Cam Jansen and the Secret Service Mystery
Page 3
There was a knock on the door.
Ms. Benson took one last look at the room. Then she walked over and opened the door.
The bald Secret Service agent and the one with short dark hair and a mustache walked in. They looked at the children. One opened and closed the closet doors as he walked to the back of the room. The other walked along the chalkboard toward the windows. He looked under Ms. Benson’s desk. Then he walked to the back of the room, too.
Next, the two female Secret Service agents came in with Governor Zellner. Then Dr. Prell, the Pearls, Mrs. Adams, Officers Taylor and Gold, and some newspeople walked in.
“Look at Mrs. Pearl,” Cam whispered to Eric. “She’s wearing the necklace.”
“We all came here,” Governor Zellner said, “to thank the girl and boy who helped the police catch the two thieves.”
Mrs. Pearl smiled. “I have my necklace.”
One of the newsmen called out, “Let’s get a picture of you with the two children.”
Dr. Prell asked Cam and Eric to stand between the governor and Mrs. Pearl.
“He’s not the boy,” Officer Taylor said. “It was that one.”
He pointed to Danny.
“Me?” he asked.
“Yes,” Officer Gold said. “You told us that Mrs. Adams stopped them, that she told them to move their car.”
Lights flashed as newspeople took lots of pictures of Cam and Danny with Mrs. Pearl and her necklace. They also took pictures of them with the governor and the two police officers.
“Tell us what happened!” one of the newsmen said.
Officer Gold told the reporters about the dropped book and the fake Secret Service agent.
“The thief pushed me and Sam behind the desk,” Mrs. Pearl said. “We thought he was one of the Secret Service people.”
“He wasn’t,” the blonde agent said. “We’re here to watch Governor Zellner. We didn’t see what was happening with the Pearls.”
“He pushed us and said, ‘Keep down!’” Mrs. Pearl said. “I think that’s when he pulled off my necklace.”
“This girl described the thief to us,” Officer Gold said of Cam. “And this boy sent us to Mrs. Adams.”
“Their car was blocking the back door,” Mrs. Adams said, “and I was expecting a delivery. I thought it was a teacher’s car, so I wrote the license-plate number down. I was checking the list I have of teachers’ license numbers to see whose car it was. That’s when those two came by.”
“And that’s how we caught them,” Officer Taylor said. “We had the plate number, so it was easy. Another police officer spotted the car. There was a short chase and we caught them.”
“What a great story!” one of the newsmen said. “It has everything. It has a famous man.”
Governor Zellner smiled when he heard that.
“It has lots of children, a generous couple, a car chase, and a happy ending.”
“This story is not done,” Governor Zellner told the newspeople. “I hope Dr. Prell, Ms. Benson, and Mrs. Adams will bring this class to the state capital. I’ll show them the state assembly and senate. Then they’ll come to my office where we’ll honor these two brave children and Mrs. Adams.”
“Me?” Danny asked again.
“Yes,” Governor Zellner said. “You’re heroes.”
“I’d like a picture of the three heroes, please,” one of the photographers said.
Cam, Danny, and Mrs. Adams stood together.
Several photographers crowded around them. The newspeople stood right behind them.
Cam, Danny, and Mrs. Adams smiled. The photographer pressed the shutter button.
Click!
Cam looked at the many photographers and newspeople. She blinked her eyes and said, “Click!” too.
She wanted to remember this day for a long time.
A Cam Jansen Memory Game
Take another look at the picture opposite page 1. Study it. Blink your eyes and say, “Click!” Then turn back to this page and answer these questions. Please, first study the picture, then look at the questions.
Is Cam sitting or standing?
Is Cam taking a book from the bookcase, or is Eric?
How many children are in the picture?
Is there a motorcycle outside?
What are the letters on the news truck?
Does Danny’s shirt have stripes or dots, short sleeves or long sleeves?