Read Cam Jansen and the Mystery Writer Mystery Online

Authors: David A. Adler

Cam Jansen and the Mystery Writer Mystery (4 page)

BOOK: Cam Jansen and the Mystery Writer Mystery

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Hey,
Cam thought,
I know one of those officers. He’s been at the school before. That’s Officer Oppen.

Cam waved to him. She hoped he would see her and ask her to come into the lobby.
If a police officer tells me to leave the gym,
Cam thought
, I’ll have to go!

Officer Oppen had his police pad out. He was writing whatever Danny’s father said.

Danny’s father reached into his pocket. He took out his wallet and showed something to Officer Oppen.

That must be information on his car,
Cam thought.

Cam waved some more. She called out, “Hello!”

Officer Oppen saw Cam. He smiled, but he didn’t tell her to join him.

Danny’s father talked some more. Then it seemed he was done. Officer Oppen closed his pad.

Just then, Eric, his sister Diane, and his father came into the school. They hurried over to the police officers. Mr. Shelton said something, and Officer Oppen took out his pad again. He started to write.

Cam waved to Eric. He didn’t see her. Cam called out his name.

Eric looked toward the gym. He saw Cam. He waved to her. Then he held up his hand. He would be right there.

Cam waited and watched. Officer Oppen wrote a lot in his pad. Then Mr. Shelton took out his wallet and showed something to Officer Oppen.

Cam waved again to Eric. She signaled to him to come over.

Eric hurried to the gym entrance.

“You won’t believe what happened,” he told Cam. “After all of you went inside, Dad said, ‘Hey, where’s
my
car?’ We looked and looked, but it’s gone. My dad’s car was stolen, too!”

Chapter Six

“Two cars were stolen from the school lot,” Cam said. “I have to tell Mom.”

“Wait,” Eric said. “First listen to what the police officer told us. He said he would call in the license number and description of our car. The police will look for it. But he said they may not find Dad’s car.”

“Wow!”

“Dad’s dry-cleaning—a few shirts and his good suit—is in the trunk. Donna’s and Diane’s ice skates are also in the trunk.”

“Wait here,” Cam said. “I’ll tell Mom what happened. She said I have to stay in the gym, but I can’t stay here with so much happening outside.”

“I’ll go with you,” Eric said. “I’ll tell her we need you to find Dad’s car.”

Cam and Eric went to the history book table.

“Look at this,” Mrs. Jansen said to them. “This book is all about Benjamin Franklin. Did you know he made the first bifocal eyeglasses?”

“Mom,” Cam said, “Mr. Shelton’s car was stolen. I want to help look for it.”

“Oh, my,” Mrs. Jansen said to Eric. “Your father should call the police.”

“He already spoke with the police. They said they’ll do what they can.”

Mrs. Jansen told Eric, “We can give you a ride home.”

“Please,” Cam said. “Maybe I can help find the car. Let me go with Eric.”

Mrs. Jansen returned the book about Benjamin Franklin to the table.

“I’ll go with you,” she told Cam. “I’ll make sure you don’t do anything dangerous. And if you go outside, I want to be sure your put on your raincoat and hat.”

Cam returned her three My Name Is Blake mysteries to the table by the entrance to the gym.

Jim E. Winter walked past them. “I’m finished,” he told Dr. Prell. “There’s no one left on line.”

The principal introduced the writer to Officers Gray and Oppen.

“I read your books when I was a child,” Officer Gray said.

“I read them to my children now,” Officer Oppen told Mr. Winter.

Officer Gray was a tall woman with curly black hair. Officer Oppen was not so tall and had a short beard.

Cam, Eric, and Mrs. Jansen joined them.

“Hello,” Officer Oppen said to Cam. Then he laughed, blinked his eyes, and said, “
Click!

“I know this girl,” he told his partner. “She’s smart. She has a great memory.”

“That’s very nice,” the taller officer said. “But we must get going.”

Officer Gray reached into her pocket and took out a set of car keys.

“Are you left-handed?” Cam asked.

“Yes, I am, but how did you know?”

“You keep your keys in your left pocket,” Cam explained.

“That’s very interesting,” Officer Gray said, “but we really must go.”

Cam closed her eyes. She said,
“Click!”
Then, with her eyes still closed, she said, “And, Mr. Pace, are you right-handed?”

“Yes, I am,” Danny’s father said.

“I know that,” Cam said with her eyes still closed, “because when Jim E. Winter asked for your keys, you first reached into your right pocket.”

“But the keys weren’t there,” Mr. Pace said.

“No,” Cam said. “They were in your left pocket.”

“Right pocket, left pocket!” Officer Gray said. “Let’s go. We have reports to file.”

Cam opened her eyes.

“You’re right-handed,” Cam told Danny’s father, “so you would have put your keys in your right pocket. But I think someone took your keys out of your pocket and then put them back.”

“The thief?” Mr. Pace asked.

“Yes,” Cam said. “I think he took off your car key. Then he put the keys back. He used the key to steal your car.”

Mr. Pace took his keys out of his right pocket. There were several keys on his key ring. He checked them all.

“You’re right,” he said. “My car key
is
missing.”

Mr. Shelton took out his key ring and looked at it. “Hey,” he said. “My car key is also missing.”

“What does all this mean?” Jim E. Winter asked.

“It means,” Cam said, “that the thief came into the school. He went into room seventeen, stole the keys, and then stole the cars.”

Chapter Seven

Officer Oppen took out his pad. Jim E. Winter took out a pad, too.

“I’ve got to write all this down,” Officer Oppen said.

“I’ll tell you what happened,” Cam said. “I remembered that Danny’s father first reached into one raincoat pocket and then the other to get his keys. That told me two things. First, he kept his keys in his raincoat, which he left in room seventeen. Anyone who went into the coatroom could take his keys.”

“I know what’s second,” Eric said. “Someone must have moved his keys from one pocket to the other. Since his car was stolen, it must have been the thief.”

Jim E. Winter wrote all this in his pad. “This is clever, very clever,” he said as he wrote. “I can use this in one of my books.”

“But how did he know which coats to search?” Officer Gray asked.

“He was somewhere in the parking lot,” Cam said. “He watched people as they got out of their cars. If he saw someone put his keys in his coat pocket, he remembered the coat and stole the keys.”

“He didn’t even have to remember the coat,” Officer Oppen said. “He just went to room seventeen and checked which raincoat was still dripping wet. That meant it was just hung up.” Officer Oppen closed his pad. “I told you this girl is smart,” he said to Officer Gray.

“Okay, she’s smart,” Officer Gray said. “We know how the thief stole the cars. But we still don’t know where to find him.”

“You also don’t know where to find my car,” Mr. Pace said.

“Or mine,” Mr. Shelton added.

“We do know something else,” Jim E. Winter said. “He came back after he stole the first car, so he must have left it nearby. Maybe it’s hidden somewhere.”

“Yes!” Officer Gray said. “Let’s drive around. If he’s anywhere near this school, we’ll find him.”

The two police officers started to walk toward the front door of the school.

Cam closed her eyes. She said,
“Click!”

“Wait!” Eric called out. “Cam is looking at another picture. She may have another clue.”

The two police officers stopped. They turned and waited.

“I think I saw him,” Cam said with her eyes still closed. “I think I saw the thief.”

“Where did you go?” Cam’s mother asked her. “I told you to stay in the gym.”

BOOK: Cam Jansen and the Mystery Writer Mystery

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