The Case of the Haunted Scarecrow Read online

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  For Mags, you’ve got a great smile, kid.

  Chapter

  1

  Leaves

  Every fall my dad makes us rake the yard, front and back. He calls it “The Big Fall Cleanup.”

  I call it something else.

  Yeesh.

  My oldest brother, Billy, wasn’t around to help. He worked weekends at the gas station. And my sister, Hillary, was like a magician. If there was work to do—poof!—she disappeared. That left me and my brothers Daniel and Nick.

  I leaned against my rake and groaned. “How come we always get the dirty work?”

  “Almost done, boys,” my dad hollered from the front stoop, a newspaper open on his lap. He enjoyed watching us work. Rags sat beside him, slobbering cheerfully. Rags liked watching us work, too.

  The lazy furball.

  “Me and Nick are starting a leaf-raking business,” Daniel told my dad.

  “Oh?”

  “Yeah,” Nick chimed in. “We put up flyers and everything.”

  “Good for you,” my dad said. “But you’ve got competition. Buzzy Lennon has most of the neighborhood all signed up.”

  “Buzzy’s a rip-off artist!” Daniel exclaimed. “His prices are way too high. I heard he charged poor old Mrs. Rigby a hundred dollars last year.”

  “Buzzy’s a thief,” Nick claimed. “That’s why we’re gonna steal his business!”

  He smiled like a fox.

  Then he pushed Daniel into a leaf pile. Daniel turned and tackled Nick around the legs. Naturally, I joined in. That was probably a mistake. Daniel and Nick were stronger than me. Pretty soon I was getting the worst of it.

  I felt like an ant at a square dance. Squish, squish, if you know what I mean.

  Buzz, buzz. Daniel pulled a phone from his back pocket. He glanced at the message and frowned. “That’s weird.”

  “Put that phone down,” Nick said to Daniel. “I need help stuffing this scarecrow.”

  I squirmed while Nick kneeled on my chest. He shoved crispy leaves down my shirt.

  “Time out for second,” Daniel declared. “Jigsaw, do you know a girl named Kim Lewis?”

  “She’s in my class,” I said.

  Daniel glanced down at his phone. “Well, I just got a text from her sister, Kayla. She says that Kim needs a detective. The famous Jigsaw Jones, world-famous detective and scarecrow!”

  Nick rolled off my chest, though I could tell it broke his heart. I rose to my feet. Crunch, crackle. A few leaves had found their way inside my underwear. I staggered to Daniel, rustling and crackling with each step. “Let me borrow your phone,” I said. “These mysteries don’t solve themselves.”

  Chapter

  2

  The Client

  I climbed up to my tree house. Ten feet off the ground, it was where I did all my Big Thinking. I sat down (crunch, crackle) and spoke into the phone, “Jigsaw Jones, private eye.”

  “Jigsaw?! This is Kim Lewis from Ms. Gleason’s class. I need your help.”

  I told her she had called the right place. For a dollar a day, I made problems go away.

  We talked briefly. Kim mentioned a stolen necklace. She talked about a mysterious note. We decided to meet at her house. An hour later, I’d washed my face, combed my hair, eaten lunch, and changed my underwear. Now I could walk without itching.

  Mila Yeh was waiting outside. We’d been friends since forever. Maybe longer. Mila was also my partner. We ran the best detective agency in the school.

  “So what’s this about?” Mila asked.

  “It’s about a stolen necklace,” I replied.

  Mila whistled. “Sounds like a mystery to me.”

  Softly, Mila began to sing. Nothing new there. Mila was always singing something. She liked taking regular old songs and making up brand-new words. I recognized the tune. It was the “glory, glory” song, called “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” Instead of the word Hallelujah, she sang Kimmy Lewis.

  “Glory, glory, Kimmy Lewis!

  What’s the story, Kimmy Lewis?

  What’s the story, Kimmy Lewis?

  We need the facts right now!”

  I interrupted Mila to point out a flyer on a tree.

  “That’s the third one so far,” I commented. “Wow, my brothers really plastered the neighborhood.”

  Something caught Mila’s attention. She slowed to a stop. “Look, it’s the Rigby place.” Mila pointed at a large gray house. It was badly in need of repairs. Paint peeled and shutters banged. The lawn was thick with leaves and weeds. A group of trees stood before us, with bare branches swaying in the wind. “Spooky, huh?” Mila murmured.

  An old woman lived there. Too frail and alone to keep up with the chores.

  Creeeak. An old tree groaned in the wind.

  “Hey, a scarecrow,” Mila noticed. The scarecrow was propped up in a lawn chair, staring out through pumpkiny eyes. It sat in the front yard, near a thicket of overgrown bushes. It wore blue jeans and a flannel shirt.

  In fact, it was dressed better than me.

  A long, low howl came from a nearby house. Then another: A-oooooo, a-oooooo.

  “Let’s go,” I told Mila. “This place creeps me out.”

  Mila stared at the scarecrow, then back at the silent house. She twirled her long black hair, lost in thought. “I wonder how that got there,” Mila murmured.

