A Musical Mess

  CHAPTER ONE: UNLUCKY STAR

  CHAPTER TWO: SAMMY WHAMMY

  CHAPTER THREE: BIG BREAK OR BIG FAKE?

  CHAPTER FOUR: BACKYARD BLUFF

  CHAPTER FIVE: BIGGEST FAN!

  CHAPTER SIX: THINGS GET HAIRY

  CHAPTER SEVEN: BARK IN THE PARK

  CHAPTER EIGHT: GAME ON!

  CHAPTER NINE: ROOM WITH A CLUE

  CHAPTER TEN: CURTAIN UP!

  SIGN, PLEASE! CRAFT YOUR OWN AUTOGRAPH BOOK

  ‘NANCY DREW AND THE CLUE CREW’ EXCERPT

  Unlucky Star

  “I declare this Saturday ‘Francie Day’ in River Heights!” Mayor Strong told the crowd in front of the River Heights Theater.

  Eight-year-old Nancy Drew cheered along with Bess Marvin and George Fayne. The girls and the people of River Heights had good reason to celebrate. The national tour of a real live Broadway musical called Francie was in town for two whole weeks!

  “This show is practically famous!” Nancy said excitedly. She knew the show was about a farm girl who travels all over the country to find the owner of a lost dog named Sammy.

  “I have the CD of the show music,” Bess said proudly. “I taught myself all the songs!”

  “I hope you taught yourself how to sing, too,” George joked.

  Nancy giggled as Bess rolled her eyes. Her two best friends are cousins. They are always teasing each other, probably because they are so different.

  Bess has blond hair, blue eyes, and a room full of fashion-forward clothes. George, with her dark hair and eyes, likes clothes too—as long as they have tons of pockets for electronic games and computer parts!

  “Just think,” Nancy said, “we’ll get to see the whole show this afternoon—from the front row!”

  “Thanks to my mom,” George reminded them proudly.

  Mrs. Fayne ran her own catering company. Later she would cater a big after-show party for the cast and crew of Francie to celebrate opening night.

  “And now,” Mayor Strong announced as music from the show blared in the background, “I’d like to introduce the director of the show, Blair McIntyre!”

  Nancy smiled as a tall woman with curly black hair stepped forward. Seeing the director was exciting, but the person Nancy really wanted to meet was Kira Swain, the ten-year-old actress who played Francie.

  “I want to meet Sammy the dog!” Bess said. “He’s the real star of the show.”

  Nancy gasped as the stage door began to open. Who was coming out next? Was it Kira? Sammy?

  “It’s just the Star Squad,” George, a bit disappointed, said as a bunch of kids filed out the door.

  The Star Squad was a summer acting camp in River Heights. This summer they had been asked to play Francie’s farm friends in the show.

  Nancy recognized some friends from school, like Nadine Nardo, the class actress. There was also Marcy Rubin and her little sister, Cassidy. But who was the kid in the big heavy cow mask?

  Her thoughts were interrupted when someone in the crowd shouted, “Boooooo!”

  “Did someone just say ‘Boo’?” Nancy asked.

  “Maybe the cow said ‘Moo,’ ” Bess suggested.

  “I’m pretty sure it was ‘Boo,’ ” Nancy said. “But who could be so mean?”

  She got her answer as the girls turned around. Standing behind them was a group of people wearing costumes.

  “Boooooooo!” a tall man dressed as a pirate shouted again. The music was too loud for anyone to hear—anyone but Nancy, Bess, and George!

  “It’s not nice to boo,” Nancy told the man.

  “Who are you guys, anyway?” George asked.

  The pirate puffed out his chest and declared, “I am Winslow Minty, the director of the Croaking Frog Players theater company.”

  The other actors with him took sweeping bows.

  “Are you here to see Francie?” Bess asked.

  “I should say not!” Winslow scoffed. “We are here because Francie has taken over our theater!”

  “Each summer the Croaking Frog Players performs at the River Heights Theater,” an actress wearing a long flowing dress explained. “Because of Francie, we have to perform in the old cookie factory!”

  Nancy saw that some of the actors were holding up signs that read FRANCIE, GO BACK TO BROADWAY!

