It was a hot sunny day, and The Clue Crackers were at a football game. It was the Hawks vs. the Bulldogs, leading 37 to 35. Both teams lined up when it was time for the next round, and the Bulldogs got the ball. One of the players, Otis Buyer, said, "Hut, hut, hike." Once Otis started the game again, the green smoke covered the field. Then, a football player with red glowing eyes wearing a bulldog's uniform came out of the smoke. The football player said, "Game over." Ricky stated, "Yikes, a ghost." The ghost scared both teams on the field and everyone in the stadium. Then, the lights in the stadium exploded, and everyone started to run. When The Clue Crackers reached the exit, they stopped and saw everyone leaving. Brad said, "I can't believe the game got canceled because of a ghost." Cassidy smiled, and so did Brad and Judy. Then Ricky smiled, and they all ran back into the stadium to question one of the players. Brad said, "Come on, gang. Let's do it."
The Clue Crackers entered the locker room and questioned Johnny Proud, the Hawks' quarterback. Brad said, "Hi, Johnny. We're The Clue Crackers, and we're investigating the case." Judy stated, "Do you know who this ghost is?" Johnny said, "Of course. He's the ghost of the famous bulldog player, Ethan Tackler." Johnny took a book off the shelf and showed them his picture. Johnny said, "This is a picture of Ethan Pack. He tackled all the players in each game because he became better known as Ethan Tackler. He would send almost every player on each team he played against to the hospital. And with not enough players on the opposing team, Ethan's team would win by default. But one day, Ethan thought he was too tough on the opposing team, so he benched him in the first round. Ethan was so embarrassed he quit the team. And after he quit, no one heard from him again. But legend has it; he hid his most prized possession somewhere in the stadium." Johnny turned the page and showed them a picture of Ethan's most prized possession. Ethan pointed at it and said, "This is it. The champion trophy, and it's rich in diamonds. He might have gotten benched, but he stayed for the game. When his team won, he took a picture of his team holding the trophy and then quit. Now his ghost has returned to find and steal the trophy." Johnny then shut the book, and The Clue Crackers thought that story might tie in the mystery somehow.
Cassidy said, "This might be easy. What locker number did he have?" Johnny opened the book again, read it, and declared, "Number 341." Ricky stated, "Thanks." The Clue Crackers hurried over to locker #341 and saw the ghost by it, so they hid behind the lockers and spied on him. They looked at the phantom and saw him shut the locker and put a lock on it so no one could get in. The ghost then placed the key in his pocket and left. When he walked away, Judy saw him drop something. Judy said, "Look, he dropped something." The ghost left, and The Clue Crackers went to where he stood. Judy picked up what he had dropped and looked at it.
Judy said, "It's a notepad. And half the page is torn off. 'Search Ethan Treasure Football.' That doesn't make any sense." Brad said. "Maybe the ghost is searching for Ethan's treasure, which is conveniently a football." Judy said, "But Johnny said his treasure was the champion trophy. Maybe there's another clue on the next page." Judy turned the page and saw that it was blank. Judy said, "Sorry, it's blank." Cassidy stated, "I have a feeling it's not. Let me see it." Judy gave Cassidy the notebook, and Cassidy took out a pencil. Then Cassidy returned to the torn page and rubbed the lead on her pencil against the next page. Cassidy said, "Bingo. See, that torn piece left faded words on the next page. It now reads, 'Search for Ethan Tackler's Treasure in Football Stadium.'" Brad said, "Now that's a clue. But we have no suspects." Cassidy stated, "No suspects? What about the coach of the Bulldogs." Judy said, "Or maybe their trainer." Ricky said, "There's also the stadium owner, Mr. Colington. And the announcer of the game, Otis Buyer." Brad stated, "But why would any of those people do it?" Cassidy stated, "We'll find out. But now I say we go home and get Jake. We'll come back tonight."
