Ski School Sneak

by Carolyn Keene

  When Mr. Samuels left, Nancy checked her watch. It was only seven thirty. That left plenty of time for detective work.

  “May we go walk around the lodge?” she asked Mrs. Fayne.

  Mrs. Fayne checked her watch too. “I don’t think so, Nancy,” she said. “We’ll all have to take turns in the shower. And we want to get to sleep early. We should leave right after breakfast tomorrow if the road is open by then.”

  “But Mom …,” George began.

  “You heard your mother,” Mr. Fayne said.

  “Who wants the first shower?”

  Nancy was disappointed. How were they supposed to solve the mystery if they weren’t allowed out of the room?

  “Oh well,” George whispered to Nancy. “Maybe we can figure it out at breakfast.” She yawned.

  That started Nancy yawning too. She realized she was tired after the long day of skiing. Maybe going to bed early wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

  A little over an hour later all five of them were showered, changed, and climbing into bed. Mrs. Fayne turned off the lights. The room still wasn’t very dark, though. Bright moonlight reflected off the snow and shone through the window. Within minutes the room was filled with the sounds of deep breathing. But Nancy couldn’t seem to fall asleep. She stared at the ceiling and thought about the case. Who could have wrecked the equipment shed? The Clue Crew had started with lots of suspects. But one by one, they had ruled them out. The culprit wasn’t Jack; he’d stayed in the dining room all through lunch. It wasn’t Eddie; he said he hadn’t gone in there, and Nancy believed him. It wasn’t Gina, unless she’d gone outside without her coat. And it wasn’t Blizzard, because he’d been locked up.

  So who did it? Nancy wondered. Why can’t I figure it out?

  She yawned and let her eyes drift shut. If she couldn’t solve the mystery, it would be her first real failure as a detective. She didn’t like that thought.

  But it wasn’t enough to keep her awake anymore. At last she fell asleep.

  Nancy opened her eyes. For a second she wasn’t sure where she was. There were strange shadows on the ceiling and muffled snores all around her.

  Then she remembered. She was at the ski lodge.

  Her throat felt dry. She sat up and looked around. In the moonlight, she could see everyone else sleeping.

  She climbed out of bed, tiptoed to the bathroom, and got a drink of water. Then she headed back toward her cot.

  On the way, she paused at the window. The moon lit up the scene outside as bright as day. Nancy could see the ski lift in the distance and pine trees waving in the breeze on the mountainside.

  She also saw something moving below the window. Squinting, she realized it was a family of raccoons—an adult and three youngsters.

  Cute! she thought with a smile. She watched as the animals scampered closer to the building. They headed straight for a row of garbage cans.

  Through the window, Nancy heard a muffled thud as a can hit the ground and the lid popped off. Soon all four raccoons were rummaging through the contents with their little handlike paws.

  Nancy’s smile widened. She watched the raccoons for a moment longer. Then she slipped back into bed and was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

  “Okay,” George said. “Should we talk about the mystery now?”

  In all the commotion of waking up, getting dressed, and packing for the trip home, Nancy and her friends had barely had time to speak. Now they were sitting at one of the long tables in the dining room having breakfast. Jack and his father were farther down the table, with Gina and her parents across from them. Eddie was at the next table with Steve and his father.

  “We don’t need to talk about it,” Nancy said with a smile. “I solved the case.”

  “What?” George shrieked. “You mean you figured out who messed up the ski shed?”

  All around them, people turned to stare. George blushed. Nancy guessed she hadn’t meant to speak so loudly.

  But it was too late now. “What?” Eddie called out. “Did you say you know who wrecked the shed?”

  “Yes, I think so,” Nancy said. “I realized the answer last night.”

  Mr. Fayne looked confused. “Is this about the vandalism?”

  “Yes, Dad,” George said. “Everyone still thought Bess did it. So we were trying to clear her name.”

  Even Mr. Samuels had noticed the commotion. He came over to their table. “Did I hear right?” he asked. “You kids think you know who vandalized my equipment shed?”

  “Nancy does,” George said. “She didn’t tell us yet.”

  “So spill it!” Gina said impatiently.

  Nancy cleared her throat. Everyone was staring at her.

  “This was a tough one,” she said. “See, there were some people who could have done it, but we couldn’t see why any of them would want to.”

  She noticed Bess and George sneaking peeks at Eddie. But Nancy didn’t mention his name.

  “Then there were some who might have wanted to do it.” She thought about Gina, Jack, and Blizzard. “But none of them had the chance.”

  “So who did it?” Jack demanded. “The wind?”

