The Coat Rack Files
The Coat Rack Files
Hiya. My name is Leo, Leo Brown. Some would call me Detective Brown. But that’s another batch of cookies.
I suppose I’m your average 4th grader. But when it comes to crime, I’m the top banana.
You see, it all started last month, the top of October, when everyone’s nose starts running and the gloves and hats come out to play. My best friend Caroline and I were walking the halls, discussing the upcoming plethora of events.
“I’m going to be a clown for Halloween,” Caroline announced proudly. Did I
mention Caroline can be a bit weird sometimes?
“Why would you want to do that?” I said. That girl is beyond me.
Right about then, Wendell, the actual class clown, came hollering up about how someone stole his gloves.
At first I paid no attention. But then other people started complaining about the same thing. “Check your backpack, Smart One,” I said annoyedly to Wendell. Is that a
word? Because it is now.
“They’re not there, Brainiac,” he said, giving me the stink eye. “I checked everywhere, and I STILL CAN’T FIND THEM!”
How persistent.
“Well, I do happen to be a prominent problem-solver,” I said.
“A renowned rouge-ruiner,” Caroline put in.
“An eminent elementary investigator!” I added.
“Huh?” said Wendell.
“He’s a detective,” Caroline concluded.
Wendell lowered an eyebrow.
“Can you emin--will you investi--will you help find our gloves?”
Wendell has this thing with big words. They don’t fit out of his big mouth.
I considered. Helping him would be against my usual pattern of behavior, since
Wendell’s usual is making fun of me, but he’d gotten over HIS pride. HE’D asked for
help. Besides, the other glove-less kids were counting on me.
“Alright, buddy,” I managed, We walked to class, where I continued to observe
for suspicious behavior.
Margaret was looking especially pretty today.
“Leo. Leeee-oooo.”
I looked around. “LEO! For the third time, do you have your homework?”
I almost jumped out of my socks! Mrs. Grunge was right beside me! I handed her the loot and she walked back up to the front of the room to do attendance. “Don’t move so I can count heads,” she instructed. Something did.
A glove fell out from behind her computer table!
I sat up in my seat and looked at Wendell. He didn’t look back. He was too busy doing last night’s homework as fast as he could.
I passed a note to Caroline. It said, Meet me in the corner. I think we have one for the suspect list.
Our first subject was math. We divided into partners as Mrs. Grunge tithered on about polygons and perimeter.
In the corner, I explained to Caroline about my theory.
“If Mrs. Grunge has complete access to the coat rack, what’s stopping her from
stealing gloves from us?” I concluded ominously. Mrs. Grunge’s guinea pig, Pepe, underlined my words by squeaking loudly. Pepe’s really smart. He’s allowed to roam the floor, and he can use a litter box. Sometimes he messes up and eats out of it, though.
“I thought of a plan,” I said suddenly. Caroline looked at me. I filled her in.
After math, we had LA, then lunch. At recess, Caroline and I pretended to follow the rest of the class outside, the doubled back. Caroline went up the hall to the girls’ bathroom to fool the hall monitors. I started towards the library.
“Those monitors can’t monitor their way out of a clear plastic baggie,” Caroline said after we’d traveled out separate paths and met up at the 4th grade hallway.
We ducked down and did a shuttle run past some bookshelves, halted, and rolled--spy style--under an overhead projector screen. Looking over our shoulders, we scooted along with our backs to the wall and peeped our heads around the corner. I put my finger to my mouth and Caroline nodded. Together, we army-crawled into the classroom. Ducking behind tables and desks, we popped up behind a computer desk and rested our chins on our hands. Mrs. Grunge was typing innocently at her computer. It didn’t seem suspicious, but that never means it’s not.
“Watch her,” I whispered to Caroline, scooting off to the coat rack.
What I saw then was shocking. Confounding. It was flabbergasting!
Small and furry! It was…
PEPE!
He sat contentedly, munching on a soft mitten. Deciding it wasn’t that tasty, he walked back towards his cage at the computer desk, carrying the mitten in his mouth. Once there, he dropped the mitten behind his table. I followed him. Plunging my arm into the space behind the cage, I pulled out at least seven pairs of mittens and gloves, and a few hats, too!
Gasping, I grabbed them all, and ran and dumped them into the lunch box basket beneath the coat rack. We could play lost-and-found later. Right now I had to hurry and tell Caroline! I jumped when Pepe sniffed my hand.
“You little hoodlum,” I said, picking him up and snuggling him against my chest. He squeaked and looked at me like, Gloves are tasty. You should try them sometime. Then he hopped out of my arms and happily scampered away.
I scooted, ducked, and rolled my way to Caroline’s desk. She smiled at me and shook her head.
“No suspicious activity here.”
“It’s Pepe,” I whispered. She looked confused. I filled her in.
Mrs. Grunge stood up just as I was finishing…and walked towards our very desk!
“HIDE!” I whisper-yelled, making frantic wavy movements with my hands.
Seconds before she spotted us, something happened that I hadn’t counted on.
The fire alarm went off!
It was crazy--beeping and screeching at the same time, sounding like a flock of ducks with laryngitis. Mrs. Grunge stopped and ran to the door. I frowned. You weren’t supposed to run during a fire drill! But there she was, scuttling out the door.
As the lock clicked. I wondered something scary.
Is it a drill?
Caroline poked me. She looked scared.
“I wanna get out of here, Leo. Let’s go!” We jumped up and started to run out of the classroom--into so much smoke I couldn’t see four feet ahead of me.
Caroline screamed.
“STAY CALM!” I shouted. “Look for a lighter patch-hough!” I coughed and my eyes watered. I had a vision of some different eyes looking up at me- PEPE’S!
“CAROLINE!” Now it was my turn to scream. “CAROLINE- PEPE! WE NEED
PEPE!” I got down on all fours, feeling the ground.
Suddenly, out of the smoke, a small, fluffy figure appeared. It was Pepe!
“Pepe!” I howled, grabbing him close. “I FOUND HIM!”
“Come on!” Caroline cried, grabbing my hand. We ducked down and ran close to the ground--the shuttle run. I was holding Pepe, Caroline was holding my hand, and together we burst out of the building, breathing hard and stained with sweat and smoke.
All the kids, quiet (for the most part) and in straight lines (kind of) turned and stared at us. We just stood and panted.
And then--it might have been my imagination, but Pepe looked at me and squeaked
like, That was fun!
Principal Prudhoe was talking about how it was a small fire; there was just lots of smoke. Then he saw us and frowned.
“Are you two okay?” he squawked.
“You mean three?” I said, lifting up Pepe for everyone to see. “Everyone in Mrs. Grunge’s class…this is the glove culprit!” I said triumphantly.
That broke the silence. Everyone in the class cheered and clapped. Caroline
hugged me. The principal and Mrs. Grunge looked relieved--that we were back, of course. Everyone else just sort of stood and looked clueless.
“Let’s make a statue of them!” shouted Wendell when there was a quiet moment.
The class began laughing again. I smiled broadly.
“All in a day’s work,” I said.
A few days later, I was a hero. I was constantly badgered with mystery-solving requests. I had nothing to do.
Sighing, I rested my hand on my chin and actually tried to concentrate on the lesson. But my mind was on more important things.
Caroline was prettier than Margaret.
I looked at Pepe, and, it might have been my imagination, but I don’t think it was. Pepe looked at me like, You maybe a hero, but you still have to clean my litter box!
The End