The Case Of The Snack Store Robbery
I stared in disbelief at the paper I was given. An entire math booklet 4 pages long was due on Monday! My name is Jerald I am 12 years old and have short brown hair and pale skin. I am short, fairly thin and was at present struggling with math. I looked up in dismay at my friend Johnny. It seemed he wasn't having any luck either. I looked around the room and saw that all my class was busy at work and constantly glancing at the clock. The smell of markers and pencil shavings filled the air. Just as I thought I would be trapped in school forever the bell rang. I picked up my backpack and work and slowly sauntered out the door. Just as I stepped out the door I heard my teachers voice ring out "Math is due on Monday, have a great weekend!''
As I walked out the doors of the school into the warm spring sunshine and the smell of mowed grass my friend Johnny popped out from behind a bush that I noticed was rustling. He was tall, had black hair, a black moustache and a smile on his face. His eyes would sparkle every time you told a joke and roll into the back of his head at the mention of homework. "Are you ready for the big sleep over?" he asked excitedly. "I am, but first let's go to Sam's Snack Shack!" I shouted enthusiastically.
Sam's Snack Shack was the meaning of sugarcoated joy. It was a very popular place to go. It cheered up many kids after a long day at school. Luckily for Johnny and I it was a block away from my house! Just as we were about to open the door we heard a terrible shriek that sent shivers running up my back faster than a grade 3 Kid at the mention of recess. "Let's go!" , I shouted to Johnny as I raced in the store. The first two things that my eyes rushed to were a figure in black trying to pull his legs through the window and a frightened looking employee trying to pull the figure back through the window. "He's got my money!' screamed the employee.
Johnny quickly used the pay phone to phone 911 as I rushed over to catch the thief. Just as I was about to grab the burglar his legs popped through the window and he zoomed away on an old bicycle.
"NO!" screamed the employee through sobs. I looked around the store and what I observed was horrific. There were knocked over shelves, chip bags, and almost every candy you can imagine littered across the whole store. The only thing I could smell was juice from the broken bottles. "What is your name?" I asked the frightened employee. "F F F Fred " he replied with a stutter. "Let's help him clean this up", suggested Johnny. After we finished helping clean up we found a piece of gum Johnny identified as Ice mint nicorett. So what if it was used, it was still evidence.
As we walked up to my house I said, "It's terrible that people steal." "I don't know maybe he was just stealing because he was starving", Johnny replied.
We opened the door, took off our shoes, and headed to my room. "You can sleep right here", I said as I laid down Johnnie's sleeping bag by my closet. My room didn't have much in it, a bed, wardrobe, lamp, closet and laboratory table. My brother 8-year-old Andrew came rushing in saying "Mom says you can have cookies and milk for a snack." "Ewe" said Johnny "I just stepped in a piece of gum." He bent down and smelt the gum. "It sort of smells like the gum at the store but I might be wrong", Johnny said.
Nine hours later I was awaken by a sudden noise. Johnny was jabbing me on the shoulder. "Jerald I see eyes from your closet!" I had just woken up from a dream about a monster in my closet so I immediately got up. I looked at my open closet and sure enough there was a set of cold black eyes staring creepily back at me. I quickly but quietly reached over to my invention table and grabbed the handheld catapult I had been building. I quietly whispered to Johnny as I loaded a stone into my contraption, "If it attacks, hit it on the head with my lamp". Johnny picked up the lamp and gulped.
As I peered through my targeter, I wondered what use a stone would have against a child-eating ghoul. I pulled the elastic switch, which activated my devices trigger. I heard a "yelp" as the thing scampered away. "Lets go get your parents" Johnny said in a frightened voice. "They wouldn't believe us." "I think we should pursue the monst...Perso, whatever it is my ourselves." We slowly crept towards my closet. My feet felt like lead and I secretly thought if I ever see another scary movie I wouldn't be afraid at all.
I grasped the string (light) with my sweaty hand and slowly pulled it. I looked around. All I saw was, shirts, pants, hangars, and a Winnie the Phoo board Game? Why did I never remember playing that before? I lifted it aside and my surprise found a loose wrinkle in the rug on the floor. I pulled on it and to my surprise I discovered it was a trap-door Do you have your headlamp and heavy object?" I asked Johnny. He fiercely nodded but replied, "There's no way I'm going down there..."Fine I'll go first I said glumly. I lifted open the door and lifted myself down. "It's OK there's no one here," I yelled back up to Johnny. I looked around the old room. There were empty pop cans, chip bags, T.V. dinners, and a couple of packs of ice mint nicorete. There was a sleeping bag, a pillow and some scattered money. "I noticed a small piece of crumpled paper on the floor. I picked it up and opened it. To my surprise it was a map to the room I was standing in. "Johnny my friend I think we just found our thief", I said in a whisper.