When it got dark, they grabbed Jake and returned to the stadium at night. Brad peered inside the door and said, "Coast looks clear." Brad tried opening the stadium doors, but the owner locked them. Brad stated, "They're locked." Ricky said, "Allow me." Ricky brought out his pocket knife and picked the lock on the door. Then he opened it, and all five walked into the stadium with flashlights. Then, they went to the crime scene to look for clues. When they got onto the field, they investigated where the ghost appeared.
Once they got there, Cassidy found a bottle of exclusive cologne. Cassidy said, "A bottle of cologne. Why would this be here?" Judy stated, "Someone must have accidentally dropped it." Cassidy said, "Guess so. But there's got to be more clues around this stadium." Cassidy put the cologne bottle in her backpack and searched the stadium for clues. Since there were two different directions, they decided to split up. Brad said, "Cassidy and I will search the left side of the stadium. Judy, you, Ricky, and Jake will search the right." Both teams split up and used their flashlights to search the stadium for clues. Brad and Cassidy explored the opposing team's side of the field and tried to see if they left any clues on their bench. Cassidy cast her light on the opposing team's bench and rubbed her hand on it. While Cassidy searched on the seats, Brad searched under them. Cassidy said, "This team might be dirty, but they're not stupid." Brad stated, "Maybe their coach has a better motive." Cassidy said, "Or their trainer." The ghost snuck up from behind Brad and Cassidy and stated, "Or me."
Brad and Cassidy looked behind them and saw the ghost. Then the phantom moaned at them, and Brad and Cassidy ran. While they were running, the spirit ran after them. The ghost chased them off the field and into the stadium. Then they ran into the stands and hid somewhere in them. When the phantom got into the stands, he lost Brad and Cassidy. Brad and Cassidy saw the ghost, and Brad was getting so nervous he was about to scream, so Cassidy covered his mouth to keep him quiet. Since he couldn't find Brad or Cassidy, the ghost left the stands, and Brad and Cassidy emerged from hiding under them. Cassidy said, "That was close."
Meanwhile, Judy, Ricky, and Jake were all searching the right side of the stadium. Judy then saw something shiny near one of the food courts. Judy pointed at it and said, "Guys, look, something shiny." Judy checked it out and saw someone's watch next to a book. Judy picked up the wristwatch and book and read the book's title. Judy said, "'The History of Ethan Tackler.' This book is the same one Johnny showed us. How did this get here?" Judy, Ricky, and Jake started looking for Brad and Cassidy to tell them what they found. When they did, Brad and Cassidy were confused by the mystery. Then they all left the stadium, got on their all-terrain cycles, and drove back to their houses.
All five met at Brad's house the next day and started to think the case through. Cassidy said, "Okay, so we have a few clues, but they don't fit together yet." Cassidy looked at the cologne bottle she found and saw it had an S on it. Cassidy looked up the S on her computer, and it told her it stands for Spectral. She then found the promo video for the cologne, and The Clue Crackers all watched it. They then saw Neil & Stephanie Spectral promoting the cologne on the video. Judy said, "Yikes." Cassidy stated, "Let's check the comments." Cassidy checked the comments on the video and saw that at least 65% were negative, but the other 35% were positive. Cassidy said, 'Lame video.' 'Corny,' 'It gives me the heebie-jeebies,' 'My husband might like a bottle,' 'I'll be sure to buy one for my husband.'" Ricky said, "Guess only some people like the product. If we go down to the store, we'll get more answers. What's the address on the cologne store, Cassidy?" Cassidy said, "The corner of Main St and Water St."
