Duck Derby Debacle

by Carolyn Keene

  Nancy, Bess, and George traded worried looks. If they admitted the rubber ducks were missing, Antonio and the others might tell Mayor Strong!

  “We were looking for squeaky things,” Nancy said. “Like what’s in that cardboard box.”

  “Squeaky like this?” Professor Chuckle asked. He reached up to squeeze the clown nose he wore. It made a loud squeak just like the squeak that had come from the box.

  “That’s what’s in the box?” Nancy asked. “Clown noses?”

  Professor Chuckle smiled as he yanked off the tape, reached inside, and pulled out a handful of round red rubber clown noses. “You can never have too many clown noses,” he said. “You’d be surprised how many get sneezed off.”

  Nancy glanced inside the box and saw oodles of clown noses. “Thanks, Professor Chuckle,” she said.

  “Now I’d like to know something.” Antonio said angrily. “What made you think we took a box off your doorstep?”

  “Because you were mad at George for her duck joke,” Nancy explained. “Your camp bus drove past my house at about three o’clock today, around the same time as when the box went missing.”

  “Someone could have seen the box from their bus window and decided to take it,” Bess added.

  “I don’t think so,” Professor Chuckle said. “The campers were too excited to be gazing out the bus windows today.”

  “Excited about what?” Nancy asked.

  Professor Chuckle turned to the campers. “Show them, kids!”

  The campers reached into their pockets and pulled out tickets. Each one had a number on it.

  “I bought six rubber ducks for the derby on Sunday,” Professor Chuckle explained. “One duck for each camper.”

  “So we all have a duck in the race,” Antonio explained. “Whoever wins gets free movies and popcorn for all of us!”

  The other campers cheered.

  While the campers chatted about how fun the rest of their summer was going to be when one of them won, the girls regrouped.

  “The campers didn’t take the box,” Nancy said.

  “I don’t think so either,” George replied. “Why would they want to ruin the derby if they each had a chance to win?”

  But Bess still wasn’t convinced. “Antonio told us that the ducky derby was going down!” she insisted. Her voice was loud enough for everyone to hear—including Antonio!

  “What I said about the ducky derby was a joke!” Antonio explained. “Duck feathers are called down. Down… down… get it?”

  “I get it!” Professor Chuckle guffawed. “And for that ducktacular joke, Antonio wins the day’s golden chicken!”

  Antonio puffed his chest out proudly as Professor Chuckle handed him a chicken-shaped trophy.

  “I believe Antonio now, Nancy,” Bess said. “He’s clean.”

  “No, he’s not!” George said. “Look!”

  Nancy and Bess turned and gasped. Antonio’s face was dripping with pie cream!

  “Did I do it right, Professor Chuckle?” the girl wearing the camp T-shirt asked.

  “Absolutely, Julia!” Professor Chuckle replied. “When it comes to a pie in the face—surprise is everything!”

  “So is taste,” Antonio said as he licked the cream around his mouth. “Yum-o!”

  Nancy, Bess, and George were leaving the theater when Professor Chuckle called out, “Wait! You never told us what was inside the missing box!”

  “Can’t, Professor Chuckle,” Nancy replied. “Detectives have surprises too, you know.”

  The girls left the building and walked to Main Street. Once they got to the corner, Nancy opened their clue book.

  “Antonio is no longer a suspect,” Nancy said, crossing his name off the list, “So we have just one suspect left.”

  “Dorothy Danner!” Bess stated.

  George glanced down at her black-and-purple sports watch. “It’s four o’clock. I promised my mom I’d be home before dinner to play with my little brother—”

  “Dorothy Danner! Dorothy Danner!” Bess exclaimed.

  George rolled her eyes. “We heard you the first time, Bess!”

  “We know Dorothy is our only suspect,” Nancy added.

  “No!” Bess said lowering her voice. “I mean Dorothy Danner is right there. Look!”

  Sure enough, Nancy saw Dorothy leaning against her van and talking on her cell phone.

  “I wonder who she’s talking to,” Nancy said.

  “Let’s go over and listen,” George suggested.

  “Isn’t that snooping?” Bess asked.

  “Not when she’s talking so loudly!” George said.

