Text copyright © 2013 by Lewis B. Montgomery
Illustrations copyright © 2013 by Amy Wummer
Super Sleuthing Strategies original illustrations copyright © 2013 by Kane Press, Inc.
Super Sleuthing Strategies original illustrations by Nadia DiMattia
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. For information regarding permission, contact the publisher through its website: www.kanepress.com.
Montgomery, Lewis B.
The case of the superstar scam / by Lewis B. Montgomery ;
illustrated by Amy Wummer.
p. cm. — (Milo & Jazz mysteries ; 10)
Summary: All of Westview is excited when teen idol Starr Silveira arrives to film
an episode of her television show, but when contest winners start receiving letters
asking them to return their valuable show memorabilia, sleuths-in-training Milo
and Jazz suspect a scam.
ISBN 978-1-57565-518-5 (library reinforced binding) — ISBN 978-1-57565-519-2 (pbk.) — ISBN 978-1-57565-520-8 (e-book)
[1. Mystery and detective stories. 2. Fans (Persons)—Fiction. 3. Actors and actresses—Fiction. 4. Swindlers and swindling—Fiction.] I. Wummer, Amy, ill. II. Title.
PZ7.M7682Cdk 2013
[Fic]—dc23
2012025268
1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2
First published in the United States of America in 2013 by Kane Press, Inc.
Printed in the United States of America
WOZ0113
Book Design: Edward Miller
The Milo & Jazz Mysteries is a registered trademark of Kane Press, Inc.
eISBN: 978-1-5756-5520-8 (pdf)
eISBN: 978-1-5756-5703-5 (ePub)
eISBN: 978-1-5756-5704-2 (mobi)
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Para Carolina,
una verdadera superestrella
—L.B.M.
Milo squeezed through the excited crowd on Main Street. Wow! Every kid in town seemed to be here. And half the grownups, too.
Of course, it wasn’t every day that a TV show came to shoot an episode in Westview. Let alone a show as popular as Super Starr!
Everyone Milo knew tuned in each week to watch teen idol Starr Silveira play a singing, dancing, crime-fighting girl superhero on TV.
Usually she did it somewhere glamorous like Hollywood or Paris, France. But this time the script called for an ordinary town. And Westview was as ordinary as a town could get!
Milo spotted his friend Jazz and worked his way over to her.
“Where have you been?” Jazz asked.
“I went to the dentist after school,” Milo said. “Did I miss anything?”
Jazz shook her head. “Just my brother being utterly embarrassing.”
Milo followed her gaze. Jazz’s older brother Chris stood by the barricade that marked off the area where the TV crew would be filming.
“Why? What’s he doing?” Milo asked.
“Whenever the TV people walk by, he sticks his fist up in the air like Starr and yells, ‘No time for crime!’”
“I guess he’s a big fan, huh?” Milo said.
“He knows practically every episode by heart,” Jazz said. “They had a trivia contest online and he won a silver guitar pick like the one Starr uses in the show.”
Milo grinned. “A magic Power Pick that glows when bad guys are around?”
“I wish!” Jazz said. “That sure would come in handy on a tricky case.”
Milo and Jazz were sleuths in training. They got lessons in the mail from world-famous private eye Dash Marlowe and worked together to solve mysteries that popped up in their town.
“Those Power Picks are a big deal, though,” Jazz said. “Only a few hundred people won them in the whole United States. And five of them were the Woofs.”
“The Woofs?” Milo repeated.
“W.F.S.S.,” Jazz spelled out. “I tried calling them the Whiffs, but Chris said it sounded as if they smelled bad.”
“What does it stand for?” Milo asked.
“Westview Fans of Super Starr. It’s a fan club Chris just started at the middle school. Those new friends of his are hardcore. They’ve been here for hours.”
Chris was talking now to a tall boy with uncombed hair and a wrinkled flannel shirt.
“That guy looks like he slept here,” Milo said.
