by Natasha Deen
“And ice cream is made of milk,” I added. “And that’s one of the five food groups.”
Halmoni made a gurgley-coughy sound, and it looked like she was trying to hide a smile.
“I bet a milkshake would help that cough,” I said.
“I was thinking we should go the post office and put up one of the posters on the bulletin board,” said Halmoni.
“That’s a good idea.” Connor nodded. “We’ll get the ice cream after.”
The post office was inside the general store. The general store is owned by Mr. and Mrs. Lee. The store sells groceries and medicine. It has a coffee shop with delishush deelishus delicious hot chocolate and cookies. Plus, it has a giant tank with lots and lots of colorful fish.
When Mr. and Mrs. Lee opened the store, they asked Dad to set up the fish tank because he works at the aquarium. And Dad let Connor and me help. We picked out a big rectangular tank and put lots of fun stuff inside. Pebbles, treasure chests and scuba divers. Then we got to pick out the fish. We chose African cichlids, tetras, and guppies. I love going to the general store to look at the fish. It’s like watching a swimming rainbow, and it always makes me happy.
“We can see the fish,” said Connor. “That will be cool.”
I nodded. “It’s too bad we aren’t getting there earlier. We could have helped Mr. Lee feed them.”
“I know,” Connor replied. “But they always get their food at eight.”
I opened the door for Halmoni and let Connor go ahead of me. Then I went inside, and I did not like what I saw, not one bit. Nope, nope, nope.
Chapter Four
A bunch of grown-ups stood by the cash register, and they all looked grumpy. Really, really grumpy.
“What’s going on? What happened?” asked Halmoni.
“We’ve had a theft!” said Mrs. Lee. Usually, Mrs. Lee looks neat and tidy. She likes to wear her black hair in a bun and keep her apron bright white and clean. Right now she didn’t look like that at all. Her bun was lopsided, and pieces of her hair were loose. Her shirt was all crumpled, and her apron was covered in dirt.
I grabbed Connor’s arm and whispered, “This is so great! It’s a case!” I stepped forward into the group of grown-ups. “Mrs. Lee, Connor and I are private investigators. Can you tell us what happened? Maybe we can help.”
“Oh, Lark, Connor, that’s very sweet of you to offer.” She tried to push her hair back into place, but it wouldn’t stay. “It’s a big theft, though, and I think we should wait for the police.”
“I don’t know why I have to be here,” Mrs. Wiedman interrupted. “I didn’t steal anything.”
“Me either,” said Mrs. Paradowski. “And I don’t like being accused of stealing.”
“Everyone must stay here until the police arrive!” Mrs. Lee said in a stern voice. “They will want to question everyone!”
“I can’t believe it,” Henry said glumly. He worked for the Lees. “I came into work today because I needed the extra money to fix my car. Now I’m a robbery suspect!”
“How do you think I feel?” asked Mrs. Weidman. “I only came in because I needed milk and bread!”
“Bad news,” said Mr. Lee as he put down his phone. “There was construction on the highway, and some drivers got into an accident. Officer Duong won’t be able to come for a couple of hours.” He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. “This is terrible.”
“You should tell us what happened,” said Connor. “We really can help.”
Mr. Lee sank onto the bench that was beside the front door. “That’s very kind, but this is a matter for the grownups.”
“But—” said Connor.
I put my finger to my mouth and shushed him.
“Why are you telling me to be quiet?” he asked.
I pulled Connor away from the grown-ups. “I learned about this from my book yesterday. If we’re quiet, we’ll get the information we need. The detective in the story called it spilling the beans. He said people can’t help but talk about a crime. Especially suspects.”
“What’s are suspects?”
“They’re the people who might have committed the crime. They’re called suspects. Then whoever did the bad thing is called the culprit.”
“Oh, that makes sense.” Connor thought for a minute. “So does your idea of listening quietly.” He looked at me. “Can you be quiet?”
“It’ll be my best magic trick.”
He nodded.
