3. On the Case

Chapter 3 On the Case At eight-thirty the next morning, Bradley and Brian met their two friends on the corner of Farm Lane and Woody Street. They always walked to school with Nate and Lucy. "Our new neighbors are doing something strange next door!" Brian blurted out. "Like what?" Nate asked. "You know our favorite tree?" Brian asked. "They measured it, then covered it with this blue tarp thing. And they're doing something inside the

tarp, where we can't see them! All we could see was their shadows." "Maybe they're digging for treasure," Lucy said. "They have a giant dog," Bradley said. "About ten times as big as Pal!" He told them about his nightmare. "Yeah, and Bradley screamed so loud I woke up!" Brian added. The kids hurried toward the elementary school. "I wish I was invisible," Brian said. "Then I could climb over the fence and that big old dog wouldn't even see me!" "But he'd still smell you," Nate said. "Then he'd follow his nose and gobble you up!" Bradley grinned. "Maybe if you put on some of Mom's perfume, the dog would think you were a rosebush!" "Very funny," Brian said. They reached their school as the bell was ringing. "We need to investigate," Brian said. "Can you come to our house right after school?" "Sure," Lucy said. "I love solving mysteries!"

"Me too," Nate said. "But I'm not wearing any perfume!" At three o'clock, the four kids ran back to Bradley and Brian's house on Farm Lane. Above the backyard fence, they could see the blue tarp hanging from the tree's branches. "I wonder if they're home," Bradley whispered. Lucy found a knothole in the fence. "Nobody's there," she whispered. "But I can see their green car in the driveway." "Can you see the dog?" Brian asked. Lucy shook her head. "Nope, just a squirrel." They each took a turn peeking through the hole. "Guys, the Sargents are coming out of their house!" Nate said. "They're walking toward the car."

Nate looked at Bradley. "They don't look weird to me." Brian put his eye to the hole. "Shhh, they're talking!" he whispered. "Mrs. Sargent said they're going shopping in town." The other three kids placed their ears against the fence. They all heard car doors slamming. Brian was still looking through the knothole. "And Mrs. Sargent has her clipboard. She was making a list yesterday." "Yeah," Bradley said. "I bet if we follow them, we can find out what they buy. Then we can figure out what they're doing!" "Wait!" Brian said. "After they leave, I can sneak over and get my jar of money!" He had told Nate and Lucy about hiding his allowance in the old tree.

"And my flashlight," Bradley added. "What about the dog?" Nate asked. Brian peeked through the knothole again. "Rats," he said. "The dog is sleeping under the tree!" "Let's go to Main Street," Bradley said. "If we get there before they do, we can spy on them!" The kids took off running. They raced down Eagle Lane, then cut through the playground at the elementary school. A few minutes later, they were on Main Street, across from the fire station. "Stop! I have a pain in my side from running!" Nate said. He bent over and held his side. "There they are!" Bradley said. The neighbors' green car was at the stop sign on Silver Circle. Then it turned onto Main Street. Bradley could see Mr. Sargent driving. Mrs. Sargent sat next to him. The car pulled into the supermarket parking lot. The kids crossed Main Street and ran to the back of the fire station. Its parking lot was next to the supermarket lot. The kids arrived just in time to see the green car turn into a space and stop. "Are they going grocery shopping?" Nate asked.

Bradley, Brian, Nate, and Lucy were hiding behind a row of bushes. They watched Mr. and Mrs. Sargent leave their car and head to the rear of the supermarket. She was carrying the clipboard. "They might be going to that little hardware store inside the supermarket," Brian said. "Should we follow them?" Bradley asked. "They'll spot us if we do," Brian said. "They must have seen us next door." "I can go in," Lucy said. "They don't know me! Come with me, Nate." "Good idea," Bradley said. "Find out what they buy!" He and Brian watched Lucy and Nate scoot between some cars. They slipped into the supermarket's back door two minutes behind Mr. and Mrs. Sargent. "I'll be right back," Bradley told Brian. He ran to the neighbors' car and peeked into the back. He saw an old blanket, a bunch of tools, and a map of Florida. "Bradley! Come on!" Brian called. Bradley ran back to his brother. Mr. and Mrs. Sargent came out carrying bags. They headed right for their car.