“Oh, Kyle always looks like that,” Jazz said. “I bet his shoelaces are untied, too.”
Milo glanced over, but something else caught his eye. “Are those girls wearing flippers?”
Two girls were posing for a boy taking their photo. One of the girls held up a magazine as they each raised a foot to show their giant rubber flippers.
“Now, Danny!” the other girl called out, teetering on one leg.
The boy with the camera gave her the thumbs-up, then clicked away.
Jazz led the way over to the girls. “Hey, Ana,” she said to the one with curly hair. “How come you’re wearing flippers?”
“Starr loves scuba diving!” Ana said. “Paige read it in Teen Fad. Right, Paige?”
“Totally.” The blonde girl held out her open magazine. Milo noticed the Power Pick hanging from her leather wristband. The silver pick was decorated with a shimmering green star.
Milo and Jazz looked at the magazine. It showed Starr in a silver wetsuit with a scuba tank strapped to her back.
“We’re a long way from the beach,” Jazz pointed out.
“That doesn’t matter,” Ana said. “When Starr sees us in these flippers, she’ll—she’ll—”
“Flip?” Milo asked.
The boy named Danny laughed and lowered his camera. Milo saw that he wore his Power Pick on a wristband, too.
A roar went up from the crowd.
“STARR!”
“She’s coming!” Ana screamed.
Danny whipped his camera back up. Everyone pressed forward. Chris leaned over the barricade and yelled, “No time for crime!”
Milo caught a flash of silver, and he strained to see around the others. Then, suddenly, he felt a hard jab in his side.
“Move it!” ordered the little girl who had elbowed him. Milo stumbled as she shoved past, trampling on his toes.
“Ow!” Milo grabbed his foot.
“Ursula, sweetie! Wait for Daddy!”
A bald man squeezed after her, stepping on Milo’s other foot.
Yow!
Milo hopped from foot to foot.
Ignoring her father, Ursula pressed up against the barricade. “Starr! Starr!”
Starr strode gracefully across the lot, the sun glinting off her tight silver pants. Chris and Kyle boosted Danny to their shoulders, and he snapped photo after photo from his wobbly perch.
As Starr drew near, Ana and Paige frantically waved their flippers in the air. Ana lost her balance and fell into Paige, who fell into Chris, bringing all five of the Woofs crashing to the ground.
Starr flashed a dazzling smile in their direction without breaking stride.
The Woofs picked themselves up.
“Did you all see that?” Ana gasped.
“Yeah,” Milo said. “She didn’t even ask if you guys were okay!”
But Ana’s mind was on something else. “She really does have silver eyes! Just like on TV!”
Paige gazed after Starr. “Totally.”
Chr
is said, “I thought they did that with computers.”
Danny looked up from his camera, which seemed to have survived the fall. “I can’t believe I missed that shot!”
“Starr was moving pretty fast,” Jazz said. “Doesn’t she stop for autographs or anything?”
“Starr never stops to talk to fans before a shoot,” Ana informed her. “Paige read it in Teen Fad. Right, Paige?”
“Totally.”
“Why not?” Milo asked. He was beginning to wonder if Paige knew any other words.
Ana answered. “Nobody knows!”
“I bet it’s an acting trick,” Chris said. “To stay in character.”
“What do you mean, in character?” Jazz said. “She plays herself!”
The Woofs traded glances.
“In real life she’s a teen rock star,” Kyle patiently explained.
Jazz said, “And on the show—”
“She plays a teen rock star with superpowers,” Kyle said. “You see? Completely not the same!”
Jazz seemed about to say something, but a chorus of boos and hisses cut her off. Super Starr’s villain had arrived: The Sneer.
The Sneer prowled across the street, eyeing the crowd through his hideous, twisted mask. He let out a hollow, evil laugh. Ana and Paige shrieked.
As he passed, the little girl named Ursula turned away from the barricade. Her sharp gaze lit on Danny’s wrist. She pulled her father’s sleeve and pointed.