The next morning after Johnny and I had finished eating breakfast we decided to look for more clues. As we walked down the street Johnny asked, "Where are we going anyway?" "Back to the scene of the crime" I replied confidently. As we walked into the now cleaned and repaired Sam's Snack Bar I noticed Fred the employee was still operating the cash register. " Hey Fred can we take a look at yesterdays video surveillance camera?" " There's nothing to see there, why do want to see it anyway?" asked Fred in a questioning voice. " We are trying to catch the thief," announced Johnny in a proud voice. "OK but only because you guys helped me clean up" replied Fred glumly. He reached up into a corner and pulled down a small camera. He pressed a couple of buttons on it and then motioned for us to come see.
My eyes gleamed as I watched the film. I saw Victor from school, a boy I didn't recognize dressed in torn blue jeans and a red t-shirt, and my little brother all in the store. "Thank you Fred but now we must run" I said as ran out the door. "Where are we going? " asked Johnny. "To Victor's house" I replied panting as I ran down the street.
When we got to Victor's house I rang the doorbell and waited. I looked at the entrance. It was a pale blue door that had steps running up to it. The wall of the house were blue on the top and white on the bottom. The door opened and Victor slowly walked out. He had blond hair, was average height and had green eyes. Most of the time he walked with a slouch. "Can I help you?" he asked coolly. "We would like to Know where you where after school on Friday?" I asked in a casual voice. "I went to the snack store to buy some gum," said Victor. " What kind of gum?" asked Johnny? "Juicy fruit, and why are you asking all these questions?" questioned Victor. " We are investigating the recent robbery of Sam's Snack Shack and can I see your receipt?" I asked. Victor pulled the receipt out of his pocket and handed it to me. After I finished looking at it I gave it back to him. "Thank you for your time but now we must leave," I said.
We walked back to my house and kicked off our shoes. We went into the kitchen where we found my 8 year old brother Andrew munching on cookies. "Why did you go to Sam's Snack Shack yesterday?" I asked my brother sternly. "I didn't", replied Andrew. "We saw you on the security camera so spill the beans!" demanded Johnny. Andrew took a bag of Jelly beans out of his pocket and threw them at Johnny "I was only buying some candies" he said coolly. I asked Andrew if he new who fitted the description of the third suspect.
"Trevor lives just across the street from us but he's sick and wasn't at school on Friday." We quickly walked across the street to Trevor's house. When I rang the doorbell I was surprised to see a woman come to answer. "Hi we're investigating the recent robbery of the Sam's Snack bar and we'd like to ask Trevor a few questions." Trevor's been missing for nearly two days". "I'm sorry to hear that" I said hurriedly as I stepped out the door. "What do we do next?" asked Johnny. "Next we catch a thief", I replied.
It was 1:18 when everything was quiet. I was at a stakeout in the secret room I found. I was scared but was forced into silence for 1 hour. I waited Impatiently for the intruder to appear. I had a feeling that this 'Monster' was really the burglar. I saw some movement and slowly a small boy climbed through the trapdoor. It was dark now I couldn't see what he looked like "Now I screamed as I turned on the light'.
A moment later the suspect was on the floor pinned down by Johnny. I took a look at the boy he was short had black hair; he wore a T- shirt with ripped blue jeans. Who are you and why are you here?" I asked the boy who was now confirmed to be Trevor in a stiff voice. My name is Trevor and I've been living here for almost three days" "I got mad at my parents and decided to run away from home." "How did you get here?" I questioned in an eerie voice. "The clerk at Sam's Snack bar said he would give me a map to a home if I stole all the money from the cash register and gave it to him later but it looks like he turned on me. "Fred was the name of the previous owner of this house." I gasped. "I'm scared what are you going to do with me?" "First we're going to go give your mother" a visit, Johnny replied with a laugh
Jerald's Journal: So in the end Trevor made it home to his parents and Fred was convicted of robbery. Trevor had to do community work and Dad robber proofed our house! As for the secret room Trevor, Andrew, Johnny and I used as a clubhouse to play board games in. Trevor became my other sidekick and vowed to help us with any future cases. This is my first case but I doubt it to be my last...
