9. Sniffing for the Sweater

Chapter 9 Sniffing for the Sweater Bradley snapped on Pal's leash. He held the sweater sleeves under the dog's nose. "Find the sweater, Pal!" Bradley said. The basset hound led the four kids down the stairs and onto the porch. He sniffed the porch floor. "That's where we left the leprechaun," Brian said. Pal tugged on his leash and the kids followed. They all cut through the school grounds to Main Street. Soon they were headed down Bridge Lane.

"He must be taking us back to the O'Learys' house," Nate said. At the big blue house, Pal went straight to the red wagon. He sniffed it all over. Just then the front door opened. Ben and Ralphie came out. "What's going on?" Ben asked. "Pal is helping us find our leprechaun," Bradley said. "He led us here." "He knows you put it in your wagon," Lucy said. "He's right," Ralphie said. "Can you let Pal sniff Lucky's gym clothes?" Bradley asked. Ralphie giggled. "Sure, but they're pretty stinky," he said. "Come on in." Pal and the four kids followed Ben and Ralphie inside. A bunch of redheaded kids were playing hide-and-seek. The fairy-princess leprechaun stood in a corner. "Lucky's room is down the hall," Ben said, leading the way. The bedroom was messy, but the

bed was made. Pal went right to a closet door. He sniffed and barked and scratched at the door. Ben opened the closet door. The floor was covered with gym clothes. "This is where we hid them," Ralphie said. "So somebody snuck in here and stole them," Nate said. "I wonder who." "Do you keep your front door locked?" Bradley asked the two brothers. Ben and Ralphie shrugged. "Mom takes care of that," Ben answered. "I guess she locks it at night. But during the day, she leaves it unlocked." Pal left the closet and headed through the bedroom door. His leash trailed behind him. The six kids followed. Outside, Pal bolted for an old car sitting in the driveway. He put his front paws on the car door and started barking. "Maybe the leprechauns are in the car!" Nate said.

"That's Lucky's car, and we already looked," Ben said. He opened the car door. Pal jumped inside. He sniffed all the seats. He found a French fry and gobbled it up. Then he barked. "Maybe Pal thinks we're looking for Lucky," Lucy said. Bradley pulled Pal away from the car. He let him sniff the sweater sleeves again. "Find the sweater," he told his dog. "We already know where Lucky is." "Yeah, he's in jail," Ben said. "And it's our fault!" Pal sat on the driveway. He looked at the kids. He looked at the car. Then he went to sleep.