The Pet Show Mystery

turned bright red. “Oh—you meant Bobby.” She lowered her head and stared at her feet.
    Desperately, Trixie tried to stop laughing. She’s bound to think we’re making fun of her. How is she supposed to know that sending Bobby to obedience school is so logical it’s funny?
    Then Norma’s shoulders began to shake slightly. A small squeaky noise came from her throat. The squeak became a giggle and then, finally, full-scale laughter.
    Norma’s laughter set Trixie and Honey off again, too. Soon all three girls were rocking back and forth on the bleachers, holding their sides.
    Their laughter was only beginning to subside when Dr. Chang finished his examination of Reddy and instructed Bobby to take the dog back to his place against the wall. The sight of the boy and his dog taking off, once again, in different directions, renewed their laughter. By now, however, the entire crowd was roaring, so the girls didn’t have to worry about being conspicuous.
    Shortly after Reddy’s turn, Dr. Chang finished judging the other pets. Then he called a brief intermission, inviting the audience to vote for the People’s Choice Award while he made his decisions.
    Mr. and Mrs. Belden and Miss Trask made their way through the crowd to compliment the Bob-Whites on their success.
    “Just think,” Trixie said with a sigh after they’d left, “in a few minutes, it will all be over.”
    “Yes,” Mart said with a sigh that mocked his sister’s. “Won’t it be sad? No more tearing my hair out over my nonworking computer program. No more listening to your bizarre theories about someone sabotaging the pet show. No more—”
    “No more!” Trixie said hurriedly. She glanced at Norma.
    “Actually, there’s lots more,” said Brian. “We gathered over two hundred dollars during the entry phase of the show. We probably doubled that with our ticket sales today. That will buy a lot of cracked corn, which will mean a lot of game-bird feeding over the next few weeks.”
    Further conversation was interrupted by Dr. Chang’s call for the crowd to take their places.
    “This was a difficult show to judge,” he said, “because every animal here is exceptional. I hope that I’ve reached decisions that you consider to be fair.”
    With that short speech, he began to hand out the awards. For the most part, he followed Mart’s printout list. Largest, smallest, longest ears, shortest tail, furriest, un furriest—one by one, Dr. Chang awarded each animal a bright purple ribbon. The crowd cheered them all, and they all—owners and pets alike—looked proud and happy.
    The Bob-Whites, and Norma, cheered especially loudly when Dr. Chang announced the prize for the People’s Choice Award. Reddy won it, of course!
    When the contest was over and the crowd began filing out of the gym, Bobby rushed over to his sister. Reddy bounded along beside him.
    Bobby held up his trophy for Trixie to see. “We won!” he crowed. “We won at the pet show!”
    “Of course,” Trixie said, kneeling down to hug him. She looked at Norma Nelson and at her fellow Bob-Whites. “Didn’t you know? In this show, everyone was a winner!”