Judy Moody, Girl Detective - Megan Mcdonald [5]
“I hope you don’t mind dog kisses,” said Officer Kopp.
“Nope,” said Judy. “They tickle!”
Next, Mr. Chips sniffed Judy’s backpack all over. Finally, Officer Kopp held the backpack up to Mr. Chips’s nose and gave him a voice command. “Find.”
“Okay, I’ll take Mr. Chips backstage now. That will give you a chance to hide your backpack. It’s like a game of hide-and-seek. Ready?”
“Ready,” said Judy. Officer Kopp took Mr. Chips behind the thick velvet curtain. “No peeking, Mr. Chips!” Judy called over her shoulder.
Judy walked down the center aisle, snaking through the first-graders. She cut through the row in front of the second-graders and hopped right over Stink’s legs. Then she walked backward all the way to the center aisle.
“Hide it under Mr. Todd’s chair,” yelled some third-graders. But Judy only walked around Mr. Todd’s chair, then zigzagged through the fourth- and fifth-graders.
“Behind the bleachers!” kids yelled.
“Hide it in the basketball hoop!”
“Trash can! Trash can!”
Finally, she stopped in front of the closet where the gym teacher kept all the gym balls, jump ropes, and orange cones. Judy checked to make sure Mr. Chips wasn’t watching. Quietly, she opened the door. “Ooh-ee!” The closet was dusty and smelled like feet — Stink’s smelly sneakers times ten. Judy pinched her nose. “This smells so bad it’s giving me a nose wedgie.” The audience laughed like crazy.
In the closet sat a big wire basket loaded with soccer balls and basketballs, volleyballs and kickballs. Judy buried her backpack deep down in the middle of the pile of dusty, dirty balls. Judy shut the door silently behind her and returned to the stage.
Everybody hushed when Mr. Chips came out from behind the curtain. The puppy led Officer Kopp down the side steps. Then he padded down the center aisle, following Judy’s trail. He sniffed his way through the second grade, trotting up to Stink. He hopped over Stink’s legs and sped up the center aisle.
When he got to Mr. Todd’s chair, he ran in circles like crazy.
“He’s chasing his tail,” yelled Frank.
“Give him a chance,” somebody else yelled.
“C’mon, Mr. Chips,” Judy coaxed. “You can do it.” But Mr. Chips had stopped in his tracks. He looked confused.
“Give him a minute,” said Officer Kopp. “It’s not over yet.”
Suddenly, Mr. Chips raised his nose in the air. He sniffed left. He sniffed right. Zoom! He shot off again, zigzagging his way through the fourth-and fifth-graders. At last, he came to the door of the closet.
“Arf! Arf! Arf-arf-arf,” Mr. Chips barked at the door. Officer Kopp opened the door. Mr. Chips bounded in and knocked over the wire basket full of balls. Boing! Boing! Mr. Chips pawed his way through the bouncing balls. In no time, he was trotting up to Officer Kopp, Judy’s backpack hanging from his mouth.
The whole audience went cuckoo, clapping and cheering. “Good boy!” said Officer Kopp. Mr. Chips wagged his tail like crazy.
“Whoa.” The crowd buzzed.
“How’d he do that?”
“Wow.”
“It’s magic.”
Officer Kopp went back onstage with Mr. Chips and took a bow. “Sergeant Super-Sniffer! The best partner a guy could have. Thanks, Virginia Dare School. You’ve been a great audience!”
Mr. Chips hung out his tongue and wagged his windshield-wiper tail. From where Judy sat, it almost looked as if Mr. Chips were smiling.
The next day, and the day after that, all anybody could talk about at Virginia Dare School was Sergeant Super-Sniffer, aka Mr. Chips.
Then, late Friday afternoon, something happened. Something big. Judy was smack-dab in the middle of an important case — Nancy Drew book #15, that is: The Haunted Bridge — when the loudspeaker crackled. Judy jumped five feet and yelled, “Yurp,” wrecking the silent in silent reading.
“Teachers and students,” said Principal Tuxedo over the intercom. “I have an important announcement to make. Officer Kopp called to alert us that Mr. Chips has gone missing!” This was terrible news. Awful news. No-good, way-bad news. “The dog was last seen in the Bird Neck neighborhood on Abigail Lane at seven this morning.