Backyard Bandit Mystery (3 page)

“I'm tired of it,” Stacy said.

Dee Dee played with the angel. She made it fly around. “What'll Abby say?” she asked.

Stacy laughed. “Abby won't care about a silly little beanie angel.”

“Are ya sure?” Dee Dee asked.

“Of course,” Stacy replied. “Besides, it's really old.”

Dee Dee put the angel back in the pile. “OK, then.”

“Let's see
your
things,” said Stacy.

Dee Dee's face lit up. She pulled out an old cat collar.

“This was Mister Whiskers' baby collar,” she said. “Think it'll sell?”

“Sure will,” Stacy replied.

There was more. Several old guitar albums.

Three stuffed animals—a parrot, fish, and a bee.

And a pink piggy bank.

“You've got some good stuff,” Stacy told Dee Dee.

Dee Dee smiled. “Wait'll ya see Dunkum's loot.”

“Really?” Stacy said.

“Come with me,” said Dee Dee.

And the two of them hurried down the cul-de-sac.

Dunkum had a bunch, all right.

There were two baseball gloves.

Toy cars and trucks—a toy box full.

A stack of comic books.

And an old radio with star antennas.

“Nice things,” Stacy said.

“Not to me,” Dunkum said. “I've got new toys.”

Dee Dee picked up the old radio. “Does this work?”

Dunkum plugged it in. Music blared out.

Dee Dee clicked her fingers. “Hey, cool,” she said.

Then Stacy, Dee Dee, and Dunkum headed to Eric's house.

“I wonder if Eric's grandpa gave him anything for the sale,” Stacy said.

“How come?” Dunkum asked as they walked.

“Well, I was thinking about Grandpa's pajama top,” she said. “It would be nice if someone donated a bottom.”

“A
what?”
Dee Dee giggled.

Dunkum laughed, too.

Stacy tried to explain. But they were laughing too much.

At last, they stopped.

Stacy told about her grandpa and his pajamas. “He gets too warm in the summertime,” she said.

“He oughta sleep in his
birthday suit
!” Dee Dee said.

Stacy and Dunkum howled. They laughed so hard, they could barely walk.

They passed Jason Birchall's house. Next door was Eric's house.

Jason and his frog were there, too. “What's so funny?” he asked. “I heard you laughing all the way up the cul-de-sac.”

Dee Dee told about the pajama problem. “We need a complete set of pj's. For the yard sale.”

Jason looked confused. “What's so funny about that?”

Dunkum tried not to laugh. “Maybe we'll borrow
your
pj's, Jason.”

Jason rolled his eyes and backed away. “Whoa, don't look at me!” he said. “I like to cook breakfast in my pajamas.”

“Why don't you use a frying pan? Isn't that kinda messy?” Eric said.

Now they were all laughing.

Even Jason.

Stacy glanced up the street. “Hey, look,” she said.

The kids turned to see where she was pointing.

“Mr. Tressler's got pajamas,” she said. “I can see them from here.”

The striped pj's were hanging on the clothesline.

“I wonder if Mr. Tressler wants to donate something,” Dunkum said.

“Let's go find out,” Jason said.

Stacy and Dunkum looked at each other.

“Why don't
you
ask him?” they said to Jason.

Jason shook his head. “This wasn't my idea.”

“OK, I'll go,” Dee Dee said.

She started down the sidewalk. Then she turned back.

“What am I supposed to say?” she asked.

Stacy sighed. “C'mon. I'll go with you.”

And she did.

FIVE

It was right after lunch. Time for the yard sale.

The sun was hot.

Stacy made lemonade for everyone.

Dunkum brought a folding table.

Eric borrowed his mother's old tablecloth.

Jason brought a long electric cord. It was to plug in Dunkum's radio.

“Music always livens things up,” Jason said.

Everyone agreed.

Dee Dee sat in the grass and made a
sale sign. She drew the letters carefully.

Dunkum watched. “The
e
's are inside out,” he told her.

Stacy went over to look. “Who cares?” she said. “We're just kids, right?”

Dee Dee smiled up at Stacy. “You're nice,” Dee Dee said.

Stacy picked up the sign. “You did an excellent job.”

