Free The Mystery of the Stolen Corn Popper by David A. Adler Page A

carrying and said, “Now don’t anybody move until I get back that shopping bag.”

Chapter Two
    P eople turned to look at the man. Two guards wearing bright green uniforms came running through the crowd.
    Cam wanted to remember everyone who was nearby when the man’s shopping bag was taken. She looked toward the candy department, closed her eyes, and said, “Click.” Then Cam turned around, closed her eyes, and said “Click” again.
    “What happened? What was taken?” one of the guards asked the man.
    “Everything. Just everything. I’ve been shopping for two hours. I bought two pairs of socks, blue and brown. A sweater, a flowerpot, and a present for the Morgans’ fiftieth anniversary. I bought them a Binky’s corn popper. Do you think that’s a good present?”
    “I don’t know,” one of the guards answered. The other guard was writing on a notepad.
    “The Morgans like old movies. Whenever a good one is on TV, they stay up to watch it,” the man said. “I thought they might want to eat popcorn while they watch. The corn popper was right on top. It was wrapped in gold paper with a big green bow.”
    The guard stopped writing. He took a walkie-talkie off his belt and spoke into it. “Attention, all exit guards. Attention. Stop anyone carrying a box wrapped in gold with a green bow.”
    “Now you’ll have to come with us and fill out a report,” the guard told the man.
    “I’m not shopping for those things all over again,” the man said as he followed the guards. “Do you know how long the lines are? And I still need school supplies.”

    Eric whispered to Cam, “I think he lost that shopping bag.”
    “No,” Cam said. “With all the noise he made, someone would have found it.”
    Cam watched as the man followed the guards. Then she looked for index cards. Eric was already looking for pens, pencils, and erasers.
    Eric was reaching for a pack of pencils when Cam tapped him on his shoulder. She pointed to a woman in the candy department and whispered, “She’s been looking over here for a long time.”
    “So?” “I remember her. She was here when the man’s shopping bag was stolen.”
    Eric took a pack of pencils from the display. Then he found the pens and erasers.
    “Put those things down,” Cam told him. “That woman is holding a shopping bag, and I’ll bet she has a corn popper in there.”
    Eric put down the school supplies. He followed Cam past the notebook tower.
    They stopped at a display of candy canes and lollipops.
    “She was right here,” Cam said.
    Eric pointed. “There she is.”
    The woman was looking at boxes of iced cookies and cakes. Cam and Eric watched her. Then the woman walked through the Care for Your Hair department, and Cam and Eric followed her.

    Cam and Eric were careful not to get too close to the woman. There were always a few shoppers between them and her.
    They followed the woman to the baby department. The woman looked at bottles, baby spoons, and diaper sets. Then she stopped in front of a rack of very small dresses. She put the shopping bag down and took one of the dresses off the rack. She looked at the dress and put it back. Then the woman walked down the aisle to look at other baby clothes.
    “Let’s go,” Cam whispered. “She left the shopping bag. Now’s our chance to look inside.”

Chapter Three
    C am and Eric walked toward the shopping bag.
    “Can I help you?” someone asked.
    Cam and Eric looked up. A woman wearing a bright green dress with a large white button was standing in front of them. HELLO. MY NAME IS ANN. I’M A BINKY’S HELPER was printed on the button.
    “We don’t need any help,” Cam told Ann.
    Cam and Eric started to walk toward the shopping bag again.
    “We have some charming rattles,” Ann said. “They make wonderful gifts. And we have some very pretty diaper sets.”
    “No, thank you. We don’t need help,” Cam said.
    “Maybe you’d like to buy the baby a stuffed animal. We have teddy bears, giraffes,