Scream for Ice Cream

  “What are em-ploy-ees?” Nancy asked.

  “Maybe kids who signed up for the ice-cream contest!” George said with a smile. “Are we lucky or what?”

  The girls pushed at the door until it swung open.

  “Brr!” Bess said as they walked into the room. “It’s freezing in here!”

  The room was brightly lit and sparkling clean. It was filled with big steel vats. The vats were almost as tall as the girls.

  “No wonder it’s cold,” Nancy said, rubbing her arms. “This must be where they make the ice cream!”

  George ran over to a vat. She grabbed the rim and hoisted herself up. Then she peered into the vat and said, “Wowie! I think this is my favorite—Whoooaaaaaa!”

  Nancy gasped. George was falling headfirst into the vat! She and Bess grabbed George’s feet and held on tight.

  “I like ice cream, but not this much!” George shouted. “Heeeelp!”

  “We’re trying!” Nancy grunted. She and Bess tugged on George’s feet until they finally pulled her out of the vat.

  “Whew!” George said. “That was close!”

  “No,” a voice said. “That was Mint, Mint, Hooray!”

  The girls whirled around. Jim and Barry were standing in the room.

  Nancy stared at the guys. They wore white coats and hairnets over their hair.

  “We’re not giving tours yet, kids,” Jim said.

  “The door said . . . em-ploy-ees,” George said. “That means—”

  “People who work here,” Barry explained with a grin. “You’re a bit young for a factory job.”

  “And you shouldn’t be here without a grown-up,” Jim added.

  “Sorry,” Nancy said. “We just wanted to see the sign-up list for the ice-cream contest tomorrow.”

  “We’re already on the list,” George said. “But we want to see if someone from school is on it too.”

  “Can we?” Bess asked. “Please?”

  “No can do,” Jim said.

  “But we can’t wait to taste your ice cream tomorrow,” Barry said brightly. “Just try not to fall into it!”

  The guys held the door for Nancy, Bess, and George as they left the big, cold room.

  “How neat was that?” Bess squealed. “We got to meet Jim and Barry—up close and personal!”

  “But we didn’t get to see the list.” Nancy sighed. “And when the guard sees that we sneaked in—she’s going to have kittens!”

  As they neared the guard’s desk, Nancy noticed something. There was a different guard at the desk this time. His nameplate read MATT STEVENSON.

  “Brainstorm,” George whispered.

  Nancy and Bess followed George to the desk.

  “Hi,” George said. “We just want to make sure our names are spelled right on the contest list.”

  Matt reached into the top drawer of his desk and pulled out the sign-up sheet. “Here you go!” he said.

  The girls huddled over the list. Bess jabbed her finger at one of the names: Kevin Garcia!

  “Did you spell your names right?” Matt asked.

  “Yes!” the girls said together.

  “Then good luck in the contest tomorrow,” Matt said. “And if you win, save a pint of ice cream for me!”

  Nancy, Bess, and George zipped through the revolving doors. Once outside, they raced toward their bikes.

  “Kevin did enter the contest,” George said.

  “We have to check Kevin out,” Nancy said. “But I have no idea where he lives.”

  “Me neither,” George said with a shrug.

  “Two hundred Crescent Street!” Bess said. “It was right next to his name.”

  “How do you know?” Nancy asked.

  “Not only can I build and fix things,” Bess said proudly, “I have a great memory too!”

  The girls pedaled the three blocks to Crescent Street. They found Kevin’s house in the middle of the block. They stepped up to the door, and Nancy rang the doorbell over and over again. They walked to a window and peeked inside. The Garcias’ housekeeper was busy vacuuming the living room.

  Rrrrr! Rrrrr!

  “No wonder she can’t hear the doorbell,” George said. “That vacuum cleaner sounds like a rocket booster!”

  Nancy saw a path leading around the house to the backyard. “Let’s check out the back,” she said. “Kevin might be hanging out there.”

  “Or making ice cream!” Bess said with a frown.

  The girls followed the path to the backyard. They didn’t see Kevin, just some patio furniture and a small white toolshed.

  Suddenly Nancy spotted something on the grass near the shed. It looked like a crumpled-up candy bar wrapper. She picked it up and flattened it out. It was a wrapper from the Chocolate Soldier Shop.

