brothers.

  Dunkum shook his head. “I could use some serious help here. Anyone have a rope?”

  “I not,” Jimmy Hunter said.

  Abby had an idea. “Let’s make a human chain.”

  Eric Hagel chuckled. “Where’s my camera?”

  The kids laughed.

  Stacy looked around. “Where’d Jason go?”

  “I’m coming!” he shouted. Jason was dragging a big shovel.

  “All right!” Dunkum said. “Now maybe we can solve the mudhole mystery.”

  FOUR

  Jason came running. He plopped the shovel down and pushed it into the mudhole.

  Dunkum and Shawn clawed at the dirt with their hands. Eric and Jimmy pushed piles of mud away.

  Dee Dee Winters watched as she held her cat. “Mister Whiskers wants to help, too,” she said.

  Suddenly, Dee Dee’s cat laid eyes on Croaker. Mister Whiskers meowed and spit at the bullfrog.

  “Aw, kitty, that’s not nice,” Dee Dee scolded.

  Stacy hid Croaker under her jacket. “I guess cats and frogs don’t mix,” she said.

  Dee Dee finally got her cat settled down. She stood beside Abby and Carly and watched the boys dig. They were making an even bigger mess.

  “Wow! Look at that!” Carly shouted.

  Something big was coming out of the mudhole. It was half in, half out. The mystery lump was a square box.

  “What can it be?” Abby said.

  “We’re gonna find out!” Jason hollered.

  Dunkum and Jason were still kneeling in the mudhole.

  “It’s almost out,” Jason said.

  “Let’s pull the box out together,” Dunkum suggested.

  Abby and Carly grabbed Dunkum’s arms.

  “I’m ready!” Carly shouted.

  “Me too,” Abby said, grinning.

  Stacy and Dee Dee decided not to help. They were trying to end a frog and cat war. Besides, they didn’t want to get dirty.

  Mister Whiskers kept hissing at Croaker.

  Dee Dee tried to make her cat behave. She even promised him a new litter box. “Just be nice, OK?”

  Mister Whiskers played dumb.

  “I’ll make it a blue litter box,” Dee Dee said. “How’s that?”

  Meow.

  Mister Whiskers was spoiled rotten.

  “Show time!” Dunkum called to his friends.

  Eric held on to Dunkum’s belt loops.

  Shawn gripped Jason’s T-shirt.

  Little Jimmy latched on to Shawn’s back pocket.

  “On the count of three, we’ll lift it out,” Dunkum said.

  The boys hollered, “One . . . two . . . three!”

  FIVE

  The boys pushed and pulled. They forced and twisted.

  With a mighty heave, the mudhole sneezed.

  AH-AH-AAARGA-CHOOO!

  Out flew a square box.

  The kids fell backward. Then they saw the old chest.

  “Wow!” said Abby. She crept close to the muddy chest. “There’s a gold latch and lock on it.”

  “That’s the gold we saw,” Dunkum said. He was a little disappointed because he was hoping for the real thing.

  Jason rubbed his muddy hands together. “Could it be a secret treasure?”

  “Let’s have a look,” Dunkum said.

  Stacy’s eyes grew big. “Can’t you cle
an it off first?”

  “Who cares about a little dirt?” Jason said. He hopped around like a rabbit.

  Dunkum smeared his arm across the top of the box. “There. Now it’s not so bad.”

  Carly shook her head. “It’s still yucky.”

  “Maybe for you,” Jason said. “Not for me.” And he stood in the mud beside Dunkum, Eric, Shawn, and Jimmy.

  Dunkum looked at his friends. All the Cul-de-sac Kids were gathered around. They all want to open it, he thought.

  “I’ll open the lid,” Jason said. He grabbed hold of the chest before Dunkum could stop him.

  “It’s so-o exciting,” Stacy said.

  Dunkum felt his stomach flip-flop. This was his chest. How dare Jason just barge in like this!

  Jason bent over the chest. “Is everyone dying to see what’s inside?” he asked.

  Dunkum could see how excited Jason was. He didn’t want to be a poor sport. “Whenever you’re ready,” Dunkum said.

  Shawn chuckled. “One . . . two . . . three!” he counted.

  Jason tried to pry the chest open. His face turned two shades of pink. “Whew! It must be locked.”

  “Let me try,” Eric said. He showed off his muscles.

  The kids laughed.

  Shawn counted to three again.

  Eric leaned down and pulled. “Oof!”

  But the lid wouldn’t move.

  Stacy pointed to the gold latch. “Look! It has to be locked.”

  The boys took turns observing the problem.

  Dunkum jiggled the latch.

  Jason poked at it.

  Eric knocked with his fist.

  Shawn studied the lock.

  Jimmy talked Korean to it.

  The lock was definitely doing its job.

  “I wonder where the key might be,” Stacy said.

  “There’s got to be a key,” Dunkum added.

  Eric shook the lock again. “Why would someone bury a locked chest?”

  Dunkum frowned. “I wish I knew.”

  SIX

  “We need a plan,” Dunkum said.

  Abby spoke up. “Let’s have a meeting.”

  Jason jigged around. “Somebody call the meeting to order!” he announced.

  “Sit down and we will,” Dunkum said.

  Jason plopped down on top of the muddy chest.

  “Eew!” the girls shrieked.

  Jason just sat there, grinning. “What’s the problem?” he asked. “Mud washes off. Right?”