“Or eaten it!” said Larry.
“If somebody ate it, there should be an empty dish somewhere.”
Suddenly, water splashed them. A boy with jet-black hair sticking up from his head was shaking himself dry. He had just stepped out of the swimming pool.
CHICK-CHICK-CHICKEN
“Hi. My name’s Nick. I’m the chef today.”
“That’s snake-in-the-can Nick!” said Larry.
“What’ll you have?” continued Nick. “Hamburgers, pizza or chick-chick-chicken?”
“Chicken sounds great,” said Max.
Nick pulled a rubber chicken out of his swimming trunks. “HA! HA! HA!”
“Neat trick,” said Larry. “Ask him what else he’s got in there.”
“Looks like there’s more than one magician here today,” said Max.
“I’m not a magician,” sniffed Nick. “I’m a practical joker. I play tricks on people. I once switched baby carriages at the park and Mom came home with twins. The newspaper even wrote a story about me.”
Nick ran off laughing. As he turned the corner, his wet feet slid on the grass and he fell on his butt.
Larry burst out laughing. “Now, that’s funny.”
Max pulled out his notebook and wrote …
Suspect #2 — Nick
Motive — Practical joke
“If Nick took Daisy,” said Max, “it would be his greatest practical joke. People would talk about it at birthday parties for years to come. He’d be known as the kid who outsmarted the magician, and he’d be famous.”
“Right!” said Larry.
CHAPTER 12
SURPRISE ME
POP!
Larry dove to the ground. Max spun around and spotted a clown blowing up balloons.
“Relax, Uncle Larry. It was just a balloon.”
“I knew that. I thought I saw a dime down here.”
Max made his way over to the clown. “You make cool balloon animals.”
The clown beamed. “Thank you very much!” He shook Max’s hand. “I’m Skippy the Clown. Would you like a balloon animal? Maybe a giraffe — or a pony?”
“I’m trying to find Daisy,” Max said. “Did you happen to see her?”
“No!” Skippy snapped. Then, quickly changing his tone, he asked, “What kind of animal can I make for you?”
“Surprise me.”
MAGIC TRICKS. BIG DEAL.
Skippy blew up some long, skinny balloons. He twisted them this way and that. A second later, he was holding a dinosaur.
“That’s awesome,” said Max.
“Will you spread the word around?” Skippy asked sadly. “Business has been kind of slow. No matter how hard I try — making balloon animals, riding my minibike or telling jokes — I get nowhere. All kids want to see is Marty the Magnificent. Magic tricks. Big deal.”
“That was some trick, making Daisy disappear. You sure you haven’t seen her?”
“I told you I haven’t seen her! But there’s one good thing that would come out of it if she really has disappeared. It’ll be the end of Marty the Magnificent!”
Skippy threw the dinosaur on the ground and stomped away.
Larry picked it up. “Touchy guy.”
Max noticed some kids staring at the balloon hovering in midair. He grabbed it fast.
“Skippy is jealous of Marty’s popularity,” explained Max. He opened his notebook and wrote …
Suspect #3 — Skippy the Clown
Motive — Jealousy
“If Skippy hid Daisy, everybody would blame Marty. Soon, parents would hear about it. Marty wouldn’t get hired for other parties, and business would pick up for Skippy again.”
“Right!” said Larry.
Max tucked the notebook into his pocket and looked at his uncle. “I’m ready to take a look at the scene of the crime.”
CHAPTER 13
NEAT TRICK, EH?
Max and Larry made their way to the far side of the house. The Magic Box, covered with stars, stood right in the center of a row of high bushes.
“Those bushes would hide anyone walking behind the Magic Box,” said Max.
They moved closer. Larry whipped open the velvet curtain and stepped inside. Then he pulled the curtain closed.
“Push the button, Max,” he called out.
Max looked along the sides of the Magic Box and found a small button on the left side. When he pushed it, a wooden panel slid right in front of Larry. When Max opened the curtain, the box looked empty.
Larry stuck his head through the panel and grinned. “Neat trick, eh?”
Max pushed the button again and the panel slid back into its hiding place. Larry stepped through the back of the Magic Box. A second later, he swung open the back door. “Someone definitely opened this door to let Daisy out,” he said.
HURRY! HURRY! PLEASE!
“There you are, Max.”
Max turned to see Marty. His face was lined with worry. “Have you found Daisy?”
“Not yet, but I’m working on it.”
