Mystery of the Melting Snowman Read Free Page A

his glasses?
    “I got you!” shouted Randy, and Amy squealed some more. Cindy glanced down at Amy. She was too excited with their game to notice the young man. Randy looked up at him and cocked his head to one side. Then he started to chase Amy again. The young man turned and walked quickly across the street.
    “He’s the one,” whispered Cindy as soon as he was out of earshot.
    Jay laughed. “Just because he’s wearing a parka? And he’s tall?”
    “Not just that,” said Cindy quickly. “He was wearing mirror sunglasses. Amy said she saw two Amys in his eyes, remember? Well, when Amy was running toward us just now, he took his glasses off in a hurry. He didn’t want Amy and Randy to recognize him.”
    Dexter whistled. “Let’s follow him,” he said.
    “Wait,” said Cindy. “We don’t want him to guess that we have the iron dog.”
    “I wonder what was in that metal box he was carrying,” mused Dexter.
    “Why did he steal the dog in the first place?” asked Jay. “Who really owns it?”
    “We don’t know for sure that he stole it,” said Dexter. “Remember Mr. Hooley’s Rule. We have to prove everything.” Amy and Randy were back.
    “Was the man who was just here the man who helped you with the snowman yesterday?” Cindy asked Randy.
    Randy shook his head. “The man that helped us had funny glasses.” He turned around and started chasing Amy again.
    The three detectives watched as the man stopped in front of the red house on the corner.
    “He’s going up to that house,” Jay said.
    Sure enough, the stranger walked up the porch steps and rang the doorbell. A minute later the door opened, and he walked inside.
    “At least we know where he is,” said Cindy.
    “We’ve got to keep an eye on him.”
    “I’ve got it,” said Jay. “You and I can shovel the walk for Mr. Mulberry, Dex. His house is right across the street from the red house. That way we can watch the house without looking suspicious. And besides, Mr. Mulberry shouldn’t be shoveling snow anyway. OK?”
    “Sounds swell,” said Dexter. “How about you, Cindy?”
    “I’ll poke around here and see if I can find anything in the snow,” she said. “Any clue.”
    The boys ran around to the garage to get the snow shovels, then off for the Mulberrys’ house.
    Amy and Randy came running over to Cindy. “Help us, Cindy, help us!” Amy cried.
    “I can’t make a big snowman now, but I’ll make you some little ones,” said Cindy. She knelt down in the snow. She made five tiny snowmen.
    Just as Cindy turned over another little pile of snow, she caught a glimpse of something bright orange. Her fingers closed over several strands of wool fringe and she pulled. It was a long orange scarf.
    “The snowman’s scarf!” cried Amy. “The man gave it to us.”
    “You mean the man who helped you wore this scarf?” asked Cindy.
    Amy nodded and nodded.
    Cindy put the scarf in her pocket. If this is Mr. X’s scarf, it almost proves he was the one who put the dog in the snowman, she thought.
    Just then Cindy heard Anne calling from the porch. “Oh, there you are, Cindy. I don’t know who’s to blame for my stubbed toe, you or this silly creature. What is it, anyway? It must be a doorstop to a castle door or something.”
    “Wait!” Cindy cried. “I’ll be right there.” She hoped nobody had heard Anne. Or had seen her standing on the porch holding the iron dog.
    Cindy ran up to her. “It’s a very important part of our mystery. If anyone comes around asking about it, you’ve never heard about the iron dog.”
    “What dog?” asked Anne, winking.
    Cindy laughed and took the iron dog. “Thanks,” she said. “I’ll tell you more about the mystery later.” She put the dog under her coat and ran across Dexter’s yard to her own yard.
    She ran into the house. “Hi, Mom,” she called, setting the dog down on the floor of the living room. It was pretty heavy.
    Mrs. Temple called from upstairs. “I just got up and I found