  “No!” Eddie called out. “I bet it was that dog. He probably wanted my cheesy crackers.”

  “We thought about that,” Nancy said. “But Blizzard was locked up during lunch.” She smiled. “Those cheesy crackers were a good clue, though. They helped me figure it out.” She turned to Gina. “I think Gina should be able to figure it out too.”

  “What?” Gina cried. “You’d better not be accusing me! I didn’t even go outside during lunch.”

  “I know,” Nancy said. “But you did witness the culprits at the scene of the crime. Just think about it.”

  Gina kept scowling for a minute. Then she gasped. “Hold on,” she cried. “Those raccoons! They did it!”

  Mr. Samuels slapped his head. “Of course!” he said. “On such a warm day, raccoons would wake up from hibernation to look for food.”

  “Yes!” Gina’s father spoke up, looking excited. “They did! I noticed lots of raccoon prints in the snow near the shed yesterday afternoon. Droppings, too. Remember, Gina?”

  “Ew!” Gina exclaimed. “Dad, don’t you ever talk about anything but animal poop?”

  Everyone laughed. “Case closed!” Mr. Samuels exclaimed. “Very impressive detective work, young lady.”

  Nancy glanced around at her friends. “We all helped,” she said. “I just finally put the pieces together last night when I saw some raccoons outside. See, they probably came around looking for food while all of us were inside for lunch. They smelled the snacks in our backpacks. Raccoons have those cool fingerlike paws, so they could take the wrappings off the food instead of just eating the whole thing like a dog would. Anyway, Eddie must have dropped his pack inside the shed, and I guess while they were getting out his crackers they knocked over the skis and stuff.”

  “Hey! My pretzels were missing from my backpack yesterday,” a girl called out.

  “My apple, too,” a boy added. “I thought my brother ate it!”

  “The raccoons probably chewed up my mitten,” Bess said. “There were crumbs on it from that breakfast bar.”

  “I must admit, that mitten made me jump to conclusions,” Mr. Samuels said. “I’m very sorry to have suspected you, Miss Bess. I should have known our Best New Skier would never do something so rotten.”

  “It’s okay,” Bess said shyly.

  George glared at Jack. “Aren’t you going to apologize too? You kept accusing everyone.”

  “Whatever,” Jack muttered. His father gave him a stern look. “All right, all right,” Jack said. He glanced at Bess, and also at Eddie. “Sorry.”

  Just then Henry ran into the room. He looked confused at seeing everyone huddled around Nancy’s table. But he didn’t say anything about that.

  “Good news, people,” he said. “We just got a call that the road is open!”

  Nancy cheered along with everyone e
lse. They had solved the mystery just in time!

  “Good news indeed,” Mr. Samuels exclaimed. “But I do hope you’ll all come back soon. Especially our three talented young detectives.” He smiled at Nancy, Bess, and George. “In fact, stop by the lobby on your way out. I want to give you three free day passes for our next Kids Weekend!”

  Winter Day Warmth

  Nothing is better than hot chocolate after playing in the snow or skiing with your friends. But don’t just make it from a packet—your drink should be just as exciting as your day. Homemade hot chocolate is much tastier and fun to create.

  Spice Things Up

  Did you know the Aztecs in Mexico drank hot chocolate more than four hundred years ago? Their drink was bitter and spicy, until the Spanish came and decided they liked a little sugar with their chocolate. Although Mexican hot chocolate has peppers and other spices, you don’t have to make anything that complicated.

  You Will Need:

  2 egg yolks

  2 ounces of a chocolate candy bar (you can use a regular Hershey bar or, for something a little nutty, a Toblerone)

  1 cup milk

  an adult to help out (and to share the leftovers with)

  First, have an adult help you crack the eggs over a large bowl, then beat the yolks with a whisk or a spoon.

  Break up the chocolate into small pieces and drop them in a glass measuring cup.

  Add milk to the cup and then place it, uncovered, in the microwave. Microwave on medium-high until the chocolate is melted and mixed with the milk—it should take 2 1/2 to 3 minutes.

  Pour the milk and chocolate into the bowl with the eggs, then mix everything together thoroughly.

  Microwave everything for another minute so it’s nice and hot—and then it’s ready to drink!

  Sugary Sweet!

  If your hot chocolate looks too plain, don’t forget to add the marshmallows. Some people like to fill their mug with marshmallows and then pour the chocolate over them, while others like to drop in a big scoop of marshmallow fluff and let it float on top. If you want more candy and more color, decorate the floating mound of marshmallow with sprinkles. It’s like the opposite of an ice cream sundae … perfect for cold days!