The Case of the Stinky Socks (8 page)

After the game, Dylan insisted on taking Milo and Jazz to Beulah's for sundaes. When they walked in, a cheer went up.

Wildcat Willie stopped by their booth, out of costume. “Nice game, Thrillin' Dylan! Way to show those Eagles!” He thumped him on the shoulder.

Milo recognized the redheaded girl with Willie. “Hey, where's Chip?”

“Chip the Chump?” She laughed. “Probably home kissing himself in the mirror. I thought I'd try spending some time with somebody who looks at
me.”

Smiling, the two walked off.

P.J. slid into the booth with a burger and fries. “I knew you'd pull it off,” she said to Dylan.

Dylan grinned at Jazz and Milo. “I owe it all to these two here. The Sherlocks of Socks.”

“Milo's the one who solved the mystery.” Jazz pointed her spoon at him and said, “You know, for a kid who rolls around in Dumpsters and tries to tie Velcro shoes, you're pretty smart!”

He laughed. Jazz really wasn't such a know-it-all. Besides, without her help, he'd probably still be stuck inside that Dumpster with spaghetti in his hair.

Actually, he was starting to like having her around. He was even getting used to all the purple.

When Dylan went off to order another sundae, Jazz said, “So, The Case of the Stinky Socks is closed.” She looked a little sad.

“Almost,” Milo said. “We still need to write to Dash and tell him how we solved the mystery.”

Jazz looked at him. “We?”

He grinned. “Hey, every detective needs a partner, right?”

“Definitely.” Jazz smiled back at him.

 

“So, partner,” Jazz said. “What do you think our next case will be?”

“I don't know. Maybe we'll break a secret spy code, or find some buried pirate loot.”

“In
this
town?”

He reached for his sundae and shrugged. “Dash says you never know when a new case will fall—”

SPLAT.

They stared at each other. Most of the melted sundae had landed on Milo. Jazz wiped a drip off her nose.

“—will fall right in your lap?” she finished.

“Uh . . . yeah.”

Handing him a napkin, she joked, “Hey, it's not the first time we've been in a sticky situation.”

Milo laughed. “Good point. And you know what?”

“What?”

“Something tells me it won't be the last.”

A few days after Milo and Jazz wrote to Dash Marlowe, a letter arrived in the mail. . . .

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lewis B. Montgomery is the pen name of a writer whose favorite authors include CSL, EBW, and LMM. Those initials are a clue—but there's another clue, too. Can you figure out their names?

Besides writing the Milo & Jazz mysteries, LBM enjoys eating spicy Thai noodles and blueberry ice cream, riding a bike, and reading. Not all at the same time, of course. At least, not anymore. But that's another story. . . .

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR

Amy Wummer has illustrated more than 50 children's books. She uses pencils, watercolors, and ink—but not the invisible kind.

Amy and her husband, who is also an artist, live in Pennsylvania . . . in a mysterious old house which has a secret hidden room in the basement!