you could cause twice as much damage.
Where’s that strange voice
coming from?
Oh, that’s just the narrator.
He’s pretty sassy.
Well, how about it? Team Logan and Gustavo.
It would never work. Our styles
are totally different. He’s all about
kicking doors down and slapping
criminals upside the head.
And she’s more into tracking
footprints in the garden during
teatime and…ZZZZZZ…Sorry, I
drifted off there for a second.
As Gustavo takes off, Logan is left all alone....
Guess weÕll just have to
see who solves the case
first, the cops or me.
Adiîs, muchacha!
Before she heads home, a chill nips at her neck
and a strange feeling comes over her—like an
evil presence is still lurking close by.
Find the
evil
presence!
This just in:
An amusement park
merry-go-round has
gone missing! Cops
say it was taken
by moles or maybe
just some punks who
wanted to take it
out for a spin!
Good morning, children!
I assure you, the school
building is perfectly safe!
IÕve already had three
suspicious moles removed!
Check
for
moles!
Chapter 3
THAT SINKING FEELING
The next morning, Logan arrives at school tired
and cranky from staying up all night watching
the news reports about the theft. The smell of
trouble hangs like bad air freshener in a gas
station bathroom. Everywhere she looks, she
thinks she sees moles. Principal Shrub tries to
keep nervous students calm.
Inside, the school is abuzz with stories of more
mole mayhem. It seems the merry-go-round isn’t
the only thing missing in action.
Something dug up through
the backyard last night and
stole my bike!
They took my
Gamestation! Now I canÕt
play Brainblasters 3:
River of Carnage!
Something struck my
dadÕs golf course, and all
that was left was this
hole in the ground!
Farther down the hall, Logan stumbles upon
something even more disturbing....
It was I who found the
mysterious note that put the
police on the right track. In
fact, the capÕn recommended
that I start my own detective
agency. IÕll be signing more
autographs after lunch.
You might want
to skip the next
few pages if youÕre
squeamish about
violence, because
IÕm about to smack
someone with this
mole book.…
Before Logan can do anything rash, the school
suddenly starts to shake and
Sorry! ItÕs probably my
stomach! I shouldnÕt have eaten
that deep-fried chocolate-covered
turkey leg at the park!
Actually,
I think itÕs
coming
from the
playground!
Logan and Gustavo run outside to find the
playground swings swinging out of control and
the seesaws teetering and tottering violently.
Everything seems to be sinking into the earth!
What’s
causing
this?
Not one to stand by and watch all her fellow
students get pulled under, Logan swings out
onto the monkey bars to rescue little Charlie
Richards!
Gustavo jumps onto one end of the seesaw to
save Bobby Bing, but for some reason, Bobby
goes sailing into the air without even saying
good-bye.
Wait! DonÕt go.
IÕm trying to
Then Logan fishes Holly Peterson out of the
sandbox with a tetherball pole while Gustavo
directs the rest of the kids down the slide to
safety.
Please put on your
life vests and slide
in single-file fashion.
Thank you for flying
Murkee Elementary!
When the dust finally settles, all that’s left of
the playground is a giant hole.
Hmmm, first the merry-go-round,
then our toys, now the jungle gym.
Someone is stealing the fun out of
life. Much like our math teacher.
Cheer up!
At least there will be
fewer recess-related
injuries. No more cuts,
scrapes, or breaks.
While Principal Shrub is pelted with sand,
Logan and Gustavo peer over into the dark,
foreboding pit.
WeÕre gonna follow this
tunnel till it takes us
right to the suspects.
What do you say,
hotshot? NowÕs your
chance to prove youÕre
a master detective.
Do we
have to?
Rumor has it our playground
was built on an ancient custodial
burial ground. Some say you can
still hear the moans of angry
mummified janitors if you put
your ear to the asphalt.
If youÕre trying
to scare me…
itÕs working!
Beware of
mummified
janitors!
Chapter 4
BEG, BURROW, OR STEAL
Logan and Gustavo explore the creepy cave
beneath the playground. It’s dark, moist, and
chilly, like a congested polar bear’s nostril. And
did I mention it’s dark? I mean really dark.
This calls for one
of my special
mustaches!
How is a fake
mustache gonna
help us?
Just
watch.
This is the Illumistache 5000.
I can control the two five-hundred-watt
headlights by flaring my nostrils, leaving
my hands free for karate chopping.
Gustavo’s Illumistache quickly reveals a huge
pile of boulders blocking their path.
Drat!
They filled in
the tunnel
behind them.
Look!
Another note!
Quick! Help Logan and
Gustavo un-jumble the note
before it’s too late!
Shine your hairy
mustache on it!
Unscramble
the note!
Obviously, it
says “RUNT
AROUND!”
But what
does it mean?
Dude, I think
it says “TURN
AROUND!” as in
“Turn around—
IÕm right
behind you!”
A high-pitched, chipmunky voice blares out of a
deranged mole’s walkie-talkie....
If the students of
Murkee Elementary want to
see their merry-go-round,
toys, and playground
again,
they will leave their lunch money
on the second base of the
softball field by 3:33 PM!
Perhaps if we could
speak to you without
your army of moles,
we could negotiate….
If these critters
want to negotiate,
they’ll have to do
it with my foot!
Prepare for combat!
Ha! My moles are skilled
at ninjutsu, the Japanese
art of rump kicking!
Great! Now
they’re angry!
Don’t
worry!
