The Christmas Caper: A two-part mini mystery
December 17, 2021
The Christmas Caper: Part 1
I was sitting at home reading a very intriguing mystery while listening to Christmas music. My name is Detective S’more, and I was going to love this holiday because I had it off. I guess crime doesn’t strike on Christmas and I was glad about that! I was so enveloped in my mystery that I didn’t hear the phone ring at first. The second time I heard it and grudgingly went to see who it was. It was the Chief of Police. I let it ring to the last ring and picked it up and said, “Sorry, I am unable to take your call right now, please leave a message after the BEEP.” At the beep I hung up and went back to my book.
It was called the Thanksgiving Thievery: a Mini Mystery. I thought, “what a bland name, they couldn’t think of a better name?” The Thanksgiving Theft: a Mini Mystery, I thought, “yep there’s a better name. Finally over the name, I went back to the mystery itself. When I had started it I thought that I would be able to crack it in about 5 minutes, but this was my third time reading over it and I still could not get it. I had a thing with mysteries that if I didn’t know the answer I could not look at the solution until I had found it out on my own. I was so bamboozled that I decided to look at the solution, just as the doorbell rang.
I looked at my mystery once more and went to the door to see who it was. And guess who it was? It was the Chief of Police!
“Hello S’more”, he joyfully called, “I called your phone, unfortunately it said no one was home.”
“Really?” I said eying the phone.
“Yup, I want you to come down to the station and……”
“No!”, I exclaimed,”Please don’t make me work two days before Christmas Eve!”
“Who said anything about work?” he questioned, “I was inviting you to our annual Police play!”
“Police play?” I asked.
“Yes, we are putting on the play Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, and guess who is starring in it.”
“Who?”
“Me!”, he exclaimed joyfully, “I’m Santa!”
Who would have thought, I thought to myself, but would not say it because the Chief may be a little bit chubby, but he can beat anyone at the station in boxing. Instead I said, “Who’s Rudolph?”
“Rudolph, oh yes it is one of the O’ Toole Twins, I think it is Ande.”
“Aye, yes”, I said, “Ande and Drew O’ Toole. They are nearly identical but Drew has a scar on his nose, not deep, but definitely visible.”
“Yes, so will you come?”
“Sure,” I said, “Also I want to see the station’s massive tree.”
“Absolutely,” He said. I knew he was very proud of his tree and he was rightly so. It was very impressive.
We stopped by the station to look at the Christmas tree before heading over to the theatre. The theatre was the public school’s theatre that they loaned to the Police for their musical. The Chief brought a video camera with him that he gave to me to take a video of him while he was on stage. When we got to the theatre, we met Drew O’ Toole walking backstage.
“Hey Drew,” I said, “Why are you going backstage?”
“Oh, hi, um I am Ande’s understudy for this play.” he said, a little nervous.
“That makes sense,” I said. I left the Chief, took his video camera, and went to find my seat in the auditorium.
During the play, it seemed like Ande had forgotten some of his lines, but I thought the Chief was spot on.
I went back to the stage and found Drew standing around. We had a brief talk and I asked him where Ande was, and he said that Ande went back home. I met the Chief, gave him back his video camera, and headed home.
The next day I woke up. Happy that it was the last day before Christmas Eve. I went straight to my book and then went to look at the solution, but there was a knock at my door. I wanted to see who it was.
“You’ve got to help me!” yelled the Police Chief.
“Hey Chief, what’s the problem?”
“Someone stole the tree in the Station!” He exclaimed.
“Gee, that’s too bad. Well, there is nothing I can do about it.”
“Oh yes, there is definitely something you can do, you’re the best detective here and you’re going to figure this out.”
“On the day before Christmas Eve?” I said sadly.
“If you don’t solve this mystery before midnight on Christmas Eve, you will have to work all Christmas long.”