  While Dorothy was looking the other way, the girls scrambled behind a big tree near the van. From there, they could hear every word Dorothy was saying.

  “You’ll have the rubber duckies at your shower tomorrow, Eileen,” Dorothy promised. “Enough to decorate all of the tables!”

  Nancy felt Bess squeeze her arm. Dorothy had gotten the rubber ducks she wanted!

  “You want to know how I got them?” Dorothy continued. “Well, let’s just say I thought outside the box.”

  Nancy stared at Bess and George. “Did Dorothy just say box? As in the missing box of rubber duckies?”

  Chapter 6

  SWEET-AND-SHOWER

  The girls huddled close against the tree to hear more. Dorothy’s voice carried loud and clear.

  “I’ll see you at ten o’clock at your baby shower tomorrow, Eileen,” she said into her phone. “In the meantime, I’ve got a ton of work to do tonight.”

  Nancy, Bess, and George peeked out to watch Dorothy climb into her van before she started it and drove up Main Street.

  “We have to go to Mrs. MacDuff’s baby shower tomorrow,” Nancy said as they hurried out from behind the tree. “Then we’ll be able to see those rubber ducks with our own eyes.”

  “But we weren’t invited,” George protested.

  “Mrs. MacDuff is our school librarian,” Nancy explained. “We can pretend we’re dropping by to say congratulations.”

  “Drop by where?” Bess asked. “We don’t know where Mrs. MacDuff lives.”

  “She lives on Poppy Street,” George said confidently. “My mom and I went to her yard sale last spring.”

  “Poppy Street is just four blocks away from my house,” Nancy said. “We can all walk to the baby shower together.” Then she wrote the name of the street in her clue book. “Meet me at my house tomorrow morning at ten o’clock. That’s the time Dorothy said she’d be getting to the party.”

  Bess gave a little excited hop. “We’re going to a baby shower! I’m going to wear my new green sundress and white sandals.”

  “I’ll wear a dress too,” Nancy said. “What are you going to wear, George?”

  She shrugged. “I’ll think of something.”

  Bess frowned, glancing down at George’s holey sneakers. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

  * * *

  “How would you like your burger, Nancy?” Mr. Drew called from the grill.

  “With cheese, please, Daddy,” Nancy called back as she set the table in the backyard. “Two slices!”

  “One cheesy cheeseburger, coming up!”

  Nancy smiled as she set a caddy of forks on the picnic table. Friday nights in the summer were barbecue nights at the Drew house. Mr. Drew loved flipping burgers, veggie kabobs, and ribs while wearing one of his funny aprons. Tonight he was wearing one that read WHO INVITED ALL THESE HUNGRY PEOPLE?

  “By the way, where did the wagon in the front yard come from?” Mr. Drew asked above the sizzling noise.

  Wagon? Nancy’s eyes widened. How could she explain the wagon to her father without having to explain the rubber ducks?

  “Um… Someone lent it to me. I’m going to use it to give Chip rides around the block.”

  “Rides, huh?” Mr. Drew shrugged. “Okay.”

  Nancy laid out three paper plates on the table. Over her shoulder, she called, “Daddy? Did you see a big cardboard b
ox around?”

  “The only box I’ve seen is the one of old clothes we’re donating.” He placed cheese slices on Nancy’s burger. “Why?”

  Nancy’s hands froze above the table, holding a napkin. She’d been counting on not having to explain. Thinking fast, she said, “I was hoping for an early birthday present. Or a late one!”

  “Is everything okay, Nancy?” Mr. Drew asked.

  “Yes, Daddy!” Nancy answered quickly. “As Hannah would say, a-okay.”

  “Good,” Mr. Drew said, peeking around the grill to give Nancy a nod. “You do know you can come to me with any problem, big or small, right?”

  “I know,” Nancy said, placing the last napkin on the table. “I’ll go inside and see if Hannah needs help with the salad.”

  Nancy could feel her father watching her as she darted into the house. Shutting the door behind her, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

  “How long?” Nancy murmured to herself. “How long can I keep this secret?”

  Suddenly—

  SQUEAK, SQUEAK, SQUEAK!

  Nancy’s eyes popped open. The rubber ducks were squeaky! But where in the house could they be? How?