  “That’s where Kevin bought the chocolate,” Nancy said.

  “Maybe Kevin made the ice cream already,” George said. “And he’s stashing it in a freezer inside the shed.”

  Nancy wanted to look inside. She turned the handle on the shed door. The wooden door creaked as she pushed it open.

  The girls filed inside the shed. They jumped as the door slammed shut. With only one tiny window, it was very dark in the shed!

  “Let’s go,” George said. “I don’t see any—”

  “Oooooh!” a voice moaned.

  Nancy froze.

  “Oooooh!”

  There it was again! Nancy felt Bess grab her arm.

  “Wh-what was th-that?” Bess stammered. “A ghost?”

  “Ooooh—my stomach!” the voice moaned.

  “That’s not a ghost,” Nancy said. “It’s Kevin!”

  George opened the door for light. Behind a pile of firewood the girls found Kevin. He was sitting on the floor, surrounded by crumpled candy bar wrappers, a chocolate drink can, and an empty Popsicle box!

  “Aha!” George said. “Caught chocolate-handed!”

  “What are you doing here?” Kevin groaned. His face was smudged with chocolate stains. So was his white T-shirt.

  “We’re looking for Chock Full of Chocolate ice cream,” Bess said with a smirk. “Got any?”

  “Chocolate!” Kevin groaned. He stuck out his tongue and made a gagging sound. “Don’t even say the word!”

  Nancy felt bad that Kevin had a stomachache. But she was aching to ask him questions!

  “What’s the deal with all this chocolate, Kevin?” Nancy asked. “You’re not even allowed to eat it.”

  “That’s why I spent my birthday money on tons of the stuff,” Kevin explained. “My mom and dad said I could spend it on anything I wanted.”

  “So you ate it all?” Bess asked.

  “Yeah. But don’t remind me!” Kevin groaned again.

  “Your name was on the contest list,” George said. “Weren’t you going to use the chocolate to make ice cream?”

  “Some of it,” Kevin admitted. “But I kept eating and eating and eating until nothing was left.”

  “I don’t get it, Kevin,” Nancy said. “Why did you enter a contest to win something you can’t eat?”

  “That’s the idea!” Kevin said. “If I had that silver ticket, I’d be able to eat all the ice cream I wanted.”

  “Not if your parents have to sign a permission slip, too,” Nancy pointed out.

  Kevin stared at Nancy. Then he slapped his forehead with the back of his hand. “A permission slip?” he said. “Now you tell me!”

  Nancy saw a Popsicle stick on the floor. As she kneeled down to pick it up, Kevin burped. His eyes bulged out as he covered his mouth with his hand.

  “Back up! He’s going to hurl!” George shouted.

  The girls raced out of the shed. They were halfway through the yard when Nancy decided to run back.

  “Kevin?” Nancy called through the door. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah,” Kevin called back. “Just a dry heave.”

  Nancy, Bess, and George walked slowly back to their bikes.

  “I guess Kevin is innocent,” Bess said. r />
  Nancy examined the Popsicle stick she took from the shed. “This doesn’t say ‘Lickety Sticks’ on it,” she said. “So Kevin did not write the message on my doorstep.”

  “Now we really have zero suspects.” George sighed. “And the contest is tomorrow!”

  Nancy suddenly heard bells. The Mr. Drippy truck was rolling down the street. It pulled up to the sidewalk and stopped.

  The girls watched as a six-year-old boy made his way to the truck. He seemed to know the drill as he approached the window and saluted Mr. Drippy. “One vanilla ice-cream bar, please!” he said.

  “At ease, young man,” Mr. Drippy said.

  While Mr. Drippy dug through the freezer, Nancy looked through the truck window. Henderson was standing in the back of the truck. He had two Popsicle sticks stuck up his nose and was snorting like a walrus!

  “Gross!” Bess muttered.

  Nancy was about to turn away from Henderson when something clicked. She ran over to the boy with the ice-cream bar and said, “Can we see that pop?” she asked.

  “Sorry,” the boy said. “You forgot to say—”

  “Please!” Nancy groaned.

  The boy looked confused as Nancy examined the Popsicle stick. “Bingo!” Nancy said. “This stick has ‘Lickety Sticks Company’ stamped on it!”

  Nancy gave the ice-cream bar back to the boy. He walked away, shaking his head.

