Nancy glanced around the salon. The collar was nowhere to be seen.
Bess and George were standing nearby, checking out a display of doggie sweaters. “Bess! George!” she cried out.
“What’s the matter?” George asked her.
Nancy pointed to the velvet cushion. “The collar is gone!” she announced.
“What!” Bess gasped.
Rex Rumford happened to pass by at that moment. His sleeves were rolled up, and his hands were still wet with shampoo and dog fur. “Hi, ladies. Are you enjoying yourselves?” he called out cheerfully.
“Mr. Rumford, have you seen my Stella Sipowitz collar?” Nancy asked him. “I left it here, and now it’s gone.”
Rex stopped in his tracks and frowned. “There must be some mistake.”
“No, it’s definitely gone,” Nancy insisted.
“Hmm, well, maybe someone picked it up by mistake and set it down somewhere,” Rex said.
The four of them searched the area around the counter. There was no sign of the collar. Then they searched every inch of the salon. Chip trailed along, sniffing like a bloodhound.
But the four of them—plus Chip—had no luck finding the collar. It was definitely gone.
Nancy glanced around the salon, trying to figure out who might have seen the collar. But a lot of the guests had left, including Petra, Mrs. Vanderpool, and Lucas.
Alice Cahill stopped Nancy near the doorway of the Doggie Lounge. Her green pen was poised over her notepad.
“Excuse me, but did I hear you say that your collar is missing?” she said eagerly. “I’m Alice Cahill. I write the ’Pet Corner’ column for the River Heights Gazette. I’d love to have a quote from you for my column.”
“A quote?” Nancy asked her.
Alice nodded. “Yes. As in, what do you think happened to your collar? Do you think there’s a thief on the loose? Is River Heights being hit by a wave of doggie-collar crime? Do tell!” She glanced at her poodle, who was gnawing on a black leather backpack. “Pierre, you leave that nice backpack alone!”
Nancy thought for a moment. Could someone have stolen her collar? If so, who?
“I plan to get on the case,” Nancy told Alice in a determined voice. “If there’s a thief on the loose, I’m going to figure out who it is!”
“Nancy’s a detective, Ms. Cahill,” George piped up.
“Yeah, she’s the best detective at Carl Sandburg Elementary School,” Bess added. “She’s solved lots and lots of mysteries.”
Chip barked excitedly.
“Wonderful!” Alice said, scribbling like mad. “This is going to make a fabulous column!”
Nancy was happy that she was going to be in Ms. Cahill’s “Pet Corner” column. But she would be a lot happier if she got her collar back—safe and sound!
That night at dinner Nancy told her father what had happened at the Dashing Dog Pet Salon. She had already filled Hannah in during the car ride home.
“You mean someone stole Chip’s new collar?” Carson Drew said when Nancy had finished. “That’s terrible!”
Nancy took a bite of her grilled fish. “I’m not sure if someone stole Chip’s collar,” Nancy murmured. “But it looks like it. And I’m going to find out who!”
“Do you have any suspects?” Hannah asked her.
Nancy mulled this over. “Hmm. Well, there’s Petra Wylie. She goes to my school. She really, really wanted to win the collar for her dog, Prince Fabian. She kind of threw a fit when I won instead.”
Carson broke off a piece of bread. “Sounds promising. Any other suspects?”
“There’s also Mrs. Vanderpool,” Nancy said after a minute. “She really wanted the collar, too — for one of her Yorkies. She has two of them, and their names are Muffy or Puffy or Buffy or something like that. Anyway, she actually offered to buy Chip’s collar from me.”
“Sounds like a prime suspect to me,” Hannah remarked.
“I know you’ll figure this out,” Carson said. “You’re the best detective I know, Pudding Pie.” “Pudding Pie” was Carson’s nickname for Nancy.
“Thanks, Daddy.” Nancy grinned.
Later that night Nancy got out her special blue notebook. Her father had given it to her when she was trying to solve her first mystery. It helped her to keep track of suspects and clues.
She snuggled under the covers, picked up her pen, and began to write:
The Case of the Missing Doggie Collar
Suspects:
Petra Wylie, because she wanted the collar for her dog, Prince Fabian. Mrs. Vanderpool, because she wanted the collar for one of her Yorkies. Clues: ?????
Nancy reread what she had written. It gave her an idea. Tomorrow she would see if Bess and George could go with her to question the two suspects—in person.
Petra lived a few streets from Nancy. On Saturday morning Nancy got permission to walk over to her house. Bess and George got permission from their parents, too.
Outside, the air was brisk and cold. It felt as though it might start snowing any minute. As they walked, Nancy pulled her wool hat over her ears and rubbed her mittened hands together. Chip ran alongside her, keeping her nose low to the ground and sniffing every pebble and tree.
“I think Petra’s totally guilty,” George said.
“She was acting like a major spoiled brat yesterday,” Bess agreed.
“I’m not sure. We’ll have to find more clues before we can accuse Petra,” Nancy said.
They soon got to Petra’s house. It was big and pink, with green shutters and a huge wraparound porch. White holiday lights sparkled in all the windows, and a green wreath was hanging on the front door.
Nancy rang the bell. After a minute Mrs. Wylie answered. “Hi, girls, what can I do for you?” she asked pleasantly.
“Is Petra home?” Nancy said.
Mrs. Wylie smiled. “She’s out back, playing with the dog. The easiest thing would be to go around the side and through the gate.”
“Thank you,” Nancy said.
Nancy headed for the backyard. George and Bess followed her. Nancy’s boots made squishing noises as she walked. The ground was muddy from when it had snowed and then thawed recently.
When they got to the backyard, Nancy glanced around. She didn’t see Petra anywhere. But she did see Prince Fabian. He was running around and around with a chew toy in his mouth.
Chip ran over to join him. The two dogs chased each other, barking happily.
“I wonder where Petra is —” Nancy began. And then she stopped.
Then Nancy noticed that Prince Fabian was wearing a collar. A jeweled collar.
Prince Fabian was wearing Chip’s missing collar!