Backyard Bandit Mystery (5 page)

Mew,
replied Mister Whiskers.

Dee Dee giggled. “You know a good sale when ya see it,” she said.

Eric laughed. He held up his hamster. “Fran the Ham says there oughta be free
lettuce to munch.” He made his voice sound twittery. Like a hamster.

Dee Dee and Eric went on and on. They were talking back and forth, pretending.

At last, Eric spoke in his regular voice. “Won't our flags look great for Flag Day?” he said.

“Stacy's idea was real cool,” Dee Dee answered.

Stacy felt a kink in her leg. She tried to stretch inside the trash can.

I have to get out of here,
she decided.

But . . .

She leaned too hard.

Bang-a clank!

The trash can fell over, and Stacy tumbled out.

Eric and Dee Dee screamed and ran away.

Stacy crawled out of the trash can. “So much for spying,” she muttered.

She stood there alone in the moonlight.

Rats!

She brushed herself off. No more icky insects crawling on her!

Silently, she ran to the house.

She felt terribly upset. And she smelled like a trash heap.

So she took a bath and went to bed.

Later, in the darkness, she reached for her beanbag angel.

Then she remembered. . . .

It was gone.

Sold to Eric for fifty cents!

NINE

It was Sunday morning. Church day.

But Stacy's thoughts were somewhere else.

“I have to talk to Eric before Sunday school,” she told her puppy. Sunday Funnies had already found the Sunday paper. And the comics.

She hurried to the teeny-weeny attic window. She pushed her face against it. “Can't see a thing,” she muttered.

So she combed her hair and got dressed.

Before anyone else was up, she went outside. She dashed across the street.

Brr-i-i-i-n-g!

She rang the doorbell one long ring.

Eric just
had
to answer it.

She waited.

And waited.

At last, he opened the door. “What are you doing over here?” he asked.

Stacy stared at him. Blond hairs were sticking out. Every which way!

“I came for my beanbag angel,” she said.

He raised his eyebrows. “It's mine. I already told you.”

“Well, sorry,” Stacy said.

Eric frowned. “I paid for it, Stacy.”

“I know, but I want it back,” she said.

He argued. “It was on the sale table!”

Stacy shook her head. “Well, I never should've put it there.”

“But you did.” Eric bunched up his mouth.

“I HAVE TO HAVE IT BACK!” shouted Stacy.

She crossed her arms and made a big frown. She tapped her toe and waited.

Surely, Eric would come to his senses.

“Well? Are you gonna give it back?” she asked.

“I said it's mine,” Eric grouched.

“You'll be sorry, Eric Hagel,” she said. And marched home.

After church, Stacy saw Eric again. He was standing outside, waiting for his mother.

“Did you listen to the preacher today?” she asked.

“Uh-huh,” he answered.

“Well? Are you gonna be a cheerful giver?” she asked.

Eric stared at her. “Are
you
gonna be a grumpy giver?”

Stacy didn't answer. Eric was right about her, but it didn't sound so nice.

Then she remembered the missing
sale stuff. “Have you heard about the robbery? I think there's a bandit in our cul-de-sac,” she said.

Eric scratched his head. “What are you talking about?”

She told him. “Lots of our sale stuff has disappeared.”

“Since when?” he asked.

“Last night, during supper. That's when the robber must've come,” she explained.

He shook his head. “Don't know anything,” he said.

“Some of
your
stuff is gone, too,” she said.

Eric's eyes got big. “My stuff? Don't you mean the stuff I
donated
? I'm no grumpy giver,” he insisted.

“Very funny, Eric,” she said.

And she spun away on her heels.

TEN

Stacy looked at her watch.

Almost two o'clock.

Eric was being a big pain. He refused to give back the angel. He just wouldn't.

Stacy felt horrible.

Abby Hunter would be home soon. Very soon.

Stacy didn't know what to do. She couldn't get Eric to budge.

Besides that, there was a mystery to solve.

Who
was
the backyard bandit?

Stacy didn't know.

