It was a sunny Saturday morning in the city and the smell of freshly baked goodies wafted through the air from Mrs. Lavender’s bakery. The townspeople eagerly lined up for their morning treats, especially the famous jam-filled doughnuts that Mrs. Lavender made every week. But today, something was terribly wrong, the doughnuts had vanished! Mrs. Lavender, flustered and clutching her rolling pin, rushed into the police station.
“My doughnuts! They’re gone! All of them! I don’t understand, it was just a few minutes ago!”
Inspector Summer-Garden, adjusting his glasses and nearly tripping over his own feet as he hurried to her side, looked concerned.
“Don’t worry, Mrs. Lavender. We’ll get to the bottom of this doughnut dilemma.”
The Inspector and Constable Pipwick arrived at the bakery. Inside, the shelves stood empty, no doughnuts in sight. But on the counter, there were a few crumbs and a tiny, suspiciously sticky paw print.
“Hmm,” muttered Summer-Garden, squinting. “Crumbs and a paw print. Someone, or something, has been here.”
Pipwick pointed to a small trail of crumbs leading toward the back door.
“Should we follow it?”
“Absolutely,” said the Inspector, though he nearly knocked over a stack of flour bags in his rush.
The trail led outside into the alley behind the bakery. There, they spotted a small, fluffy creature nibbling on a leftover crumb, an adorable, but mischievous-looking raccoon!
“Ah-ha!” exclaimed Summer-Garden, nearly losing his balance as he lunged forward. “It’s our culprit!”
The raccoon looked up, eyes wide and innocent, clutching a partially eaten doughnut in its paws.
“Well, well,” said the inspector, crossing his arms. “Looks like we’ve got a doughnut thief with a sweet tooth.”
Pipwick chuckled. “It’s just a hungry raccoon, sir. But why did he take all of the doughnuts?”
Suddenly, a loud voice called out from down the alley. It was Mr. Tiddle, the city’s mischievous alley cat, wearing a tiny bow tie.
“I saw the raccoon carrying something shiny into his hideout,” Mr. Tiddle meowed. “It looked like a treasure!”
Following Mr. Tiddle’s lead, Summer-Garden and Pipwick tracked the raccoon to a small, abandoned shed. Inside, they found a pile of doughnuts stacked high and, to their surprise, a small collection of shiny objects: a few stolen jewelry pieces, a shiny button, and a gleaming spoon.
“Looks like the raccoon’s been hoarding more than just doughnuts,” Pipwick said.
Just then, the raccoon scampered over and nudged a tiny, sparkling object with its nose, Mrs. Lavender’s missing brooch, which had been stolen earlier that week! It turned out, the raccoon had been attracted to the shiny jewelry and had taken the doughnuts to snack on while hiding his treasures. With the raccoon gently rescued and the stolen items returned, Mrs. Lavender’s bakery was restored to its former glory. The customers rejoiced, and the mayor declared a special “Doughnut Day” in honor of the brave detective work.
“Another case closed, with a little help from some clever animals and my trusty glasses,” Inspector Septimus Summer-Garden said with a grin.
Pipwick nodded. “You’re quite the detective, sir!”
Summer-Garden tipped his hat, nearly knocking over his glasses again, and laughed. “Just doing my duty, and enjoying a good doughnut now and then!”
Lazarus Carpenter - Author 