The Mudhole Mystery (3 page)

Dunkum looked at his friends. All the Cul-de-sac Kids were gathered around.
They all want to open it
, he thought.

“I'll open the lid,” Jason said. He grabbed hold of the chest before Dunkum could stop him.

“It's so-o exciting,” Stacy said.

Dunkum felt his stomach flip-flop. This was
his
chest. How dare Jason just barge in like this!

Jason bent over the chest. “Is everyone dying to see what's inside?” he asked.

Dunkum could see how excited Jason was. He didn't want to be a poor sport. “Whenever you're ready,” Dunkum said.

Shawn chuckled. “One . . . two . . . three!” he counted.

Jason tried to pry the chest open. His face turned two shades of pink. “Whew! It must be locked.”

“Let me try,” Eric said. He showed off his muscles.

The kids laughed.

Shawn counted to three again.

Eric leaned down and pulled. “Oof!”

But the lid wouldn't move.

Stacy pointed to the gold latch. “Look! It
has
to be locked.”

The boys took turns observing the problem.

Dunkum jiggled the latch.

Jason poked at it.

Eric knocked with his fist.

Shawn studied the lock.

Jimmy talked Korean to it.

The lock was definitely doing its job.

“I wonder where the key might be,” Stacy said.

“There's got to be a key,” Dunkum added.

Eric shook the lock again. “Why would someone bury a locked chest?”

Dunkum frowned. “I wish I knew.”

SIX

“We need a plan,” Dunkum said.

Abby spoke up. “Let's have a meeting.”

Jason jigged around. “Somebody call the meeting to order!” he announced.

“Sit down and we will,” Dunkum said.

Jason plopped down on top of the muddy chest.

“Eew!” the girls shrieked.

Jason just sat there, grinning. “What's the problem?” he asked. “Mud washes off. Right?”

Stacy shook her head. “I really don't
know about you, Jason Birchall.”

Dunkum whistled. “OK, we need to think of a plan. A way to open the chest.”

“Hey, you forgot to call the meeting to order,” Eric said.

“Abby's the club president,” said Dee Dee. “Let her do it.”

Abby tossed her a smile. “The meeting will come to order. Any old business?”

“Yeah,” said Jason. He stuck his foot up. “I've got super muddy sneakers. Anybody worried?”

Carly and Dee Dee giggled.

“Well, at least,
The Stinky Sneakers Mystery
is solved!” said Eric.

“No comment,” Jason said.

“Now for the new business,” Abby said. “Dunkum says we need a plan. Any ideas?”

“We should pick the lock,” Carly said. “Try a toothpick or something.”

“Why didn't
I
think of that?” Dunkum said.

Before anyone could say “mudhole mystery,” Dunkum had dashed out the gate.

“That was quick,” Dee Dee said.

And it was.

In a flash, Dunkum was back with a box of toothpicks. He tried to spring the lock. One toothpick after another snapped in half.

“The problem is the mud,” Dunkum said. “It's all caked up in there.”

“Let me try,” Stacy said. She handed Croaker to Jason. “I'm a fixer-upper.”

Abby agreed. She and Stacy were best friends. Stacy had come to her rescue many times. “Stacy has a steady hand,” said Abby. “Maybe
she
can unlock the mystery chest.”

The kids leaned in closer. They watched as Stacy tried the toothpick trick.

After three tries, Stacy shook her head. “I think we need a different plan.”

Jason said, “Let's try a hammer.”

“Smash the lock?” Abby said. “Is that a good idea?”

“We want the silly thing unlocked, don't we?” Eric asked.

“Eric's right,” Jason piped up,

“Whoa,” said Dunkum. “Maybe we should vote on it.”

Abby called for the vote. “How many want to use the hammer method?”

Everyone voted yes. Everyone except Eric and Abby.

Jason was clapping. “Seven to two. We win!” Off he ran to his house. “Don't do anything without me,” he called.

Abby went to the chest. She rubbed off some more mud. “Hey, look at this,” she said. “There's writing on it.”

The kids pressed against the chest. “What does it say?” they asked.

“It's hard to see,” Abby said. “I think we need some soap and water.”

“I'll ask Mr. Tressler about his garden
hose,” Eric said. “Maybe we could use it.”

Dunkum ran to Mr. Tressler's back door.

Soon, the man was outside, standing on his deck. “My, oh my. Did all of you come for a visit?” He waved his cane at the kids cheerfully.

The kids waved back.

Abby hurried across the lawn. “We hope you don't mind,” she said. “Dunkum's found a mudhole he likes to dig in and—”

“There's a
hole
in my yard?” Mr. Tressler said. “Where?”

