Chapter 15

Chapter 15 Nina and I followed the dirt out of Snooty la Tooty Gardens, down the street, around the corner, and up a long hill. Nina complained and grumbled the whole way. Finally, at the top of the hill, the dirt trail led us into a big park. And then I saw what we were after... a beautiful rose... in a pot... on a skateboard... being pushed by a goat! "AHA!" I shouted. "I have solved another BIG DEAL mystery!"

The other goat must have heard me, because suddenly it started pushing the rose really fast. "Quick, Nina, after them!" I shouted. The chase was on! The other goat was faster, but Nina was more daring and reckless. We gained ground by racing at full speed over big bumps, taking turns without slowing down, and weaving in between the feet of passing animals. Sure, I was worried about crashing, but I didn't ask Nina to slow down. My potting soil was spilling out, too, but I didn't care. To solve the mystery I had to catch that flower! Suddenly the flower slowed down and swerved onto the grass to go around some concrete steps.

I closed my eyes. I knew what Nina was about to do and I just couldn't look. She hopped on behind me and we went flying over the steps. "Yee-haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" shouted Nina. We went right over a sloth sitting on the steps reading a newspaper. When we hit the ground, I bounced and almost spilled. But somehow I stayed on the skateboard and we kept going. We were catching up to them.

But now we were on a long straight section of sidewalk. The other goat was just too fast. Nina got off and started pushing again, but we were falling behind. The rose was getting away. I looked ahead and saw that the rose was about to run into some sort of lumpy metal thing that was on the sidewalk. "Look out!" I shouted. "You're going to crash!" But it was too late. The rose's skateboard hit the metal lump, the skateboard flipped over, and the rose tumbled off. Nina had to use all four hooves as brakes to stop us just before we hit the metal lump, too. Now I could see

that it was in the shape of a pickle. It was a pickle paperweight that someone had dropped in the park. "AHA!" I shouted. "I have just solved two BIG DEAL mysteries at the same time!" INSPECTOR FLYTRAP'S DREAM... Meanwhile, at 221B Baker Street... Evening, Holmes. How was work today? Terrible, Watson! The Mystery of the Missing Rose and the Case of the Pilfered Paperweight shall he'er be cracked. I am STUMPED! Hete to tell ya, dear Holmes— but those cases were JUST SOLVED by the amazing INSPECTOR FLYTRAP! WHAT!? -Tsk- It's ELEMENTARY, my dear Holmes...