Dee Dee got up and stuck the sign on the tablecloth.

“We need some nickels, dimes, and pennies,” Dunkum said.

“What for?” Jason asked.

“To make money, we have to start with some,” Dunkum explained. “We might need to make change.”

“What about the two dollars and fiftythree cents in our club fund?” asked Stacy.

“Good thinking,” Dunkum said. He dashed out the backyard gate.

Together, Dee Dee and Stacy arranged the sale table.

They displayed Mr. Tressler's striped pj top. Stacy put it beside her grandpa's green pajama top.

“Now we've got two tops and no bottoms,” Dee Dee said.

Stacy and Dee Dee giggled about it. They had fun sorting everything.

Stacy stepped back for a look. “This is really a good idea,” she said.

Dee Dee grinned. “If you must say so yourself!”

“Well, it's
my
idea,” said Stacy.

“That's just what I mean,” Dee Dee said.

Jason came over and turned up the radio. He danced around. Then he said, “Let someone else toot your horn, Stacy.”

“Oh, I get it,” Stacy muttered. She felt silly about bragging.

Real silly.

The Cul-de-sac Kids posted signs all
over Blossom Hill Lane.

They told their parents. And their friends.

Now they were ready for customers. Lots of them.

Stacy could almost see the flags flying. Seven beautiful flags for Flag Day.

The Cul-de-sac Kids waited.

And waited.

The sun got hotter.

And hotter.

They poured glasses of lemonade. One after another.

“We oughta charge ourselves for the drinks,” Dee Dee said.

Dunkum nodded. “Why didn't I think of that?”

Stacy agreed. “It would be
one
way to make money.”

“Yeah, because nobody's showin' up,” Dee Dee said.

Eric wiped his forehead. “It's too hot, that's why.”

“We need some shade,” Dunkum said.

Stacy remembered something in the attic. “I might have just what we need.” She darted into the house.

Upstairs, she crawled on her knees. She looked under the little attic bed.

There it was.

She stretched her arm as far as she could.

The old striped canvas wasn't very big, but it might work.

Now she needed some tools.

She called for Grandpa. “I need a little help.”

Grandpa came to the attic in his undershirt and some red shorts. He was very round in certain places.

Stacy tried not to stare.

It was too hot for Grandpa to care.

“Here we are.” He found just what they needed: a hammer and nails.

Grandpa headed for the kitchen door.

Stacy stopped. “Uh, are you going outside?” she asked.

Grandpa curled the canopy under one arm. “Show me where you want this thing,” he said.

Stacy took a deep breath. Grandpa was going out dressed like
that
!

She held the door open for him. And she carried the hammer and nails outside.

Grandpa called, “Hey, kids!”

Everyone turned to look.

“Gonna have yourselves some shade,” he told them.

The Cul-de-sac Kids cheered.

“Hoo-ray for Stacy's grandpa,” Jason said.

Stacy put on a smile. She tried not to think about Grandpa's undershirt. And not his red jogging shorts.

Dee Dee whispered, “Isn't that his underwear?”

Stacy heard it and glanced at her plump grandpa. “Those are jogging
shorts,” she told Dee Dee. “Red summer shorts.”

“Oh,” said Dee Dee. “Looks like—”

“Nevermind,” Stacy said. “Let's help.”

The girls found a ladder in the garage.

Dunkum and Eric carried it to the sale table.

Grandpa stepped on the bottom rung. He shook it around. The shaking made his stomach jiggle. Some of the other chunky places did, too.

Eric steadied the ladder.

Grandpa laughed. “How old's this thing, anyway?”

“Be careful,” Stacy warned him. Then she handed the hammer up.

The boys helped Grandpa with the canvas. They stretched it over some boards and hammered away.

Jason and Dee Dee handed up the nails. One by one.

Stacy held her breath till the job was done.

“Awesome idea!” Jason said, looking at it.

“It's like an awning,” Stacy said. “Thanks, Grandpa.”

“Any old time,” he said.

Then he went inside the house.

The kids hollered their “thank-you's.”

Now they could have their super sale.

Shady and fine.

Grandpa's real cool
, thought Stacy.