This was exciting—and kind of scary. The butterflies were in my stomach and my throat! We were about to investigate our second case!
Chapter Five
“This is all so terrible,” said Mrs. Lee to Halmoni. “Our niece is a jewelry maker, and today we got the first shipment of her necklaces and earrings. And someone stole a pair of earrings! Diamond earrings!”
Mr. Lee shook his head and walked over to them. “I can’t believe it. I just can’t believe it.” He looked around the room. “Sung and Henry have worked for us for a long time. Mrs. Wiedman and Mrs. Paradowski have been our clients for an even longer time! I can’t believe any of them would steal from us.”
I felt bad for the Lees. They were nice people, and they didn’t deserve to have their things stolen. I felt bad for the rest of the group too. Only one of them had stolen the jewelry. It wasn’t fair that they were all suspects. It was up to Connor and me to figure out the truth. The grown-ups didn’t want to talk to us, but there was someone who would help.
I went to Halmoni and whispered, “We need some information.”
“What kind?” she whispered back.
I squinted, just like the detective in the story I’d read, and said, “We need to know what happened before the robbery. We might be able to figure out who the suspect is.”
She nodded and said to Mrs. Lee, “Can you tell me exactly what happened? Start at the beginning, please. Where was everyone standing?”
“Mrs. Wiedman and Henry were by the fish tank,” said Mrs. Lee.
“We were watching them swim,” said Henry.
“Mrs. Paradowski and I were over there.” Mrs. Lee pointed at a spot beside the tank. “We were looking at the jewelry,” she said.
“Sung and I were at the cash register,” said Mr. Lee.
“A bunch of kids came in,” said Mrs. Lee, “and they seemed to be fighting with each other.”
Connor leaned in. “Three guesses who that was,” he said to me. “Sophie and her friends.”
“It might not be—”
“It was Sophie and her friends,” continued Mrs. Lee.
Connor nodded. “I’m not surprised.”
“I went over to see what was going on,” said Mrs. Lee. “It turned out they weren’t arguing. They were just talking loudly. And they were doing a science experiment, I think.” She paused. “They needed a special kind of mints, and a specific type of soda. I went back to help Mrs. Paradowski, and the kids went to the soda and candy aisle.”
I looked at Connor.
He looked at me.
We both knew what kind of experiment Sophie and her friends were doing. More on that later. “What happened next?”
“I went to get some milk,” said Mrs. Wiedman. “I couldn’t see what was going on.”
That made sense. The fish tank was in the middle of the store, and the jewelry was on a table beside it. The milk was kept at the back. Mrs. Wiedman wouldn’t have seen anything because she would have walked away from the display.
“I couldn’t see anything either,” said Henry, “because I went to help Mrs. Wiedman.”
“After he fed the fish,” said Mrs. Wiedman.
He nodded. “They looked hungry.”
“Sophie and her friends took the mints and soda to the cash register,” said Mr. Lee. “I rang in their purchases, and Sung packed everything into their shopping bag. Then they left.”
“I chose a necklace I liked and went to the cash register, and I paid for my things,” said Mrs. Paradowski.
Sung nodded. “T
hat’s true. I have the receipt here in the cash register.”
I looked over at Connor. “This is kind of confusing. There are a lot of people to keep track of.”
Connor nodded. He flipped over one of our posters. “Let’s write this down.” At the top of the page he wrote:
BEFORE THE THEFT. Underneath that he wrote:
Mrs. Weidman and Henry stood by the fish.
Mrs. Lee and Mrs. Paradowski stood by the jewelry table.
Mr. Lee and Sung stood by the cash register.
Sophie and her friends went to the soda and candy aisle.
Then he wrote, DURING THE THEFT. Underneath that he wrote:
Mrs. Weidman and Henry went to get milk.
Sophie and her friends paid for their soda and mints and left.
Mrs. Lee helped Mrs. Paradowski choose some jewelry. Then they walked to the cash register.
Mr. Lee and Sung remained by the cash register.
