The Stinky Cheese Surprise

  “He’s got to be guilty!” George cried. “Why else would he steal our clue?”

  Orson picked up speed. But not for long. “Whoa!” he cried as he tumbled down to the sidewalk.

  Nancy slowed down. Orson’s big curly shoe had gotten stuck in a grate.

  “Phooey!” Orson cried. He tried to grab the silver bell as it rolled away.

  George picked up the bell and said, “The joke’s on you, jester!”

  Orson muttered as he freed his foot, “Dumb shoes! Why can’t I wear sneakers?”

  The girls quickly compared the bell to the one on Orson’s cap.

  “A perfect match!” Nancy declared.

  “Don’t tell Patty I was at Hamburger Herbie’s!” Orson begged. “Okay?”

  “But she sent you there to switch the zippy bags, didn’t she?” Nancy asked.

  “Switch the bags?” Orson cried. “What are you talking about?”

  Nancy told Orson all about the zippy bags and the bell clue. The bells on Orson’s cap jangled as he shook his head.

  “I didn’t steal anything!” Orson insisted. “I just went to Herbie’s for a burger, fries, and a shake.”

  “We thought you only ate at Regal Burger,” Bess said.

  Orson scrunched up his nose. “Regal Burger’s food is ick!” he cried. “Herbie’s burgers rule big time!”

  Nancy couldn’t believe her ears. Regal Burger’s Jester of the Week preferred Hamburger Herbie’s!

  “Didn’t you say you’d lose your job if you ate at Herbie’s?” Nancy asked.

  “I hid behind the ketchup and mustard counter so Patty wouldn’t see me,” Orson said. “I was so quiet that Herbie didn’t even know I was there!”

  Nancy wasn’t sure if Orson was telling the truth. But she knew a way to find out.

  “What flavor shake were you drinking?” Nancy asked. “And what did you put on your burger? Ketchup or mustard?”

  Orson shrugged as he tried to remember. “The shake was strawberry. And I always put mayonnaise on my burger.”

  “Mayonnaise?” George gagged.

  “You won’t tell Queen Patty I was at Herbie’s?” Orson asked Nancy. “Will you?”

  Nancy shook her head. “We don’t blame you for liking Herbie’s burgers better.”

  Orson sighed with relief. “Thanks,” he said. “I owe you one!”

  “Then tell us where Patty got Windup Wallys for her goody bags,” Bess said.

  “She ordered them from the toy maker,” Orson said. “Hundreds of them!”

  The girls exchanged excited glances. So that’s where they came from!

  “Good luck with your case,” Orson said. He held out his hand for Nancy to shake.

  Nancy raised an eyebrow. It wasn’t like Orson to wish her luck. But when she grabbed his hand . . .

  “Yow!” Nancy cried.

  “It’s a hand buzzer!” Orson laughed. He showed the plastic gizmo strapped to his palm. “I’m still a jester—so the joke is still on you! Ha, ha, ha!”

  “Pest!” George muttered as Orson skipped away.

  “Why did you ask Orson those questions about his shake, Nancy?” Bess asked. “And about his burger?”

  “Because I want to look for more clues,” Nancy answered. “Messy ones!”

  The girls returned to Hamburger Herbie’s. Quickly Nancy searched behind the ketchup and mustard counter. This time she found a bright pink glob on the side of the counter.

  “Aha!” Nancy said. “Orson was drinking a strawberry shake. Which proves one thing.”

  “That he’s a slob?” George asked.

  “That he was telling the truth,” Nancy said. She crossed Orson’s name out of her notebook. Now the only suspect was the French chef—Philippe.

  “Philippe put the bags in this cabinet,” Nancy whispered. “And he would have had plenty of time to switch them.”

  “And as a chef,” Bess added, “he would have plenty of cheese.”

  “Maybe he stashed the real zippy bags somewhere in the kitchen,” George said.

  Nancy turned toward the kitchen. She could see Philippe staring at her from behind the kitchen window.

  “We’d better come back tomorrow,” Nancy said. “I think something’s cooking in the kitchen. And I don’t mean burgers!”

  • • •

  “It had to be Philippe, Daddy!” Nancy said during dinner that night. “Who else could have switched the zippy bags?”