“He has a Power Pick! Like Starr!” she squealed.
“That’s nice, sweetie,” her father said. “Come on, we need to go.”
Ursula’s gaze didn’t leave the pick. “I want it.”
“Sweetie—”
Ursula stared up at him, eyes wide. Her lower lip quivered.
“Okay, okay!” her father said hastily. He turned to Danny. “Where did you get that thing?”
“I won it in a contest,” Danny said.
“Me, too.” Chris held up his own leather wristband to show his silver pick. “We stayed up till midnight, to get online the minute the contest went live.”
“The Power Picks come with different color stars. See?” Ana proudly displayed her sparkly magenta star. “Danny and Paige have green. Right, Paige?”
Paige nodded. “Totally.”
“Kyle over there has blue.” Ana pointed toward Kyle, who was hoisting himself up a stop sign for a better look at The Sneer.
“And Chris has gold,” Ana went on. “At first I wanted gold, but now—”
Ursula cut in shrilly. “I want gold!”
Her father looked at Chris. “Okay, how much?”
“Huh?”
Ursula’s father pulled out his wallet. “How much will you sell it for?”
Chris stared at him. “My Power Pick? I wouldn’t sell it! Not for anything!”
“But I want a Power Pick, Daddy!” Ursula said.
Her father looked around the group. They shook their heads.
“Sorry,” Danny said.
Ursula burst into long, loud wails. The sound reminded Milo of a siren.
As she was towed away, kicking and screaming, Ursula twisted her head and fixed the Woofs with a glare.
“I WANT A POWER PICK!” she screeched. “AND I’M GOING TO GET ONE!”
Milo quickly forgot about Ursula once the filming began. In the episode, Starr visited her ordinary cousins at their ordinary school. The TV people had changed the sign in front of Westview High School. It said “Smalltown High.”
As the cameras rolled, Starr roared up on her silver motorcycle and hopped off, wearing a silver backpack. As soon as she went into the school, The Sneer oozed up and let the air out of her tires.
Milo was amazed at how many times the actors had to repeat the scene while the camera crew tried out different shots. He felt sorry for The Sneer. It must be hot inside that mask!
By 5:30 the light was fading, so filming had to stop. The director told the actors to be back first thing in the morning.
The next day was Saturday, so all the kids planned to return first thing as well. Milo got up early, grabbed a ripe banana, and headed out to the set.
The crowd looked even bigger today. Milo stood on tiptoe and craned his neck, hoping to spot one of his friends.
Oof!
Milo felt a hard shove. The banana flew out of his hand, and as he stumbled forward, he stepped on it. Squish.
Ursula marched past, clutching her father’s hand and beaming up at him. Around her neck, she wore a silver chain with a Power Pick hanging from the end. The star on it was gold.
Ursula and her father disappeared into the crowd. Milo picked up his squashed banana and headed for the nearest trash can. As he tossed it in, Jazz came up, looking worried.
“Have you seen Chris?” she asked.
“Not yet. Why?”
“He’s been acting really strange,” she said.
“Strange how?”
“He did the dishes after breakfast.”
Milo looked at Jazz. “So?”
“So, it wasn’t even his turn!” she said. “And he keeps smiling.”
“Better call 911.”
“Milo, I’m serious! Something creepy is going on.”
Milo wiped his hands on his jeans. “Maybe he’s just psyched about Super Starr coming to town.”
“There’s something else,” Jazz said. “Yesterday he got a letter. When he opened it, he looked excited. Then after dinner, he went out and wouldn’t tell me where he was going.” Jazz leaned forward. “And when he came back—his Power Pick was gone.”
“That is weird,” Milo admitted. Then he added, “You know … I just saw Ursula wearing a Power Pick. And it had a gold star like Chris’s.”
Jazz stared at him. “Are you sure?”
Milo nodded. “You think Chris changed his mind and sold his Power Pick?”