I patted Connor on the shoulder. “That’s good. A great P.I. keeps track of everything.” I turned to Mrs. Lee. “What happened next?”
“I went to leave,” said Mrs. Paradowski.
“I went to pay for my milk—” said Mrs. Wiedman.
“But then you remembered you needed bread,” added Henry. “I know because I went with you to help. The bakery section isn’t anywhere near the jewelry section.”
“I went to tidy up the jewelry display,” said Mrs. Lee. “That’s when I noticed an empty spot. Someone had stolen the earrings!”
Chapter Six
“Is it possible they just fell on the floor?” asked Connor.
I shushed him. We were supposed to be quiet and listening. But I guess the grown-ups were focused on the mystery, because Mr. Lee said, “We searched everywhere.”
“Mrs. Paradowski and I emptied my purse to prove I didn’t have anything,” said Mrs. Wiedman to Halmoni.
“We feel terrible about it.” Mrs. Lee squeezed Mrs. Wiedman’s hand. “But someone must have taken them.”
“But no one here has the earrings,” said Mr. Lee.
I looked at Halmoni. We needed to check the bags and pockets, but I didn’t want to interrupt the grown-ups.
“Hmm,” said Halmoni. “I wonder if the earrings just fell and got caught in someone’s clothes.” She smiled at Connor and me. “You two are smaller than us. Maybe if the earrings fell on the floor and rolled into a corner, you might find them.”
“Do you mind if we triple-check?” I asked Mrs. Lee. “May we look around the store?”
“I suppose it wouldn’t hurt,” said Mrs. Lee.
“If we’re looking again, I might as well go through my purse once more,” said Mrs. Paradowski.
“Mine too,” said Mrs. Wiedman.
We watched as everyone checked their stuff. Henry emptied his pockets, and so did Sung. Mrs. Wiedman and Mrs. Paradowski took everything out of their bags. Even the Lees emptied their pockets.
No earrings.
Connor put down his pen and paper. We went to the jewelry display. We lifted each piece of jewelry and looked under it. Then we looked under the box. And then under the table. There was no pair of diamond earrings.
Next, we looked around the fish tank. In front of it. Behind it. Under it. Still no diamond earrings. We kept looking and looking and looking. But those earrings were playing the bestest game of hide-and-seek.
Connor made a frowny face. “These earrings weren’t just stolen. Someone made them disappear. But no one has left the store. We have a mystery, Lark, but it’s a big one. First we have to figure out who stole the earrings. But then we have to figure out how the culprit made them disappear.”
I stood and thought. Then thought some more. “Someone did leave the store. Sophie.”
“Aw.” Connor’s forehead went wrinkly. “I know she’s a pain, but do you think she’d really steal from the Lees?”
“No,” I said, “and I don’t think her friends did either. But maybe the earrings got snagged on a sweater or fell in the shopping bag.”
“I guess.” Connor put the paper and pen in his pocket. “Let’s go and talk to her.”
Halmoni walked us to the door and whispered, “I’ll stay here and listen. Maybe someone will give something away.”
“That’s good thinking,” said Connor. “You’re an excellent assistant.”
Halmoni covered her face and coughed.
I nodded, then put my hand on her arm. “You should drink some orange juice to help with your cough.”
She nodded solemnly. “That’s a very good idea.”
“Keep your ears open and see if anyone spills the beans,” I said.
“Yes, Halmoni, listen hard. See if anyone spills the beans, carrots or peas.”
Halmoni made that gurgley-coughy sound and nodded.
Chapter Seven
We walked a few blocks over to Sophie’s house and rang the doorbell. There was no answer. I was going to knock when Connor tapped my arm.
“Do you hear that?”
It sounded like a tire or a balloon losing air. “It’s coming from the backyard.”
“Let’s go and see.”
We followed the noise and found Sophie and our other friends, Franklin and Kate, behind the house. They were standing by a pile of soda bottles and didn’t notice us.
“We’re going to need more soda,” I heard Sophie say. “We need more fizz. It’s got to be spectacular for our movie!”