“Come, we'll show you.” Abby led the old gentleman to the mudhole. Dunkum followed close behind. He was a bit worried.

Mr. Tressler leaned on his cane and looked down at the mudhole. “Well, what do you know—” His voice stopped.

Dunkum was even more worried. “I've been digging here for the longest time. Before anyone lived here.”

Mr. Tressler's eyes squinted. “Well is that so?”

Dunkum thought,
Am I in trouble?

Mr. Tressler saw the muddy chest. “Just what do we have here?”

“Just something we found,” Dunkum explained.

Mr. Tressler wasn't smiling. “Looks to me like you
dug
it up. Dug it right out of my yard.”

“Uh . . . yes, sir, we did,” Dunkum said. He wanted to tell the old man about all the fun they'd had. About the shiny gold lock. About the old chest. But something made him stop. It was the frown on Mr. Tressler's face.

“This is
my
property,” Mr. Tressler said. “You should have asked me.”

Dunkum felt jittery.

“That's only good manners,” Mr. Tressler explained.

Dunkum sighed. “I'm sorry about the hole. We should've talked to you first.”

“It's too late for that,” Mr. Tressler said.

Dunkum saw Jason running down the street. He was waving a hammer.

Mr. Tressler turned around, in time to see Jason. “What's that in his hand?” the man asked.

The kids stared at Dunkum.

Dunkum gulped. They were going to smash the lock on a chest. On something they'd found in a mudhole. Something that didn't belong to any of them.

Jason was out of breath. “I came as fast as I could.”

Mr. Tressler turned and looked at Jason. “What's the hammer for, young man?”

Jason's eyes blinked. Fast.

Like Croaker's
, thought Dunkum.

Jason looked first at Dunkum, then at Mr. Tressler. “I . . . uh . . . I . . .” Jason tried to speak.

This isn't Jason's fault
, thought Dunkum. He felt sorry. Sorry and sad.

But what could Dunkum say?

SEVEN

“Digging was
my
idea,” Dunkum blurted. “Not Jason's.”

Mr. Tressler rubbed his pointy chin. “I see.”

“Dunkum's telling the truth,” Abby said.

Mr. Tressler looked at each of the Cul-de-sac Kids. “Exactly what is going on here?”

Dunkum took a deep breath. “I was playing in the mud,” he began. “Something hard and big was in there. I wanted
to get it out. Really bad.”

Abby nodded. “That's when Stacy got all of us to come. We helped Dunkum pull out the old chest.”

“Interesting,” said Mr. Tressler. He tapped his cane on the ground. “Tell me more.”

Abby stood beside him. “Something is written on it. Come look!”

Mr. Tressler hobbled over to the old chest.

Abby showed him where the faint letters were printed. Right on top.

“We wanted to borrow your garden hose,” Jason chimed in. “So Abby could read the words.”

Mr. Tressler tried to brush off the dried mud. He peered down at the dim writing. “Yes, yes. I see what you mean.” He turned around and ordered Jason to get the hose.

“Yes, sir!” Jason said. And off he ran to the house.

The garden hose cleaned things right up.

The Cul-de-sac Kids took turns reading these words:
Time Capsule—Beware!

Dunkum's heart was pounding. “We have to get the chest open.” He remembered that he should ask. “Um, Mr. Tressler, is it OK with you?”

Dunkum saw a familiar twinkle in the man's eyes.

“Well now, you and your friends better get a move on,” Mr. Tressler ordered.

“Yes!” Dunkum cheered.

“Double dabble good!” Abby shouted.

“Let's open the time capsule!” Jason hollered. He handed the hammer to Dunkum.

Dunkum raised the hammer high.

“Wait!” said Shawn. “We count first.”

Dunkum knew what Shawn meant. “OK, you do the counting.”

Shawn's dark eyes sparkled. “One . . . two . . . three!”

Carly and Jimmy covered their ears.

Ka-whack!

The hammer hit hard.

The lock popped.

“It's open!” Eric shouted. And he and the others pulled the lid up.

The kids crowded around. They stared into the chest.

“Wow, this is so cool,” said Stacy.

“I've never seen a
real
time capsule,” Dunkum said.

“What are the paper bags for?” Carly asked.

Jimmy leaned over and poked at the brown bags inside the chest.

Dunkum said, “Looks like someone wrapped up objects in lunch bags.” He held little Jimmy up for a closer look.

“I never see time capsule in Korea,” Jimmy said. He reached down and pulled something out. “Open up, yes?”

“First, Mr. Tressler should have a look,” Dunkum said.