The Clue Crackers went down to the store just when it was about to close and saw the promotional video again. When Ricky opened the door, the football ghost appeared, and they all screamed. Judy shouted, "Run!" The Clue Crackers ran from the store, and the spirit shut the door. The Clue Crackers stopped, turned around, and didn't see the ghost chasing them. Then they noticed the owner of the cologne store put up the closed sign, and the spirit disappeared. Ricky said, "I think we have a new suspect." Cassidy stated, "Mr. Taper?" Ricky said, "Well, whoever was in the suit vanished quickly, and they didn't want us to make it to the store on time. And the owner put the closed sign up right after the ghost vanished." Cassidy said, "We'll return to the store tomorrow and look into it." Brad said, "Agreed. Cassidy and I will question the saleswoman. Judy, you'll check out the owner's office with Ricky and Jake."
The Clue Crackers returned to the store the following day and split up. Judy, Ricky, and Jake snuck into the back while Brad and Cassidy questioned the saleswoman. Cassidy showed the cologne bottle she found in the stadium, and the saleswoman looked at it. The saleswoman said, "Yep. This bottle is one of our bottles." Cassidy stated, "Interesting. Do you have any record of the people who bought one of these in the past two weeks?" The saleswoman looked at their records on her clipboard and said, "Five people have recently purchased it. But only four have returned it."
Brad stated, "Who's the only person who didn't?" The saleswoman said, "Not sure. For some reason, we only have their initials, S.S." Cassidy thought about it and tried to figure out who S.S. would be and why they would want to keep their identity a secret. Brad's walkie-talkie then beeped, and he answered it. Brad said, "Um, excuse me while I take this." Brad turned on his walkie-talkie and stated, "Hello." Judy said, "Brad, it's Judy. We found the manager's office, but there's nothing suspicious here. Although, someone spends a little too much time watching spy flicks." While looking around, Judy, Ricky, and Jake heard the door getting unlocked, so they hid. Once Mr. Taper entered his office, he turned on the lights and saw no one was in his office. Mr. Taper then went to his shelf and decided which spy flick to watch. While he was searching, Judy, Ricky, and Jake came out from hiding and snuck out of his office without Mr. Taper seeing them. Mr. Taper heard them close the door, and when he did, he looked at where the slamming sound came from and noticed the door. Mr. Taper said, "Hmm. Must have been the wind."
The Clue Crackers re-united and went back to the football stadium. Once they got there, they saw The Hawks and Bulldogs resuming their football game because they got scared away from it the previous day. While the game was going on, The Clue Crackers investigated the locker room, peered around the corner, and saw the ghost slamming locker 341 shut. Cassidy said, "I wonder." The spirit left and headed for the field while The Clue Crackers checked out locker 341. They tried opening it, but someone locked it. Ricky said, "Allow me." Ricky unlocked the locker with his pocket knife. Then Ricky opened the compartment, and they saw the diamond-encrusted trophy inside. Ricky took the award and said, "It's Ethan Tackler's most prized possession, the champion trophy with the diamonds." The ghost then shut the locker and caught The Clue Crackers with his trophy. The spirit said, "Give me that trophy. It's mine." Judy stated, "Fat chance. Run!"
The Clue Crackers ran for it, and the ghost chased them. Then, the Clue Crackers split up, and Ricky tossed the trophy to Cassidy. Cassidy then caught the award and ran off with it. The ghost then chased after Cassidy. Cassidy tried to ditch the spirit by hiding behind lockers, and the ghost ran right by her. Cassidy then ran by Judy and tossed her the trophy. When the ghost spotted Judy with the award, he ordered her to give it to him. Judy said, "Fine. Think fast." Judy tossed the spirit the trophy, but Brad reached down and caught it. Brad stated, "Later." Brad ran across the lockers with the award, and the ghost chased him. While the spirit ran after Brad, Cassidy found a piece of paper on the ground and read it. Cassidy said, "I think these clues are adding up." Brad then hid with the trophy and lost the ghost.
After losing the spirit, Brad regrouped with his team and the award. Cassidy said, "I think this mystery is just about solved. Now, all we must do is trap that ghost." Brad stated, "And I think I know how." The Clue Crackers huddled up, and Brad whispered his plan to his gang.
