The Powder Puff Puzzle
Read The Powder Puff Puzzle Online
Authors: Blanche Sims,Blanche Sims
Patricia Reilly Giff
Illustrated by Blanche Sims
Love and welcome
to James Patrick Giff,
August 5, 1987
A Biography of Patricia Reilly Giff
D
AWN
B
OSCO WAS HOT.
There was no shade in the yard. Not one bit.
Then she remembered.
Emily Arrow had a pool. A nice cool one.
She looked around. “Come on, Powder Puff,” she yelled. “We’re going to Emily’s house.”
She looked up at the fence.
“Powder Puff?”
Where was he? She dived under the bushes. “Where are you?”
The cat jumped at her.
“Whew,” Dawn said. “I thought you were lost.”
She scooped him up.
Powder Puff was the greatest cat in the world.
He was all black. Almost all black.
He had one white ear.
He had a white tip on his tail.
Noni, Dawn’s grandmother, looked up. She was weeding the yard.
“We have more weeds than tomatoes,” she said. She rubbed her back.
Dawn put Powder Puff over her shoulders.
He curled his tail around her neck. “This cat’s perfect,” she said.
She gave the white tip of his tail a tug.
The cat began to purr. He sounded like the refrigerator.
“This cat’s a pest,” said Noni. “Last night he jumped on my bed. I woke up. I saw those yellow eyes.”
Noni shivered. “Whoosh. I thought he was a tiger.”
“You should have called me,” Dawn said. “I’m not afraid of anything.”
“Really?” said Noni.
“It’s because I’m a detective,” Dawn said.
Noni stood up. “Ouch, my knees. The ground is hard.”
“I’ll rub them,” Dawn said. She smiled. Noni’s knees were ticklish.
“No, thanks,” said Noni.
“We’re going to Emily Arrow’s,” Dawn said. “Me and Powder Puff.”
Noni shook her head. “Better not take the cat. He’ll get lost.”
Dawn stuck out her lip. “He wants to come.”
Noni slapped at a fly.
Smack.
The cat jumped at the noise.
He jumped off Dawn’s shoulder.
“Hey,” Dawn said.
The cat raced out of the yard.
Dawn ran after him.
“See what I mean?” Noni called.
“Powder Puff,” Dawn yelled.
The cat kept going. He went up one block. He went down the next.
Dawn kept going too.
The cat dashed across the street.
A horn sounded. The cat went faster. He raced for the next street.
“Yeow,” Dawn yelled. “Watch out.”
The light turned red. The cars stopped.
Dawn started across the street.
The cat was halfway down the block.
His back was up. His tail was out.
A red car was parked in front of the hardware store. A mess of a red car.
One fender had dents.
The paint was scratched.
Powder Puff jumped up on the hood.
He put his paws on the side mirror.
He jumped in the open window.
“Powder Puff,” Dawn yelled again.
Just then a woman came down the street.
She was carrying a box. It looked heavy.
She had a pole over her shoulder.
She was long and skinny like the pole.
A jelly cookie was between her teeth.
She had a gray ponytail. A long skinny one.
It looked like a mousetail.
She opened the car door. She shoved the pole in.
“Lady,” Dawn yelled.
The light turned green. The woman slammed the car door.
All the cars started to move.
The red one pulled out.
Dawn started to run.
Powder Puff must be on the backseat. The woman didn’t even know he was there.
“Stop,” Dawn shouted.
A horn blared in back of her.
Dawn jumped out of the way.
She raced to the curb. She kept watching the red car.
It was moving slowly.
She looked at the license plate. Detectives were supposed to do that.
It began with a
P.
Dawn shaded her eyes.
P
. . . and then
A . . .
All letters.
A name.
She had to see it.
The car started to turn the corner.
Dawn took three steps.
It was too late.
The car was gone.
So was Powder Puff.
D
AWN WENT DOWN
the street.
She didn’t look where she was going.
She fell over a ladder.
“Ouch,” she said. She could feel tears in her eyes.
She turned the corner.
