Meg Mackintosh and the Mystery at the Soccer Match

Books by Lucinda Landon

Meg Mackintosh and the Case of the Missing Babe Ruth Baseball

Meg Mackintosh and the Case of the Curious Whale Watch

Meg Mackintosh and the Mystery at the Medieval Castle

Meg Mackintosh and the Mystery at Camp Creepy

Meg Mackintosh and the Mystery in the Locked Library

Meg Mackintosh and the Mystery at the Soccer Match

About the author

Lucinda Landon has been an avid mystery fan since her childhood. She lives in Rhode Island with her husband, two sons, two dogs, two cats and one horse. Their old house has a secret passage.

Copyright © 1997 by Lucinda Landon

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review. For information address: Secret Passage Press, 26 Tucker Hollow, North Scituate, Rhode Island 02857

First Edition

The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

Library of Congress Catalogue Number: 97-068579

ISBN 1-888695-05-6

10  9  8  7  6  5  4

BP

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

for Alex Egan

“Go, Hawks!” Meg Mackintosh and her friends cheered their teammates on the soccer field.

“Score!” they yelled excitedly as the Hawks snared a goal.

“We're going to win the gold medal!” Alex and Carmen slapped a high five.

“Meg and Carmen, get ready,” Coach Lee called out. “You're going in at the end of this quarter.”

“My brother, Peter, is the goalie for the Panthers,” Meg told Alex as she tightened her laces. “He's always bragging about how great he is. I wouldn't mind popping a goal past him myself,” she said with a smile.

“I wish I had the chance to,” said Alex.

“Ooops, sorry, Alex,” Meg said, glancing at the cast on his broken leg. “It must be tough sitting out the championship match.”

“At least the Hawks are ahead,” sighed Alex, hugging his dog. “We've got to win this one, right, Farley?”

Carmen picked up the gold medal on the
trophy table nearby. “I saw a medal like this at a sports museum. It's so heavy, I bet it's solid gold. I'd really love to win it.”

“Coach Lee won it playing international soccer a long time ago,” Alex told her. “He promised to give it to today's winning team to keep until next year.”

“That's great,” Meg said. “It must be worth a fortune,” she added.

“Yeah, it's great, as long as the Hawks win,” Carmen replied.

Their words were nearly drowned out by cheering nearby.

“Come on, Panthers. Heather, get in there and fight!” yelled her dad.

“Sign the soccer petition!” a woman called. “No more awards!”

“Alex, isn't that your Mom?” asked Meg.

“Yes,” Alex groaned. “She thinks our soccer league is getting too competitive. She wants to do away with awards.”

“No awards?” said Carmen. “How about no yelling,” she joked. “The parents are noisier than the kids!”

“My parents are away,” said Meg as she scanned the area, “but Gramps and Skip are here — at the hot dog booth, as usual.”

Just then the referee's whistle signaled the end of the quarter. It startled Alex's dog, Farley, and he bolted towards the field.

Meg jumped up and caught Farley by his thick fur. He wasn't wearing a collar, so it was hard to hold on. “Sorry, Farley, no dogs allowed in the game!”

Alex hobbled over to retrieve his dog. “I've got him, Meg. Get in there and score!”

Meg gave Alex a thumbs up. “Watch my knapsack, will you? It's got all my detective stuff. Take a look, if you want. I know you're curious about joining our Detective Club.”

Alex rolled his eyes at Carmen as he peered into Meg's knapsack. “She really expects a mystery at a soccer match?”

“You know Meg,” Carmen answered, as she followed Meg onto the field. “She's always looking for a case to solve.”