hadn’t seen him in a year.
After all the How-Did-You’s and Where-Have-You-Been’s and Don’t-Ever’s, Officer Kopp asked, “So, how’d you find this guy?”
“Easy-peasy, lemon-squeezy,” said Judy. “We set a chocolate-chip cookie trap.”
“Good idea,” said Officer Kopp.
“So did you bring backup?” Stink asked. “To catch the bad guys in the green van?”
“Yeah, we were onto them the day Mr. Chips stole the dog bone from Speedy Market,” said Frank.
“At first, we thought they were dognappers,” said Judy.
“Yeah, like they took Mr. Chips for reward money,” Stink added.
“Then a Nancy Drew lightbulb went off in my head, and we followed a ton of clues all over town and figured out that they’ve been training Mr. Chips to steal stuff. They’re teaching him by making him sniff out chocolate-chip cookies.”
“First it’s cookies, then diamonds,” said Stink.
Officer Kopp chuckled. “Hmm. That’s some mighty interesting detective work, and you sure cracked the case. But I’m afraid there haven’t been any reports at the police station about any diamonds gone missing.”
“See?” said Judy, turning to her fellow detectives. “Not only did we rescue Mr. Chips; we also stopped those bad guys in the nick of time.”
“Yeah, looks to me like you caught the thief all right. The chocolate-chip cookie thief — our own Mr. Chips.”
Judy wasn’t so sure. She, Eagle-Eye-Moody, was going to keep one eye peeled, just in case.
“We’ll never know for sure, but I think Mr. Chips is an escape artist — a regular Houdini. Best we can figure is that he pushed the bottom of the fencing just enough and squeezed out through a tiny opening. Then he ran all over town looking for food, he got so hungry.”
“So that’s why he stole a dog bone from Speedy Market?” asked Frank.
“And Jack Frost’s baloney sandwich!” said Stink.
“Then he got into the lunches at school and ate the chocolate-chip cookies,” said Judy. “That’s how he got the name Mr. Chips. Because he loves chocolate-chip cookies. Am I right?”
“Not quite,” said Officer Kopp. “Mr. Chips doesn’t
eat
chocolate-chip cookies. He buries them.”
“Huh?” everybody asked.
“Most dogs have a sweet tooth. And they have a nose for chocolate. When Mr. Chips first came home with me, my wife was baking chocolate-chip cookies. He went right for the chips and ate a handful before we could stop him.”
“Oh, no,” said Frank. “Dogs aren’t allowed to eat chocolate. It’s like poison. It makes them sick.”
“That’s right,” said Officer Kopp. “Poor guy had the throw-ups. We took him to the vet, and she told us that chocolate makes dogs sick. So before he even got any police-dog training, he was trained not to eat chocolate.”
“Then why would he steal all those cookies?” Judy asked.
“Go ahead and give him a cookie,” said Officer Kopp. “Watch what he does.”
Judy held a cookie up to Mr. Chips. He sniffed it, then ran with it between his teeth, the way he’d carried the egg across the stage at school that day. He started digging under a tree.
“He’s going to bury it!” Judy said. They ran after Mr. Chips. Judy peered into the hole he had dug in the soft earth.
“Hey, there’s a bunch more cookies in there,” said Stink.
“Where’d he get those?” Rocky asked.
“He has a whole stash,” Frank said, pointing and laughing.
“Thin Mints,” said Judy. “Mom bought Girl Scout cookies from Jessica Finch, and I left some in the tent.”
“What did I tell you?” said Officer Kopp. He scooped up Mr. Chips. “Well, now that these super-detectives found you, I better get you home, huh?” He rubbed noses with Mr. Chips. “I was worried I’d never see this guy again. I thank you, and Mr. Chips thanks you.”