  Carson Drew smiled as he poured dressing on his salad. “Many cases turn out to be mix-ups, Pudding Pie,” he said. “Maybe the cheese got there by accident.”

  Nancy gave it a thought. Her father was a lawyer and usually had good ideas. But this time Nancy wasn’t sure.

  “I think somebody did it on purpose, Daddy,” Nancy said. “I really do.”

  Hannah carried a bowl of macaroni and cheese into the dining room. “Surprise!” she exclaimed. “I used extra-sharp cheddar cheese this time.”

  Nancy gulped at the bright yellow cheese bubbling over the hot macaroni. She usually loved macaroni and cheese. But not this time.

  “Thanks, Hannah,” Nancy sighed. “But I don’t think I can eat any more cheese. Not until this case is over!”

  • • •

  “Way to go, Herbie!” Nancy said at Hamburger Herbie’s the next day. “You have a customer!”

  The girls looked at the man sitting in the corner booth. A napkin was stuffed into his collar as he bit into a burger.

  “Not just any customer,” Herbie whispered. “That’s Cyril Larder. He’s the food critic of Today’s Times.”

  “What’s a food critic?” Bess asked.

  “He writes about restaurants in River Heights,” Herbie explained. “He is doing an article on restaurants that have been in River Heights for years. And he’s going to write about Hamburger Herbie’s!”

  “Cool!” Nancy exclaimed. “He’ll write good things for sure!”

  “I’m keeping my fingers crossed,” Herbie joked. “And my toes, too!”

  Herbie began polishing napkin holders. Nancy could see Philippe through the kitchen window. He was busy shaking a basket of fries over a vat of oil.

  “How do we keep Philippe busy while we search the kitchen?” Nancy whispered.

  “Watch this!” George said. She knocked on the kitchen door and Philippe opened it.

  George whispered something in Philippe’s ear. Philippe flashed a huge smile. He straightened his apron and hurried over to Cyril Larder’s table.

  “What did you say, George?” Nancy wanted to know.

  “I told him Cyril was writing about his cooking,” George said. “And that he probably had a ton of questions for him.”

  “Good work!” Nancy said as they slipped into the kitchen.

  The girls searched under counters and inside cabinets. Just when Nancy thought they had checked everywhere, she saw a tall cupboard standing in the corner.

  “Let’s look inside there,” Nancy suggested. She pulled the handle on the cupboard door. It wouldn’t open.

  She gritted her teeth and yanked it hard. Finally the door swung open.

  “Ohmigosh!” Nancy gasped as she spotted a shelf filled with silver bags.

  “Nancy, look out!” George cried.

  She pulled Nancy back just in time. The girls shrieked as a bucket of eggs fell from the top of the cupboard to the floor with a huge crash!

  7

  Cook or Crook?

  At least we found the zippy bags,” Bess said with a shudder.

  Nancy stared at the silver bags inside the cupboard. Each one had a red ribbon tied around it. Just like the missing zippy bags!

  Next she stared at the broken eggshells and gooey yolks on the kitchen floor. “Look!” she said. “There’s a string attached to the bucket handle. The other end of the string is attached to the cupboard door.”

  “It was a trap!” George said. “Philippe must have set a trap to keep us away from the zippy bags!”

  “What is the m
eaning of zees?” an angry voice demanded.

  Nancy spun around. Standing at the kitchen door was an angry Philippe!

  “So!” Philippe snapped. “I see you found zee zippy bags!”

  “Why did you set a trap?” Nancy asked Philippe. “To protect the zippy bags that you stole?”

  Philippe’s chef’s hat flopped back and forth as he shook his head. “It was to protect my secret recipes!” he said.

  “Secret recipes?” Nancy repeated.

  Philippe stepped over the eggshells to the cupboard. He reached behind the zippy bags and pulled out a metal box.

  “Voilà!” Philippe exclaimed. He ran his hand over the box. “You’d be surprised how many people want my recipe for Duck L’Orange!”

  George shook her head as if she didn’t believe Philippe. “Who cares about orange ducks?” she said. “Did you replace the real zippy bags with the stinky cheese bags?”

  “Why would I do something like zat?” Philippe scoffed.

