The Triceratops Pops Mystery (4 page)

“I have a job here,” Barry said. He wasn't smiling anymore. “I don't have time for children's games.”

“You should listen to Cam,” Eric told Barry. “She has an amazing photographic memory. She's solved lots of mysteries.”

Cam closed her eyes and told Barry, “The third button on your shirt is open.”

He closed the button.

“Your tie is crooked.”

He straightened his necktie.

“And the number on your badge is 3640897.”

“It is! You
do
have an amazing memory. Now tell me why you think some CDs were stolen from here.”

Cam told Barry all about the missing discs. Then she told him about the thief. She was excited and spoke very fast.

“The CDs were taken and your gate beeped. The man was wearing sunglasses. You checked his bags and found a rented videotape and a watermelon. You should have held the tape and made him go through the gate again. It would have beeped.”

Cam took a deep breath and went on.

“The bottom of the watermelon bag was wet.”

“That's right,” Barry said. “After he left, I wiped the floor.”

Cam told Barry, “Whole watermelons are wet on the inside, not on the outside. He must have cut a hole in the side of the watermelon and hollowed it out. That's where he hid the CDs.”

“What do we do now?” Barry asked.

“We look for him,” Cam said. “I can give you his exact description. I have a picture of the thief stored in my head.”

“Not yet,” Barry said. “First I have to tell my boss that I'm leaving the store.”

When Barry came back he and Eric listened as Cam described the thief. Then they went outside to search the mall.

“Look how many people there are here,” Barry said. “We'll never find him.”

Eric said, “He left so long ago, he's probably home already.”

Cam looked at the floor. She tried to follow the trail of watermelon juice. But too many people had walked on it and too many other things had been spilt on the floor.

Barry pointed to a man wearing sunglasses and asked, “Is that him?”

“No,” Cam said. “The thief is shorter and is wearing sneakers.”

Barry walked slowly through the mall. Cam and Eric followed him.

“What about him?” Barry asked and pointed again.

Cam shook her head and said, “No.”

By now they had walked across the mall and were standing in front of the video rental store. Eric looked at the store. Then he looked at Cam.

“We don't have to search for the thief,” Eric said. “We can go to his house. I know how we can get his name, address, and probably even his telephone number.”

E
ric told Cam, “You just have to say ‘
Click
.' Look at the picture you have in your head of the thief and at the videotape Barry took from his bag. The rental store can tell us who took out that tape. And there it is, the name of the thief.”

Eric went on, “I'm sure they have his address on their computer records. They probably have his telephone number, too, his credit card number, his date of birth, and lots of other things about him.”

Cam closed her eyes and said, “
Click.
”Then she said, “He rented
Jungle Jake Returns.
”

“
Jungle Jake Returns
!” Eric asked, “Why would anyone want to watch that?”

Barry said, “He probably rented it just to fool our security system.”

Cam, Eric, and Barry went into the store. Barry explained to the clerk there why they needed to know who had rented
Jungle Jane
Returns.

“I can't tell you that,” the clerk said. “Our computer records are private.”

“Take a look at my badge,” Barry said. “I'm an Ernie's security guard. I believe the man who rented that tape is a thief.”

“I can't just give you his name. I have to check first with my boss. Wait here. I'll be right back,” the clerk said. Then he walked quickly to the back of the store.

“Look at all the tapes they have here,” Eric said. “Some of these were in movie theaters just a few months ago.”

“Ernie's has tapes, too,” Barry said, “lots of tapes.”

“This is where you find the most popular tapes,” Cam said. She pointed to a slot in the front of the store. “People return the tapes here. As soon as the clerk checks them in, you grab them. When I come here with my parents we always look here first.”

Someone outside the store dropped in a tape. It slid down a small tunnel and into a wooden box.

“There's a tape now,” Cam said.

Eric looked into the box. “I saw that movie. It was good.”

Another tape slid down the tunnel.

“Yuck!” Eric said. “It's an exercise tape.”

Barry looked at his watch.

“I can't wait here all afternoon,” Barry said.

“They sell candy here, too, and popcorn,” Cam said. “I love to eat popcorn while I watch a movie.”

Barry looked at his watch again.

“I'm going back there,” he said. “I'll speak to his boss myself.”

Just then another tape slid down the tunnel. Cam looked into the box.

“It's
Jungle Jake Returns!
”

B
arry turned and ran out the door. Cam and Eric followed him.

A man wearing sunglasses, a green shirt, blue pants, and sneakers was walking from the store. When he saw Barry, Cam, and Eric coming toward him, the man started to run.

“That's him!” Cam shouted. “He's the thief.”

The man was carrying a large shopping bag. He bumped into people as he ran. But he didn't stop.

Cam, Eric, and Barry were careful not to run into people. Because they were being careful, the man was getting away.

Then the man turned to see how close they were. And he ran right into the man in the bear costume.

“Ahhh!” the man screamed when he saw the bear. He dropped the shopping bag.

“
Grrr!
” the bear growled.

The man grabbed at the handles of his shopping bag. But it was too late. Cam, Eric, and Barry had caught up with him.

When the man dropped the bag, the watermelon broke. Inside the bag was the broken watermelon, and lots of CDs and watches.

Barry asked, “Did you steal these watches from Benders?”

The man said, “I bought them.”

“Show me the sales slip,” Barry said.

The man didn't have one.

Barry held onto the man's arm and told Cam and Eric to get the police.

They found two police officers in a car patrolling the parking lot. Cam told them about Barry, the thief, and the stolen CDs. The officers got out of their car. They followed Cam and Eric into the shopping mall and arrested the thief.

“We'll have to take the watches and CDs, too,” one of the officers said. “We'll need them as evidence of the crime.”

“Can't you leave just one of the Triceratops Pops CDs?” Cam asked. “That's why I went to Ernie's.”

“Please,” Barry said. “Leave us just one of those.”

The officer gave Barry one of the Triceratops Pops CDs. Barry gave it to Cam.

“The case is sticky with watermelon juice,” Barry said. “But you can wash that off. The CD inside isn't damaged.”

Cam took money from her pocket and said, “I'll pay for it.”

“No you won't,” Barry said. “Both of you are heroes. That CD is a reward for helping to catch the thief. Come to the store and I'm sure my boss will reward you with more CDs.”

Eric asked, “Can we get a Ripe Banana Band CD?”

Barry said, “Of course.”

Cam looked at Barry's watch.

“We can't go back to the store now,” she said. “It's late. We have to meet my father by the bank.”

“Well,” Barry said, “you can come back to Ernie's anytime and claim your reward. I'll even introduce you to Ernie. He'll want to meet both of you.” Barry smiled. “And don't worry. Even if you wait a long time to come back to the store, I'll remember you. I have a good memory, too.”