Read Online The Case of the Missing Dinosaur Egg by Martha Freeman - Free Book Online Page B

of hysterical yip-yip-yipping from inside.
    Hooligan responded with woof-woof-woofing of his own, not to mention he pulled the leash so hard I had to brace myself. Granny offered to take it, because she’s heavier, which would have been a good idea, except just then the door opened and here came Ozzabelle busting out at the same time Hooligan tried to bust in and—
bam!
—there was a drooling, fur-flying doggy collision.
    Meanwhile, the leash dropped and—a few spins and tumbles later—both dogs were racing in circles around the brick courtyard while all the grown-ups either scurried out of the way or yelled or both.
    In the background, I heard shouting from the news guys—“Great stuff!” “Are you getting this?”—and the whir and click of their equipment.
    One thing Tessa, Nate and I have learned about doggy behavior: scurrying and yelling doesn’t help. Tessa held the Easter basket up high, but besides that we just stayed out of the way and watched. Then Toni came outside and grinned at us and shouted, “Hello!”
    The canine chaos was settling down—Granny had hold of Hooligan’s leash, and Malik had cornered Ozzabelle—when my nose told me someone else had come out of the house, someone who smelled like perfume and cigarettes. I figured it had to be Toni’s grandmother, and I turned around . . . and got the shock of my life.
    It was the lady with black hair from the security video at Mega Bird Farm!

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

    My heart went
thump
, and I nudged Tessa—who looked around, too, and then so did Nate.
    I don’t think the lady liked how surprised we looked, because she quickly disappeared back into the house. At the same time, her frown had given me goose bumps. Was she really Toni’s grandmother?
    It was a few minutes before I found out. During that time, the dogs were taken to the backyard to play, and the news guys shot photos and video of my family, the Easter basket and Toni.
    â€œDoesn’t your grandmother want to be in the pictures?” Granny asked Toni.
    â€œOh, no.” Toni shook her head. “She does not like the publicity. She says it is not her ‘style.’ ”
    Eventually, Granny and Malik left to go back to the White House. The plan was for them to return to pick us up in a couple of hours. Nate, Tessa and I followed Toni inside. In the foyer, a small, gray-haired womangreeted us with hugs—Toni’s grandmother. She smelled like soap.
    â€œIt is my pleasure to meet Antonia’s dear friends,” she said. “And I must also take this opportunity to thank you for giving us the little dog, Ozzabelle. She is a nuisance, but she makes me laugh.”
    Toni’s house was fancy—lots of shiny brass and black paint. Toni led us up the marble stairs to her room, which was big like Tessa’s and mine. It had a bed and also a sofa, chairs and a table. I noticed the rock collection right away because it was lit up on a shelf over a desk.
    Before we sat down, Toni put on some music. After a few seconds, I realized it was familiar—Eb Ghanamamma! But that couldn’t be right. Wasn’t Eb Ghanamamma protesting against Toni’s very own uncle, President Manfred Alfredo-Chin?
    I wanted to ask about that, but I was afraid it would be rude. And I wanted to ask about the lady with the black hair, too. But how was I supposed to explain where I’d seen her?
    So I kept quiet.
    But Tessa didn’t.
    â€œGet out your notebook, Cammie,” she said as soon as we sat down. Then she straightened her detecting hat, crossed her arms over her chest and gave Toni the steely look she uses when she’s questioning a suspect.
    Uh-oh—was this Tessa’s foolproof plan? But Toni wasn’t a suspect! Toni was our friend!
    I started to shake my head at Tessa, but Toni said, “Oh, good, are you planning now to ask questions relating to a certain mystery?