Riley Mack and the Other Known Troublemakers by Chris Grabenstein Read Free Book Online Page B

the curb, unlocked his bike from a streetlamp, and was about to ride home so he could stick his head inside a brown paper bag and hide his lameosity, when his cell phone started buzzing.
    It was Jake.
    â€œRiley, we have an emergency.”
    â€œWhat’s up?”
    â€œNoodle is gone.”
    â€œThe goldendoodle?”
    â€œYeah. Somebody stole her. Mongo’s little sister says it was a Martian.”

12
    MONGO HUGGED HIS MOM AND patted her on the back.
    She was about a foot shorter than him.
    â€œC’mon, Mom. Don’t cry.”
    Mongo’s mom kept crying, burrowing her face in her enormous son’s equally enormous armpit, which muffled her sobs and must’ve smelled pretty bad, too.
    Riley was hanging out with Mongo’s sister, six-year-old Emma, who was rocking in a wicker chair up on the porch while her mother and big brother hugged it out on the steps. Briana and Jake were down on the lawn, looking up at Riley. Riley gave them the “hang on a second” hand signal.
    â€œSo, Emma,” he said, “what’s this about a Martian?”
    â€œA space alien hopped over the fence and grabbed Noodle and put her in his rocket ship and blasted off.”
    â€œIs that so?”
    â€œUh-huh. It sounded like this!” Emma puckered up her lips and blew. Riley got a faceful of spittle. Emma’s sound effects were the same as the motorboat noises one might accidentally make in the bathtub after eating too many baked beans.
    â€œThis space creature,” Riley asked next. “What’d it look like?”
    â€œHe had Ping-Pong ball eyes the size of hard-boiled eggs!” said Emma.
    â€œUh-huh.”
    â€œHis skin was green.”
    â€œHuh.”
    â€œHis head was this tall!”
    She held her hand higher than Abe Lincoln’s top hat.
    â€œAnd, and, and—he had two stumps where someone cut off his antlers.”
    â€œOh-kay. Big eyes. Big head. Antlers.”
    â€œBut the antlers were chopped off!”
    â€œRight. Thanks, Emma.”
    Riley turned to his friends on the lawn. Rolled his eyes. Mongo’s little sister seemed just a wee bit wacked.
    â€œCome inside, Emma!” said Mongo’s mom. “I need to call the police. You need to tell them what happened.”
    â€œYou mean the Martian?”
    â€œNo—how you forgot to close the gate in the backyard and Noodle ran away.”
    â€œBut that’s not what happened! The spaceman took Noodle to his spaceship.”
    She started in with the lip-fart noises again.
    Mrs. Montgomery scooted Emma into the house. Mongo and Riley came down the steps to join Briana and Jake in the yard.
    â€œWe need to check out the backyard,” said Riley. “See what’s what.”
    Mongo led the way around the house.
    â€œWhat’d your mom say?” Riley asked him.
    â€œEmma was in the back having a tea party with the puppy and a couple of my teddy bears. She left the gate open. Noodle made a break for it.”
    â€œWhen’d this happen?”
    â€œRight before we got here,” said Jake. “Maybe fifteen minutes ago.”
    They reached the backyard. Saw the plastic teakettle and cups. The open gate in the fence.
    â€œOkay,” said Riley. “We need to make a poster. Flyers. I want Noodle’s face on every telephone pole and parking meter in town.”
    â€œWe should offer a reward,” said Jake.
    Briana gasped. “Wait, you guys! What if some sicko stole the puppy precisely because they knew there’d be a reward!”
    â€œThe thought had crossed my mind,” said Riley. “Emma’s alien could’ve been a dognapper in a Halloween Martian mask.”
    â€œI’ll kill him!” said Mongo, his whole body seizing up with rage, the way it used to back in fifth grade when kids made fun of his backpack bears.
    â€œI imagine you will,” said Riley. “But, first, let’s get your dog