She raced down the cul-de-sac to Dee Dee's house. “We have a problem,” she said.

Dee Dee opened the door and let her in. “What's wrong?”

“There's a bandit on the loose,” Stacy said.

“A what?” Dee Dee's eyes were wide.

“Lots of our sale stuff is missing,” she explained.

“Oh, that.” Dee Dee grinned.

Stacy stared at her. “Do
you
know who the bandit is?” she asked.

“Follow me,” Dee Dee said.

They went upstairs.

“Is this what you're missing?” Dee Dee asked.

There was Dunkum's old radio on the dresser.

“What's it doing here?” asked Stacy.

Dee Dee explained. “I traded some of my stuff with the boys.”

Stacy couldn't believe her ears.

“How can we make any money
that
way?” she demanded.

“Oh, there's plenty of money,” Dee Dee said.

“There is?” Stacy said, surprised.

“Sure! Your granny paid bunches of money. She bought that smelly old cologne. Your grandpa's pajama top, too,” said Dee Dee.

“For how much?” Stacy asked.

“Twenty bucks,” answered Dee Dee.

“Twenty?
That's way too much,” said Stacy.

“I know, but she wouldn't listen,” Dee Dee said.

Stacy couldn't believe her ears.

“Your granny wanted to make some nice kids happy,” Dee Dee explained. “That's just what she said.”

“Nobody told
me
about this,” Stacy said.

Dee Dee shook her head. “I guess you were busy makin' lemonade.”

Stacy thought about everything. “So, we'll buy the flags with Granny's money?”

Dee Dee grinned. “Yep.”

“Wow,” Stacy said.

“Real cool,” Dee Dee added.

“Well, there's only one other problem now,” Stacy said.

Dee Dee looked up at her. “The beanbag angel?” she asked.

Stacy nodded. “I need to get it back. What can I do?”

“I have an idea,” Dee Dee said. And she whispered in Stacy's ear.

Stacy listened carefully.

Then she said, “You're right. Thanks for a great idea!”

And up the street she ran—to see Eric about the angel.

When Stacy found Eric, he was playing with his hamster. A teeny-tiny cat collar was on Fran the Ham's neck.

“Nice trade,” Stacy said. She meant the cat collar.

Eric looked up. “Oh, you heard?”

She nodded. “You traded your treasures. Wanna trade something with me?” she asked.

“Whatcha got?” he said.

“A whole sale table full,” she replied.

Eric smiled a strange little smile. “Really? You'd give me
everything
on the table?”

Stacy nodded. “Only if you give back my beanie angel.”

Eric rubbed his head. “You must really want it,” he said.

“Sure do,” she said.

“What's so special about it?” he asked.

She took a deep breath. “Abby gave it to me a long time ago.”

Eric's eyes nearly popped out.
“Abby
gave it to you?”

“That's why,” she said softly.

“Why didn't you tell me?” Eric said.

“I should've,” Stacy replied. “I'm sorry.”

Eric grinned at her. “This is our secret, OK?”

“Thanks,” Stacy said.

“And you can forget about trading the sale stuff,” he said. “I don't want it.”

Stacy smiled. “You're a cheerful giver.”

“Here, hold my hamster.” Eric ran inside to get the angel.

Stacy held Fran the Ham carefully.

At that moment, Abby and her family rode up the cul-de-sac. The Hunter family waved to her.

Stacy called to them, “Welcome home!”

Abby leaned out the van window. “Did I miss anything?” she asked.

“You just wait,” Stacy said, grinning.

Abby smiled back. “Double dabble good,” she said. Then she picked up two suitcases and ran to her house.

Fran the Ham made twittering sounds in Stacy's hand. Nothing special. Just
cute little hamster noises.

Stacy leaned over and whispered in the teeny-weeny ear. “Flag Day's gonna be super. Thanks to a super-duper Granny.”

She thought for a second. “Thanks to Eric, too.”

Stacy felt great. Even if she had to say so herself.

THE CUL-DE-SAC KIDS SERIES
Don't miss #16!