The Mystery of Case D. Luc (5 page)

Alone again, Dunkum leaned back against the tree trunk. He looked up at the stars. He thought about the April Fool's Day party. He thought about his cul-de-sac friends. A sad, sad feeling filled his heart.

Then Dunkum remembered why he was sitting in the tree. He looked again for the clue. In the dim light he saw a pink note, squished between two branches.
Why couldn't I find this before?
Dunkum wondered.

He opened the note and found a list of words. It looked like a grocery list.
Stacy must have dropped this
, Dunkum thought.

But where was the code?

ELEVEN

Dunkum scrambled down, out of the tree. He ran all the way to Stacy's house. Her mother might need the grocery list. He knocked on the door.

Stacy answered. “Hi, again.”

“Did you drop your mom's grocery list?”

“What list? Where?” Stacy asked.

“In the tree.” Dunkum showed her the paper.

“That's not my mom's list. Look, it has other words mixed in with the food
words,” Stacy said. She stared at the paper.

Dunkum looked at the list, too.

“That's strange. Could this be some kind of code?”

“Maybe,” Stacy said. “I saw a code like this once. My uncle made it up. He called it a jumble code.”

“What's that?” Dunkum asked.

“It's easy,” Stacy said. “Each word in the secret message comes right
below
the food words. The rest of the words don't count.”

“Oh, I get it.”

Stacy ran into the house. She came back with a pencil. “Here, let's solve it together.”

Dunkum paused. “Um, not now. But thanks.”

“Why can't we work on it now?” she asked.

Dunkum scratched his head. “Sorry, Stacy. I better go home.”

“Aw, please?” Stacy begged.

“I'll see you at school,” Dunkum said. “Bye.” He felt bad about leaving his friend like that. Stacy wasn't trying to snoop. He knew she just wanted to be a good friend.

Dunkum ran home to crack the code. When he finished it, the message was clear.

“Hey, wait a minute! How does Case D. Luc know I have a bike?”

“What did you say?” his mother said, coming down the steps.

“Nothin',” Dunkum muttered.

“Your friend Eric called,” she said.

“He did?”

“He wants to play tomorrow.”

“All right!” Dunkum shouted. “When?”

“After school.” His mother grinned.

Dunkum spun around and aimed at the fireplace. He leaped up like he was shooting a basketball. He couldn't wait to see Eric again!

After school the next day, Dunkum greeted Eric. The boys rushed into the kitchen for some lemonade.

“Coming to Abby's party?” Eric asked.

“You bet!” Dunkum said.

“Changed your mind?” Eric asked.

Dunkum nodded. He didn't care about finding the next clue. It didn't matter now. Being with friends was much better.

At bedtime, Dunkum remembered the clue. Dashing downstairs, he looked in the garage. A green paper, folded like a
note, was taped to his bike. Dunkum pulled the note off the seat. Strange-looking words were written inside.

EMOC OT ELOPGALF NI TNORF
FO LOOHCS TA EERHT NO YADIRF. I LLIW GNIRB LLABTEKSAB.

Signed,
Case D. Luc

How did this get here?
Dunkum wondered. He studied the code for a long time. Then he ran inside and held the green paper up to a mirror. The words were still mixed up.

Finally, he figured it out. The words weren't mirror image, they were backwards!

The message was: COME TO FLAGPOLE IN FRONT OF SCHOOL AT THREE ON FRIDAY. I WILL BRING BASKETBALL.

Dunkum folded up the note. The April
Fool's Day party was at three o'clock, too. How could he meet Case D. Luc
and
go to the party?

Dunkum stared at the note.
What should I do?
he thought.

TWELVE

It was almost three o'clock on Friday. Time to meet Case D. Luc at the flagpole. And . . . time for the party at the end of the cul-de-sac.

Dunkum sat on his front porch. He thought about Case D. Luc and the codes. He thought about the Cul-de-sac Kids and the party. He missed his friends more than his new basketball.
Rats!
he thought.
Let Case D. Luc keep the silly ball
.

He ran to the end of the cul-de-sac.
Abby smiled. “Hi, Dunkum,” she said. “Didn't you hear? We canceled the party.”

Dunkum stepped back. “You what?”

Abby sat on the curb. “I'm sorry, Dunkum.”

