The Case of the Missing Meteorite

“It’s gone!” Jamie exclaimed, her voice a mix of disbelief and panic. “The meteorite, it’s just…gone!”

Shaneese, ever the cool-headed one, pushed past the small crowd gathered around the empty display case at the Community Center. Beside her, her twin brother Charlie, with his knack for observation, scanned the scene. Kevin, the tech whiz of the group, was already trying to access the security camera footage. Susan, her red hair a bright beacon, her freckles practically dancing with excitement and anxiety, was jotting down notes in her ever-present notebook.

The missing meteorite was a big deal. Mr. Abernathy, a local geologist, had donated it to the science fair, and everyone was excited to see it. Shaneese couldn’t believe someone would steal it.

“Okay, everyone, let’s think,” Shaneese said, taking charge. “Someone took it last night. Kevin, what does the security footage show?”

Kevin shook his head. “The camera near the display was conveniently ‘malfunctioning’ last night. The one by the back door is working, but all it shows is Mr. Henderson taking out the trash around 10 PM.”

“Mr. Henderson?” Charlie raised an eyebrow. “He’s the grumpy fella who yells at us for riding our bikes on his lawn!”

Susan pointed to a smudged footprint near the display case. “Look! Hiking boots, maybe? And see this torn flyer?” She held up the fragmented advertisement. “It says ‘Mr. H…’ could it be Mr. Henderson?”

The clues slowly started to weave their way into a possible narrative. They decided to start with Mr. Henderson. A visit to his perfectly manicured lawn revealed little, except a hostile glare and a denial of any involvement.

However, Charlie, ever the observant one, noticed something glinting near the creek behind Mr. Henderson’s property. It was a “Cosmic Crunch” candy wrapper.

“That’s it!” Jamie shouted. “Those are new! Only Bob’s Bargain Bin has them.”

Bob’s Bargain Bin was the local, notorious discount store. They raced to the store and spoke to Bob, the owner. Bob remembered selling a few of the candies to a customer with hiking boots. He couldn’t remember much else, except that the person seemed particularly interested in the science fair.

Meanwhile, back at the Community Center, Kevin had managed to partially restore some of the data on the ‘malfunctioning’ security camera. The fuzzy image showed someone tampering with the camera, and then, briefly, a figure moving towards the display case carrying a large backpack. The figure also seemed to be favoring their left leg.

Suddenly, Susan’s eyes widened. “Mr. Abernathy!” she gasped. “He has a limp! He injured his leg last year!”

They raced to Mr. Abernathy’s house. Confronted with the evidence – the limping gait, the possible match to the figure in the security footage, the “stars belong to all” message (Mr. Abernathy was known for giving speeches about scientific knowledge being for everyone) – Mr. Abernathy confessed.

He hadn’t intended to steal it, he claimed. He had just wanted to “borrow” it for a private viewing because he felt it wasn’t getting the appreciation it deserved in a crowded science fair. He’d planned to return it before the event but panicked when he realized the security camera wasn’t working.

The meteorite was recovered, returned to its rightful place just in time for the science fair. Mr. Abernathy apologized profusely, and though disappointed, the town understood his intentions, swayed perhaps by his passionate plea that “knowledge belongs to all!” Shaneese, Charlie, Jamie, Kevin, and Susan beamed with pride. They had solved the mystery, proving that teamwork and sharp minds could conquer any challenge, even the case of the missing meteorite.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 4.0 International License.