Jason Bazyk was standing in front of Emily’s house.
So was Alex Walker.
They were wearing bathing suits. Wet ones.
Jason was jumping up and down. He turned his head to one side. “Water in my ears,” he said.
“My cat,” Dawn said. “My poor cat.”
She sat down on the grass. She tried to stop crying.
“What happened?” Alex asked.
“He rode away in a car,” said Dawn. “He’s lost.”
Jason stopped jumping. “You’ll find him.”
“No.” Dawn shook her head. “He’s far away.”
Alex shook his head too. “You’re right. He’s gone.”
“Don’t be silly,” Jason said.
Dawn looked up.
“You forgot,” Jason told Alex. “Dawn’s a detective.” He started to jump again.
Alex put a towel around his neck. “Hey, that’s right.”
“Of course,” said Dawn. “I’m not worried. Not one bit.”
She swallowed.
“What are you going to do?” Jason asked.
Dawn tried to think. Poor Powder Puff. He liked to eat potato chips. He liked applesauce too.
The woman in the car didn’t know that.
Suppose she didn’t even see him?
Suppose she locked the door with the cat inside?
Dawn wouldn’t think about that. She’d think about how to find him.
“I tried to see the license plate,” Dawn said.
“What was it?” Jason asked.
“A name. It began with
P.
There was an
A
in it too.”
“How many letters?” Jason asked.
“What kind of name?” Alex said at the same time.
Dawn shook her head. “I don’t know.”
She pulled at a piece of grass. “A woman got into the car. Maybe it was a woman’s name.”
“Good thinking,” said Alex.
“A woman’s name beginning with
P .
. .” Dawn began to chew on the piece of grass.
“Peg,” said Jason. “Like my sister Peggy.”
“I don’t think Peggy drives,” Alex said.
The boys grinned at each other.
“Uh-uh. Not Peg,” Dawn said. It has an
A.
Remember?”
“Patsy,” said Alex. “That’s my aunt’s name.”
“Pamela,” said Jason. “That’s my aunt’s name.”
Dawn sat up straight. “Maybe.”
“What’s next?” Alex asked.
“I have to see Emily Arrow’s father. He’s a policeman.”
Alex rubbed his face with his towel. “You’re lucky. Mr. Arrow is off today. He’s in the backyard.”
They went around the side of the house.
Emily was in the pool.
So was Stacy, her little sister.
Stacy was singing a song.
Emily was floating on her yellow raft.
It was too big for the pool.
It kept bumping the side.
Mr. Arrow was sitting on the back step. He was drinking a can of soda.
Emily sat down next to him.
“My favorite detective,” he said.
Stacy stuck her head over the side of the pool. “No, I am.”
“You too,” said Mr. Arrow.
Dawn told him about Powder Puff. She told him about the license plate.
“It said Pamela,” said Alex.
“Or Patsy,” said Jason.
“What color was the plate?” Mr. Arrow asked.
Dawn frowned. “It was white. White with blue letters.” She nodded. “It had a picture of the Statue of Liberty.”
“That’s New York,” said Mr. Arrow.
He took a last drink of soda. “I’ll find out.” He went into the house.
Jason looked at Dawn. “How—”
“Policemen know the license plates. There’s a list.”
“That must be a long list,” said Alex.
“Very,” said Dawn. “Mr. Arrow will call the police station. A policeman will look it up.”
Alex crossed his fingers.
So did Jason.
Dawn crossed her toes.
A little later Mr. Arrow came outside. He was frowning.
“No Pamela,” he said.
“How about—” Jason began.
Mr. Arrow shook his head. “No Patsy.”
Dawn wanted to cry. She stood up. “I have to go home now.”
Emily waved at her. “Don’t you want a quick dip? Just to cool off?”
Dawn started down the path. She tried to smile. “Not now.”
She waved back at them. “Thanks,” she told Mr. Arrow.
She heard Emily say, “Poor Dawn.”
She heard Stacy say, “Poor Powder Puff.”
She started to run.
Powder Puff was gone forever.