The Purple Fingerprint

by Carolyn Keene

  Nancy looked around. Sitting behind a desk was a woman with silver hair. Standing next to the desk was Mr. Lizard; his producer, Jane; and a man with rosy cheeks, a white apron, and a chef’s hat.

  The Clever Cook! Nancy thought.

  “Can I help you, girls?” Jane asked.

  “Brenda has something to say,” Nancy said. “It’s about Mr. Lizard’s Funhouse.”

  The silver-haired woman smiled. “She can tell me,” she said. “I’m Kate Romano, the president of station WRIV.”

  “Go ahead, Brenda,” George whispered.

  But Brenda didn’t apologize. Instead she stuck out her chin and smiled slyly.

  “I’m not saying a word!” she said.

  Nancy froze.

  Brenda had lied about apologizing just to be bratty. To be Brenda-ish!

  “Brenda Carlton, that’s not fair!” Nancy complained.

  Mr. Lizard turned to Brenda.

  “Brenda Carlton?” he asked. “Aren’t you the kid who writes her own newspaper?”

  “That’s me!” Brenda said proudly.

  Mr. Lizard frowned.

  “You once wrote that my hair was fake,” he said. “That wasn’t very nice.”

  “B-but—” Brenda stammered.

  “What she did wasn’t very nice either,” Nancy said.

  “What did she do?” Jane asked.

  Everyone listened while Nancy explained everything. When she was finished, Ms. Romano looked concerned.

  “Oh, dear!” Ms. Romano said. “You kids went through all that trouble to save Mr. Lizard?”

  Nancy, Bess, and George nodded.

  “Cheese and crackers!” the Clever Cook boomed. “I didn’t know I was replacing someone the kids like so much!”

  “We like you, too, Mr. Cook,” Nancy said. “Our lunch lady has been serving your recipes in school all week long.”

  “They’re awesome,” George said. “Like the tuna in those puffy pastry shells.”

  “And the stuffed eggs with mushrooms!” Bess exclaimed. “Yum!”

  “You mean kids like my recipes?” the Clever Cook asked.

  The girls nodded again.

  “Ms. Romano,” the Clever Cook said. “Don’t take Mr. Lizard off the air. Instead let me come on the show every week. I’ll show the kids how they can make simple snacks with their moms and dads.”

  “And housekeepers,” Nancy added.

  “A cooking segment on Mr. Lizard’s Funhouse,” Ms. Romano said. “I like it.”

  “Me, too,” Mr. Lizard said. “Maybe I’ll finally learn how to cook fudge.”

  “And maybe I’ll learn how to dance the lizard dance,” the Clever Cook said. “From now on we’re a team!”

  “Does this mean the Mr. Lizard show is saved?” Nancy asked hopefully.

  “Thanks to your petition,” Ms. Romano said. “And the nice things you said about the Clever Cook.”

  Mr. Lizard held up his hands.

  “Whoa—hold everything!” he said. “I can’t do my show again.”

  “Why not?” Jane asked.

  “I threw out my giant shoes,” Mr. Lizard confessed.

  “Don’t worry.” George smiled. “We saved your show—and your shoes!”

  “Thanks, kids!” Mr. Lizard said.

  Brenda cleared her throat.

  “I like Mr. Lizard’s Funhouse, too, you know,” Brenda said coolly. “I even signed the petition. Didn’t I, Nancy?”

  Nancy stuck her chin in the air. “I’m not saying a word!” she said with a grin.

  “Ooh!” Brenda said angrily. She almost bumped into Hannah as she stormed out of the office.

  Hannah was thrilled to meet the Clever Cook. But after they all danced the lizard dance, it was time to go home.

  Bess and George chatted excitedly in the car. But Nancy had work to do. She had to write in her blue detective notebook:

  Yippee! Today I solved the case and saved Mr. Lizard’s Funhouse, too.

  The Clever Cook really is clever. He knows that teamwork is the best work of all. But the best team in the whole world will always be—Bess, George, and me!

  Case closed.