  “You said you didn’t want to cook for kids,” Nancy pointed out. “You also said there would be some big surprise.”

  The word “surprise” made Philippe’s shoulders drop. “I did plan a surprise,” he sighed. “A big surprise!”

  “Then what was it?” Nancy asked.

  “Look inside zee zippy bags!” Philippe urged. “And see for yourselves!”

  Nancy, Bess, and George each grabbed a zippy bag. They opened them and smiled.

  “There’s Windup Wally!” George exclaimed. “And the stickers!”

  “And a feathered pen!” Bess said.

  “And a chocolate lollipop?” Nancy asked, confused. “I don’t remember putting lollipops in the zippy bags!”

  “I decided zat having kids here would be très bon!” Philippe explained. “So I secretly whipped up my special chocolate lollipops to put in zee bags.”

  Nancy studied her lollipop. It was shaped like the Eiffel Tower in France.

  “When Herbie was busy, I sneaked zee zippy bags into zee kitchen,” Philippe went on. “Then I threw in zee chocolate lollipops.”

  “Then what happened?” Nancy asked.

  “I was about to return zee bags,” Philippe said. “But then I saw a messenger delivering more bags to Herbie.”

  “More?” Bess asked. She pointed into the cupboard. “We only brought these ten!”

  “Unless those were the bags with the stinky cheese!” Nancy said excitedly.

  “I kept zee zippy bags in zee kitchen,” Philippe went on. “I was going to bring them out in the morning when zee birthday party began.”

  “Why didn’t you?” George asked.

  “It was too late,” Philippe sighed. “Zee kids had found zee cheese in the other bags. And they were running out.”

  “Why didn’t you tell Herbie you had the real bags?” Nancy asked.

  “I felt like it was my fault!” Philippe wailed. “I should never have sneaked zee real bags into zee kitchen!”

  “Don’t feel bad, Philippe,” Nancy said. “You did a really good thing!”

  “Yeah!” George said. She unwrapped a lollipop and gave it a lick. “And these chocolate lollipops rock!”

  “Merci!” Philippe said. He gave a shrug. “It beats flipping zee burgers.”

  Nancy placed her bag back in the cupboard. “Let’s keep the zippy bags here in case the kids come back,” she suggested. “And they will come back!”

  The girls left the kitchen.

  “So someone delivered the stinky cheese bags here,” George said. “But who?”

  Nancy walked over to Herbie and asked, “Do you remember who delivered the zippy bags here on Monday?”

  “Hmm,” Herbie said. He stroked his chin thoughtfully. “I think it was a delivery service called Twinkle Toes.”

  “Twinkle Toes,” Nancy repeated. She wrote the name in her notebook. “Thanks!”

  On the way out the girls passed Cyril Larder. He had three empty hamburger wrappers and two empty cups on his tray. He was smiling as he wrote in his pad.

  “Let’s go to my house and call Twinkle Toes,” Nancy said.

  “Why?” Bess asked.

  “Someone hired Twinkle Toes to deliver the stinky cheese bags,” Nancy explained. “Maybe they can tell us who.”

  Once home the girls found Twinkle Toes Delivery Service in the fat yellow phone book. Nancy quickly made the call.

  “Twinkle Toes,” a woman’s voice answered. “We’re fleet on our feet!”

  “Hello,” Nancy said. “Can you please tell me who sent ten zippy—I mean goody—bags to Hamburger Herbie’s on Monday?”

  “Sorry,” the woman answered. “That’s private information.”

  “Please?” Nancy asked.

  George grabbed the receiver from Nancy. “Can you at least tell us if the bags smelled like stinky cheese?” she asked the woman.

  Click!

  “She hung up!” George complained.

  Nancy, Bess, and George plopped down on the sofa.

  “Now what do we do?” Nancy groaned.

  “Oh, girls!” Hannah said as she entered the den. “I’ve got great news!”

  Nancy smiled at Hannah. She could use some good news for a change!

  “I’ve decided I like cheese so much,” Hannah went on, “I joined a special club.”

  “What club?” Nancy asked.

  “The River Heights Cheese Lovers Club,” Hannah replied. “Every month they meet to taste a new cheese.”

  “Really?” Nancy asked. “What cheese are they tasting this month?”