“Mrs. Dee will be back any minute! Hurry! Hurry! Please!”
Some kids grabbed Marty’s hands and dragged him off. Max made his way around the bushes to the back of the Magic Box.
“Hey, Max!” shouted Larry. “Look there!” He pointed to the ground near the Magic Box. “A wiener dog balloon! Skippy took Daisy!”
“Maybe,” said Max. “But let’s check for other clues.”
As they looked around, a flash of light caught Max’s eye. “What’s that?”
“What’s what?” asked Larry.
“There it is again. Something in the bushes is reflecting the sun.”
Max walked over to the third bush from the Magic Box and parted the branches. Resting on one of them was a small, sparkly tiara. He held it up. “Iris told me Daisy was wearing a tiara. It must have fallen off when she passed by this bush.”
“The plot thickens,” said Larry, wiggling his eyebrows.
NOBODY COULD GAIN WEIGHT THAT FAST
Max rested the tiara back on the branch and went looking for more clues.
“Footprints, Uncle Larry.”
“Where?”
“Right here.” He pointed to the ground behind the Magic Box. “They go in that direction.” Max pointed toward the side of the house.
Max bent down to examine the footprints more closely.
“Look at this, Uncle Larry.”
Larry bent down next to him.
“The footprints start off light, but the prints leading away from the Magic Box sink deeper into the ground.”
Larry scratched his head. “Nobody could gain weight that fast.”
Max stood up and looked at his uncle. “Oh, yes, they could.”
CHAPTER 14
MAX SOLVES THE CASE
Marty asked the three suspects — Iris, Nick and Skippy — to meet at the Magic Box. When they had all gathered, Max said, “I’ve looked carefully at all the clues, and I know who took Daisy Dee.”
Iris, Nick and Skippy eyeballed each other.
“Marty mentioned that there’s a back door on the Magic Box that can only be opened from the outside. Someone opened the door and took Daisy. When they did, they left footprints in the dirt.”
Max moved closer to the footprints. “The footprints start from where the grass ends and go straight to the Magic Box. Then the same footprints continue away from the box.”
Everyone’s eyes followed the line of footprints.
YOU ARE A SMART COOKIE, AREN’T YOU?
“Iris told me Daisy was wearing a tiara,” said Max. “There it is in the bushes. So she probably went that way.”
“If Daisy went that way,” said Marty, “why aren’t her footprints on the ground, too?”
“Yeah, Sherlock,” said
Nick, smirking. “Answer that one.”
“It’s a good question. Whoever took Daisy must have lifted her out of the Magic Box,” said Max, “then carried her. The extra weight made the footprints leading away from the Magic Box sink deeper into the dirt.”
Larry looked impressed. “You are a smart cookie, aren’t you?”
Max smiled at his uncle. Then he turned his attention to Skippy. “Skippy, one of your balloon animals is on the ground beside the Magic Box.”
Larry’s eyes lit up. “I told you it was Skippy!”
Skippy shook his head vigorously. “That doesn’t prove anything.”
“You’re right,” said Max. “It doesn’t.”
Larry frowned. “It doesn’t?”
“You made lots of balloons, and any of the kids could have dropped it.” Skippy breathed a sigh of relief. “But there’s still the matter of footprints.”
Skippy pointed to his shoes. “Do these shoes look like they made those footprints? My clown shoes are huge. They would have left a much bigger print!”
“Do you wear regular shoes under your clown shoes?” asked Max.
Skippy gulped. “Yes. But they’re glued in! I swear!”
He whipped off one of his clown shoes and tugged on the inner shoe, showing everyone that it was glued in tightly. “My clown shoes kept falling off, so I glued my shoes into them.”
WHAT KIND OF DORK WEARS SHOES WITH A BATHING SUIT?
Max turned to Nick. “Where are your shoes, Nick?”
“What kind of dork wears shoes with a bathing suit?”
“Do you want me to answer him?” asked Larry.
Max frowned at his uncle then turned back to Nick. “I was just checking. Maybe you wore them before changing into your bathing suit.”
“Well, I didn’t. I live next door and came over in my swimsuit. If you don’t believe me, go ask my mom.”
“I believe you,” said Max. “But the footprints were definitely made by shoes.” He slowly turned to face Iris. “So, that leaves you.”
WHAT DID YOU DO WITH THE MARSHMALLOW MUMBO?
“Me?” Iris put on her snooty voice. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
“You said you were inside the house when Daisy disappeared,” said Max.
