The Cinderella Ballet Mystery Read Online Free Page A

little more interesting in the set storage area. It was a small piece of white paper, half hidden under a shelf. She picked it up and stared at it closely. It said, “taille 35.”
    Nancy frowned. What did “taille” mean? Was that code for something?
    Then she noticed that the words “taille 35” were written in the same fancy cursive style as the letters on the Cinderella shoe box. Maybe the piece of paper came from inside the shoe box , she thought.
    It’s definitely a clue , Nancy told herself.

    She stuffed the piece of paper in her pocket and made a mental note to discuss it with her fellow Clue Crew detectives later. Then she brushed the dust off her tights and headed over to where her dance bag lay on the floor.
    On her way, she almost tripped over Gregory’s legs. He was sitting on the floor, going through his own dance bag. Scruffy was sitting next to him, sniffing everything.
    Gregory moved his legs out of the way. “Oh, sorry,” he mumbled.
    Nancy glanced down. Gregory had dumped some of the contents of his dance bag out on the floor. There were some dirty socks, a water bottle, school notebooks, homework assignments, a half-eaten granola bar, dirty T-shirts, and a dirty towel. What a mess!
    â€œAre you cleaning out your bag?” Nancy asked him curiously.
    Gregory shook his head. “Nah. Just looking for something.”
    â€œOh.”
    Nancy turned to go. But just then she noticed something shiny and glittery in the pile of Gregory’s stuff.
    It was a rhinestone. A small, clear, heart-shaped rhinestone.
    It looked just like the rhinestones from the missing Cinderella slippers!

CHAPTER SIX
A Blazing Headline
    Nancy stared at the glittery, heart-shaped rhinestone lying among Gregory’s things. It had to have fallen off one of the Cinderella slippers.
    Did this mean that Gregory was the slipper thief?
    â€œThat looks like one of the rhinestones from the Cinderella slippers,” Nancy said, pointing to the jewel.
    Gregory stared at the rhinestone. His cheeks flushed red.
    â€œThat’s not mine,” he said quickly. “I don’t know how it got there.”
    Nancy tried to figure out if Gregory was lying.She couldn’t tell. Still, he seemed to be hiding something.
    â€œYou don’t know how it got there?” Nancy asked him.
    â€œNo way,” Gregory said.
    â€œIt’s definitely not yours?” Nancy persisted.
    Gregory shook his head.
    Nancy picked up the rhinestone. “Can I have it, then?”
    â€œSure,” Gregory said with a shrug. “I don’t want it.”
    Scruffy nuzzled his nose in Nancy’s hand and sniffed the rhinestone. He began barking loudly.
    â€œWhat’s the matter, boy?” Nancy asked him.
    Scruffy continued to bark at the jewel.
    â€œScruffy, be quiet!” Gregory said. He picked up one of his dirty socks and threw it across the floor. “Fetch, Scruffy!” he ordered.
    Just then Nancy got an idea. While Gregory watched Scruffy fetch his sock, she leaned over and peeked into his dance bag. If Gregorywas the slipper thief, the slippers might be in there.
    But they weren’t. All she could see was a paperback book, a magazine, and … a magnifying glass.
    A magnifying glass? Nancy frowned. What was Gregory doing with that?
    Scruffy had finally stopped barking and was chewing vigorously on Gregory’s sock. Nancy turned to Gregory with a smile. “So why are you carrying a magnifying glass in your dance bag?” she asked him.
    Gregory started. “Hey, what are you doing looking in my bag?” he demanded.
    â€œIt was open, and I just happened to—” Nancy began.
    Gregory picked up his belongings and threw them into his bag. “You should stop poking around in other people’s stuff,” he said gruffly.
    With that, he grabbed his bag and headed over to the barre.
    That night, the Clue Crew met at Nancy’s house to go over their