  Nancy followed the squeaks through the house until she found Chocolate Chip in the kitchen chewing on a bone-shaped toy—that squeaked.

  “If only you could talk, Chip,” Nancy sighed. “Then maybe you could tell me who took the rubber duckies.”

  Nancy tried not to think or talk about rubber duckies as she enjoyed her cheeseburger. Later that night, she fell asleep hoping the ducks at the baby shower would be the missing ones.

  When she woke up early the next morning, she was determined to find out….

  * * *

  “Thanks for being right on time,” Nancy told Bess and George as they walked to Mrs. MacDuff’s house. “Now we can get to the shower while it’s just getting started.”

  “How can I not be on time with the new cuckoo clock my mom put in our kitchen?” George groaned.

  “Cuckoo clock?” Nancy asked.

  George nodded. “Every hour, a tiny mechanical bird pops out of the clock, chirping, ‘Cuckoo. Cuckoo,’ really loudly!”

  “That’s enough to make anyone cuckoo!” Bess giggled.

  When the Clue Crew reached the MacDuff house, they saw Dorothy Danner’s van parked down the street. The girls walked to the front door, but heard voices coming from around the corner.

  “Listen,” George said. “It sounds like the baby shower’s in the backyard.”

  Nancy, Bess, and George walked through the yard to investigate.

  Duck-shaped balloons fluttered in the breeze. Tables were draped with duck-printed tablecloths and filled with platters of duck-shaped cookies.

  The party was already in full swing. Toward the back of the yard sat Mrs. MacDuff opening presents. As she pulled a tiny baby sweater from a gift bag, her guests oohed and aahed.

  “This is so cute!” Mrs. MacDuff exclaimed. “And the little booties that match—super cute!”

  “Sooooo cute!” other guests chorused.

  “Hey, I have a fun idea,” George whispered. “Every time they say the word cute, let’s eat a cookie!”

  “We have no time for games, George,” Nancy whispered. “Look around the yard for rubber duckies!”

  It didn’t take long for the girls to find them. Nancy pointed to a nearby table. Scattered all over it were the bright yellow rubber duckies they needed to get back!

  “Are we sure those are the real deal?” George whispered.

  Bess crossed her arms. “If they look like a duck, and squeak like a duck—”

  “We should get a closer look,” Nancy cut in.

  Mrs. MacDuff and her guests were too busy admiring baby presents to see the girls racing toward the table. George picked up one of the ducks between her thumb and index finger. “I wonder if this one passes the squeak test,” she said.

  “Don’t squeeze it, George!” Nancy said. “If the duck squeaks, Mrs. MacDuff and her guests will turn around!”

  As Nancy reached for the duck, she accidentally knocked it from George’s hand. It dropped to the ground with a SPLAT!

  The girls stared down at the dropped ducky. The fall had practically flattened it!

  “If the ducky is rubber, why didn’t it bounce or roll?” Nancy asked slowly.

  “Let’s try another one,” Bess said before grabbing another duck and dropping it. Just like the first, it fell with a splat, sticking to the ground. But that wasn’t all…

  “Ewww!” Bess said, pointing to the ground. “Look at that army of ants marching toward the mess!”

  Nancy stared down at the hungry ants. “Ants? These ducks are definitely not rubber.”

  George lifted one of the ducks off the ground before the ants could get to it. She squeezed it between her fingers. It squished even more. “You’re right, Nancy. These ducks aren’t made out of rubber. They’re—”

  “Can I help you girls?” someone said.

  The girls whirled around. Standing a few feet away with her hands on her hips was—

  “Dorothy!” Nancy said quickly. “I mean… Ms. Danner!”

  Chapter 7

  GET THE SCOOP

  Dorothy tapped her chin as she studied Nancy, Bess, and George. “You were the girls at the mayor’s house yesterday,” she said. “How do you know Eileen?”

  “Mrs. MacDuff is our school librarian, remember?” Nancy responded.

  “But we’re not here to borrow books,” George said. “We’re investigating if the ducks on the tables are the same as the ones in the race tomorrow.”

  Dorothy wrinkled her nose. “You mean the ducky derby? The ducks racing tomorrow are rubber!”

