To my great nieces Nadya Gabriella Emma Emily Maya and Daniella I love you to bits And to Terry Kennedy my partner in crime
CHAPTER 1 HOW CHEAP ARE YOU BAZAAR Dark clouds moved along with Max Monroe and his grandpa Harry as they drove down the dirt road that led to Harry’s house Max hadn’t been there since he was a little kid Max’s mom died two years ago so he lived with just his dad His dad was a news reporter for a major TV station He covered stories all over the world Usually Harry came to look after Max when his father was away But lately his father was gone for longer and longer periods of time There was a family meeting and it was decided that Max should move in with his grandpa for the summer Today was the day I forgot shouted Harry slamming on the brakes Forgot what Grandpa asked Max prying his fingers off the dashboard The How Cheap Are You Bazaar It closes in five minutes Hang on Max Harry spun the car around and drove like a maniac In exactly
four and a half minutes they arrived at the bazaar Harry leaped out of the car and pounded down the steps Max ran after him Inside he spotted Harry standing in front of two large tables covered with mystery books He and his grandfather loved reading mysteries THAT LOOKS LIKE A GARBAGE BAG TO ME Fill a bag only 5 00 said the sign Harry pulled out a huge green bag The lady standing next to him frowned Wait just a minute here That looks like a garbage bag to me Harry grinned Madam the sign says Fill a bag Well this is a bag The lady scratched her head Harry snapped open the bag It was so big you could fit a moose in it One hundred and sixty-four mysteries got jammed inside Harry and Max drove to Harry’s house in the country Max smiled when he saw it It was the kind of house every kid loves old and spooky looking with black shutters and vines crawling around the windows As they pulled into the driveway water drops began to plop on the windshield Then the rain came down in buckets It didn’t stop for a week Forced to stay inside Max and his grandfather ate tons of popcorn and read mystery books dozens of them
SOMEONE WAS CRYING The sun finally came out on a Saturday morning Max slipped into his jeans and T-shirt and went outside Harry didn’t believe in lawn mowers so the grass was almost as tall as Max He waded through it until he came to a tree Grabbing the lowest branch he began climbing Higher and higher he went Suddenly he heard a sound Someone was crying The sound was coming from behind him Max climbed back down and headed toward some bushes He parted them and stepped through Standing in front of him was a run-down house smaller than Grandpa Harry’s with an old wooden sign that said The Monroe Detective Agency The Monroe Detective Agency