  “Maybe Henderson wrote the Popsicle stick message, Nancy!” Bess said.

  “Why would Henderson tell us to give up?” George asked. “He didn’t enter the contest.”

  Nancy shrugged. “Maybe Henderson read about our case on Deirdre’s Web site,” she said. “And was just being pesty.”

  “Like always.” Bess sighed.

  It was two o’clock in the afternoon. George had promised to watch her baby brother while her mother planned the mayor’s party. Bess’s grandparents were visiting that afternoon, so she wanted to go home.

  “That’s okay,” Nancy said with a smile. “I’ll work on the case alone for a while.”

  Nancy knew it wouldn’t be easy. Especially when the contest was tomorrow and she didn’t have a clue.

  “I don’t know what to do, Daddy,” Nancy said that evening. “Kendra wanted us to find the ice-cream thief in time for the contest tomorrow. And we blew it!”

  Mr. Drew was busy chopping carrots for the dinner salad. “No, you didn’t,” he said. “Clues can show up anytime—even at the last minute.”

  Nancy smiled as her dad popped a carrot slice into her mouth. She swallowed and said, “I sure hope so, Daddy. Because this is the last minute!”

  “Hi, George,” Nancy said. “Are you ready for the contest?”

  It was Saturday morning. Nancy and Bess were standing on the Faynes’ doorstep. In less than an hour the Jim and Barry Ice-Cream Flavor Contest would begin.

  George waved Nancy and Bess inside. “I guess,” she said. “But I’m bummed out about not solving the case.”

  “You’re not the only one.” Nancy sighed.

  What would they tell Kendra when they saw her? And what would happen to the Clue Crew now? Would they be the big joke of River Heights Elementary School?

  The girls walked into the kitchen. Mrs. Fayne was talking loudly on the phone.

  “We didn’t order orange carnations!” she said. “We ordered red roses! Red roses!”

  “Mayor Strong’s birthday party is today,” George whispered. “My mom is so nervous she almost brushed her teeth with sunscreen this morning.”

  Nancy saw a big cardboard box on the kitchen table. “What are those?” she asked.

  “Just the menus for the party,” George said.

  “Anything yummy on it?” Bess asked.

  “If it’s not a pizza party—who cares?” George said.

  Bess picked up a menu and began to read out loud: “They’re having something called Caesar Salad. The main course is salmon and asparagus. And for dessert there’s . . . Chock Full of Chocolate Ice Cream.”

  Nancy blinked hard.

  Say what?

  “Bess!” she said. “Did you just say what I think you just said?”

  “That’s what it says,” Bess said. “See for yourself!”

  All three girls examined the menu.

  “It is Chock Full of Chocolate Ice Cream!” Nancy said.

  “The Chock Full of Chocolate Ice Cream?” George asked.

  “It’s got to be Kendra’s recipe!” Nancy said. “But how did it land up on the menu for the mayor’s party?”

  “Mom!” George called. “How did you get Chock Full of Chocolate Ice Cream for the party?”

  Mrs. Fayne was just hanging up the phone. “I didn’t, George,” she said. “Three gallons of it were delivered to Mayor Strong yesterday as a birthday present.”

  “By whom?” Nancy asked.

  “I don’t know,” Mrs. Fayne said. “But I had to change the menu at the last minute.”

  The phone rang and Mrs. Fayne picked it up. “Hello?” she said. “No! I ordered bagels—not beagles!”

  Nancy couldn’t believe it. Her dad was right. Clues sometimes did pop up at the last minute!

  “We have to go to the mayor’s house,” Nancy told Bess and George. “And find out who sent that ice cream.”

  Bess looked at her blue wristwatch. “But the ice-cream contest is in less than half an hour,” she said. “We have to bring our Clue-berry ice cream to the factory!”

  “We’ll take it with us,” Nancy said. “Come on!”

  Bess grabbed the pint of Clue-berry from the Faynes’ freezer. They rushed out of the house and ran the short distance to the mayor’s house. On the way a voice yelled out, “Clue Crew! Wait up!”

  Nancy glanced over her shoulder. It was Kendra, running right behind them!

  “The ice-cream contest is today!” Kendra shouted. “Did you solve the case? Well, did you?”

  “We’ll find out soon, Kendra!” Nancy shouted back.