  “Hello? Earth to Mila?” I interrupted. “Come on already. Kim lives around the corner.”

  Kim met us at the front door. She had short hair and neat, straight teeth. Three freckles danced on the tip of her nose. People said that Kim Lewis was cute as a button. I didn’t know about that. I’d never seen a cute button before.

  “I’ve been a mess since I found the note,” Kim admitted. “My sister Kayla suggested I call you.”

  I chewed on that fact for a while. It was like cafeteria food. I had a hard time swallowing it. Kayla Lewis was in middle school with my brother Daniel. And, to be honest, I was surprised she recommended me.

  I didn’t think she knew my name.

  Go figure.

  “Can we see the note?” Mila asked.

  Kim led us into her bedroom. She lifted a sheet of paper off her dresser. “I found it this morning.”

  I read the note:

  * * *

  We have your necklace.

  If you want it back,

  Do what we tell you.

  We’ll contact you soon.

  * * *

  “We, huh?” I said.

  Kim looked at me.

  “Not a one-person job,” I noted. “We means two or more.”

  Chapter

  3

  The Ransom Note

  “The note is typewritten,” I observed.

  “Probably done on a home computer,” Mila concluded. “It’s perfect. The punctuation is correct. No spelling mistakes.”

&nb
sp; I smirked. “At least we know Bobby Solofsky isn’t behind this. He can’t spell!”

  “Why would you suspect him?” Kim asked.

  “Everyone is a suspect,” I told Kim, “especially Bobby Solofsky. He’s been a stone in my shoe for years.”

  “A stone?”

  “It’s like a pain in the neck,” I explained. “Only lower.”

  I scribbled in my detective journal.

  “Where did you find the note?” I questioned.

  “It was sticking out from under my jewelry box,” Kim answered.

  I picked up the box. “Mind if I look?”

  Kim shrugged. “Sure.”

  The box was filled with jewelry. Most of it was cheap plastic. There were also some shells, a few rocks, and a couple hair clips.

  “Most of that jewelry is play stuff,” Kim explained. “You know, for dress-up. I kept the necklace in there.”

  “Was anything else taken?” Mila asked.

  “No,” Kim answered. “Just the necklace.”

  “Really?” I was surprised. “This necklace, was it worth a lot of money?”

  Kim blinked, long and slow. She twisted her mouth into a smile. Kim was trying to put on a brave face—and doing a pretty good job of it, too. She answered, “Not really valuable, I guess. It was just fake pearls, you know, nothing expensive. But …”

  “But what?” Mila asked.

  Kim touched her bare neck. “The necklace was a gift from my grandmother. And, you know, she died about a year ago. So I guess it means a lot to me.” Kim glanced around the room. She suddenly seemed lost and confused. Like she didn’t know where to turn. Then, to my surprise, she turned to me. Her words barely broke a whisper. “That necklace is like a memory, Jigsaw. A memory I don’t want to lose.”

  She paused. “I want it back.”

  I’d seen that same look on other clients. Kim was counting on me. That’s the way it is when you’re a detective. You’re the guy who is supposed to make everything right. And for a dollar a day, you do the best you can.

  Chapter

  4

  The Mysterious Caller

  “What should I do now?” Kim asked.

  “Do what the note tells you to do,” I said. “Sit back and wait.”

  “That’s it?” Kim moaned. “Sit and wait?!”

  Kim looked out the window, as if expecting the thieves to ring her doorbell.

  I tried to sound patient and calm. “Listen to me, Kim. This looks like a ransom note. Know what that means?”

  Kim settled on the edge of the bed. “Yes,” she sighed. “They’ll want money.”

  “Probably,” I stated. “We won’t know for sure until the thief contacts you again.”

  Mila added, “Most likely you’ll get a call. The thieves will want to arrange a drop-off, a secret place to leave the money.”

  “I don’t have a phone,” Kim said.

  “They’ll find a way,” I said. “Bad guys always do.”

  Kim nodded, looking solemn and worried.

  I wiggled two fingers. “The way I figure it, you have two choices. First you could refuse to play ball. Ignore the note. Don’t accept any messages. Hire us … and maybe we can get your necklace back.”

  “Maybe?” Kim echoed.

  “No promises,” I said. “No guarantees.”

  “What’s my second choice?”

  “You do what they ask,” I said. “If they want money, you pay it. It’s the surest way to get your necklace back. Think it over.” I stretched my arms and yawned. “Meanwhile, do you have any spare grape juice? I’m as dry as the Sahara.”

  Kim brought in a tall stack of Pringles and three glasses of ginger ale. I wrote the word SUSPECTS in my journal. “Can you think of anyone who might have taken your necklace?” I inquired.

  Kim shook her head.

  Mila placed a hand on Kim’s arm. She said in soft tones, “We’ll need a list of anyone who could have gotten into your room. Friends and family.”

  Kim chewed on her lower lip. “I’ve got two older sisters and a younger brother. Kayla, Kelly, and Kyle,” she said. “Danika slept over yesterday …”

  “Danika Starling?” Mila asked.