“Chris would sell me if he could,” Jazz said. “Cheap! But his Power Pick? No way.”
It did seem unlikely. But if Chris hadn’t sold his Power Pick to Ursula’s father, where had it gone? And why did Ursula suddenly have one—with a gold star?
“Maybe Chris lost his Power Pick somewhere, and Ursula picked it up,” Milo suggested.
“Then why is he acting so happy? And what about that mystery letter?” Jazz shook her head. “It just doesn’t make sense.”
Milo frowned. It was definitely puzzling. Maybe he and Jazz had found another case to solve!
During a coffee break, the crowd thinned enough for Milo and Jazz to make their way over to the Woofs. Danny was busy snapping photos of the crew and extras lining up at the food truck for muffins and Danish pastries. Milo missed his banana.
Kyle’s sneakers were still untied, but Ana and Paige wore regular shoes today instead of flippers. Between them stood a spiky potted plant.
“What’s that for?” Milo asked.
“Starr is a tree hugger!” Ana said.
“You shouldn’t call people names for trying to save the earth,” Jazz said.
“No, she actually HUGS TREES,” Ana explained. “For fun. It said so in Teen Fad. Right, Paige?”
“Totally.”
Milo eyed the potted plant doubtfully. It didn’t look very huggable to him.
Just then Chris came up, and Jazz whipped around. “Did you sell that girl Ursula your Power Pick?” she demanded.
Chris gaped at her. “Are you crazy?”
“She’s wearing one with a gold star,” Jazz said. “And yours is gone.”
All eyes went to Chris, who glanced down at his bare leather wristband.
“I didn’t sell it!” he protested.
“Then where is it?” Danny asked, letting his camera dangle on its strap.
“It’s—well, it’s—” Chris stopped. “Look, I’m sorry, but I just can’t say.”
“We always wear our Power Picks,” Ana said. “We never take them off. Right, Paige?”
“Totally.” Paige lifted her wrist to display her silver pick with its
green star.
Kyle lifted his wrist too, then gave it a startled look. “Oh … um …”
Milo stared.
Kyle’s wristband was bare, too.
His Power Pick was gone.
“I keep forgetting that I took it off.” Kyle looked around at the shocked faces. He grinned. “It’s okay! She said I’d get it back.”
“Who?” Jazz asked. “Ursula?”
Kyle laughed. “Of course not! Starr.”
Everyone stared at him.
Danny and Ana spoke at the same time.
“You talked to Starr?”
“Starr talked to you?”
Kyle shuffled his feet. “Well … no. Not exactly. But the letter—”
“Letter?” Milo asked.
“From Starr. It came two days ago. Starr said she heard I was her biggest fan in Westview. She wants me to be on the show! I get to play her sidekick in this episode.”
“What?” Ana shrieked. “No way! How come we didn’t see it in Teen Fad? Teen Fad knows ALL about Super Starr. Right, Paige?”
Paige looked shocked too. “T-totally,” she stammered.
“It’s top secret,” Kyle explained. “The letter said I can’t tell anybody—” He looked around at Danny, Ana, Paige, Chris, Jazz, and Milo. “Oops.”
“I don’t get it,” Milo said. “What does this letter have to do with you not having your Power Pick?”
“Oh, Starr’s going to sign it for me!” Kyle said. “I’ll get it back when I go on the show.”
“Chris!” Jazz said. “Are you okay?”
Chris had sunk down to the pavement. He let out a moan.
“What’s wrong?” Danny asked.
Chris raised his head. Slowly, he said, “I got that letter, too. Yesterday.”
Kyle looked confused. “Starr wrote to you about me being on the show?”
“No! About me being on the show,” Chris said. “Starr promised to sign my Power Pick. She said I was her biggest fan.”
“That doesn’t make any sense,” Danny said. “It can’t be both of you. Anyway, I’m the biggest fan in town.”
“No, I am!” Ana said. “Right, Paige?”
Paige scowled.
The Case of the Superstar Scam Page 1