Contents
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1 Golden Bar
2 Secrets and Spies
3 Jungle Kingdom
4 A Day at the Park
5 Battle Royal
6 Jelly Rogers
7 Paying Peanuts
8 Making Waves
9 Deepening and Darkening
10 Touched by a Corpse
11 Theory of Relativity
12 News Flash
13 Thrown for a Loop
14 Recipe for Danger
15 Wrapping Up
1. Golden Bar
Bess Marvin squeezed her eyes shut and screamed.
Her face was white. Her long, blond hair flew out
behind her.
“Ow,” said her friend Nancy Drew as Bess's fingers
clamped around her arm.
Eleven-year-old Laura Marquez patted Bess on the
back. “Don't be scared, Bess. It's only the kiddie
coaster.”
George Fayne turned and grinned at her cousin,
Bess. “Hey—I thought we were supposed to be the
chaperons here.”
Bess grunted as the brakes screeched and the ride
jerked to a halt. “I'll be chaperoning on the ground
from now on, thank you very much.” She hopped out of
the car and took a moment to steady herself. Then she
held her arms above her head. “Okay, Science Sleuths!
Over here!”
The children gathered a few feet from the exit, and
Nancy counted heads. “Ten, plus three chaperons.
Excellent. We're all accounted for.”
So far so good, Nancy thought as she pushed her
reddish blond hair from her eyes and looked down at
the sea of people moving through Kings Commons
Amusement Park. It wouldn't be hard to lose a sixth-
grader in this crowd. The Science Sleuths were antsy
from their three-hour bus ride that morning from River
Heights and needed to move around.
“Find your buddy,” Nancy instructed the group.
“Make sure to all stay together.”
She led the Sleuths across a drawbridge painted with
fire-breathing dragons. Street musicians wearing kilts
played an old Scottish tune. Below them, rafts bobbed
in a river of churning rapids.
“Can we go on the Moat Float later?” Emma Lim
asked.
“Sure.” George glanced up at the darkening sky.
“Assuming it doesn't rain.”
Kenny Fox groaned. “It rains every single time I go
to an amusement park.”
“We're coming back tomorrow,” Nancy reminded
him, “and the forecast is for sun.”
“Two days enveloped in the aroma of luscious
chocolate.” Bess closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.
“Boy, am I hungry.”
Kenny took a chocolate bar out of his pocket. “Want
some?”
Bess looked at the candy. She laughed. “Kenny,
that's a Golden Bar.”
“So?”
“So, we're surrounded by several tons of chocolate
made right here at Royal Chocolates headquarters.'
She gestured toward the enormous factory on the other
side of the parking lot. “Yet you brought your own
chocolate all the way from River Heights.”
Kenny shrugged. “I like Golden Bars better.” He
popped a square of chocolate into his mouth as they
passed under a rose-covered trellis that led into an
English garden.
“There's Andrea.” Nancy waved at a petite woman
with brown hair sitting on a bench ringed by mums.
Andrea hurried over to meet them. “Hello,
everyone. Are we enjoying Kings Commons?”
“This is the best field trip ever,” Laura said. “I bet
nobody else ever went to an amusement park to learn
stuff.”
“Actually,” George said, “when Andrea was our high
school physics teacher, she brought our class here, too.
Of course, we called her Miss Cassella then.”
“And I got sick on Miss Cassella's new shoes after
riding on Labyrinth,” Bess said. “Which may be the
reason she gave up teaching to start the Science
Sleuths.”
Andrea laughed. “Not at all. It was because of
inquisitive students like you that I realized the need for
a science enrichment program in our community. And
it's handy to have former pupils lecture on things like
how detectives use science to solve crimes. As our real-
life sleuth Nancy Drew will do. It can also be handy for
former pupils to chaperon. Actually, I might have
asked someone else if I'd remembered what you did to
my shoes, Bess.” Andrea winked at her.
“When are we going to get to ride on Labyrinth?”
Laura asked.
“I heard it's faster than Royal Pain,” Kenny said.
“We have to wait till we ride them both before we
pick which coaster's faster,” Noah said. “Then we'll do
the calculations to test our hypothesis.” He tossed his
pencil into the air. “I can't wait.”
“You might have to wait.” George squinted at the
purple aluminum tracks in the distance. “Is that a car
stuck there on the loop?”
Nancy checked with a Kings Commons employee.
“Royal Pain is temporarily out of service,” she told the
disappointed Sleuths. “They're not sure when it will be
fixed.”
“But we can ride it before we leave, right?” Tyler
asked.
“If it's fixed,” Andrea said.
