By: Emma Xing

The window smashed into smithereens. A gunshot fired into the roof. The museum containing the most valuables than any other in the city was being robbed.

“I’m scared,” Roxie said, two days later, as she stared at the TV showing news about the break-in. They lived awfully close to the museum. And Roxie had quite fond memories there.

“It’ll be ok,” her mother said. For once, Roxie was right to be scared. She was scared nearly all the time, of tiny little things. She jumped out of her bedroom window when there was a small spider. She ran all the way back home from her friend’s house when she saw a creepy doll. She shrieked loud enough for the whole town to hear when there was thunder. But even though this was probably the scariest thing that had ever happened in her neighborhood, Roxie was surprisingly calm.

However, if there was one thing that Roxie wasn’t scared of, it was mystery books. She had tons of them. So Roxie was kind of excited to be in an actual mystery situation! She even put her spy kit she got for Christmas in her backpack just in case she would see something on the way to school, passing the museum.

At school, Roxie decided she wanted to take this in her own hands. She sneaked out of the school to go to the museum, which was only a few blocks away. Although she was paralyzed in fright, she kept repeating the “Sherlock Holmes” story in her head.

“I can and I will do it,” she muttered under her breath. She then realized she would have to sneak through the guards there. The two guards standing by the broken in glass were muttering to each other which Roxie couldn’t hear. She then carefully climbed over the caution tape and waited for the two guards to move.

After nearly 1 hour of waiting, the guards finally went away for a few moments to get their lunch. Roxie ran inside the museum. She looked at the shattered glass, and places where the stolen valuables were. Roxie carefully took out the spy kit and started looking for fingerprints.

After hours and hours of searching, nightfall came, and her mother was expecting Roxie to be home any minute. So Roxie began packing up her things, until she realized something. A small piece of cloth was left on the glass. Roxie picked it up and gasped. She knew this outfit! It was a sample of a black and white sweater that her mom wore! Roxie’s lips quivered in her shock, but she had to do the right thing.

The next morning, Roxie decided she had to convince her mom to go to the police station, and she had a plan.

“Mom, yesterday I lost my phone, can we go to the lost and found at police station to look at it?” Roxie asked. After scolding Roxie for a few minutes of losing her phone, she finally gave in and went with Roxie. Before they left the door, Roxie quickly sneaked in the sweater into a little bag she brought with her. Roxie gave the clothing to the police, bringing her mom. At the time, Roxie hadn’t told her yet, but she knew it was her. Roxie’s mom hand-sewed this one of a kind sweater just for herself, an original design she created.

“So she is the suspect?” the police questioned. Roxie nodded and her mom was arrested for examination. Roxie handed them the sweater and sure enough there was a hole in it.

“M-mom? Why would you do that?” Roxie asked. It turned out her mom wanted to move into a big mansion for her and Roxie so she pretended to run errands but really went to steal the valuables.

Roxie’s mom ended up in jail, and for Roxie’s reward from the museum she had a big mansion with all her friends in it.

“Roxie! Wake up!” a jerk pulled up Roxie. There was no break-in. Her mother didn’t steal anything. It was simply just a dream after all. Roxie sighed. Perhaps one day she would actually solve a big mystery.