The Stinky Sneakers Mystery (4 page)

Eric looked surprised. “Oh, really? Well, where are they now?”

“Disappeared,” Jason muttered. “They're missing.”

Shawn frowned. “Missing from earth?”

“No, from Jason's house,” Abby explained.

“Too bad,” Shawn said. “I want to see super sprouts.”

Eric snickered. “You're not the only one!”

Jason stuffed his hands into his pockets again. His fingers bumped the mound of smelly cheese. Eric's grandpa's cheese.

And suddenly, he had a great idea.

NINE

The mats were out in P.E. It was tumbling day.

Jason and the rest of the class lined their shoes up along the wall.

Then they warmed up with three forward rolls each. Next came three backward rolls. Some kids did handstands.

Jason took off his glasses and did two backflips with help. Dunkum did a handstand for five seconds.

Eric stood on his head without wobbling. Shawn practiced walking on his hands.

Abby and Stacy did double cartwheels.

Whew!
Jason's mouth was getting dry. He needed a long, cold drink.

So did Eric. And Dunkum.

The teacher let Jason go first. Then Eric. They were only allowed to go one at a time.

Eric came back from the water fountain. “Mr. Sprout Man gets a zero,” he teased.

“Leave me alone,” Jason shot back.

Eric scrunched up his face. “How could you lose a science project? That's dumb.”

Jason was boiling mad. He needed another drink. The teacher said he could have one more.

Hurrying toward the drinking fountain, Jason passed the row of sneakers. He spotted Abby's red and blue ones. He saw Shawn's blue sneakers.

Here's my chance
, he thought. And he
dug into his pocket and pulled out the smelly cheese.

After class, the teacher blew her whistle twice. Time to get shoes back on.

Quickly, Jason found his sneakers.

He heard Abby squeal, “This is so yucky!”

“Gross!” Eric said.

“Pee-uwee!” Stacy shouted.

Jason jumped up. “What's that smell?” He pinched his nose shut.

“Very big stink,” Shawn said. He pushed his foot into his sneaker. His eyes bugged out. “Something feel mushy inside.” Shawn yanked his foot out.

Abby came over to see. “Yuk!” she said. “You've got rotten cheese in there, too.”

“So do I,” Eric hollered.

“Me too,” called Stacy.

“Me three,” said Abby. “Who
did
this?”

Eric shook his sneakers out. “Smells
like Grandpa's cheese!”

Abby's eyebrows flew up. “Why'd you put your grandpa's cheese in our sneakers?”

“I'd never do that!” Eric held up his own pair of sneakers, shaking his head.

By now, Miss Hershey was waiting in the hall. “Time to line up,” she called.

“I'm not wearing these sneakers anymore,” Abby told Eric.

Stacy, Shawn, and Eric agreed. They went to class in their socks.

Jason followed, holding his nose.

Abby got in line. “My sneakers are ruined,” she said. “I can't believe Eric did this!”

Eric pushed ahead in line. “I told you, I
didn't
do it!”

“Right,” Abby said. “And I don't believe you.”

Jason didn't smile. He didn't laugh. But he wanted to—right in Eric's face.

Serves him right,
he thought.

TEN

In the classroom, Jason hurried to his desk.

Miss Hershey held a hankie over her nose. “This room smells terrible,” she said. “Who knows about this?”

Shawn said, “My
nose
does!”

The kids laughed. So did Miss Hershey. “My nose knows, too,” she said.

In came the janitor with three big fans.

Jason and Dunkum opened all the windows.

Abby and Stacy made paper fans.

Then science class got started.

Miss Hershey called Dunkum's name. He did his taste test, but nobody could taste a thing. Everyone was holding their nose shut.

Dunkum explained, “This experiment proves my point. You can't taste, unless you can smell.”

Abby and Stacy started coughing. Jason pretended to gag.

Dunkum's eyes watered. “Make it rain, Abby,” he said. “Quick!”

“Yes,” Miss Hershey said. “A good rain might clear the air.”

Abby did her homemade rain project. With her teapot of hot water and soup dipper. But afterward, the smell was still strong.

Next, Stacy had the whole class cutting holes. “My project is called A Tight Squeeze,” she said. “I will show how paper can stretch.”

It was hard holding noses and handling scissors and paper. So Stacy showed the class how the cutting was done.

Then it was Eric's turn.

Some of the kids hissed. Jason started to boo.

“Class,” Miss Hershey said. “That's
not
polite.”

“But Eric put Limburger cheese in our sneakers,” Stacy said.

Miss Hershey looked at Eric and frowned.

“I didn't do it,” he said. “And I can prove it!”

Jason sat tall in his seat. He was worried.

Eric set up his science project. “This is a fingerprint experiment,” he explained. “I made a record of fingerprints.” He pointed to a grouping of prints mounted on poster board.

He showed the class how to make fingerprints and how to dust for them.

“Now,” he said. “I will prove that I didn't plant the Limburger cheese.”

Jason leaned forward. He had to see this.

Eric held up a piece of cheese. “There's a thumbprint on this.” He pinched his nose shut with his other hand. “You can't see it, but it's there.”

Jason squirmed.

Eric continued. “The thumbprint on the cheese doesn't match mine,” he said. “It doesn't match any of the prints I have.”

Miss Hershey asked, “How many thumbprints did you take?”

Eric looked around the room. “I recorded everyone in the class.” He looked at Jason. “Everyone, except one.”

Jason squirmed even more.

Eric grinned. “I think I solved the stinky sneakers mystery.”

Abby raised her hand. “Whose
thumbprint is missing?”

“Jason's,” he said.

Jason stood up without being asked. He went to the front of the room.

All eyes were on him.

Eric opened his black ink pad. “Press your right thumb here,” he said.

Jason pushed his thumb down. The pad felt gooey.

Eric pointed to a piece of paper. “Roll your thumb on this.”

Jason obeyed. Then he lifted his thumb off the paper and looked down. Oval lines were there—where his thumb had been.

“Let's see if they match,” Eric said. He compared Jason's thumbprint and the print on the cheese.

Miss Hershey watched closely.

All the kids stared.

Three fans hummed.

And Jason's heart thumped. Hard.

ELEVEN

Miss Hershey stood up.

Jason . . . Jason
. . . His name flew around the room.

“Quiet, please,” Miss Hershey said.

Jason wanted to hide.

“I want you to stay after school,” his teacher said. “Do you understand why?”

Jason nodded. “Yes, Miss Hershey.”

After school, Jason wrote fifty times:
I will treat others with respect.

Then Jason took the paper to Miss Hershey. “I have something to tell you,” he said.

Miss Hershey looked up.

“I'm sorry about the stinky sneakers.” Jason took a deep breath. “I just—” He paused.

“What is it, Jason?”

“Eric just made me so mad. I couldn't find my project this morning, and Eric made fun. He said I didn't even have one. But I
did.
A really super—” He stopped.

He didn't want to brag about the sprouts. Bragging had gotten him in big trouble.

Jason's voice grew soft. “I lost my science project.”

“Can you find it by tomorrow?”

Jason felt better. “I hope so.”

Miss Hershey smiled. “So do I.”

Jason couldn't believe his ears. Tomorrow was the judging. If he found his sprouts, they might still win first place!

He ran all the way home.