“I was inside, getting the Marshmallow Mumbo.”
“Then why is nothing on the food table made of marshmallows?”
“Yeah,” said Larry. “What did you do with the Marshmallow Mumbo?”
Max continued. “During Marty’s disappearing act, you went into the house to get the Marshmallow Mumbo, like you said, but you didn’t put it on the food table. Instead, you came out the back door and snuck up to the Magic Box from behind. You’re the one who lifted Daisy out. You’re the one who carried her away — probably on your back so that you could carry the Marshmallow Mumbo at the same time. Daisy didn’t make a fuss because she trusted you. And what kid doesn’t like a piggyback ride?”
Iris rolled her eyes. “And just what motive would I have for taking Daisy?”
“With Daisy missing,” explained Max, “your mom would blame Marty. You wanted to get back at him for taking your job — the magic act that you worked so hard on.”
Iris exclaimed, “Two whole months I spent practicing that magic act! Two whole months!”
Just then, Daisy’s mother pulled into the driveway.
Iris crossed her arms. “Even if I did take Daisy, you’ll never find her.”
“You gotta tell us where you hid her,” begged Marty.
“Nope.”
“Iris, please.”
Iris stuck her fingers in her ears. “Lah-dee-dah. Lah-dee-dah. I can’t hear you.”
“Oh, gosh. Oh, gosh.” Once again, Marty looked like he was going to faint.
Larry got an idea. He leaned over and whispered something to Max. Max’s face lit up and he whispered something to Marty.
OLLY OLLY OXEN FREE!
In a loud voice, Marty called out, “Olly olly oxen free!” That’s the signal for everybody playing hide-and-seek to come out of their hiding places.
A second later, Daisy stuck her head out the attic window.
“Here I am! I win! I win! Nobody found me!”
Daisy’s smiling face was covered with … Marshmallow Mumbo!
BRILLIANT! ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT!
Max couldn’t wait to tell his grandfather about his adventure. He and Larry hopped onto the motorcycle and roared home.
Harry was on the couch, knitting, when they arrived. “Where have you two been?” he asked.
“Solving our first mystery!” boasted Larry. “I was brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!”
Max looked at him.
“Oh, yeah, and Max was brilliant, too.”
“Well done, boys! I’m proud of you both! How about we celebrate with ice cream and apple pie?”
Larry rubbed his hands together. “Sounds yummy.”
As they ate their ice cream and pie, Max asked, “What are you knitting, Grandpa?”
“A hat for the dog!”
Max’s eyebrows went up.
SPOT THE DIFFERENCE
Detectives have to be observant. Can you find five differences between these two pictures?
SPOT THE DIFFERENCE
CLICK FOR ANSWERS TO SPOT THE DIFFERENCE
DON'T MISS CASE #2 …
“They want me to find their zucchini, Uncle Larry.”
“So? Sherlock Holmes had lots of unusual cases.”
Max shook his head. “I seriously doubt anyone ever asked him to find a missing vegetable.”
The giant vegetable competition at the Harrow Harvest Fair is a day away, and the Zamboni sisters’ 200-pound zucchini has been stolen. Max and Uncle Larry take the case — but looking for a missing vegetable? Max can’t help but think it will be dull as dirt … until they start digging deeper. Can Max and Uncle Larry uncover the thief, and the giant zucchini, before the big day?
The Ghost and Max Monroe series continues with another hilarious, fast-paced mystery, featuring a sharp ten-year-old detective and his frightfully funny sidekick.
The Ghost and Max Monroe
Case #2: The Missing Zucchini
L. M. Falcone
HC 978-1-77138-154-3
$12.95 US • $12.95 CDN
PB 978-1-77138-018-8
$6.95 US • $6.95 CDN
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
L. M. Falcone is an award-winning author who loved mystery books so much that she became a private investigator. She has also worked as a writer for Nickelodeon TV. Her books include the middle-grade chillers Walking with the Dead, The Midnight Curse and The Devil, the Banshee and Me. She lives in Toronto, Ontario.
www.kidscanpress.com
ANSWERS TO SPOT THE DIFFERENCE
1. One of Max’s coat buttons is missing.
2. The cobweb is missing beside the rooster picture.
3. One of the falling sheets of paper is missing.
4. One of Larry’s suspenders is missing.
5. The snowman is facing the other way.
Ghost and Max Monroe, Case #1,The Magic Box (The Ghost and Max Monroe) Page 3