  The girls were out of breath when they reached the mayor’s big yellow house. Nancy used the shiny brass knocker to rap on the door. The mayor himself answered the door. He smiled when he saw the girls.

  “Happy birthday!” Nancy blurted. “Can you please tell us who gave you Chock Full of Chocolate ice cream?”

  The mayor smiled. “Chock Full of Chocolate,” he said. “You know, when I was a kid, chocolate was my favorite—”

  “Please, Mayor Strong!” George cut in.

  Mayor Strong’s eyes widened. “All righty then,” he said. “The ice cream was given to me by Chuck Murphy.”

  “Who’s he?” Nancy asked.

  “You kids know him as Mr. Drippy,” Mayor Strong said. “Now I’d better get ready for my birthday party.”

  The girls stared at the door as it closed.

  “Excuse me,” Kendra said. “But how did that mean Mr. Drippy get my ice-cream recipe?”

  As Nancy thought, she remembered Henderson.

  “Henderson was at the factory on sign-up day,” Nancy said. “Maybe he stole the recipe to give to his dad.”

  “Why would he steal my recipe?” Kendra asked.

  A boy suddenly whizzed by on a skateboard. Nancy couldn’t believe their luck. It was Henderson!

  “Why don’t we ask him?” Nancy said.

  The four girls raced after Henderson.

  “Henderson Drippy—I mean Murphy!” Nancy called. “We have to ask you something!”

  Henderson looked back. He kicked and kicked to make his board go faster.

  Nancy, Bess, George, and Kendra picked up speed. But they weren’t quick enough for a speeding skateboard!

  They were about to give up when another friend rattled down the block on roller skates. It was Deirdre Shannon!

  Deirdre sped after Henderson. She caught up to him and yelled, “Stoooooopppp!”

  Henderson’s board flipped out from under his feet. As he tried to catch it, Nancy, Bess, George, and Kendra raced over.

  “I
know what you want,” Henderson said. “So I did write the message with the Popsicle sticks. Get over it!”

  “We know you wrote the message,” Nancy said. “But how did your dad get Chock Full of Chocolate ice cream?”

  “What’s the big deal?” Henderson asked. “I didn’t want everyone buying Jim and Barry’s ice cream instead of my dad’s. So when I found this cool recipe for Chock Full of Chocolate, I gave it to him!”

  “Did you say . . . found?” Kendra asked.

  “Yeah,” Henderson said. “It was on the ground.”

  Nancy turned slowly to Kendra. “Kendra,” she said. “Your backpack doesn’t have a hole in it . . . does it?”

  Kendra took off her backpack. She touched the bottom of the front pocket and gulped. “Whoops,” she said.

  Nancy felt the slit under the pocket. It was wide enough for a small piece of paper to fall out.

  “Sorry, you guys,” Kendra said. She turned to Deirdre. “You’re not going to write about this, will you?”

  “Not if you don’t want me to,” Deirdre said.

  “Chock Full of Chocolate is still your flavor, Kendra,” Nancy said gently. “You can still enter the contest.”

  “The contest is in a few minutes,” Kendra wailed. “I can’t whip up a new batch of ice cream by then!”

  “Oh, yeah?” Henderson said. “Watch this!”

  Henderson put two fingers in his mouth and let out three sharp whistles. In a few seconds the Mr. Drippy truck rolled around the corner!

  “Dad!” Henderson said as the truck stopped. “This is Kendra. She invented the Chock Full of Chocolate recipe.”

  The girls expected Mr. Drippy to glare at Kendra and insist that Chock Full of Chocolate was his recipe now. Instead Mr. Drippy smiled and said, “Good job, young lady!”

  “Thanks,” Kendra said. “But I don’t have any to enter in the contest.”

  Mr. Drippy picked up a big cardboard box. On it was written “Chock Full of Chocolate.” “Then you’re going to need this!” he declared.

  “My ice-cream flavor made into ice-cream pops!” Kendra exclaimed. “Cool!”

  The girls raced around the corner to the Jim and Barry’s Ice Cream Factory. Mr. Drippy’s truck followed, his jingle blaring. At the factory, Nancy, Bess, George, and Kendra ran up onto the stage with their ice creams. Kendra smiled as she held a Chock Full of Chocolate ice-cream pop. Nancy was proud to hold their container of Clue-berry.