Nancy and George both shook their heads. They didn’t want to see just any movie. They wanted to see Star Quest 2.
The girls said goodbye. None of them was smiling.
When Nancy got home, she told her father about the conversation with Jason.
Mr. Drew put his arm around Nancy. “I’m sorry about the movie preview. The minute Star Quest 2 opens, I’ll take you girls to see it. I promise.”
“Thanks, Daddy,” Nancy said.
“What can I do now to cheer you up?” Mr. Drew asked. “Strawberry ice cream with half a can of chocolate sauce? Twelve games of dominoes? Should I sing?”
“Don’t sing!” Nancy said. She put her hands over her ears. She tried to laugh but couldn’t. “I know what I want to do—watch my videotape of the first Star Quest movie.”
“Good idea,” Mr. Drew said. “One more time and we’ll both know it by heart.”
Nancy and her father made a big bowl of popcorn. They went into the family room to watch the tape.
The title of the movie appeared on the screen: Star Quest. In just two hours, Star Quest 2 will begin, Nancy thought. She tried to pay attention to the video, but it was hard.
Star-fighter pilot Zyle was reprogramming RFF, the robot dog.
“I want you to fetch the newspaper on my computer screen every morning,” Zyle said, “like a good robot dog. I don’t want you to sit at my desk and read the whole thing.”
Nancy laughed. Little by little she forgot everything except the movie in front of her. The minutes slipped by.
“Here comes a funny part,” Nancy said to her father.
Zyle’s star-fighter ship was nearing the space station. A message from the fleet commander came over the ship’s communication system. “All star fighters. There’s a twenty-minute wait to get into the docking bay.”
“It’s a total traffic jam,” Zyle said to co-pilot Kema. “Fourteen ships stacked up like pancakes. Like pancakes, I tell you! I feel like a lump of butter in the middle of the stack.”
Kema stared at Kyle with her bright blue android eyes. “What’s a pancake?” she asked.
Nancy started to laugh, then sat up straight. “Wait—” she said. Then she jumped up and stopped the videotape.
“Daddy!” she cried. “You’ve got to drive me to the Bell. Now!”
8
The Best Detective Wins
Mr. Drew looked puzzled. “What?”
Nancy glanced at her watch. “It’s five minutes to four. The Bell closes at four. Daddy, please hurry! I think I’ve solved the mystery. I’ll explain in the car. Please!”
Carson Drew stared at his daughter. Then he stood up and said, “Let’s go!”
Nancy ran into the kitchen. “Hannah, can you call Bess and George? Please say I’ve found the passes. Tell them to be at the River Heights Cinema by 4:25. It’s super important! I’ll explain later.”
Nancy dashed out to the car. Mr. Drew had the motor running. Nancy jumped in. As her father drove down the street, Nancy quickly told him about her hunch. Then she fixed her eyes on the dashboard clock.
One minute to four. Four o’clock. One minute past four. Two minutes past four.
They turned the last corner.
“It’s closed!” Nancy cried, seeing the dark windows and the sign on the Bell’s door.
She glanced toward the street again. At the end of the block someone was getting into a car. “That’s Charlie Pitt! We’ve got to stop him!”
Carson Drew stepped on the gas just as Charlie’s car pulled into the street. Mr. Drew honked his horn—one short blast after another. Charlie didn’t stop. Mr. Drew kept honking. He flipped on the flashing lights. At the next corner Charlie stopped.
“Stay here,” Nancy’s father said as he set the emergency brake. He jumped out and sprinted up to Charlie’s car.
Nancy watched them talk. Five minutes past four. Six minutes past four. Mr. Drew hurried back to their car. Charlie turned the corner and drove down the street.
“What happened?” Nancy asked as her father started driving.
“We’re just going around the block,” Mr. Drew answered. “Charlie says he’ll open up the store.”
Nine minutes past four. Nancy leaped out of the car as Charlie unlocked the shop door. He switched on the lights.
Nancy ran to the shelves that held paper and notebooks. She searched through a tall pile of notebooks with bright-colored covers and single pockets—red ones, blue ones, purple, orange, green.
“Here it is! Mine!” She held up a blue notebook. “It fell out of my pack when the lights went out. Then it was put on the shelf with the new notebooks. Like a lump of butter in the middle of a stack of pancakes!”
Charlie looked puzzled. “I’m not sure how notebooks are like lumps of butter. But I’m glad you found yours. Are those passes you were looking for inside the notebook?”
Nancy shook her notebook. Three cards fell into her hand. They were faded and dirty, and very flat and dry. Nancy grinned.
“Thank you gazillions for opening the store!” Nancy said to Charlie. “I’ll explain everything after school tomorrow.”
“It’s a deal,” he replied. “I won’t even charge you for the notebook storage.”
Nancy raced out the door and got into the car. At exactly 4:25, Carson Drew pulled up in front of the theater.
“Thanks, Daddy!” Nancy said.
“Good work, Detective Drew,” he said. He gave Nancy a big hug.
Nancy got out of the car. Bess and George were waiting by the theater entrance. They had already bought sodas and popcorn.
“Hurray!” George shouted.
“Nancy, you’re amazing!” Bess said.
The girls rushed through the lobby and into the packed theater. As they glanced around for seats, a cheer went up.
“There they are! Way to go, Nancy!”
Nancy, Bess, and George hurried down the center aisle toward the cheering group.
“We saved seats for you,” Jenny said.
“I’m glad you made it,” Nina said.
The three latecomers sat down. Nancy took the aisle seat. Jason and Mike were sitting behind her. Behind them sat Brenda.
“So how did you crack the case?” Jason asked. “Or is it a detective’s secret?”
“I’ll tell you one thing,” Nancy said. “What you said about stacks of notebooks at the Bell gave me a clue I needed.”
“I don’t get it,” Jason said.
“Maybe I’ll explain later,” Nancy said.
Brenda leaned forward. “I need a new interview now. How about after the movie?”
Before Nancy could answer, the lights dimmed. She sat back in her seat. Someone tapped her on the shoulder. It was Jason. He handed her his blue notebook.
“You might as well take this,” he said. “I don’t know how to use it. And by the way, you’re pretty good.”
“Only pretty good?” Nancy asked.
“Well, really pretty good,” Jason said.
“Really pretty good?” Nancy asked. “Come on, Jason. Say it.”
“Okay, okay,” Jason said. “You’re the best detective—for now.”
As the theme music for Star Quest 2 began, Nancy knelt by the small aisle light. She opened her own notebook and wrote:
It’s great to write in this notebook again. I found the missing Star Quest 2 passes for my friends and me. Jason found out something, too. A notebook can’t make you into a good detective—just the way a bat can’t make you into a good ballplayer. You have to practice. I hope I get lots more practice solving mysteries. I even have a second notebook ready for the day when this one fills up! Case closed.
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Carolyn Keene, The Best Detective
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