“RARE!” said Judy. “I finally got to solve a mystery. The Mystery of the Missing Doggy Detective. This is just like the time Nancy Drew rescued a police dog puppy
After all the How-Did-You’s and Where-Have-You-Been’s and Don’t-Ever’s, Officer Kopp asked, “So, how’d you find this guy?”
“Easy-peasy, lemon-squeezy,” said Judy. “We set a chocolate-chip cookie trap.”
“Good idea,” said Officer Kopp.
“So did you bring backup?” Stink asked. “To catch the bad guys in the green van?”
“Yeah, we were onto them the day Mr. Chips stole the dog bone from Speedy Market,” said Frank.
“At first, we thought they were dognappers,” said Judy.
“Yeah, like they took Mr. Chips for reward money,” Stink added.
“Then a Nancy Drew lightbulb went off in my head, and we followed a ton of clues all over town and figured out that they’ve been training Mr. Chips to steal stuff. They’re teaching him by making him sniff out chocolate-chip cookies.”
“First it’s cookies, then diamonds,” said Stink.
Officer Kopp chuckled. “Hmm. That’s some mighty interesting detective work, and you sure cracked the case. But I’m afraid there haven’t been any reports at the police station about any diamonds gone missing.”
“See?” said Judy, turning to her fellow detectives. “Not only did we rescue Mr. Chips; we also stopped those bad guys in the nick of time.”
“Yeah, looks to me like you caught the thief all right. The chocolate-chip cookie thief — our own Mr. Chips.”
Judy wasn’t so sure. She, Eagle-Eye-Moody, was going to keep one eye peeled, just in case.
“We’ll never know for sure, but I think Mr. Chips is an escape artist — a regular Houdini. Best we can figure is that he pushed the bottom of the fencing just enough and squeezed out through a tiny opening. Then he ran all over town looking for food, he got so hungry.”
“So that’s why he stole a dog bone from Speedy Market?” asked Frank.
“And Jack Frost’s baloney sandwich!” said Stink.
“Then he got into the lunches at school and ate the chocolate-chip cookies,” said Judy. “That’s how he got the name Mr. Chips. Because he loves chocolate-chip cookies. Am I right?”
“Not quite,” said Officer Kopp. “Mr. Chips doesn’t
eat
chocolate-chip cookies. He buries them.”
“Huh?” everybody asked.
“Most dogs have a sweet tooth. And they have a nose for chocolate. When Mr. Chips first came home with me, my wife was baking chocolate-chip cookies. He went right for the chips and ate a handful before we could stop him.”
“Oh, no,” said Frank. “Dogs aren’t allowed to eat chocolate. It’s like poison. It makes them sick.”
“That’s right,” said Officer Kopp. “Poor guy had the throw-ups. We took him to the vet, and she told us that chocolate makes dogs sick. So before he even got any police-dog training, he was trained not to eat chocolate.”
“Then why would he steal all those cookies?” Judy asked.
“Go ahead and give him a cookie,” said Officer Kopp. “Watch what he does.”
Judy held a cookie up to Mr. Chips. He sniffed it, then ran with it between his teeth, the way he’d carried the egg across the stage at school that day. He started digging under a tree.
“He’s going to bury it!” Judy said. They ran after Mr. Chips. Judy peered into the hole he had dug in the soft earth.
“Hey, there’s a bunch more cookies in there,” said Stink.
“Where’d he get those?” Rocky asked.
“He has a whole stash,” Frank said, pointing and laughing.
“Thin Mints,” said Judy. “Mom bought Girl Scout cookies from Jessica Finch, and I left some in the tent.”
“What did I tell you?” said Officer Kopp. He scooped up Mr. Chips. “Well, now that these super-detectives found you, I better get you home, huh?” He rubbed noses with Mr. Chips. “I was worried I’d never see this guy again. I thank you, and Mr. Chips thanks you.”
“RARE!” said Judy. “I finally got to solve a mystery. The Mystery of the Missing Doggy Detective. This is just like the time Nancy Drew rescued a police dog puppy
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