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| Solve-it 26 | ||
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The Case of the Disappearing Signs (Solution now available) |
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| Featuring Nina Chase & Max Decker | ||
| Go to previous Solve-it>> |
Nina was eating cold pizza for lunch at Max's house one hot July
day. Mrs. Decker came in looking warm and weary.
"I'm so disgusted," she said. "Remember that old house over on
Norton Drive that I listed? I put a FOR SALE sign up in the yard
early this morning. Just drove by now and it's gone. This is the
third one this month that has disappeared."
"Why would anyone steal a realtor's signs?" Nina asked. "What
would anybody do with them?"
"Who knows?" Mrs. Decker poured herself a glass of lemonade.
"Probably some kids with nothing better to do. I suppose they could
use the signs to build something. They were the wooden ones."
Max nudged Nina. "Want to bike over and see what we can find
out?"
"Not much there to see," his mother told him. "Only two houses
on that whole street. An old lady-Mrs. Stearns-lives in the house
next to the empty one."
"Maybe she saw something," Nina said. "Let's go ask."
Half an hour later the two were biking toward the end of Norton
Drive. A pick-up truck was parked in front of the empty house. A man
was standing on the sidewalk looking in all directions.
"You kids know anything about this place?" he asked. "I'm from
out of town, and my nephew has been checking houses for me this past
month. He thought I might like the one at the end of Norton Drive,
so he let me borrow his truck to drive over here. But I don't know
if this is the house he meant. There aren't any signs."
"This house is for sale," Max told him. "My mom is the real
estate agent."
"Great! Then can you tell me her name and company? I'd like to
ask about this property. Paul tells me that houses in this part of
town sell fast. He says this one has been on the market for quite
some time. Glad I got here before it was sold! Just couldn't get
over here any sooner."
As soon as Max gave him the information, the man drove off. Nina
stared after the truck. "Know what? His nephew, Paul, might have
taken the signs. Maybe he didn't want people to see that the house
was for sale until his uncle had a chance to look at it. You can put
lots of things in the back of a truck."
Max nodded. "Let's ask this Mrs. Stearns if she saw anything
this morning."
Mrs. Stearns came to the screen as soon as the two knocked. She
was gray-haired, but she stood straight and tall. "Oh, I think I
know who might have taken those signs," she told them. "Freddie
Swanson. He lives a block away, but he's always up to mischief."
She held the door open as she talked, so Nina peeked inside. She
liked the cozy living room. The sofa and chairs were velvet-covered
antiques. Lace doilies covered the end tables. A large painting hung
over the intricately- carved fireplace mantel, and a cheerful fire
crackled below.
"I know Freddie," Max said. "And I know where he lives. Let's go
see him."
Freddie was putting a lawn mower in the garage when they reached
his house. He mopped his brow, as he talked to them. "Why would I
take a dumb old sign?" he asked. "Besides, I've been out here doing
yard work all morning." Nina stared past him at the garage. Her
parents could hardly get their car in her garage at home because of
all the stuff in it, but this one was practically bare. Then she
noticed a crudely built tree house in the yard. The boards were gray
and weather-beaten.
She and Max talked as they biked back to his house. Mrs. Decker
was washing the lunch dishes when they banged into the house.
"We think we know who took the signs," Nina told her.
Can you solve the case?
| Whom does Nina suspect? | |
Paul |
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