  “They can’t go back now,” Nancy said. “The show opens today at three o’clock.”

  Winslow narrowed his eyes. “Not if I can help it,” he muttered. But then he threw back his head and began to sneeze.

  The girls stepped back as Winslow sneezed over and over again.

  “Ahhhh-chooo!” Winslow sneezed. He turned to the actors and said, “We had better leave now. Ahhh-choooo!”

  Nancy, Bess, and George watched as the Croaking Frog Players quickly left.

  “Maybe they should change their name.” Bess giggled. “To the Sneezing Frog Players!”

  “Who ever heard of a sneezing frog?” someone with a familiar voice asked.

  The girls turned to see their friend from school, Shelby Metcalf. But she wasn’t alone. Shelby and a college-age girl were grasping the leashes of six dogs.

  “Are all those dogs yours, Shelby?” Nancy gasped.

  Shelby grinned as she shook her head. “They’re from the Rollover Rescue Shelter,” she explained. “It’s where I’m volunteering this summer.”

  “Neat!” Nancy said. She noticed that Shelby was wearing a yellow Rollover Rescue T-shirt. So was the girl with her.

  The dogs wore yellow scarves around their necks. Each scarf had the words ADOPT ME printed in black letters.

  “I read online that Sammy was adopted from a shelter,” George said.

  “You mean Sammy, the star dog?” Shelby asked.

  “I also read that Sammy has his own dressing room with a canopy doggy bed,” George went on, “crystal treat jars, and a flat-screen TV for watching dog movies.”

  “I didn’t know that,” Nancy admitted.

  Shelby’s eyes grew wide as she said, “Neither did I!”

  The crowd suddenly went wild as Kira Swain burst from the stage door. She was wearing Francie’s famous blond wig and blue dress.

  “It’s Kira!” Nancy gasped.

  “Hi, everybody!” Kira told the crowd. “And let’s give a Broadway bark for my four-legged friend and costar, Sammy!”

  Bess cheered so loudly, Nancy had to cover her ears—especially as the sandy-colored Airedale terrier ran to Kira’s side. Holding Sammy’s leash was a short man with dark hair.

  “That’s Sammy’s trainer, Carlos Arroyo,” Nancy said. “I saw a picture of him and Sammy in my dad’s newspaper.”

  A few of Shelby’s shelter dogs began to bark. Carlos frowned as his eyes searched the audience.

  “Uh-oh.” Shelby sighed. “I’d better go before these dogs upset the diva dog.”

  Nancy said a quick good-bye to Shelby, and then she, Bess, and George squeezed through the crowd toward Kira and Sammy. As the girls got closer Nancy noticed a white mark on Sammy’s front leg. It was shaped like a star!

  A star for a star! Nancy thought.

  Mayor Strong handed Kira a microphone. She smiled as she began singing the hit song from the show: “I Never Give Up.” Sammy got into the act too, jumping up and licking her face at just the right moments.

  For the big finish, Kira sang the last words of the song, then kneeled down next to Sammy, who howled along with her last note before licking her again.

  “I may like dogs,” Bess said as they clapped, “but dog spit is way gross.”

  When the song was over, Kira traded her microphone for a pen.

  “Kira will now sign a few autographs,” Mayor Strong announced. “Sammy has already signed a few pawtographs!”

  Carlos held up a p
iece of paper. On it was a black print of Sammy’s paw.

  “I want one of those!” Bess said.

  The girls were about to line up for autographs and pawtographs when—

  “Eeeeeeeek!!!”

  The earsplitting scream came from Kira, who was shrieking as ink from her pen gushed up in her face!

  “Heeeeeeelp!!!” Kira sputtered. “Make it stop! Make it stooooooop!!!”

  Sammy Whammy

  Kira looked horrified as she dropped the still-squirting pen. Her snowy-white collar was now stained blue!

  “All I did was press down on the pen to write,” Kira cried. “And it squirted me!”

  Nancy frowned. She had seen that trick pen before. And it was bad news!

  “Oh no, Kira!” Blair cried. “Your costume is ruined!”

  “So is my face!” Kira cried.

  “No, it’s not!” Nancy blurted out.

  All eyes turned to Nancy.

