The Student Detective

“Someone stole the most recent Math-A-Manics trophy this morning. Stealing is not tolerated at Stonebrook Junior High,” finished Ms. Fisher.

“Ms. Fisher, I was wondering if you could do a locker check to find the trophy,” I suggest.

“Yes, we will,” she says.

“Oh. Okay,” I say. A shadow shifts underneath the door, but when I open it, there’s only a silver sequin on the floor.

When I walk to the lockers, I see the principal and the janitors talking to students and opening lockers. I see one of this year’s Math-A-Manics members, Alice, swinging a big bag, talking to Kelsey, a member of the student council like me. The janitor opens Kelsey’s locker, but turns away to talk to Principal Halstead. Alice waves goodbye to Kelsey.

 I hurry to my locker right as the bell rings. The hallway is empty now, and the principal is peering inside Kelsey’s locker.

“I don’t know how it got there! It wasn’t me!” sputters Kelsey. The missing Math-A-Manics trophy is in her locker.

After class, I walk to the bathroom and see Alice there.

“It’s such a relief that Kelsey was caught,” she says, sighing.

“Why’d you do it?” I ask suddenly.

“What?” she says, glancing around.

“Why’d you take the trophy?”

“I didn’t,” she stutters.

“Yes, you did,” I say firmly. “I saw your shadow outside the principals’ door when I was talking about the locker check. And there was a silver sequin on the floor. From your dress,” I say pointedly.

“So?”

“You were listening to us. You had to get rid of the trophy in your locker. So, you put it in Kelsey’s locker when no one was looking,” I interrupt. “Plus, in the bathroom, you were talking to me about Kelsey, but no one except me was in the hallway at the time she was caught. Which means you wouldn’t have known . . . unless you put it there.”

“I thought I deserved the trophy. The Math-A-Manics team won because of me. I’m so sorry. I never meant for Kelsey to get in trouble, “ she says.

“I know.”