Free Sly the Sleuth and the Pet Mysteries by Donna Jo Napoli Page B

another hole. There wasn’t one.
    Clarissa had disappeared.
    â€œBoo!”
    I jumped.
    But it was just my friend Jack, jumping at me.
    â€œWhat are you doing here?” I asked Jack.
    â€œThis is my yard. What are you doing here?”
    â€œOh, I didn’t recognize your house from the back.”
    â€œYou didn’t answer me,” said Jack.
    â€œI’m being Sly the Sleuth today. And I’m looking for Clarissa.”
    â€œYou’re not supposed to go in other people’s yards unless they invite you. Didn’t anyone ever tell you that? And there’s no Clarissa here.”
    â€œDid you see a fat cat?”
    â€œOf course I saw a fat cat,” said Jack.“That’s my cat.”
    â€œYour cat is fat?” I said. Maybe it was something in the water on this block.
    â€œI think she looks tough,” said Jack.
    â€œThat’s fine with me,” I said. “Could I meet her?”

    â€œShe’s eating, and she doesn’t like to be bothered when she’s eating. Then she’ll nap. And she doesn’t like to be bothered when she’s napping either.”
    â€œI’ll wait,” I said.
    â€œGood.You can practice passing the soccer ball with me.”
    â€œUh, I play baseball. I stink at soccer. I’ll go wait on the front sidewalk,” I said.

All Cats Do
    â€œWhat are you doing sitting on the sidewalk?” It was Kate. She was standing over me. “You’re supposed to be working.”
    â€œWe never talked about my fee,” I said.
    â€œWhat is it?”
    Since this was my first case, I had no idea. “The usual,” I said.
    Kate blinked. “Will two doll dresses be enough?”
    â€œI don’t like dolls,” I said. “I don’t even have any.”
    â€œWell, that’s what I have.”
    I could always trade doll dresses for something better. “Okay,” I said.
    â€œSo get up and work,” said Kate.
    â€œI am working,” I said. “Do you drink the same water that Clarissa drinks?”
    â€œSure,” said Kate. “Except she also drinks from rain puddles, and I don’t.”
    Kate was thin. So that ruled out the idea that the water was the cause.
    â€œGet up and work,” said Kate. Boy, she could be bossy.
    â€œI happen to be working very hard,” I said.“I’m tracking Clarissa.”
    â€œWell, if you’re tracking her, you better go before she gets out of sight.”
    â€œWhat?” I looked where Kate pointed. There was Clarissa, trotting slowly along the sidewalk toward the corner. “Does your cat wander a lot?”
    â€œOf course,” said Kate. “All cats do.”
    I didn’t know if that was true.Taxi always came when I called. But maybe she knew when I wouldn’t call her and that’s when she wandered. Maybe she wandered far when I was at school or sleeping. “Bye,” I said. I followed Clarissa.

Two Too Many
    Clarissa turned the corner and cut into someone’s yard. She went around the side of their house.
    I remembered what Jack had said about going into other people’s yards. But what choice did I have? I followed Clarissa.
    When I got to the side of the house, she was gone.
    I ran to the backyard.
    No Clarissa.
    I could see a woman standing at her kitchen sink. I went up and knocked on the side door.
    The woman opened the door. “Yes?”
    â€œI’m looking for a fat cat.”

    â€œMy cat is slightly overweight,” said the woman with a sniff. “But I wouldn’t call her fat.”
    â€œYou have a fat cat?” I practically yelped. This was remarkable.
    â€œI told you that’s not the word I would use. Although I admit that’s what our vet’s assistant said.”
    Now I was totally suspicious.Three fat cats was two too many. “Is her name Clarissa?”
    â€œNo. She’s Punky.”
    Punky was not half bad for a cat’s name.