The Case of the Slippery Salamander Read Online Free PDF Page A

who was trying to steal second base. Jimmy had looked safe to Encyclopedia and Sally. And after Tara’s two-run homer, the ump started calling three strikes on her every time she was up.
    Now Tara stood on deck, getting ready for her next turn at bat.
    “He’s no pitcher.… He’s no pitcher.…,” someone in the Indians’ section chanted.
    “Keep your eye on the ball, Tara!” her father shouted.
    Before Tara stepped over to the plate, the umpire bent down to dust it off. Encyclopedia noticed the words DON’T GO WRONG  …  BUY A KRUMM COMPUTER on the back of his blue T-shirt.
    “Maybe the ump will finally give Tara a break and let her get on base,” Sally said.
    “I hope so,” Encyclopedia replied. “I don’t think the Indians can win this game if she doesn’t get a hit soon.”
    The first pitch was high. Tara didn’t swing.
    “Good eye, Tara!” yelled her father.
    But the umpire didn’t see it that way.
“Str-r-r-rike!”
he called out.
    “Are you blind?” Sally shot up from her seat. “That ball was as high as the moon!”
    “Get a pair of glasses, Ump!” someone else yelled.
    Tara glared at the umpire, shuffling her feet in the dirt.
    The next pitch came in high again, and theump called another strike. But Tara didn’t lose her cool until the third pitch came in wide and low.

    “
Str-r-r-r-ike three!
You’re out!”
    Tara threw down her bat and stalked over to her coach. “You’ve got to do something about that ump, Coach! He’s trying to make us lose the game!”
    Coach Anderson stormed over to the umpire, fuming. “I thought you said you knew how to call a game!”
    The umpire lifted his mask and glared at the coach. “You’d better stay out of this, Coach!” he shouted back. “In the major leagues, managers get thrown out for insults like that.”
    “He’s the worst umpire I’ve ever seen,” Sally said glumly. She sank back onto the bench. “It would be one thing if the Indians lost the championship because they weren’t playing well. But if they lose because of his bad calls …”
    “The fans will go nuts,” Encyclopedia said.
    He kept his eye on the umpire as the man bent down to dust off the plate for the next Indians batter. As Encyclopedia read the words on the back of the man’s T-shirt again, something clicked in his mind.
    “We’ve got to stop the game, Sally! That man never worked as an umpire before. He’s a major-league liar!”
    How did Encyclopedia know?
    (Turn to this page for the solution to The Case of the Umpire’s Error.)

The Case of the Calculating Kid

    W ith the temperature in the nineties, Encyclopedia and Sally decided to beat the heat by heading to the Convention Center. It was air-conditioned.
    The National Boat and Fishing Show had opened there. Encyclopedia liked looking at all the fancy boats and fishing equipment for sale.
    The two detectives started on the top floor. They roamed around for a long time looking at motorboats, kayaks, and canoes.
    The sailboats and bigger boats were displayed on the ground floor. Booths selling fishing gear and boating supplies had been set up there too.
    Sally went to look at a large yacht. Encyclopedia stopped at a nearby booth with a sign that said SHELLS AND MORE SHELLS . The booth sold rare sea-shells from around the world and objects decorated with shells.
    Encyclopedia was looking at a mussel-shell soap dish when Sally waved him over.
    “Check out this boat, Encyclopedia!” Sally exclaimed, pointing to the enormous yacht. The yacht’s name,
Amazing Grace
, was painted on her side. “She has a rec room, a large-screen TV, two Ping-Pong tables, and a hot tub. I would love to cruise around the world on this!”
    Encyclopedia was about to remind his partner that she got seasick after a few minutes aboard a canoe. But just then, a salesman approached. His name tag read:
Ron
The Ship-Shape Company
    “
Amazing Grace
is a beauty, isn’t she?” he said proudly.
    “How much does she cost?” Sally