They’re no
match for
my—
Hey! What happened to
your mustache light?
I blew a fuse.
Sniff! You
wouldn’t happen
to have a tissue,
would you?
The moles attack Gustavo
with a Mighty Mach 5
Mega Maneuver,
which he blocks
with a Shaolin
Super Shield!
Then they hit Logan with a
Hyper Hedgehog High Kick,
but she avoids it using her
Timid Tenderfoot Technique!
It’s the greatest martial
arts fight scene ever!
Unfortunately, since
it’s pitch-black, no one
can see it. At least
we saved some serious
money on illustrations.
Logan and Gustavo finally crawl back out of
the hole, beaten and exhausted.
We have to turn over all our
lunch money by 3:33 or we’ll never see
our toys and the playground again.
Taking kids’ lunch
money is my job!
How am I supposed
to make a living?
That blubbering glob of beef jerky is Ignas
Scurge, the school bully....
Stay strong, Ignas! We’ll have
you back to stealing lunch money
in no time.…Wait a second! You’ve
been taking kids’ lunch money?
Oops! Did I say
that? I meant
“helping kids
refinance their
savings.”
Don’t worry, folks.
Our lunch money will be on
the softball field at 3:33,
but they won’t get their
grubby paws on it!
Why’s
that?
Because
we’ll be
waiting
for them!
Chapter 5
CURVEBALL
Murkee Elementary softball field, 3:30 PM.
The lunch money is waiting on second base.
Something else is waiting, too—ten
hidden kids ready to pounce on
whoever shows up to nab it.
Spot the
hidden
kids!
You two look pretty prepared.
That’s a pretty big Tylenol.
Yep. We have a team of kids lying in wait,
and we replaced second base with
a replica made of solid concrete.
Yeah, if a mole digs up
underneath this baby, he’s gonna
smack his noggin so hard, he’ll
need a hundred-pound Tylenol!
So, Logan and Gustavo wait...
and wait...
and wait...
It’s 3:33 PM. I guess
they’re not coming.
Suddenly, a mole on a hang
glider swoops in from above
and swipes the bag of dough!
Hang gliding
moles who
steal kids’
lunch money?
Now I’ve seen
everything!
Well, at least
now we’ll get all
our stuff back!
I’ve changed my mind! I want all of
your lunch money for the next three weeks
dropped off at Hurling Rivers tomorrow
at 5:27 PM. Then maybe you’ll get your
stuff back! If you don’t comply,
I will strike again.…
Criminals these days!
You just can’t take their
word on anything!
This case is
gonna call for a
little after-school
detection.
Okay, seriously,
dude, tell no one
you were here.
Chapter 6
HOMEWORK
When the last bell rings, Logan reluctantly lets
Gustavo come over to work on the case.
If you’re wondering why Logan’s office is in
an ice-cream truck, well, Logan’s mom is an
ice-cream man, uh, I mean person. She just
got a fancy new truck with GPS and automatic
fro-yo dispensers, so she’s letting Logan use her
old one to set up shop.
Wow! A real office!
We’re like a legit
detective team. You
know, like Sherlock
Holmes and Waldo!
It’s Watson.
And this is just a
one-time deal. I’m
only teaming up
with you so we can
stop this creep.
Gustavo is amazed
by Logan’s collection
of mystery books...
her library of detective
shows on video…
and her trophy from
the Murkee City Break
Dancing and Beat Box
Championship?
Give me those!
I was, uh, in
disguise on
an important
undercover
operation.
Whoa! Look at those
fly dance pants!
Don’t freak. That’s just
my dog, Wheelie. He really
likes people…especially
their fingers.
What’s under
this blanket?
Why do you have a chupacabra
in your ice-cream truck?
Wheelie’s 114 in dog years and has wheels on
his hindquarters to help him get around. Most
folks think he’s always angry, but he actually
has many moods:
Grumpy
Cranky
Furious
Cheesed off
Disappointed
About to bite you
Now that Gustavo and Wheelie are acquainted,
Logan pulls out a marker and doodles on the
world’s biggest whiteboard.
She jots down everything that they know about
the suspect.
Gustavo offers his expertise as well....
You’re a really good drawer!
Can you draw Spider-Man
kickboxing a velociraptor?
Focus,
Gustavo!
Focus!
Okay, Miss Nancy Drew-it!
Where do we begin?
Hey! Isn’t he the guy who wrote the nerdy mole
book you got from the library?
Last night I went on the computer and typed in
“abnormal moles.” I haven’t had an appetite since.
Then I typed in “Scapanus orarius,” the scientific
name for moles, and this guy’s site came up.
That’s right,
narrator dude.
And I think it’s
time we paid him
a little visit.
Logan whips out a map of the city to look for
Dr. Yonder’s office at the Bureau of Burrowing.
Find the
Bureau of
Burrowing.
Chapter 7
DEEPLY DISTURBING
Twenty minutes later, Logan and Gustavo
roll up on their skateboards to the Bureau of
Burrowing, in the heart of the Five Boroughs,
in between Budrow’s Burnished Bedroom
Sets and Bureaus and Dos Burros Burritos.
The joint is quiet. Too quiet. It’s got Gustavo
spooked.
Don’t worry.
Wheelie’s here
to protect us.
But who’s gonna
protect me from
Wheelie?
Before entering the building, Logan reminds
Gustavo and Wheelie that Dr. Yonder might
help them solve the case, but he could also be the