“But I just talked to Eric about it yesterday.” Dunkum's heart was pounding. “And what about Stacy? She told me she was coming!”

“That's funny,” Abby said, looking strange.

“It's
not
funny,” Dunkum insisted.

Then—
Tap! Tap!
A familiar sound greeted Dunkum's ears. The Cul-de-sac Kids were coming out of their houses. They were all bouncing basketballs!

Dunkum turned to Abby. “What are they doing?”

“April Fool's, Dunkum!” she said. “The party is just beginning!”

The kids ran toward the oak tree, bouncing the balls. Dunkum was glad. He'd missed his friends. A lot!

Abby grabbed Dunkum's arm. “Look! There's Case D. Luc!”

Dunkum didn't see anyone new. “Where?”

Abby giggled. “ ‘Case D. Luc' is ‘cul-de-sac' spelled backward.”

Dunkum was puzzled. “Case D. Luc isn't some guy?”

“Nope,” Abby said, grinning. “The Cul-de-sac Kids pulled a trick on you.”

Dunkum couldn't believe it!

“We missed you, Dunkum. You were always playing basketball,” she said. “We had to get your attention somehow.”

“What a good trick,” Dunkum said as he ran to meet the kids.

The Cul-de-sac Kids grabbed him. “April Fool's!” they shouted.

Dee Dee pushed her way through. “Here, Dunkum.” She gave him the David Robinson basketball. “I was your thief.”

Dunkum scratched his head. “
You
stole it?”

Dee Dee nodded.

“But how did you find it?” Dunkum asked.

“Easy,” she said. “Your mom found it in your closet. I got it from her while you were at church.”

“My parents helped you?” Dunkum said.

“We
all
helped,” Eric spoke up. “I wrote the Morse Code on Dee Dee's blue construction paper.”

“Mr. Tressler hid the yellow pictogram in his flowerpot,” Abby said.

“And I marked the X on his gate,” Jason said. “After it stopped raining.” He jumped up and down holding the chalk.

Abby laughed. “I found the pictogram code in my library book.”

At last, everything made sense.

Shawn smiled. “Stacy and I write jumble code.”

Dunkum twirled the basketball on his pointer finger. He laughed with his
friends. “I learned a good lesson. Thanks to Case D. Luc!”

The Cul-de-sac Kids cheered.

Stacy disappeared behind a bush. She came back carrying a tray. “Anybody hungry?”

“Everyone gets a menu first.” Abby gave an orange-colored menu to each kid. Jason passed around a box of pencils.

APRIL FOOL'S DAY MENU

(Draw a line to match the funny food with the answer.)

“Hey, this is fun!” Dunkum said. He
drew a line from Garden Pops to carrots. Then he chomped on one.

Abby pretended her raisins were ants—falling off the celery log and into her mouth.

Dee Dee squealed, “Oh, yuk!”

After the snacks were eaten, Abby made a suggestion. “Let's play basketball at the school.”

Everyone agreed. The kids bounced their basketballs down the middle of the street. Dunkum led the way.

At the end of the cul-de-sac, Dunkum glanced over his shoulder. There was a message written on Abby's T-shirt. It said: CUL-DE-SAC KIDS STICK TOGETHER!

Dunkum dribbled his ball hard and fast.
Case D. Luc, you're terrific!
he thought.

Then the Cul-de-sac Kids crossed the street to Blossom Hill School.

Together!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Beverly Lewis wrote lots of secret codes in Pennsylvania, where she grew up. She liked to hide them, too—sometimes in very strange places. Now Beverly writes notes to her husband and kids in pictograms. The notes are often found in drawers, on the piano, or stuck to a mirror.

Beverly enjoys getting letters from her readers. Watch out, she might send you a letter in code!

Look for other chapter books by Beverly Lewis:
The Six-Hour Mystery
and
Mystery at Midnight
.

THE CUL-DE-SAC KIDS SERIES
Don't miss #7!

THE STINKY
SNEAKERS MYSTERY

Jason's back—and bragging about his cool science fair project. Can alfalfa sprouts
really
grow in a carpet square?

On the day of the fair, Jason's “super sprouts” disappear. Will Miss Hershey give him a big, fat zero? Jason scrambles to do a last-minute project with wacky results.

Then, during P.E., globs of rotten-smelling cheese show up in the Cul-de-sac Kids' sneakers. Who would do such a thing? And why?