  “That pen is from Gordy’s Gag Shop on Main Street,” Nancy explained. “The ink will disappear in an hour.”

  “Um . . . two hours,” a muffled voice called out.

  “Who said that?” Mayor Strong asked.

  The kid in the cow suit lifted his mask. When the girls saw who it was, they groaned. It was Antonio Elefano—the class pest!

  “The ink will disappear in two hours,” Antonio said with a grin. “Two hours and seven minutes, to be exact.”

  “How do you know so much about this pen, Antonio?” Blair demanded. “Did you give it to Kira?”

  Antonio didn’t answer, but little Cassidy Rubin stepped forward. She was wearing farm-style overalls and a checkered shirt.

  “Antonio didn’t give the pen to Kira,” Cassidy said. “I saw him sneak it into her dressing room when she wasn’t there!”

  “Put a sock in it, Cassidy!” Antonio hissed.

  But it was too late. . . .

  “Antonio Elefano,” Blair said coldly. “I’d like to speak to you in private, please.”

  “He’s in trouble,” George whispered.

  “It’s about time,” Nancy whispered back.

  Kira began crying as she ran back into the theater.

  Mayor Strong cleared his throat nervously, then told the crowd, “I’m sorry, but there’ll be no autographs. We’ll see you later at the show.”

  Disappointed groans filled the air. Carlos turned as he led Sammy toward the stage door.

  “Wait, Mr. Arroyo, wait!” Bess called as the girls raced forward. “Can I get Sammy’s pawtograph? Please?”

  “Yes, but just one,” Carlos said. He handed Bess a pawtograph, then walked Sammy through a separate door. A star-shaped sign on the door read SAMMY.

  “A private dressing room too,” George said. “Not too shabby for a dog!”

  “A star dog,” Bess added. She smiled at the paw on the paper. “And I have his pawtograph!”

  “Let’s hope that ink doesn’t disappear!” Nancy said with a smile.

  Bess slid the pawtograph into her backpack. She glanced at her watch and said, “It’s already noon, and the show is in three hours.”

  “So?” George asked.

  “So I want to go home and change into my theater outfit!” Bess said. “Don’t you?”

  George nodded down at her T-shirt and jeans. “This is my theater outfit!” she said as Bess rolled her eyes.

  The girls decided to walk home through the park. The trees were thick with dark-green leaves. Kids and grown-ups were doing summery things like eating ice cream, sitting on the grass, and riding bikes and skateboards.

  “Hey, check it out!” George suddenly said.

  Nancy and Bess stopped to look where George was pointing. In the distance was a colorful contraption filled with hoops, jumping bars, climbing frames, and a tunnel.

  “Is that a new playground?” Nancy asked.

  A girl up ahead turned and smiled. It was Mia Murphy from the fourth grade. The kids at school called her Mia Trophy because of all the awards she liked to win.

  “It’s not a playground,” Mia said, walking over. “It’s a canine agility course.”

  “A what?” Bess asked.

  “It’s like an obstacle course for dogs,” Mia explained. “And it’s all part of the Doggy Summer Games in two days. I read about it and wanted to check it out.”

  Nancy liked the idea of the Doggy Summer Games, even though her own puppy was much too young. Chocolate Chip’s favorite games were still belly rubs and chasing squirrels!

  “You have a new dog, right?” Nancy said. “Are you entering him in the games?”

  “I guess you haven’t met Ralph.” Mia snorted. “The only game he would win is a chewing or howling contest!” She sighed as she gazed at the agility course. “I like Ralph, but I wish I had a pet good enough to enter in the games.”

  “Then what you need is a star dog,” George said.

  “A star dog?” Mia repeated.

  “A dog like Sammy, from the show Francie,” George said.

  “Sammy would probably win that agility course in a blink!” Nancy agreed.

  “Win, huh?” Mia said, almost to herself. “Then that’s what I need—a star dog!”

  As the girls walked away George whispered, “As if Carlos would ever lend Sammy to anyone.”

  “Speaking of Sammy, we’d better hurry home,” Nancy said excitedly. “It’s almost showtime!”

  Nancy, Bess, and George left the park and headed for their houses. They each had to follow the same rule: They could walk anywhere as long as it was fewer than five blocks from home and as long as they were together.

