Chapter
1
Guess He’ll Go Eat Worms
I’m a detective, and I solve mysteries.
Some cases are nice and easy. Somebody loses a cat. I find the cat. They pay me, and everybody’s as happy as a bug in a rug.
Then there are the tough cases. The cases that wiggle and turn like a worm on a hook. The mysteries that are full of surprises.
This was one of those cases.
I thought it was going to be a simple job. But one thing’s for sure. I never expected mummy trouble.
That’s right. I said mummy. Not mommy. Mummy.
Mommies I can handle. Mummies are a different story. A mummy is a walking zombie. He’s a guy covered with bandages who looks like he jumped off a tall building without a parachute. He’s a guy who was dead and buried—but then came back to walk the earth.
That kind of mummy.
Yeesh.
It all started with a dare. At least that’s the way Joey Pignattano told it. We were in my office, a tree house in my backyard. As usual, Joey Pignattano’s mouth was moving. But I couldn’t believe what my ears were hearing.
I glanced at my best friend and partner, Mila Yeh. Her arms were folded across her stomach. Her face looked pale, like she was going to be sick. As Joey talked, Mila’s eyes blinked open and closed, open and closed, like the flashing lights of a Christmas tree.
Mila couldn’t believe what Joey was saying, either.
I interrupted Joey, speaking slowly and carefully. “Hold on, Joey. Let me make sure I’ve got all the facts.” I read from my detective journal. “You are telling us that you are going to eat … a worm.”
Joey’s head bobbed up and down enthusiastically. “For a dollar,” he added, smiling proudly.
“For a dollar,” I repeated. “Well, that’s not something you see every day.” I scratched the back of my neck. “Are you going to eat it plain? Or with ketchup?”
Joey’s eyes got wide. “Great idea!” he exclaimed. “I never thought of ketchup!”
“It’s something to think about,” I told him.
Mila shot me a look. I ignored her and continued. “Are you going to swallow the worm whole? Or chew on it?”
Joey bit his lip. “Dunno,” he said. “Depends on the worm.”
Mila looked at us like we were both nuts. But I had to admit. I sort of liked the idea of Joey Pignattano eating a worm. Like I said before, it’s not something you see every day.
“Wait a minute,” Mila said. “Who is paying you the dollar?”
“Bobby Solofsky,” Joey answered.
“When are you eating the worm?” she asked.
“Friday,” Joey said.
“That’s Halloween,” I said.
Joey nodded. It sure was.
Mila just shook her head. “Don’t you think that eating a worm is sort of … gross?”
Joey shrugged happily. He didn’t particularly think so.
“So why do you need a detective?” I said.
Joey leaned close. “I don’t want to get cheated,” he whispered. “I don’t trust Bobby—he’s trouble.”
I wouldn’t trust Bobby Solofsky, either. But then again, I wouldn’t eat a worm for a dollar. I guess there are two kinds of people in the world. Some eat worms. The others, well, they just don’t.
Picky eaters, I guess.
“I could make sure you don’t get cheated,” I assured him. “But I make a dollar a day. Can you afford me?”
Joey stared hard into my eyes. “Would I eat a worm if I had that kind of money?” he asked.
I saw his point. Joey Pignattano was flat broke. “OK, Joey,” I said. “You can owe me.”
So that’s how this whole mess started.
The mummy didn’t come into it until later on.
Copyright © 1999 by James Preller