Sly the Sleuth and the Sports Mysteries by Donna Jo Napoli Read Free Book Online

shoulder. Then she looked at me again. “No. Brian’s playing in the backyard alone, and he doesn’t know I’m over here. So I mustn’t stay. I just wanted to talk to you for a minute.”
    â€œSure.” I waited.
    â€œYou haven’t spent much time with Brian lately.”
    â€œI’ve been busy.”
    â€œIs that it?” Mrs. Olsen lowered her eyebrows a little. She looked sort of like a chimp. “Or did Brian do something to upset you?”
    â€œOh, no. Brian didn’t do anything. I have cheerleading,” I said. “We practice after school at different houses. So I’m only home on Tuesday and Friday now.”
    â€œAh. So Brian hasn’t done anything strange around you?”
    â€œHas he done something strange around you?” I asked.
    â€œThis morning he had a friend over. Little Mitchell, from his nursery school. And Brian snuck into the kitchen and got my marble rolling pin, the one we made these cookies with—they’re for you, by the way.” She handed me the plate.
    I smiled bravely. “Thank you.”
    â€œThey’ve got prunes in them.”
    Prunes in cookies. “Thank you.”
    â€œAnyway, Brian made Mitchell roll him.”
    â€œRoll him?”
    â€œYes. As though he was dough. He made Mitchell roll his legs and arms and chest.”
    â€œThat is a little strange,” I said.
    â€œAnd it hurt. Brian kept saying, ‘Ouch,’ and Mitchell wanted to stop, and Brian wouldn’t let him, and then Mitchell came and got me.”
    â€œOh,” I said. “I guess that’s stranger than I thought.”
    â€œAnd he won’t tell me why. So I was wondering if you’d talk to him.” Mrs. Olsen smiled. “You seem to understand him better than anyone.”
    â€œSure.”
What Works
    Mrs. Olsen went into her house.
    I went into her backyard. Brian was perched in the lowest crook of their apple tree.
    He smiled at me as I came over.“Watch.” He put his hands on a branch and hung for about a tenth of a second. He dropped to the ground onto his bottom. “Ouch.”

    â€œBrian, what’s that you’ve got around your ankles?”
    â€œI hung,” said Brian.
    â€œI saw.” I waited for him to answer my question.
    â€œYou climbed your tree yesterday,” said Brian.
    I didn’t know anyone had seen me. “I was just experimenting,” I said. I knelt beside him. “You’ve got a duct tape roll around your ankle.”
    â€œI had to push to get it on,” said Brian. “I had to squash my foot. Squish squash.”
    â€œIs that our duct tape roll?”
    â€œI’m going to give it back,” said Brian. He pulled on it. “Help me.”
    I eased Brian’s foot out. The duct tape roll was pretty heavy. “This is a bad thing to do, Brian. Look, it made a red mark across the top of your foot.”
    Brian rubbed his foot.
    â€œThat must hurt,” I said.
    Brian stopped rubbing his foot. He just looked at me.
    â€œAnd you’ve got a magnet held on with a rubber band on your other ankle.”
    Brian smiled. “Magnets work.” He reached over and picked up another magnet from the ground under the tree.
    â€œWork at what? What do magnets do?”
    â€œDon’t you know? I thought you were smart, Sly.”
    I sat on the ground beside him. “Why did you make Mitchell roll you with the rolling pin?”
    â€œIt didn’t work,” said Brian.
    â€œWere you trying to make it work? Did you want to become a cookie?”
    Brian laughed. “You’re funny, Sly. Maybe you’re dumb. But I love you anyway.”
    â€œListen, Brian, your mother is worried about you. So stop doing strange things.”
    â€œMy mother is worried?” Brian looked somber. “Make me a list.”
    â€œWhat kind of a list?”
    â€œA list of strange things.”
    He had a