  Once home, Nancy took a cool bubble bath, then put on her favorite summer dress for the show.

  At two thirty Mrs. Fayne drove the girls to the River Heights Theater in her catering van. She wanted to get to the theater extra early to deliver the party food.

  “Just think,” Nancy said outside the theater. “The actors must be putting on their costumes and their makeup.”

  “I wonder if Sammy wears makeup,” Bess said.

  “Give me a break, Bess,” George said. “Dogs don’t wear . . .”

  George stopped midsentence as Sammy’s dressing room door began to open. Nancy, Bess, and George backed up against the wall as it swung open.

  From behind the door, the girls peeked out.

  They saw a man dragging what looked like a huge plastic crate out of Sammy’s dressing room. The man used his foot to shut the door behind him. He didn’t see the girls as he headed to a black car parked behind the catering van.

  “That’s Winslow Minty,” Nancy whispered. “From the Croaking Frog Players.”

  One of the actresses who was with him earlier helped Winslow put the crate into the car. As Winslow closed the trunk he said in his usual booming voice, “We’d better go, Miranda! I just did a very bad thing!”

  Winslow and Miranda hopped into the car. Nancy, Bess, and George watched it zoom off.

  “I wonder what was inside that crate,” Nancy said. “And what was that bad thing Winslow was talking about?”

  There was no time to talk about Winslow or the crate. The heavy double doors to the theater swung open, and two young men in dark-red uniforms stepped out.

  “Tickets, please!” one announced.

  “OMG!” Bess squealed. “This is it!”

  Mrs. Fayne hurried over with the tickets. Nancy, Bess, and George followed her into the theater, where an usher led them to their seats in the very front row!

  “Can we get popcorn?” George asked.

  Bess groaned and said, “This isn’t a movie theater, George, it’s a theater for plays, and that means no popcorn!”

  “Enjoy the show,” the usher said, after handing them each a Francie program.

  “Oh, we will!” Nancy said brightly.

  The front row was right behind the orchestra pit. Below were musicians tuning their instruments. There were violins, horns, flutes—even a harp!

  Nancy couldn’t believe it. Was she
really at a Broadway show right in River Heights?

  The lights dimmed. The orchestra began playing music.

  “This is called the ‘overture,’ ” Mrs. Fayne explained.

  Then came the most exciting part of all: The curtain began to rise. The girls gasped when they saw the stage, decorated to look like a farm—haystack and all. Standing onstage was the Star Squad, wearing their costumes.

  “There’s Antonio in his cow mask,” Bess whispered. “He’d better behave.”

  Nadine recited a few lines. So did Marcy. Then—

  “Moo!” the cow bellowed as Kira made her stage entrance with Sammy. Nancy was relieved that the ink stain had disappeared from Francie’s dress . . . but her famous wig looked different. Instead of blond curls, it had blond braids!

  Kira smiled as she began singing “I Never Give Up.”

  Nancy smiled too as she waited for Sammy to jump up and lick her face. But this time he didn’t. Instead the dog threw back his head and began to howl. And howl. And howl!

  Still singing, Kira stared at Sammy, horrified.

  “I don’t think he’s supposed to do that,” George said.

  “Or that!” Nancy said as Sammy started darting back and forth across the stage, barking.

  “Sammy, stop!” Carlos shouted as he ran onstage. He tried to grab Sammy, but the dog was already charging head-on into the haystack. The musicians shouted and screamed as hay flew into the orchestra pit!

  Nancy didn’t get it. A well-trained dog like Sammy would never go wild in the middle of a show. No way!

  The curtain came down quickly. Blair McIntyre walked onto the stage in front of the curtain. Her voice cracked as she spoke to the audience. “I’m afraid today’s performance is canceled—and all others until we find out what’s wrong with our star dog.”

  Confused whispers filled the theater as the lights came on.

  “What happened to Sammy?” Bess wailed.

  “You mean if that was Sammy,” Nancy said.

  “Huh?” George asked.

  “What if,” Nancy said in almost a whisper, “the real Sammy . . . was switched with a fake?”

  Big Break or Big Fake?

  “If the show is canceled,” Mrs. Fayne sighed, “then so is the after-show party.”