A very baffling crime
Sue Ellen Price, or “Scoop,” as she preferred to be called, heard the shouting all the way from the entrance to the July 4th Outdoor Craft Fair and Fireworks Show.
Forget the toilet paper caddies and popsicle stick trinket boxes she’d been assigned to report on for her local newspaper: Something truly sensational was happening in the pet crafts section— and she was going to be front and center to find out what!
Scoop hurried down a short side path to the booth where a large crowd had gathered, craning their necks to get a better look at the chaos just inside.
Boom Baffles, read the sign atop the canopy. And under the shade of the canopy, huge rainbow-hued heaps of yarn lay askew on the ground.
From the disentangled yarn, as well as the booth’s empty shelves, Scoop concluded that someone had unraveled every ear protector that the vendor, Marcia, had knitted to sell to local pet parents hoping
to help their furry pals through the noise of the fireworks.
Located to the right was another booth the trail accommodated, which belonged to Francine, Marcia’s rival. Francine’s displays brimmed with other knitted pet accessories, ranging from gerbil jackets to kitty-carrier slings (one of which Francine currently wore to hold her cat, Mr. Snuggles).
Marcia stood behind the yarn pile, glowering at Francine. “It’s bad enough to claim I stole your invention, when you know very well I created Boom Baffles to spare Rover from the noise of those awful fireworks!” She stroked the German Shepherd at her side. “But to destroy all of my inventory is lower than low.”
Francine scowled. “I wish I’d destroyed your inventory!” she cried, hugging Mr. Snuggles even closer. “In my opinion, you got what you deserved!”
Mr. Snuggles hissed, revealing a strand of yarn caught between her teeth. For his part, Rover looked bored—probably because the Baffles he modeled kept him from hearing the feline’s sound effects.
“Enough,” a masculine voice bellowed above the din.
Scoop whirled around to find a man shouldering forward through the spectators: Mayor Wiley!
This was shaping up to be a real, well…scoop. A scoop that could get Scoop promoted to the crime beat, if she was able to solve the crime and name the perpetrator in her article.
“Marcia, I’m tired of you trying to stir up this town’s pet owners against the holiday fireworks,” the mayor barked. “The fireworks are good for business. In fact, our merchants happen to love them.”
“Yeah,” someone muttered from the back, “the same merchants who donated to your election campaign last year.”
Either the mayor didn’t hear the remark or pretended not to.
“Let’s get this mess cleaned up and carry on with the fair, or I’ll have the police chief arrest each and every one of you for disorderly conduct.”
The crowd drifted away, grumbling, but Scoop stayed put, her hand poised above an open notepad. “Just one question for you, Mr. Mayor, if I could?” she asked.
Mayor Wiley turned, narrowing his eyes at her. “Yeah, what is it?”
“We don’t have much crime around here…how do you account for such vandalism?”
The mayor puffed out his chest. “Marcia never should’ve taken Rover for a walk while Francine was off in the parking lot, helping a customer load his car. With both of those booths unmanned, an out-of-town delinquent probably saw an opportunity to vandalize the stand and took it. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a fair to get back to.”
Scoop scribbled feverishly in her notepad as Mayor Wiley strutted off. Thanks to him, she knew whodunit. She grinned. “Crime beat, here I come!” —Janice Curran
Q: Who unraveled the ear protectors? A: Turn to pg 51