The Mystery of Silas Finklebean Read Online Free PDF Page A

pink cloud.”
    Alfred refocused on his daughter’s mass of hair. “Oh, um, right, dear. I’ll tell him that what he did was wrong. Very clever and ingenious, but wrong just the same. Where is Freddy, by the way?”
    “Well, he said he was feeling a little under the weather,” said Theodore.
    “Yeah, he was puking his guts out the last time I saw him,” added Wally.
    Nancy stared suspiciously at who she thought was Wilma. “I am so going to massacre that brat,” she said, still fuming.
    “What did you want him for, Mr. Funkhouser?” asked Theodore innocently.
    “Well, I can’t find my Invisibrella and I thought he might have it.”
    “Oh, he’s got —” began Wally before Ziggy stomped on his toes. “Ouchie-oochie!” Wally yelled, grabbing his foot.
    “I think what Wilma was saying,” explained Theodore, “was that if Freddy had
gotten
it, we would have seen it. And we didn’t.”
    “Okay,” said Alfred, looking a little confused. “Well, I’m sure it’s around here somewhere. I need to find it and work out some bugs.”
    “Bugs?” said Theodore quickly.
    “I love bugs,” replied Si. “Bugs are my friends.”
    “Good, because you sure don’t have any others,” said Meese.
    “But you’re my friend,” said Si, looking hurt.
    “I’m attached to you at the hip. That doesn’t make us buds.”
    “Uh, exactly what sort of bugs?” asked Theodore.
    Alfred said, “The last time I tried it, I became visible after about three minutes, and then streams of light started shooting out of the umbrella. Probably a loose wire.”
    The Fries looked at each other in panic.
    “Uhboylthinkwebettergoyouknowwherelikeyouknowveryfast,” mumbled Curly.
    “What did he say?” asked Alfred.
    “He said we have to leave the premises in the most expeditious manner possible,” said Theodore.
    “No, he didn’t, he said RUN!” yelled Wally, who blew past them down the stairs to the basement.
    The rest of the Fries took off after him, leaving Alfred and Nancy behind.
    Once her father left to continue his search, Nancy looked in the direction where the Fries had run. She glanced back to make sure her father was gone, and then she raced off after the Fries.

CHAPTER 7
    CURLY TO THE RESCUE
    “Okay, Dad,” crowed Adam to his father, “here’s the deal. I suckered Harold J. Pumpernickel into helping me on the science fair competition.”
    “Pumpernickel?” said his father, outraged. “His father’s a garbage truck driver. I don’t want you associating with people like that.”
    “I know, I know, but the little twerp’s got brains — enough brains to take down Freddy Freako. And even better, I got that idiot Funkhouser to bet on the competition.”
    Under the Invisibrella, Freddy balled up his fists at this insult.
    “Our science project is going to be a huge volcano that we’re going to build in the vacant lot next to the Patty Cakes,” proclaimed Adam proudly.
    “A volcano!” exclaimed Stewie Spanker.
    “Yep. A volcano. Harold says he can make it work just like the real thing, only when it erupts it’ll be some goopy stuff coming out instead of lava.”
    Stewie jumped out of his chair. “Erupts! But it’ll hit the Patty Cakes.”
    Adam laughed. “Nope, that’s the brilliant part. Harold can make the goop go in any direction he wants with some thingamajig he’s putting in. So it’ll cream the
Burger Dump
instead. It gets covered with four feet of sticky goop and they’re out of business. On top of that, I win the competition, and Funky has to come work at the Patty Cakes for a month, where I can make his life miserable.”
    “But the Pumpernickels are honest people with integrity, so Harold might tell somebody the truth — the dirty, stinking
rat
.”
    “He doesn’t know about my plan. I’m going to sneak in when the volcano’s finished and aim it at the Burger Dump, and then I’ll blame it all on Harold because he’ll be doing all the work on it. See, it’s perfect.”
    His father