Serina K. and the Case of the Missing Recipe Page 12

  Chapter Twelve: Mrs. Barnes to the Rescue

  The investigation into the time capsule break-in had come to a virtual halt. I didn’t see Sara at school much that week. When I did see her, she was usually busy studying for the spelling bee. She was still sporting her new makeover and had caught everyone’s attention. I had several people ask me who the new girl was, but I simply shrugged my shoulders as if I didn’t know. I was still bothered by the apparent end to my friendship with Autumn and all the trouble that my search for fame had caused.

  Before I knew it, it was Thursday. There were only two more days until the Doodle Soup Festival. The week had surpassed rather quietly without any activity in the investigation. Suzy had remained in the house during Mr. McCarthy’s mail route. I had given up my search for fame, so I didn’t bother searching the field for gold either. Leading a straight and narrow life sure was boring.

  I needed to do something to keep me from going stir crazy, so I decided to make my dad supper before he got home. Even though I changed my mind about becoming famous like Emeril, I could still work on my chef skills. A Serina K. salad was in the works!

  I was in the process of shredding lettuce and onions when I discovered that we didn’t have any cucumbers. I couldn’t make a Serina K. Special without any cucumbers. Cucumbers were Dad’s favorite vegetable. Last year, we had so many left from our garden that I loaded up my wagon and sold them around the neighborhood to raise money for the carnival. Not wanting to have too many again this year, Dad didn’t plant as much. The only problem was that now there wasn’t enough. I found some change underneath the couch cushions and headed off to the market around the block.

  While I was at the vegetable section of the market looking for the perfect cucumbers for my salad, I was approached by Mrs. Barnes. Mrs. Barnes was a widower who lived a few houses down from us. We had become good friends when Suzy became friends with her dog, Penny. I helped her take care of the puppies until they were all given away. She also got me the summer job at the veterinarian’s clinic.

  “Are you raising money for another carnival trip? I bet you’re buying those cucumbers so you can sell them for a higher price around the neighborhood,” she joked.

  “I was making my dad a salad for dinner until I found out that we didn’t have any cucumbers. Dad didn’t plant much of a garden this year, so I had to scrounge some change together to finish the salad.”

  “That’s awfully nice of you to make your dad dinner.”

  “I was just trying to keep myself busy. There was nothing to do at the house.”

  “Nothing to do!” she exclaimed. “I’ve never known you to be at a loss of ideas. I heard that you were even leading an investigation in to the time capsule vandalism.”

  I gave her a rundown of the events that have happened since the time capsule break-in. She was surprised to hear that Autumn and I were no longer best friends. Autumn and I had spent most of last summer over her house swimming and helping her take care of Suzy and Penny’s puppies. I also filled her in on my decision to retire from the investigation and all of my other efforts to become famous.

  “You have talent, Serina. God gave you those talents for a reason. It would be a shame to let them go to waste.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “You’ve got more drive and determination than most adults. Maybe you’ve just been going in the wrong direction. Instead of thinking about how famous you will become when you unearth a great discovery on an expedition, maybe you need to think about how important that discovery would be to the world. If Thomas Edison had given up because of fear of the evils of fame, he would have never perfected the light bulb.”

  “I didn’t know somebody invented light bulbs,” I said.

  “There were many people that tried, but it was Thomas Edison that developed the first light bulb that would last for an extended period of time. We’d still be in the dark if it wasn’t for Thomas Edison. Although he became rich and famous as a result, it wasn’t the desire for fame and fortune that made him succeed. It was his passion and belief in his idea that led to his success. You display the same characteristics and passion when you talk of your experiments and expeditions. Thomas Edison changed our lives. I believe that one day you will do something that will make a difference in everyone’s life as well. You can’t do that if you give up.”

  “What do you think I should do?”

  “I think you should get back on the case.”

  “What if they put my picture in the paper when I solve it? I don’t want God to be mad at me if I become famous.”

  “Maybe God wants you to solve the case. If you don’t solve it, who will? I bet there’s not a person on the police force who will work on it as hard as you. I’m not even sure if anyone else is working on it.”

  “I’m not sure. I don’t know if my dad has heard anything from Sheriff Daniels or not. He hasn’t mentioned it since he first told me about the break-in.”

  “What about you? Have you found any clues?”

  “No, but my instincts are telling me that it’s one of the contestants in the Doodle Soup competition.”

  I expected some skepticism when I explained my theory to her. Mrs. Barnes is the chairperson of the Doodle Soup Days committee. She organizes all of the activities at the festival. In fact, she plays Bingo with most of the contestants on Saturday nights at the community center. When she finally replied, I was surprised that she considered my theory plausible.

  “I don’t think anyone in the contest would do that, but you never can tell,” she said. “If it is one of the contestants, how would you prove it?”

  “I haven’t quite figured that out yet,” I answered.

  “I could use another judge for the competition.”

  “Another judge? How many are going to be there?”

  “I have two right now, but I need another one.”

  “Let me know where they’re going to be at. I want to make sure to avoid them. If they see me, they might give me a subpoena.”

  “I need another soup taster to help determine a winner of the competition. I was going to fill in, but this would be a good opportunity to prove your theory. If your theory is correct, you’ll catch the person who vandalized the time capsule and stole Mrs. Doyle’s recipe. If you’re wrong, you simply helped crown the new Doodle Soup champion.”

  “That’s a great idea! I can’t wait to see the thief’s face when I catch him red-handed.”

  “Let’s not get too carried away just yet. You need to be discreet. We don’t want anyone to find out what you’re up to. As far as anyone is concerned, you’re only there to help judge the contest. If one of the contestants is the thief, we don’t want them to panic and drop out of the competition. I also don’t want to offend anyone in the event that you’re wrong.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll be incognito,” I assured her.

  I was rejuvenated after my conversation with Mrs. Barnes. I went home and fixed my dad the greatest salad ever. Dad said that I really outdid myself. I wasn’t sure what he meant when he said that he was glad to see that I had gotten my mojo back, but I’m pretty sure he was trying to compliment me in one of his weird, philosophical ways.

  I was feeling pretty confident. There were just a few matters that I needed to take care of. For starters, I had to help Sara find herself again.