“And if it's not fixed, we'll come back next year and
ride it ten times,” Tyler said. “Right, Andrea?”
Andrea forced a smile. “We'll see.”
“Hey.” Bess put an arm around Andrea's shoulders.
“You seem upset. What's wrong?”
Andrea spoke softly so that the Sleuths wouldn't
hear. “I don't want the kids to know, but I can't
promise we'll come back to Kings Commons next year.
I can't even promise the Science Sleuths will be in
business next year.”
“Oh, Andrea, I'm sorry,” Nancy said.
Andrea tore a leaf from a bush trimmed into the
shape of a crown. “I always knew it would be tough
running a nonprofit corporation. These kids' parents
pay what they can, but most of them can't afford much,
and there's no way I'm going to raise the tuition. I'm
months behind in payments for our lab equipment. If I
can't afford to do experiments the way I want or bring
in speakers or take field trips, this program is
worthless.” She sighed. “I've been looking for a
corporate sponsor, but so far I haven't had any luck.
I'm afraid my funds are just about exhausted.”
“Wait,” Bess said. “What about those relatives of
yours with all the money? I know you were nervous
about asking them since you haven't spoken in so many
years, but don't
you think it's at least worth a try?”
Andrea shook her head. “I have tried. Several times.
But they won't take my calls. They were my last hope.”
She watched the Sleuths swapping yoyo tricks in the
shade of a chestnut tree. “I'm really going to miss these
guys, though.”
She walked over to the Sleuths. “Are you ready to
get going?” she asked them.
“Andrea, I'm hot,” Noah said.
“I think it's going to rain,” Kenny said.
“I'm hungry,” Emma said.
“I think it's time for a surprise,” Andrea told Bess.
“However tight our resources might be, a trip to Kings
Commons would not be complete without these.” She
pulled out a box of chocolate bars. “Who wants a
Crown Jewels bar?” she asked the Sleuths. Ten hands
shot into the air.
“I thought so.”
“Kenny,” Bess said, “didn't you just eat a candy bar?”
“Yeah,” Kenny replied, “but I've got room for
another one.”
“Excuse me,” called a high-pitched voice from
behind Nancy.
“Oh. I'm sorry.” Nancy scooted over to make way for
a chubby, red-cheeked blond woman who was pushing
her way through the crowd. The woman had a candy
bar clenched in one hand, her husband's elbow in the
other. They appeared to Nancy to be in their early
thirties.
“I can't believe Royal Pain is broken again,” the
woman complained. “Come on, Phil. We have to—
Oof!” She reeled backward as she crashed into Kenny.
“Pardon me,” Kenny said.
“Please tell me those grubby fingers did not touch
me.” The woman looked down and inspected her white
shirt. “I knew it. Why don't you look where you're
going, young man? This was a very expensive shirt, and
if these chocolate stains don't come out—”
Nancy cleared her throat. “Ma'am, I'm sorry about
what happened to your shirt, but it wasn't Kenny's
fault.”
“You walked right into him,” George said.
The woman's face turned redder. “This whole
vacation is turning into a royal pain, isn't it, Phil?” And
she marched away, dragging her husband.
“What was her problem?” Kenny asked Bess.
“I don't know. I don't understand how anybody can
be so grumpy while eating a chocolate bar.”
Andrea held out the box of chocolates. “Would the
chaperons each like a chocolate bar?”
George held up her hand. “Thanks, but I'm trying to
avoid junk food.”
“I'll have one.” Nancy took it from Andrea and
tucked it into her purse. “I think I'll save it for a rainy
day.”
“That might be today.” Bess chose a chocolate bar
and tore open the wrapper.
“Careful,” Andrea said. “There's an instant win
contest inside the wrapper. You wouldn't want to rip a
million-dollar wrapper, would you?”
Bess read the instructions printed on the outside of
the wrapper: “ Play the Crown Jewels contest and win.
Look inside to see if you're a winner.' ” She rolled her
eyes. “I already know the answer: Sorry. Try again next
time.' And with the amount of chocolate I eat, you
know I will.”
“Just remember who bought these candy bars if you
strike it rich.” Andrea pointed a finger at Bess. “I'm
sure you're planning to donate half the proceeds to the
Sleuths, right?”
Bess laughed as she unwrapped her candy bar. “Of
course. Absolutely. Unfortunately, we both know that
half of nothing is noth—” She gasped as she looked
down at the wrapper in her hands.
“What is it?” Nancy asked.
Bess showed her the words printed on the inside of
the wrapper in gold letters.
Nancy's blue eyes grew wide. “ Congratulations,' ”
she read aloud. “ You've won the grand prize.' ”
2. Secrets and Spies
“No way,” George said. “Nobody really wins those
contests, do they?”