  Hannah wiped her hands on her apron. “I already missed this month’s meeting,” she said. “But I think it was Limburger.”

  Nancy sat up straight. Then she jumped off the sofa.

  “Limburger?” Nancy gasped. “That’s our stinky cheese!”

  8

  Herbie Rules!

  Nancy!” Bess exclaimed. “Do you think the cheese club knows something about the bags?”

  Nancy nodded. “What else but a cheese club would use bags of cheese?” she asked.

  Hannah tilted her head. “Does this have something to do with your mystery, Nancy?” she asked.

  “Everything!” Nancy replied.

  “Then I hope this helps,” Hannah said. She showed Nancy a flyer from the cheese club. “The club is run by a couple named Jack and Jill Monterey. They also own a cheese shop on Juniper Street called Say Cheese.”

  Nancy studied the flyer. “We have to question the Montereys,” she said. “I have a funny feeling they know something.”

  Hannah drove Nancy, Bess, and George to the Say Cheese shop. She waited in the parked car while the girls went inside.

  “Say cheese!” a woman announced. She held up a camera and snapped a picture of the girls.

  Nancy blinked from the flash. “Are you Mrs. Monterey?” she asked.

  The woman smiled. She had short dark hair and wore a clean yellow smock.

  “Call me Jill,” she said cheerily. She nodded at a bulletin board on the wall. It was covered with photos of smiling people. “And now you can be in our gallery of cheese-lovers too!”

  Nancy glanced around the shop. She saw shelves and counters filled with all different kinds of cheeses. There were even sculptures and statues made out of cheese.

  “Look!” Bess exclaimed. “There’s a cat statue made out of cheese!”

  “That’s something you don’t see every day,” George said.

  “All of the sculptures were created by my husband, Jack,” Jill said.

  She pulled aside a white curtain. Behind it sat a man carving a huge hunk of yellow cheese. He had sandy brown hair and was wearing a blue apron.

  “Here he is,” Jill announced. “Jack Monterey—the family artist.”

  “A regular Vincent van Gouda,” Jack joked. He winked. “A little cheese humor.”

  Nancy giggled. Then she asked the couple about their cheese club.

  “The last meeting was bad news,” Jack sighed. “We all
went to a restaurant to celebrate the wonders of Limburger. But the cheeses were never delivered.”

  Nancy’s heart began to pound. Were the cheeses delivered to Herbie’s instead?

  “Can you please tell us the name of the restaurant you went to?” Nancy asked.

  “It was a seafood restaurant,” Jill replied, “called Halibut Herb’s.”

  “Halibut Herb’s!” Nancy repeated. The name sounded like Hamburger Herbie’s!

  “The delivery service insisted they brought it to the right place,” Jack said. He shook his head. “But I don’t think so.”

  “Was the name of the delivery service Twinkle Toes?” George asked.

  “How did you know?” Jill asked.

  Nancy shivered with excitement. The pieces were finally falling into place. But she still had a few questions.

  “What kind of bags were the cheeses packed in?” Nancy asked.

  Jill looked surprised by Nancy’s question. But she answered anyway. “They were in silver bags,” she said. “With pretty pink ribbons.”

  “Silver bags!” George cried.

  “Pink ribbons!” Bess gasped.

  “The stinky cheese bags!” Nancy exclaimed. “Yes!”

  “Excuse me?” Jill asked.

  Nancy told the Montereys all about the mix-up.

  “So that’s where our bags went!” Jack said. He shook his head and smiled. “It sure was a mystery to me!”

  “And to us!” Nancy giggled. She looked at Bess and George from the corner of her eye. They were giggling too!

  “You know,” Jill said, “this Hamburger Herbie’s sounds like a great place to have our next meeting.”

  “Herbie would love that!” Bess said.

  The girls were all smiles as they left the shop and headed toward Hannah’s car.

  “So that’s how the stinky cheese bags landed up at Herbie’s!” George said. “They went to the wrong restaurant.”

  “It was a mix-up!” Nancy declared.

  “Let’s tell Herbie right away,” Bess said. “He’ll be so happy to find out.”

  “No, he won’t,” George sighed. “Even if it was a mistake, what kid would go back to Hamburger Herbie’s now?”