the dollhouse, so there must be gold under this house!" Henry exclaimed.
"Son, the gold under the dollhouse was part of a child's game. There's no gold under this house. Is that what you've been thinking?"
As the detective began to handcuff Henry, Nana Rose turned to thank me. "Bo, I don't understand. How did you know it was Henry?"
"For several reasons, Nana. I knew Jim didn't do it. You like to clean as much as I like to skate! Jim's shoes and clothes are always muddy from gardening, so there's no way he could have gotten in and out of your house without leaving a little bit of dirt behind.
"Besides not having any motive, none of my friends would have a skateboard like the one left at your stairs. Henry seems to be bitter about not having a skateboard, and he bought one that shows an interest in skating, without the knowledge of skating.
"Harriet had me confused at first. You allow her access to the dollhouse, but Henry has told her that it's only as a favor to him. He has purposefully tried to keep the two of you from being close. Harriet's interest in the dollhouse mainly comes from the sadness she feels from not having a father.
"Henry has knowledge of everything about the dollhouse since he does your repairs. When I started to realize that Henry has seemed to go out of his way to create suspicion about me and my friends, as well as his own wife, I knew he must be guilty. As to a motive, though, it was a lucky guess. Since you're so precise about the replicas in the dollhouse, I took a chance that there was some unseen thing that only Henry knew about, and that whatever that was, he wanted it enough to try to scare you out of your own house."
"Wow, I didn't realize a few cookies could turn a skateboarder into a crimesolving genius!"
"Nana, I think you and Harriet have some talking to do. It seems that besides trying to scare you out of your house so he can dig for 'buried treasure', Henry has been lying to the both of you to keep you apart."
"Thank you, Bo. I think you're exactly right. Later, Dude!" Nana Rose laughed and winked.
As I got on my board to head home, I looked back one more time to see Nana and Harriet hugging and looking at the dollhouse together. It had been a good day.
CLUES:
-Jim had mud all over his shoes
-Henry wanted to skateboard when he was young, but he never actually had a board.
-Henry said he was a good skater.
-The skateboard in Nana's house was chosen by someone who didn't know much about boards.
-Henry had tried to keep Nana and Harriet from having a good relationship.
Learn more about this author, Sara Stone.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.
Below are the top articles rated and ranked by Helium members on:
by Sara Stone
The Copycat House
(formatted to Marketplace specifications; tested and approved by 3 Middle-School children)
Suspects:
H enry
Harriet
Jim
Bo's
The dollhouse mystery
Suspect:s : Mr . Partridge,Jenny
Somewhere, in a large city at the end of a strreet, there was
I vaguely remember grandpa, much less the long hours each day he spent in his work shop.
I wasn't quite five when grandpa
by Jim Bessey
MURDER, OVER A DOLLHOUSE
Suspects:
M r. Hanlyn, the husband
Kerry Wood, the neighbor
A random burglar?
The UPS driver, not named
"Murder,
Title: The Dollhouse and the Sweet Potato Plant, A Children's Mystery
Suspects: Blinky, the wide-eyed cat; Grandma Maribelle,
View All Articles on:
Short stories: The dollhouse mystery
Add your voice
Know something about Short stories: The dollhouse mystery?
We want to hear your view.
Write now!
Featured Partner
Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is committed to educating citizens about economic policy and mobilizing those citizens...more
hide