  “And these are not,” Nancy replied. She pointed to the ground. “The hungry ants mean those ducks are meant to be eaten, not floated.”

  Dorothy smiled. “The ducks on the tables can be eaten, and they’re delicious. Who wants to try a fresh one?”

  “Sure,” Bess said. “Why should ants have all the fun?”

  Dorothy took three ducks from the table. She handed one to each girl. George was the first to take a bite.

  “How does it taste?” Nancy asked.

  “Familiar!” George said between nibbles. “These ducks are made of a candy called marzipan.”

  “Mar-zi-pan?” Nancy repeated carefully.

  George nodded. “My mom sometimes makes marzipan for parties she caters.”

  “Your mom is a caterer too?” Dorothy asked. “Could her name be Louise Fayne?”

  “Yes. Do you know my mom?” George responded.

  “Who do you think helped me make these candy ducks?” Dorothy asked with a smile. “When I couldn’t get enough rubber ducks, I had the brilliant idea for edible ducks.”

  Dorothy pointed at the table. “I wanted them made of marzipan so they could be molded to look like rubber duckies.”

  “No wonder they’re squishy!” Nancy declared.

  “And yummy!” Bess added.

  “I knew Louise had a fabulous recipe,” Dorothy went on. “I went to her house yesterday to get it from her.”

  Dorothy turned away from the girls to check out the festivities. While she was occupied, Nancy whispered, “How do we know all the ducks are made of candy? Dorothy could still have taken our rubber ones.”

  “I know how,” George whispered. “Watch.” George gently tapped on Dorothy’s elbow. “Ms. Danner? What time were you at my house yesterday?”

  “It was just before three o’clock,” Dorothy said. “Your mom and I compared recipes in the kitchen until about four.”

  “While you were there, did you notice a clock?” George asked.

  Dorothy groaned. “How could I miss it? Your mom has the loudest cuckoo clock I’ve ever heard!”

  “Bingo!” George grinned, pumping her fist in the air.

  “Bingo?” Dorothy gasped. “How could I forget to put out the Baby-Name-Bingo cards? Pardon me, girls!”

 
; Nancy, Bess, and George watched as Dorothy hurried off.

  “If Dorothy knew about the cuckoo clock, then she told the truth about being at your house yesterday,” Nancy said.

  George nodded. “We saw Dorothy at four yesterday. She already knew she’d have the candy ducks, so she must have been with my mom around three.”

  “Your mom—and the cuckoo clock!” Nancy giggled.

  “That’s not just a cuckoo clock, George,” Bess chuckled. “It’s a clue-clue clock!”

  “And the ducks on the tables are not the missing ones,” Nancy concluded. She pulled out the clue book from a pocket in her dress and crossed Dorothy’s name off the suspect list. When she was done, she said, “Let’s pick up the other duck we dropped.”

  “I’ll pick up the duck,” Bess said, making a face. “After you shoo away the ants!”

  * * *

  Mrs. MacDuff was still busy opening presents as the Clue Crew left.

  “We have no more suspects,” Nancy sighed as they walked down the street. “Zero, zip, zilch.”

  “What do we do now?” George asked.

  “I know!” Bess said as the Mr. Drippy truck rolled slowly by. “We get ice cream!”

  “Your sweet tooth must be super sweet, Bess,” Nancy said. “We just ate marzipan duckies.”

  “And we bought ice cream yesterday,” George said. “That’s what got us in this mess.”

  “The ice cream melted yesterday and made a mess,” Bess argued. “I demand a do-over.”

  The truck stopped in the middle of the block. Henderson popped his head out and greeted the girls.

  “Hi, Henderson,” Bess said as they approached the window. “I’ll have a coconut chocolate chip cone, please.”

  Henderson shouted toward the back of the truck: “Daaad? Is coconut chocolate chip the flavor we ran out of?”

  “That’s the one, Henderson,” Mr. Murphy shouted back. “That girl, Kinsley Armbruster, cleaned us out!”

  Kinsley Armbruster? Before Nancy could say anything, Henderson popped his head back out the window.

  “Like I thought, we’re out of coconut chocolate chip. Sorry. We still have coconut cherry, coconut almond fudge, coconut rocky road—”