The Mystery of Case D. Luc (4 page)

“That ball means everything to me,” Dunkum said.

“Everything? Even more than your friends in the cul-de-sac?” A wide grin swept across Mr. Tressler's face. “Seems to me, a ball is a poor exchange for friendship.”

“I want to be a great player someday,” Dunkum said. “Just like David Robinson. So, I have to keep practicing.”

“What's wrong with your old ball?”

“It's not the same,” said Dunkum. “David Robinson signed my new one!”

“I see,” Mr. Tressler said, raising his eyebrows. “How can that make
you
play better?”

“It's fun to pretend. That's all,” Dunkum said.

“Your friends are real, nothing pretend about them . . .” The old man's voice trailed off.

Dunkum blurted out, “My new basketball is more fun!”

Mr. Tressler lowered himself into a patio chair. He faced Dunkum squarely. “Well, now, how could a ball be more fun than Eric and Shawn and Abby and. . . ?”

Dunkum stood up. “I have important work to do,” he said in a huff. “Excuse
me.” And he ran out of the yard.

When he stopped to lock the gate, Dunkum saw something strange. Mr. Tressler was grinning!

EIGHT

Dunkum ran next door. “Is Eric home?” Dunkum asked Mrs. Hagel.

“He's riding bikes with Jason and Shawn,” she said.

Dunkum sat down on Eric's step, thinking about Mr. Tressler.
Why was he grinning like that?

Feeling quite lonely, Dunkum trudged across the street. Maybe Abby was home. He felt a lump in his throat as he knocked on her front door. He wished he hadn't yelled at her yesterday.

The door opened. It was Abby's little sister, Carly. “Hi, Dunkum.” She had a stack of construction paper in her hands.

“Is Abby home?” Dunkum asked.

“She's at Stacy's house,” Carly said.

Just then, Dee Dee came down the hall to sneak up on Carly. “Gotcha!” she shouted.

Carly jumped and the stack of colored papers fell to the floor.

Dunkum helped pick them up. When he started to hand a yellow page to her, he stopped. He looked at it. “Hey, wait a minute,” Dunkum whispered to himself. “This paper looks the same as the one in my pocket!”

“Talking to yourself?” Dee Dee teased.

Dunkum held up the yellow construction paper. “Where did you get this?”

“The art supply store. Why?” Dee Dee asked.

Dunkum shook his head. “Just wondered.”

“Carly and I are doing a project for school,” Dee Dee said. “And we're going to get an A+! Right, Carly?”

Dunkum scratched his head and turned to go.

Carly closed the door. Dunkum pulled the yellow coded message out of his pocket. He stared at it.
Did Case D. Luc buy his paper at the same store as Dee Dee?
thought Dunkum.

Just then, Jimmy Hunter, Abby's little brother, came up the walk.

“Hi, Jimmy,” Dunkum said. “Can you help me?” He felt silly asking a first grader for help. But he had no other choice. Everyone else was busy.

Jimmy pointed to himself. “Me?”

“Yes, you.” Dunkum held up the yellow paper. He showed Jimmy the shapes on the latest code. “Have you ever seen anything like this?”

Jimmy nodded his dark head.

“You have? Where?” Dunkum shouted.
“Maybe you can help me crack this code.”

“I not know about codes, but I see shapes in book,” Jimmy said. “Wait!” He ran into the house. Soon he came back with a book. “Here.” He shoved the book into Dunkum's hands.

Dunkum opened the library book. There were lots of codes inside. “Hey, thanks!” Dunkum patted Jimmy on the back.

Jimmy grinned. “Open to first page.”

Page one was a pictogram. Just like the code he'd found in Mr. Tressler's backyard!

NINE

Dunkum looked at the pictogram, then at Jimmy. “Where did you get this?”

“From sister's room.”

“Which sister?” Dunkum said.

“Big sister. Abby sister.”

“What's she doing with a code book?” Dunkum said, half to himself, and half to Jimmy.

Jimmy grinned. “Abby have pen pal. She write secret codes to Abby.”

“Codes in a letter?” Dunkum said.

Jimmy nodded again. “Abby need book
to help her read secret messages.”

Dunkum stuffed the yellow code into his shirt pocket. He wondered if Case D. Luc knew about this book.

Dunkum thanked Jimmy and hurried home. He didn't want to forget the pictograms in Abby's code book. Running into the house, he pulled the yellow paper out of his pocket. Dunkum began to fill in the blanks. (Can you finish before he does?)

When he finished, the message was clear. Dunkum had to climb the old oak tree at the end of the cul-de-sac. Tomorrow the next clue would be waiting—on the third branch!

But waiting was hard for Dunkum. Twenty-four hours! How could he last another day without his basketball?

He watched for Eric, Jason, and Shawn from his front window. They would be back from riding bikes soon. Maybe he would ask them to come over and play. It had been a long time since he'd seen them.

After ten minutes, Dunkum gave up. He took some paper from the kitchen. Then he sat at the table and made a list of clues. He wrote a heading on his list.

THE MYSTERY OF CASE D. LUC

1. Basketball—signed by David Robinson
   
2. Basketball—stolen by Case D. Luc (???)
   
3. Blue Morse Code—found on backboard
   
4. Chalk mark on Mr. Tressler's gate
   
5. Yellow pictogram clue—found in flowerpot
   
6. Construction paper from art store—same as code paper
   
7. Library book—pictogram on first page
   
8. Next clue—tomorrow (in the old oak tree)
   

Dunkum twirled his pencil. He was determined to find this Case D. Luc person. He would never give up!

TEN

It was Tuesday—almost dusk.

Dunkum stared up at the old oak tree. He switched on his flashlight and pointed it up. He was dying to see his basketball sitting in the branches. But no basketball was in sight.

Up, up he climbed. Squatting down on the third branch, he looked around. No clues anywhere! He counted the branches again. 1 . . . 2 . . . 3! Nothing there.

Just then, Stacy Henry came by walking her dog, Sunday Funnies. She stopped
under the lamppost. “What are you doing?” she called.

“Nothin' much,” he answered.

Stacy walked toward him.

He wished she'd go away. He had to hunt for his next clue. In private!

“Want some company?” she asked. Before he could say no, Stacy tied her dog to the tree. And she scrambled up to the third big branch.

Part of Dunkum wanted to tell her to leave. The other part wanted someone to talk to.

Soon Mr. Tressler's porch light came on. His house was closest to the oak tree.

“I wonder if Mr. Tressler's expecting someone,” Stacy said.

“Maybe,” Dunkum said, glancing over at the old man's house. “He gets lonely, I think.”

“Yeah,” Stacy said. “I'm glad he has the Cul-de-sac Kids to keep him company.”

“I wish
I
still did,” Dunkum whispered.

Stacy smiled at him. Mr. Tressler's porch light helped Dunkum see her face. “You still have us,” Stacy replied.

“It doesn't seem like it,” Dunkum said sadly.

“Maybe you should come to the April Fool's Day party on Friday,” she suggested. “It's going to be lots of fun.”

Dunkum sighed. “Maybe I will.”

Sunday Funnies began to whine.

Dunkum looked down at him from high in the tree. “Hey, look! Your dog's trying to get loose,” he said.

Stacy laughed. “He likes to be where the action is. And right now, that's up here.”

“Why don't you go down and bring him up?” Dunkum said. “Then he won't be lonely.”

“I better not. It's getting dark,” she said. “My mom might worry.”

Dunkum was sorry to see Stacy leave. He watched her swing from one branch to another. Soon she was at the bottom, looking up.

“See you at school tomorrow.” She waved goodbye.