Free The Case of the Cool-Itch Kid by Blanche Sims Page A

nose.
    Dawn gritted her teeth. “I’m trying, Cool-Itch.”
    She slid into the seat next to Jill.
    Jill smiled at her. “I’m the one who always bumps into things.”
    Dawn smiled back. Jill was a good friend.
    She had four braids, a round face, and a huge western hat,
    Dawn clicked her teeth.
    She wished she had thought of a western hat.
    What else had she forgotten?
    Something.
    She couldn’t think of it, though.
    Dawn wished she had a window seat.
    She leaned across Jill.
    It was hard to see.
    The window was cracked . . . cracked like a spider web.
    Someone yelled, “Time to sing.”
    Dawn turned around.
    It was a girl with a thousand freckles.
    “I always go to this camp,” said the girl. “I know all about it.” She opened her mouth.
    “ ‘Home. Home on the range . . .’ ”
    Dawn sang, too.
    She was glad she had a nice loud voice.
    She banged the top of the seat in front of her.
    Where the deer — BANG
    And the an-te-lope play.
    BANG. BANG.
    The fresh face kid turned around. “In a minute I’m going to punch you in the nose.”
    Fresh Face looked big. She looked strong.
    Dawn stopped banging.
    She sat back and closed her eyes.
    She was sick of this ride.
    It was bumpy.
    It was taking forever.
    It was time to look at Noni’s Remember Me Bag.
    There was nothing else to do.
    She pulled out the fat paper bag. It was tied with green wool. “Good stuff in here,” she told Jill.
    Jill leaned over. “Something to eat, I hope.”
    Dawn untied the wool. She dug into the bag.
    A package of butterscotch candy with a note: “Brush your teeth after this.”
    Homemade chocolate chip cookies.
    A pink and purple I LOVE MY GRANDMOTHER pin.
    And best of all, a mirror . . . a mirror with beautiful beach shells around the edge.
    “Gorgeous,” said Dawn.
    “Lucky,” said Jill.
    “Double lucky,” someone said. It was a girl with gold fingernails. She was leaning across the aisle.
    Dawn reached deeper into the bag. “There’s more, I think.”
    “Rest stop,” called Miss Perry.
    Bump! The bus stopped to let them out.
    Dawn handed a butterscotch candy to Jill.
    She shoved one in her own mouth.
    She put the bag on her seat. They’d look at the rest later.
    Outside, everyone began to run around.
    Some kids played hide-and-seek.
    Some kids went into the girls’ room.
    The rest lined up at the Triple Dipple Gum Machine.
    “That’s for me,” said Jill.
    Dawn shook her head. “I need a drink.”
    She stood in line in back of Fresh Face.
    She made an anteater face when Fresh Face wasn’t looking.
    Then Miss Perry blew her whistle.
    It was time to get back on the bus.
    The bus drove around the circle to meet them.
    It bumped over the curb.
    It screeched to a stop.
    Dawn climbed up. She stopped at her seat. “You first,” she told Jill.
    “Look,” Jill said.
    Dawn looked down.
    Her Remember Me Bag was a mess.
    Things were all over the floor.
    “Oh, no,” she said.
    “Oh, no,” Jill said, too.
    They scrambled to pick things up.
    A pink swirly pencil.
    A box of Cool Cat writing paper.
    The pink and purple I LOVE MY GRANDMOTHER pin was gone.
    So was her mirror . . . her beautiful beach shell mirror.
    A chocolate chip cookie had a bite in it.

    Dawn swallowed. She felt like crying.
    Jill looked as if she were going to cry, too.
    “Horrible,” Dawn said. She held up the cookie with two fingers. “How could anyone eat my food?”
    “Maybe someone was hungry?” Jill said.
    “Gross,” said Dawn.
    “Very hungry?” Jill asked.
    “No,” said Dawn. “They should have asked.” She frowned. “There’s a thief on this bus. A grandmother pin thief. A beach shell mirror thief.”
    Jill’s lip was quivering. “A real thief?”
    “Of course, a real thief,” said Dawn.
    She looked around. It was a good thing she was the Polka Dot Detective.
    She had a mystery to solve.
    And as soon as she solved it, she was going straight home!

CHAPTER 3
    T HE BUS DRIVER beeped his horn.
    “Here we are,” yelled Miss