“Not nobody, but pretty close.” Nancy squinted at
the fine print on the wrapper. “ Number of grand
prizes awarded: One,' ” she read. “ Odds of winning
the grand prize: approximately one in four million four
hundred thousand.' ”
Noah's mouth dropped open. “Wow.”
“If you're not going to eat your candy, Bess, could I
have it?” Kenny took the chocolate from Bess's limp
hand. “Thanks.”
Tyler elbowed his way to Bess's side. “Let me see.”
“No, I want to see,” Emma said.
Bess swallowed hard. “Just a second.” She held the
wrapper over their heads. “I'll read it to you: The grand
prize includes one million dollars in cash, one trip for
four to Kings Commons Amusement Park in Royal,
Illinois, and thirty Crown Jewels bars per month for
twelve months. Employees of Royal Chocolates or
Kings Commons and their immediate families are not
eligible to win. To claim your prize, make a photocopy
of the winning wrapper. Mail the original to—' ”
“That building right over there,” George finished for
her, pointing to Royal Chocolates headquarters.
Noah was scribbling numbers in his notebook. “Do
you realize, Bess, that if there are ten thousand people
at Kings Commons today—and I bet there are judging
by the length of these lines—you'd have to fill up about
four hundred amusement parks this size to find four
million people? So to be the lucky one out of four
million is pretty astronomical.”
“I'll say.” Bess blinked. “It doesn't seem real.”
“It'll seem real when you've talked to the people at
contest headquarters,” Nancy said. “So why don't you
walk across the parking lot and do that right now.”
“And could you ask them,” Katie piped up, “about
the trip to Kings Commons? Like, do they think you
could substitute another prize?”
“Or maybe you could give the trip to someone else,”
Emma suggested.
Bess laughed. “I don't suppose you have someone
else in mind?”
“Enough!” Andrea said. “Let's give Bess a break and
let her talk to the contest people. She'll bring us news
in a little while. In the meantime let's go on one more
ride and then have lunch—on Bess.”
Bess smiled weakly. “Thanks. But do you think you
could spare Nancy? I'd really like some moral support.”
“We've got everything under control,” George
assured her. “Take your time.”
“We'll take a ride on High Tea.” Andrea pointed to
the oversize rose-patterned teacups that crossed
overhead, carrying passengers from one side of the
park to the other. “We'll have lunch at Uncommonly
Good and meet you at the Moat Float at, say, two
o'clock.”
“That sounds great. We'll see you then.” Nancy felt a
drop of rain on her face. She pulled her hair back from
her face and wound it into a ponytail.
“Thanks for coming with me, Nan,” Bess said as they
waited to have their hands stamped at the exit gate so
they could reenter. “Holding on to this wrapper makes
me very nervous.”
Nancy grinned. “You've checked your pocket about
five times in the last two minutes.”
“I know. It's weird to think that one little piece of
paper can be worth so much money. If Andrea hadn't
said something to make me look, who knows? I might
have thrown it in the trash.” Bess took a deep breath.
“Anyhow, I'm glad I'll be able to help the Sleuths stay
in business.”
Nancy smiled. It was just like her friend to think of
others first. “Bess, you know Andrea was joking. She
wouldn't hold you to your promise to give half the
money to the Science Sleuths.”
“I know,” Bess said, “but I want to help—and now I
can.”
Nancy squeezed Bess's hand. “You're such a good
person, Bess Marvin.”
“I'm a very lucky person.” Bess looked up at the six-
story brick administration building and read the sign
above the main entrance: “Welcome to Royal
Chocolates. We treat you Royally.” She brushed a drop
of rain from her eye. “I'll say.”
Bess and Nancy approached the receptionist's desk.
“That's the biggest candy dish I've ever seen,” Bess
whispered.
The receptionist smiled. “Help yourself.”
“Thanks.” Bess took a crown-shaped chocolate
wrapped in purple foil.
“Hi,” Nancy said. “We were hoping you could help
us. My friend just won a prize in the Crown Jewels
contest. And since we happened to be in the park, we
were hoping we might be able to come and claim it in
person.”
“I'm sorry,” the receptionist said. “The marketing
department is too busy to handle the small prizes.
They're dispensed from another location. So if you
would just mail a copy of the wrapper—”
“But it's not a small prize,” Bess interrupted. “It's
the grand prize.”
The receptionist sat up straighter. “The grand
prize?”
Bess nodded.
“Okay,” she said slowly. “Why don't you have a seat?
151 The Chocolate-Covered Contest Page 1
