The Mystery of the Stolen Corn Popper Read Free Page A

past a table covered with sweaters, the boy called out, “Mama.”
    “Andy,” a woman answered. She ran toward him. “Where have you been? I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
    “Mama.”
    “Thank you so much,” the woman said to the guard as she took the boy in her arms.
    “Mama.”
    “Don’t thank me,” the guard told her. “This boy told me where to find you.”
    “Thank you,” the woman said to Eric.
    The soft music that was playing throughout the store stopped again. “Attention, shoppers. Attention, shoppers,” someone announced. “For the next thirty minutes, in our Binky’s Looking Good clothing department, all men’s shirts are on sale at half our regular price. That’s right, shoppers. All men’s shirts are on sale.”
    “We’d better get out of the way,” Cam said.
    Shoppers were already rushing to the clothing department. Then Cam and Eric heard someone call out, “Help! My shopping bag has been stolen!”

Chapter Six
    “ Q uick!” Cam said. “That came from over there, the gift department.”
    Cam and Eric ran toward the gift department. And men and women were running toward Cam and Eric, to get to the men’s shirts. Most of them were careful not to run into Cam or Eric. But one very fat man carrying two shopping bags wasn’t careful at all. He ran straight down the aisle shouting, “Get out of my way! Get out of my way!”
    Cam and Eric moved aside to let the fat man pass. Then Cam pointed and said, “There she is again!”

    Cam was pointing to the woman with long, curly brown hair, glasses, and a blue dress with flowers on it. She was leaving the gift department. She was walking quickly. And she kept turning and looking behind her as she walked.
    “She must be the thief,” Cam said to Eric. “She’s there every time a shopping bag is stolen.”
    “But what does she do with the shopping bags?”
    “Let’s follow her,” Cam said. “There she is, behind that rack of men’s jackets.”
    Cam and Eric began to cross the aisle. A woman came running toward them. Cam and Eric moved aside. The woman’s coat flew open as she ran. She had one hand on her head to keep her hat from flying off. In her other hand she was holding two shopping bags. It was the same woman Cam and Eric had seen near the shoe sale.
    “Which way are the shirts?” she asked.
    Cam pointed to the men’s shirt display. Then she looked for the woman in the blue dress. Cam ran to the jacket rack. Eric ran past the jackets to the men’s coats, neckties, and sweaters. The woman was gone.
    “Let’s get to the exit before she does,” Cam said.
    Cam and Eric ran to the nearest exit. The guard standing there was a woman. Her arms were folded.
    “Did she come here?” Cam asked quickly. “Did she leave?”
    “Who?”
    “The woman in the blue dress. She stole the shopping bags.”
    Eric spoke more slowly. “A woman in a blue dress has been stealing shopping bags. She just stole another one. And she was coming this way.”
    The guard reached into her pocket and took out her memo pad. She read from it and asked, “Does that woman have long, curly brown hair and glasses?”
    “Yes.”
    “All the exit guards are looking for her. She hasn’t left the store.”
    “She will,” Cam said. “She’s coming here now with another stolen shopping bag.”
    Cam and Eric stood by the guard and waited. Shoppers walked past them as they came into the store. Others left carrying full Binky’s shopping bags.
    “She should have been here by now,” Eric said.
    Cam watched as a short woman carrying four loaded shopping bags, two in each hand, tried to get through the door. Then Cam said, “Maybe she has a secret way to get out of the store. Or maybe she puts on a disguise before she leaves.”
    Eric whispered, “Or maybe she’s a partner with a guard at one of the exits and the guard lets her go past.”
    The music stopped again. “Attention, all shoppers. For the next ten minutes only, with every five-pound