Mini Mystery

When a valuable book is stolen, can the detective and his niece solve the case? “Margaret, lock the door to the store. No one comes in or goes out.”

You’re gonna love this place,” Detective Mel Davidson told his 14-year-old niece, Katie, as they entered the It’s a Mystery Bookshop. Katie stared at the crimescene tape crisscrossing the store and the body outline on the floor in front of the counter. “So cool!” she cried. “This is my favorite store of all time. I’ve been coming for years.”

Mel led Katie to the counter, where a grayhaired woman worked on a computer.

“Hello, Mel,” the woman greeted him.

“Hi, Margaret. This is my niece, Katie.”

“Nice to meet you. I’ve known your uncle since he was your age.”

“Katie loves Nancy Drew, but she’s also a fan of du Maurier and Agatha Christie,” Mel said. “She’s looking to add to her collection.”

Margaret thought for a moment. “You can find du Maurier in Gothic, Agatha in classics and Nancy Drew in the children’s section.”

“Thanks,” Mel said. “See you in a bit.”

“Take your time, dear. You should never rush in a bookstore.” Margaret’s blue eyes twinkled. Once Mel walked Katie over to the children’s section, he went off on his own. He’d only been browsing for a couple of moments when he heard a cry. He rushed back to the front of the store where he found Margaret wringing her hands. “What’s wrong?” “The first edition of A Study in Scarlet is missing!” she cried.

Mel was well-acquainted with the store’s precious edition of the Arthur Conan Doyle introduction to Sherlock Holmes. He remembered when Margaret first bought the rare book some 20 years earlier.

He approached the case where Margaret kept A Study in Scarlet and was distressed to see it was open—and empty. He examined the lock. “No sign of tampering.” “Oh, my gracious,” Margaret said. “I think I might have forgotten to lock the case. I took the book out to dust it, put it back, then was interrupted by a customer. Yes, I left the case unlocked!” “How long ago was that?” “I happened to look at the clock before I began. I started dusting the book at 10:15. I probably returned it to its case and was interrupted at 10:20.” “It’s now 10:40. Has anyone left since 10:20?” She shook her head. “And you and Katie are the only ones who have come in.”

Ina very Agatha Christie-like fashion, Mel gathered his suspects. They sat in the corner of the room normally reserved for author appearances. Katie, Margaret, and three customers sat in the chairs in front of the detective, who stood at the podium.

“I’ll be asking each of you the same questions,” Mel said. “You. Please tell me your name and where you were in the bookstore during the last half hour.”

A fidgety young woman answered. “I’m Kellie Miller. I need a Gothic mystery for my English class. I’ve been in that section ever since I arrived.”

“And you?” Mel pointed to a neatly dressed woman in her forties.

“I’ve been looking for a present for my sister. She’s a fan of paranormal mysteries, so once Margaret directed me, I stayed in that section.”

“Okay. What about you?” Mel addressed an older man with a goatee.

“Pete Linden. I was browsing the Agatha Christies in the British novelists section. I, too, was there the whole time.”

Katie stood and approached the detective.

“Uncle Mel? Can I talk to you over there?”

She motioned for him to go with her to a secluded spot in the stacks. Once there, she whispered to him, and he nodded. They returned to their suspects, where Davidson asked Pete Linden to open the satchel that sat on the floor next to him. Sure enough, inside the satchel was the missing A Study in Scarlet.