Excerpt from:

The Broom Closet Detectives

Collected Cases, Volume 2

Available 2009

 

 

           “I don’t care what you say, I don’t like his looks,” said Kenneth Rafferty to Jeff Monroe as he opened the door to their detective agency.  Jeff and Rafferty (that’s what most of his friends called him) were returning to their office after a long school year.   They had opened the detective agency the summer before in a broom closet in Jeff’s dad’s real estate office.  Since they had closed the office during the school year, they were anxious to get back to the job they loved. 

             Rafferty’s eyes grew large as he stood in the doorway. “Oh my gosh!  Amy, what have you done to the office?”

             Amy was busy nailing up a sign that said: 

 

 

 

Welcome

Your Mystery is Our Business

 

 

 

           “Hey boys, how’s it going? Isn’t it great to be back to our job?  I thought fifth grade would never end. Isn’t this the coolest sign?  I’m sure the summer will go by too fast though.  Before we know it we’ll be back in school.”  She paused for a split second.  “I wonder who our teacher will be next year?”

             Jeff didn’t reply.  He was trying to take in everything that had changed.  The boxes of copy paper that were being stored in the closet had been neatly stacked against one wall.  A small vase of flowers was on each desk.   There was a picture on the wall that looked like somebody had tripped over two or three gallons of colored paint, then walked through the canvas.

             Rafferty sputtered and instantly reached to pinch his nose closed.  “What the heck is that smell, anyway?”

             Amy smiled proudly and reached over and patted Bentley on the head.  “Bentley and I decided that a little plug-in air freshener might be nice.  Plus we brought in some flowers from mom’s lilac bush.”

             “You’re kidding about Bentley, right?”  Rafferty continued to pretend he was gasping for air.   “Have you forgotten we’re detectives?  I’m pretty sure Bentley had nothing to do with this craziness.  And I’m pretty sure Bentley the dog would choose a fragrance other than Scent of Garbage Dump.  So you see, Amy, we know Bentley had nothing to do with this.  I’m sorry, but you’ll have to take sole responsibility for this. . . this . . .  “  He turned to Jeff for help, but getting none, he continued, “I don’t think we ever asked a girl to join us, anyway, did we Jeff?  This is total insanity Amy.” 

             Jeff didn’t answer, but looked toward Bentley.  Rafferty and he both knew why Amy was a member of their detective agency.  It was because Amy was keeping Bentley, who had once been a stray.  When Jeff and Rafferty had decided it would be good to add a dog to the detective agency, they discovered that neither boy had a place for Bentley to live.  That’s when Amy had come to the rescue.  She said she would keep him, but that would mean the agency would land two new members: Amy and Bentley.  That had all happened last year in Case Number Two: A Dog-Gone Mystery.