Sly the Sleuth and the Pet Mysteries Read Online Free PDF Page B

killed Wilson,” I said.
    Brian walked over to Taxi. He grabbed her head and tried to pull open her jaw.
    Taxi screeched and ran away.
    â€œSee?” said Brian. “She killed Wilson.”
    â€œHow do you know?”
    â€œShe ran away,” said Brian. “She’s guilty.”
    Brian knew nothing about anything.
    â€œCome on, Brian. Wilson might be happily digging a tunnel under your grass right now.” It was possible, anyway.
    â€œWilson would hate tunnels,” said Brian. “I do. They scare me. Wilson would like ponds. But we don’t have a pond in our yard.”
    A mouse in a pond? But what was the point of arguing. “Maybe Wilson didn’t stay in your yard,” I said.
    â€œYou just want to pretend you have a good cat. But you don’t,” said Brian. “Your cat’s no good. And you’re no good.”
    â€œBye, Brian.” I picked up my things and went inside.

Phone Call
    I finished my spelling list in no time.
    I opened my science book.
    The phone rang.
    My mother answered it. “Sly, it’s for you.”
    I went into the kitchen. My mother handed me an apple and the phone.
    I took a bite. “Hello?” I said between chews.
    â€œHe did it again,” said Melody.
    â€œIs he doing it now?” I said.
    â€œNo.”
    â€œWere you playing catch when he started?” I said.
    â€œYes.”
    â€œDon’t play catch,” I said.
    â€œOkay.”
    â€œAnd don’t teach him to bite cats.”
    â€œWe didn’t use the stuffed cat,” Melody yelped. “We never use it. I just brought it out today because we were in the house. We usually play catch with a ball. But my mother won’t let me throw a ball in the house. So I was going to use the cat. Just that once,” said Melody. “Stop saying I’m teaching Pong to bite cats. I’m not.”
    I waited to see if she was finished.“All right,”I said.
    â€œBye,” said Melody.
    â€œBye.”
    I looked out the window.
    Brian was crawling again. This time he was in my yard.
    That was my fault. I told him Wilson might have left his yard.
    â€œSly, come in here please,” said Mother.
    I went to Mother.
    â€œYour first sentence makes no sense,” said Mother. She held my spelling homework. “That’s not how to use evolve .”
    â€œThe dictionary said evolve means to develop,” I said.
    â€œIt does mean that. But it usually means to develop over time—over a long time. Like how some small dinosaurs evolved into birds. And you can’t evolve something else—things just evolve on their own.”
    â€œOh,” I said.
    â€œDaddy doesn’t develop his own pictures,” said Mother.
    â€œI just wanted to make an interesting sentence.”
    Dictionaries are dumb.They don’t give enough information. And I just realized something: I needed more information.

Outside
    I went outside.
    â€œHi, Brian.”
    â€œI can’t find Wilson.” Brian sat back on his heels. He looked sad. “Taxi is a murderer.”
    â€œYou can’t know that for sure.”
    â€œWatch.” Brian jumped around like a madman.
    He reminded me of something. I couldn’t think what.
    Taxi came from under the bushes. She sat on the stoop. She watched Brian.
    â€œSee?” said Brian. “Taxi wants to eat me.”

    Oh, now I got what all that jumping was. “You didn’t look like Wilson, Brian.”
    â€œMaybe not to you.”
    Brian had a point. And he was becoming pathetic. “All right, Brian, tell you what. If you don’t find Wilson by Saturday, I’ll take my allowance and buy you a new mouse.”
    â€œI don’t want a mouse,” said Brian.
    â€œCome on, Brian, all mice are the same.”
    â€œI know. That’s why I don’t want one.”
    There was no hope to this conversation. “See you later, Brian.”
    I walked into Brian’s