The Mudhole Mystery (4 page)

Jimmy held on to the squished-up paper bag.

Mr. Tressler leaned over and peeked, too. “What are we waiting for? Let's unwrap the loot!”

Dunkum didn't have to be told twice. “Go for it!” he said with a grin.

EIGHT

The Cul-de-sac Kids reached into the chest. They pulled out packages of different sizes and shapes. Some long and short. Some giant sized and mini.

Abby had a suggestion. “Someone should be taking notes.”

“Good idea,” Eric said. “But who's gonna get the paper?”

The kids looked at each other. No one seemed interested. Not with a time capsule right in front of their noses.

“Aw, forget the paper,” Jason said. He
stared at the package in his hands.

Some of the kids agreed. “Yeah, forget it,” they said.

Abby frowned. “Don't tell me, we have to vote about this, too?”

“No!” Dunkum said. He was sick of voting. “Somebody start opening.”

“I start,” said Jimmy.

RIP!
He tore the old paper bag off.

Jimmy held up a cardboard tube. “Too hard to open,” he said.

Mr. Tressler pulled out his pocket-knife. “Here you are, young fella. This will help.”

Dunkum helped Jimmy cut open the long tube.

“Hey, check this out,” Dunkum said. He unrolled a piece of paper. When it was flattened, he held it up. “It's a note.”

“Read it!” Jason said.

Dunkum scanned the page. “It says, ‘If you find this time capsule, it belongs to you.' ”

“Hey, that's us!” Dee Dee said.

It belongs to me
, thought Dunkum.

“Keep reading,” Abby said.

“OK.” Dunkum continued. “ ‘The objects in this time capsule will tell all about us.' ”

“Us?” Stacy said. “Who is
us
?”

“Is the paper signed?” asked Eric.

Dunkum looked closely. “It's signed, ‘The Cul-de-sac Club—CDSC.' ”

“Wow,” Jason said. “There must've been
other
kids living here—in the cul-de-sac!”

“Yeah, long before us,” said Abby.

“Who were they?” asked Dee Dee.

“Where are they now?” said Dunkum.

Mr. Tressler waved his cane. “I have an idea,” he said. “Why not open the rest of the packages? Maybe you'll find out.”

“I'm next!” Jason said.

Everyone watched Jason pull out a tattered book. “Hey,” he said. “It's a Sherlock Holmes mystery.”

Dunkum's mouth dropped open. “You're kidding.”

“Nope,” said Jason. “See for yourself.”

Dunkum looked at the book. “This is so weird.”

“What's weird about an old book?” Abby asked.

Dunkum's face looked strange. Almost white. “I'll tell you why,” he said. His voice was almost a whisper. “Because today is May the twenty-second.”

“So?” Jason said.

“What's special about May the twenty-second?” Stacy asked.

Dunkum took a deep breath. “Today is Mysteries Are Marvelous Day. It's to celebrate Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's birthday,” he explained.

“Who's Sir Arthur . . . whatever the rest of his name is?” Carly asked. She flipped one of her curls.

Dunkum glanced at Mr. Tressler. “
You
know, don't you?” he asked the old gentleman.

Mr. Tressler nodded. “I certainly do. You see, when I was a boy, Sherlock Holmes was my hero. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote my favorite books. He was born on this very day—back in 1859.”

“Wow,” Abby said. “No wonder Dunkum was freaked out.”

“It's mighty strange, if I do say so myself,” Mr. Tressler remarked.

Dunkum couldn't believe it. Here it was May twenty-second, and he'd found a time capsule. And a Sherlock Holmes book!

Some kid had lived around here long ago. He'd loved mysteries, too. Probably someone his age.

Where was that kid now?

NINE

Stacy unwrapped another object. It was a word puzzle book. The answers were all filled in.

Next it was Abby's turn. Then Carly's.

Shawn and Eric came next. Last was Dee Dee and Dunkum.

The pile of items was growing. There was a dog collar and dish. And a Sunday school lesson.

A baseball glove, a ball, and a pack of gum. The glove was ratty. The gum was rock hard.

There were rock collections and pressed wild flowers. And dried-up gold aspen leaves.

A heavy box of green toy soldiers came next. An empty bird's nest, too.