There were still 15 minutes in the game. And the score was 14-9, with The Bulldogs leading. The ghost appeared while the game was going on and tried to stop it again. The spirit said, "This game shall get canceled." The Clue Crackers walked out on the field and got the ghost's attention. Brad stated, "You wouldn't be looking for this, would you?" The spirit turned around and saw The Clue Crackers still had the trophy. Then the ghost chased after The Clue Crackers, and The Clue Crackers ran for it. While The Clue Crackers were running, they dropped the trophy, and the ghost picked it up. Once the spirit picked the award up, Cassidy pushed a button on a remote and made the trophy launch a net at the apparition. Then the ghost got trapped in the net, and The Clue Crackers got him. Then both teams and The Clue Crackers approached the spirit, and Judy unmasked him.
Everyone in the stadium said simultaneously, "Neil Spectral!" Brad stated, "Yes, but he wasn't alone in this. Right, Stephanie." Brad looked at Stephanie, who was in the crowd, and she got upset. Stephanie said, "Ok, yes, I was in on it too." Otis stated, "But why?" Cassidy said, "For the trophy. The first clue was the cologne bottle we found in the stadium. We questioned the saleswoman at the store they bought it from, and she said they were the only ones who didn't return their bottle and only had their initials. The initials N and S for Neil and Stephanie." Ricky said, "Cassidy also read the comments on their promo video for the cologne. Nobody seemed to like it based on the comments and all the returns they had at the store. And when we watched the promo video, we saw Neil was wearing the same watch we found in the stadium." Judy said, "Since he was the ghost who scared off the players when the game started, he must have dropped it when he changed into his costume. And that's how we found it in the stadium like the book Johnny showed us." Cassidy said, "That's right. He took the book from Johnny after he showed it to us so he could locate the trophy and put it in his locker. That's when we spotted him by Ethan Tackler's locker. He was hiding the book inside." Stephanie said, "And if it weren't for you meddling kids, we would have gotten away with that trophy."
The police then handcuffed Neil and Stephanie and took them to jail, and then both the bulldogs and hawks resumed their game. Otis said, "Ok, team, this a tough spot, but we only need one touchdown to win. Now let's go beat those hawks." When the game started, Otis ran off while one of the hawks chased him. Then he jumped over one of the hawk's heads, kicked his back down, and hopped over another. One of the hawks tried kicking Otis, but Otis kicked the ball out of his hands and jumped backward. Then, the ball landed in one of the bulldogs' hands.
The bulldog with the ball said, "Booyah." He tried running for the Hawks' goal, but two of the Hawks blocked him off, and he tossed the ball back to Otis, and he caught it. Otis said, "Nice toss." One of the Hawks blocked Otis, and he threw the ball at one of his teammates, who caught it. Then, one of the Hawks ran in front of him. Then he pitched it back to Otis, and Otis tossed it back to him. As the ball flew, the Hawks guarding Otis and his teammate ran for it and bumped into each other. Then, another one of the bulldogs caught the ball and slid it across his arms. Then he looked to his left and saw one of the hawks throwing the ball in the air and kicking it over his head. Then another bulldog caught it, spun it on his finger, and kicked it between one of the hawks' legs, and another bulldog caught it, but a hawk tackled him and pinned him to the ground. The bulldog said, "You know, in this light, you're cute." The hawk got mad, and they only had 30 seconds left. The hawk's coach said, "Hurry." One of the hawks tried punching one of the bulldogs, but she missed. Then he threw the ball to another teammate who saw Otis running towards the goal. Otis said, "I'm open." His teammate said, "Got you, Otis." One of the Hawks tried punching the bulldog who had the ball, but she missed, and then he threw the ball at Otis, who caught it and made the winning touchdown. The audience cheered for the Bulldogs because they won 37 to 41. The announcer said, "And the Bulldogs win. And none of it would have been possible without those meddling kids."
The End