  Kim’s eyes narrowed. “Yeah, she’s here all the time.”

  I glanced at Mila. Danika was in our class. “Does Danika know where you keep your jewelry?” I questioned.

  “Of course,” Kim answered sharply. “But you don’t think …”

  I held out my hands. “Look, Kim. I’m a detective. I keep asking questions until I like the answers.”

  Kim’s face flushed red. “Well, don’t ask questions about Danika. She would never, ever steal from me!”

  We sat in silence. The room darkened as daylight turned to dusk outside the window. A sudden rap on the door startled us. “Kimmy, telephone!” a female voice announced.

  “Who is it, Kayla?” Kim shouted at the door.

  “He didn’t say,” Kayla screamed back. “And I didn’t ask.”

  We followed Kim into the kitchen. I heard footsteps clomping up the stairs. Kayla, I guessed. I glanced out the kitchen window. A white mountain bike with red front forks was locked beside an apple tree in the backyard. It was a Schwinn Moab 3—a very cool bike. I wished it were mine.

  Kim picked up the phone. “Hello? Hello? Is anyone…?” She fell silent.

  Mila placed her ear near the receiver, trying to listen in. After a minute, Kim spoke. “Yes, yes. The leaning oak. Penny Lane. By the Rigby house. Uh-huh. Now?!”

  Kim turned to us, a look of surprise on her face. “He hung up.”

  “He?” I echoed. “Are you sure?”

  Kim nodded. She was sure.

  “I heard a giggle in the background,” Mila added. “A girl, I think.”

  “A giggle, huh. I guess they think this is a joke,” I said. “Well, I’m not laughing. What did the voice want?”

  “You,” Kim replied.

  “Me?”

  “Yes.” Kim nodded. “You, Jigsaw.”

  Chapter

  5

  The Scarecrow

  “They want you to deliver the money,” Kim said.

  And that was that. In one swoop, I went from detective to delivery boy. I was supposed to go to a tree, put three dollars in a hole, and leave. The voice said he’d return the necklace after I made the drop-off.

  “I don’t get it,” Mila complained. “Why Jigsaw? How did they know he was here?”

  “They must be watching the house,” I concluded. “I doubt it’s a one-person job. You heard giggles on the phone, remember.”

  Mila remembered.

  Kim shivered—and not because the house was drafty. She ran her fingers across the front of her neck. It was a habit. She was feeling for a necklace that wasn’t there.

  “Let’s do this,” I declared.

  Kim went to her room. She returned with four dollars. One for me. Three for the ransom. “You better hurry,” she said. “They want you there right away.”

  I didn’t like it. But I didn’t have to like it. It was a job. Like raking leaves or selling lemonade. So off I went, into the dusky night. Mila stayed behind to keep Kim company.

  I walked down Abbey Road. The evening chill nibbled on my ears like a pet parakeet. I turned right onto Penny Lane. The night was brisk and gloomy. I noticed that someone had ripped down one of my brothers’ leaf-raking signs.

  I came to the leaning oak tree. Its long branches reached out over the sidewalk. I shoved my hands into my pockets. There was no one in sight. But I had a perfect view of the Rigby place across the street.

  A black cat slinked across the lawn.

  There was one lonely light on in the old house. I may have glimpsed a shadow drift behind a curtain, then disappear. In that gloom, even the trees seemed lonely. Their leafless branches looked like twisted arms, the twigs like crippled fingers. I flicked up the collar of my jacket. A dog howled.

  A-ooooo. A-ooooo.

  I looked into the night sky. Th
ere was no moon. Just the pale yellow of distant stars. Well, it was time to finish the job. I soon found a small hollow in the tree. The kind of hole where a chipmunk or snake might hide. I peeked inside.

  And there it was.

  The necklace.

  I pulled the three dollars from my pocket. I hesitated, the money still in my hand. It made no sense. Why should I pay the robbers when I already had the necklace?

  And why was the necklace here?

  I didn’t have time to answer my own questions.

  I heard a noise. Maybe it was a faint whisper, or the scraping of a shoe on cement. Maybe a flashlight flickered, then died. For whatever reason, I looked toward the Rigby place.

  What I saw made my heart stop.

  The scarecrow on Mrs. Rigby’s lawn was standing. Staring straight at me. It was … alive.

  I pressed myself against the tree. If I breathed, it was by accident. The scarecrow moved stiffly, as if waking from a long sleep. First one step, then another. Like a mummy. Or a living zombie.

  Coming toward me.

  Step by step.

  I squeezed my eyes tight, trying to shut away the fear. But when I opened them, the creature was coming closer. Ever closer.

  I clutched Kim’s necklace in my hand.

  And ran.

  Chapter

  6

  Bad for Business

  I called Kim’s house the moment I got home. “I’ve got your necklace,” I told her.

  Kim was thrilled. Mila, on the other hand, was not. She didn’t understand why I didn’t return to Kim’s house. “Now I have to walk home alone,” Mila complained.