Last of all, a tiny watch. Not gold, but pretty.

“Hey, look,” Carly said. “It's the wind-up kind.”

The girls looked it over curiously.

“What are we gonna do with all this stuff?” Jason asked.

Abby started to make a neat stack. Stacy helped.

“I guess we should talk to
you
, Mr. Tressler,” said Dunkum. “Do you mind if we keep these things?”

The old man shook his head. “Do as you wish.” He leaned on his cane. “I believe it's time for my lunch.” Mr. Tressler turned toward the house.

Dunkum called to him, “Thanks for everything!”

Mr. Tressler nodded without turning around.

“Happy Mysteries Are Marvelous Day!” shouted Dunkum.

That got a smile and a wave from Mr. Tressler. “The same to you,” he said.

The kids put everything back inside the time capsule. Carefully, of course.

Dunkum looked at the square black chest. “How old is this thing anyway?”

Jason didn't know.

But Eric had an idea. “Look at the Sunday school lesson. There might be a date on it.”

“Good thinking,” Dunkum said. He found the old lesson sheet. On the bottom of the page was a date.

Abby peeked over Dunkum's shoulder. “Wow,” she said. “This thing is twenty years old!”

Twenty years?
thought Dunkum.
What a long time
.

“How old would the kids be now?” asked Carly.

“Figure it out,” Eric said. “Pretend they were ten when they buried this.”

“Easy,” said Dee Dee. “Add ten years and twenty years. That's thirty!”

Dunkum's eyes lit up. “Hey, these kids are grown-ups now!”

“They . . . they are?” Jason sputtered.

“Yep,” said Abby. “And they've probably forgotten all about the time capsule.”

“Maybe not,” said Dunkum.

“Hey, could we track down these kids . . . er, grown-ups?” Jason asked.

Eric shook his head. “Not in a million years.”

Dunkum smiled. “Anything is possible.”

“With God,” Abby added.

Dunkum liked Abby's way of thinking the best.

TEN

“What're we gonna do with the time capsule?” Eric asked.

Carly shrugged. “Aw, leave it here.”

“Right here, where we found it,” Dee Dee said.

We?
thought Dunkum.
I found it first!

“We'll take it to my house,” Dunkum insisted.

Jason frowned. “No fair!”

“Why not?” Dunkum said. “I found it, didn't I?”

“But all of us helped pull it out,” Jason
said. He stood tall and stuck out his chest.

“Jason's right,” Eric said. “Let's put the time capsule in Abby's backyard. She's the president of the Cul-de-sac Kids.”

Dunkum didn't want a fight. “OK. That makes sense,” he said.

So Dunkum and Eric carried the time capsule down the street. Dee Dee carried Mister Whiskers. He was still hissing at Croaker, behind him.

Jason carried his frog a safe distance from the cat. The rest of the kids followed behind, like a parade. They arrived in the Hunters' backyard.

“Where should we put it?” Dunkum asked Abby.

“There,” she pointed. “Under the tree.”

Dunkum and Eric set the time capsule down near the swings. Beside the big tree.

“How's that?” Dunkum asked.

Abby's eyes shone. “Double dabble good.”

The kids stood around. No one wanted to go home.

Dunkum walked toward the gate. “I'll be back after lunch,” he called.

“Me too!” yelled Jason.

Carly asked Dee Dee to come back, too.

“Sure will,” Dee Dee said.

That left Eric. He had to go to the dentist.

“I might come over later,” he said. “If I feel good enough.”

“What's wrong?” asked Abby. “Got a cavity?”

“Feels like it.” Eric waved good-bye.

Dunkum said good-bye again. He was having a hard time leaving. He missed the time capsule already.
His
time capsule.

Everyone left, except the Hunter kids. They lived here. For a moment, Dunkum wished he lived here, too. Then he could see his time capsule any old time.

“OK, well, see you,” Dunkum said.

“Alligator,” Shawn said, grinning.

Abby told her brother how it went. “It's ‘See you later, alligator. After a while, crocodile.' Get it?”

Shawn nodded. He laughed his high-pitched giggle.

Dunkum closed the backyard gate. He ran as fast as he could to his house next door. He thought about the time capsule. He wished it were at his house.