“Movie?” Connor asked.
Everyone turned to look at us.
“Hey! Connor and Lark!” Kate ran over to us. “Yeah, we’re making a monster movie.”
“But what are the soda and mints for?” asked Connor.
“Because,” I said, “if you put one of the mints into a two-liter bottle of soda, it makes a great explosion!”
Connor rolled his eyes. “I know what happens if you mix soda and mints. I meant, what does an explosion have to do with a monster movie?”
“The monster is born in a volcano,” said Franklin, “and when he comes out of the volcano, there’s a huge eruption!”
“Cool!” Connor said. “Can I help? I’m great with this kind of stuff.”
Grrr. Little brothers. “Maybe you can help them after we solve our case.”
“Oh.” He slapped his forehead with his hand. “Right.”
“You’ve got a case?” asked Sophie. “I thought you had solved it. Didn’t you already find the library key, baa baa Lark sheep?”
The smile disappeared from Connor’s face. “That’s not funny.”
“Sure it is,” I said. “Because our last name is Ba, and that’s the same sound sheep make.”
“Still not funny,” said Connor.
Sometimes Connor can’t take a joke, but I knew Sophie was joking. She and I are best friends—she just doesn’t know it yet. But friendship and explaining jokes would have to wait. I had a case to solve.
“You went to the general store earlier,” I said.
Kate, Franklin and Sophie nodded.
“Someone stole a pair of earrings,” said Connor.
Franklin shook his head and took a step back. “It wasn’t me!”
“Me either,” said Kate.
“We don’t think you stole anything. But maybe you saw something?”
Franklin shook his head again. “I’m sorry. My job was to get the soda. When we went into the store, that’s all I was looking for.”
“My job was to get the mints,” said Kate. “I didn’t see anything either.”
“What about you, Sophie?” asked Connor.
“I was too busy planning the movie. And I’m still busy planning the movie. I don’t have time to help with anything.” She put an empty bottle into a recycling bag.
“You must have noticed something,” said Connor.
“What I noticed is that our explosions aren’t cool enough for the movie. And I notice you’re wasting my time. I can’t help.”
“You’re really good at noticing stuff,” I s
aid. “If you help me, I can help you make the explosion really, extremely, superduper, totally cool.”
Sophie stopped loading the recycling bag. “Promise?”
I nodded.
So did Connor.
“Okay, I’ll help.”
Connor took out the paper with his notes and showed Sophie.
She read it. “Yes, that looks right.”
“Exactly right?” I asked.
Sophie gave the paper back to Connor. “Exactly right.” She gave me a worried look. “Are you still going to help with the monster movie? Even though I didn’t add anything?”
I nodded. “You helped. So will I. After I solve the—”
Connor elbowed me.
“After we solve the case.”
I smiled and waved goodbye, but inside I didn’t feel very smiley. I had hoped Sophie would give me a clue, but I was still stuck. Who had stolen the earrings, and how did they make the jewelry disappear?
“We should go back to the store,” said Connor, “and take another look. Maybe we missed something. Or maybe Halmoni’s found another clue to the culprit.”
I nodded.
Connor gave me a smile and patted me on the shoulder. “It’s going to be fine. We’ll solve this.”
That made me feel better. “You’re a really good little brother.”
Connor sighed. “I just thought of a new magic trick.”
“Really? What?”
“Making you realize we’re twins, and you’re not older.”
Now it was my turn to sigh. Little brothers can be so much work.
Chapter Eight
When we got back to the store, Halmoni came up to us.
“Were Sophie and her friends helpful?”
I shook my head.
So did Connor.
“That’s okay,” said Halmoni. “We’ll figure it out.”
Mrs. Lee came over. “Thank you for trying to help. I’m sorry you didn’t find out anything new.” She gave us a big smile. “The good news is that Officer Duong will be here in ten minutes.” Mrs. Lee leaned in. “And we’re going to give you a box of Creamsicles as thanks for trying to help.”
