By: Jean Boonstra
“Lana close the door!”
“Alright, Mrs. Lee,” Lana answered closing the classroom door behind her. “Is there something wrong?” she asked.
“Lana,” Mrs. Lee answered, “Cheeser and Cheddar got out!”
Lana dropped her books on her desk and immediately looked around the room for the classroom pet mice. “Who left the cage open?” she asked, her concern now matching her teacher’s.
“I don’t know who did it, Lana, I just want to find them before they escape!” said Mrs. Lee.
Lana reached into her back pocket and pulled out her notebook and pencil. Flipping to a blank page she started asking questions. “Alright, Mrs. Lee, when is the last time that you saw Cheeser and Cheddar in their cage?”
“When we left for lunch, I’m sure that the cage was closed,” Mrs. Lee said scratching her head to remember.
Lana hurriedly scribbled in her notebook. “Mrs. Lee, did you remember to lock the classroom over our lunch break?”
Mrs. Lee lifted the books off of her desk looking for the mice as she thought about her answer. “Well, yes, I’m certain that I did. But,” she added, “it was unlocked when I got back to the classroom.”
Lana wrote in her notebook.
Mrs. Lee lifted the cushions up in the reading corner as she looked for Cheeser and Cheddar. “Lana,” she said with a sigh, “could you please help me look for the mice instead of asking questions?”
Lana didn’t seem to hear her teacher’s question. Walking over to the supply closet she paused mid-step. “Mrs. Lee,” she asked, “did you pack trail mix in your lunch today?”
Mrs. Lee looked under a desk and then up at Lana. “Trail mix?” she asked quizzically. “No, I had a sandwich and an apple.”
Lana turned away from the supply closet door and faced her teacher. “Mrs. Lee,” she answered triumphantly, “I know where Cheeser and Cheddar are.
“Oh, did you see them?” Mrs. Lee asked looking around.
Lana closed her notebook and put it and her pencil back in her pocket. “Nope,” she answered. “They’re in the supply closet.”
“Oh, they couldn’t be Lana, the supply closet door was closed when I came in and they’re mice, they can’t open doors!” Mrs. Lee answered looking at the tightly closed door.
“They’re in there,” Lana said confidently.
Mrs. Lee stopped looking under the desks and turned her full attention to Lana. “Alright, Lana, I know that you have good detective skills. Why do you think that the mice are in the supply closet?”
Lana smiled broadly. “Well,” she said first, the door was locked and so it must be a person with a key that came into the classroom.”
Mrs. Lee nodded. “That makes sense. So, it was a teacher then, but which one?”
Lana pointed to the trail of trail mix. “It was definitely Chaplain Jake.”
Mrs. Lee nodded. “Ah, I see. Well, that still doesn’t explain why you think they’re in the supply closet!”
Lana placed her hand on the doorknob of the supply closet. “Well,” she explained, “Whenever Chaplain Jake has a cheddar cheese sandwich he likes to share it with Cheeser and Cheddar. He lets them run loose in the supply closet so they won’t escape.”
Mrs. Lee gasped. “Jake does that?”
Lana “All the time.”
“Open that door Detective Lana and let’s see if you’re right,” Mrs. Lee said with a grin.
Lana opened the door.
“Oh hey Lana,” Jake answered calmly. Just as Lana predicted Jake was feeding Cheeser and Cheddar little pieces of his sandwich.
Mrs. Lee laughed. “Well Detective Lana, another mystery solved.”