Judy Moody, Girl Detective by Megan McDonald Read Free Book Online Page B

Judy barked. “Give those back.”
    “Rule Number One: Never solve a crime on an empty stomach.”
    The Master Catch-a-Thief Cookie Trap was set. Now all they had to do was wait.
    “Breaker, breaker, this is Adam-12,” said Stink. “Do you copy me? We got a possible Beetle Bailey.”
    “Huh?”
    “It’s a green VW Bug,” said Stink.
    “A Bug is not a van, Stink.”
    They watched and waited, waited and watched some more.
    “Breaker, breaker,” said Stink. “Come in, breaker. You read me?”
    “Roger that,” said Judy.
    “Rocky’s mom is taking out the garbage. Over.”

    “Oops, I was supposed to do that,” said Rocky.
    “We’ve got an
S
-as-in-
Saturn,
Q
-as-in-
quark,
U
-as-in-
underwear, I
-as-in-
I-Don’t-Know, R
-as-in-
rock, E
-as-in-
Easter-Bunny, L
-as-in-
loser.
”
    “A what?” Frank asked Judy.
    “S-Q-U-I-R-E-L. I think he might mean
squirrel.
Learn to spell, Stink.”
    They waited some more.
    “Beetle Bailey still parked. Cat burglar on a fence. Over,” said Stink.
    “Repeat. Did you say burglar?”
    “It’s just a cat.”
    “No green van?”
    “Negatory on the van. Just a crow picking at some leftover road pizza.”
    “So we just sit here?” asked Frank.
    “My butt’s asleep,” said Rocky.
    “Stakeouts are boring,” Stink said over the walkie-talkie.
    “NOT,” said Judy. “This is as exciting as one time in
The Mystery of the Moss-Covered Mansion
when Nancy Drew chased a wild leopard and trapped him in the garage with a calm-down pill hidden inside a piece of meat.”
    “Chips ahoy! Chips ahoy!” crackled Stink. “Movement in bushes across the street. I think I see something furry.”
    Judy sat up, on alert. Frank and Rocky peered out the tent flap.
    “Negatory. Scratch that. Just the cat burglar again.”
    Still more waiting.
    “Chips ahoy!” Stink called again. “Got your ears on? I think I see a tail.”
    “A doggy tail?”
    “False alarm. Just the
S
-as-in-
Saturn. Q
-as-in —”

    “Stink, you have the right to remain silent,” said Judy.
    “Chips ahoy!” hissed Stink. “CHIPS A-HOY!”
    “He’s like the boy who cried chips ahoy,” said Frank.
    “No way are we falling for that again.” Just then, Judy heard a new sound. A sniffing, snuffling sound. A panting, pawing sound.
    Is it? Was it? Could it be?
    All three faces peered out the front tent flap.
    Holy jeepers! MR. CHIPS!
    Judy held out a cookie. “Good boy! C’mere, Mr. Chips.” In one leap, Mr. Chips jumped right into the tent and on top of Judy, knocking her over. Cookies went flying. Mr. Chips’s tail was wagging five miles a minute. Judy hugged that wiggling ball of fur and kissed that puppy on his wet nose.
    “Mr. Chips!” said Rocky and Frank. “Who’s a good boy? You are. Oh, yes, you are!” Mr. Chips rolled over, paws in the air. They tickled his tummy.
    “Chips ahoy! Chips ahoy!” Stink was still yelling. “Come in, breaker. Do you read?” Finally, he came rushing into the tent, where the little brown furball was licking Judy, Rocky, and Frank from head to toe.

    “Told you!” Stink cried.
    “Where’d you go, boy?” Rocky asked in between doggy kisses. “I wish you could tell us where you’ve been.”
    “You’re safe from the bad guys now, Mr. Chips,” said Frank. “You didn’t see the green van, did you, Stink?”
    “Nope. Not even a piece of rope or a bite of baloney sandwich.”
    “How’d you break away from those bad guys?” Judy asked. “Who’s a smart doggy? You are.”
    “Breaker 1-9. We got a bear coming. With a gumball machine.”
    “Stakeout’s over, Stink. You can talk normal now,” said Judy. Just then, she saw the black-and-white that had pulled into the driveway, lights flashing.
    “Officer Kopp!” cried Judy as he crossed the yard. “Look who we found!”
    “Where did you get off to, boy?” Officer Kopp asked, snapping a leash on the puppy. Mr. Chips leaped into Officer Kopp’s arms, wagging his tail and licking him like he