7. Clues in the Snow

Chapter 7 Clues in the Snow Bradley grabbed a jacket and tossed Brian his. "Come on. Maybe he went back to Furry Feet!" The twins ran down the stairs. "Where are you guys going?" their father asked. "I thought you wanted to read your new books."

Bradley grinned. "Um, we need to see about another Christmas present," he said. "A very important one!" The twins put on their boots, mittens, and hats, and raced out the door. Snowflakes got in their eyes as they ran. They went the shortest way, through Center Park. Swan Pond was frozen over. Snow covered the ice and trees, making the whole park look like a Christmas card. Five minutes later, Bradley and Brian were in front of Furry Feet. "Please let him be here," Bradley said, out of breath. But there was only snow in front of the pet shop. They peered through the glass. Inside, the shop was still dark. Only the fish tanks were lit. The hamsters, ferrets, and mice were sleeping. "Where could the puppy be?" Brian said. Bradley looked up and down Main Street. "We have to find him or he'll freeze!" he said. Brian looked at the snow-covered sidewalk. "Do you see any tracks?" he asked. "Only ours," Bradley said. He pointed to their footprints crossing Main Street and Center Park.

"No puppy prints at all." "Oh my gosh!" Brian said. "We should have looked for the puppy's tracks outside our house. Maybe we can follow his trail!" The boys raced away, heading back home. They charged across Center Park, following their own trail. A few minutes later, they were in their front yard, searching for puppy tracks. They didn't see any, but they did see a lot of human tracks in the yard and on the porch. The twins stood over the tracks. "Boot prints," Brian said. "But they're not from us. These are bigger." "And we came out the back door," Bradley added. "We didn't even walk here. But Josh was out here. Maybe they're his." Brian shook his head. "These aren't Josh's prints, either," he said. "He came in the back door, too. Mom always makes us come in the back way so we can take off our boots." "So whose tracks are these?" Brian asked. He pointed at two different boot prints, one bigger than the other.

"Oh my gosh!" Bradley said. "Maybe the puppy didn't run away. Maybe he got kidnapped, and these are the kidnappers' footprints!" "And maybe that's why the puppy barked!" Brian said. "And when we heard the door slam, that was the kidnappers leaving!" Bradley added. "They must have come in the front door and snuck up the stairs while we were opening our presents," Brian said. "The kidnappers walked right past us!" "Maybe they left some clues in our room!" Bradley said.

The boys raced around the house and slammed through the back door. "Boots off, please!" the twins' mother called from the living room. They kicked off their boots, ran through the kitchen, and started up the stairs in their socks. "Did you take care of your very important Christmas present so soon?" their father called.

"Almost!" Bradley said as they shot up the stairs. They ran into their room. It was the same as they'd left it. The puppy's box was on its side, next to the water bowl. The closet door and bedroom door were still open. The boys looked around the room with detectives' eyes. "I don't see any clues," Brian said. "I do," Bradley said. "There's water in the bowl." "Why wouldn't there be?" Brian asked. "We filled it when we put the puppy in the box." "But, Brian, if the puppy had tipped the box over, the water would have spilled onto the floor," Bradley said. "If a kidnapper stole the puppy, they probably wouldn't spill the water out of the bowl." "Look!" Brian said. He was on his knees, pointing to something on the rug near the door. Bradley knelt next to his brother. "It's only snow," he offered. "We just came in from outside." "Dude, we took off our boots downstairs!" Brian said. "But this is a footprint. Check out