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Authors: David Adler

Cam Jansen and the Wedding Cake Mystery (5 page)

BOOK: Cam Jansen and the Wedding Cake Mystery

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“Officer Davis,” Cam said. “I have to tell you something.”

The police officer closed her police pad. She turned.

“I know who stole the cake,” Cam told her. “It was Mr. Fancy.”

“Who is Mr. Fancy?” Officer Davis asked. “And did you see him take the cake?”

“I didn't see him. I don't even know what he looks like, but I know he did it.”

Officer Davis shook her head and asked, “How could you know he's the thief if you never saw him?”

She turned away from Cam.

“Here comes my partner,” she said to Ken and Lucy. “Maybe he spoke with someone who saw the cake being taken.”

Officer Oppen, Bob, Danny, and Beth had just crossed the street. They were walking toward Officer Davis.

“Who is Mr. Fancy?” Eric whispered. “And how do you know he took the cake?”

“Tell me, too,” her father said.

Cam walked a few steps away from Officer Davis. Eric and Mr. Jansen followed her.

“We know three things,” Cam told them. “Someone saw the keys in the back door of Ken's truck. To see them, he had to be standing behind the truck.”

Eric said, “Lots of people may have walked past the truck.”

“Because of the trail of crumbs,” Cam said, “we also know which way the thief went with the stolen pastries, cookies, and cake. He carried them from Ken's truck and past Dad's car.”

Cam smiled.

“Dad,” she said. “You gave me the third clue, and it's very important.”

“I did?”

“You reminded me that wedding cakes are tall, that Ken needs a truck with a roof high enough to hold them.”

“Mom and I had a really tall cake at our wedding. We held hands and cut the first few pieces together.”

Mr. Jansen smiled.

“She put a small piece of cake on her fork and fed it to me. Then I put a small piece on my fork and fed it to her.”

“Would your cake have fit in the back of a car?” Eric asked.

“No,” Mr. Jansen said, shaking his head.

“There was a yellow truck parked right behind your car,” Cam said. “ â Mr. Fancy Fix-It' was printed on the side of the truck.”

“That's it!” Eric said. “When Mr. Fancy went to his truck, he must have seen Ken's keys. Then he must have opened the back door of Ken's truck. He saw the cake, cookies, and pastries and took them. He has a truck, so he had room for the wedding cake.”

“He was in a hurry because he didn't want to get caught,” Mr. Jansen said. “That's why he dropped cookies. That's why he left a trail of crumbs.”

Mr. Jansen thought for a moment.

“You didn't prove Mr. Fancy is the thief,” he said. “But all those clues do point a finger at him.”

“I think he did it,” Eric said. “Let's tell the police.”

Mr. Jansen went to Officer Oppen and said, “My daughter may know who took the cakes.”

Officer Oppen asked Cam, “Did you remember something? Do you have a picture in your mental camera of something you saw?”

“I remembered clues,” Cam said.

She told him the same clues she had told her father and Eric.

“Listen to this,” Officer Oppen told his partner. “I think the
âClick! Click!'
girl found the thief.”

Officer Davis, Lucy Lane, Ken the baker, Danny, Beth, and Old Bob listened as Cam told them why she thought Mr. Fancy was the thief.

“I may know how to find him,” Lucy Lane said. “I think I have a picture of his truck.”

She looked at the back of her camera. She pushed a button and looked at the pictures she had taken.

“Look! Here's a picture of Ken. Behind him is Mr. Fancy's truck. It's yellow.”

Officers Oppen and Davis looked at the picture.

“It would really help,” Officer Davis said, “if you had a picture of the truck's license plate. Then we could find out who Mr. Fancy is. I don't think that's his real name.”

“I have pictures, too,” Cam said. “They're in my head.”

Cam closed her eyes. She said,
“Click!”
She said,
“Click!”
again.

“Here it is! I found it! It's a yellow truck. MR. FANCY FIX-IT, NO JOB TOO BIG OR TOO SMALL is printed on the side of the truck. There's also a telephone number and an e-mail address.”

Cam told the officers the number and the address.

Officer Davis said, “That might be all we need to find Mr. Fancy. We can check his truck and see if he took the cake.”

“Could you please hurry?” Ken asked. “It's almost time for the wedding to start.”

Chapter Eight

Officer Davis took out her cell phone. She called the police station and reported the information Cam had given her about Mr. Fancy's truck.

“I'm sure we'll find him,” Officer Oppen said. “If he stole your desserts, we'll find those, too.”

“I'll call if I have any news,” Officer Davis told Ken. “I have your cell phone number.”

The two police officers walked to their car. They got in and drove off.

“I'm going to the wedding,” Lucy Lane said. “It's almost time for me to start taking pictures.”

“What about me?” Ken asked. “The bride and groom will want to see their cake.”

Ken took out his cell phone.

“Oh, please,” he told his phone. “Ring now. Ring with good news.”

“I'll take my pictures,” Lucy said. “That will keep everyone busy for a while. When I'm done, I'll call you. Maybe by then you'll have good news. If not, you'll have to come and tell the bride and groom about their cake.”

Lucy Lane got in her car and drove off.

Ken stood by his truck. He held his cell phone and waited.

“We should go back inside,” Mr. Jansen told Cam, Eric, Danny, Beth, and Bob. “We should finish the talent show.”

“I want to see you juggle,” Old Bob told Eric and Beth.

Cam, her father, her friends, and Bob went into the senior center. The seniors were in the main hall. Many were sitting and talking. Others were standing by the tables eating cake and fruit and drinking ice tea and water.

Mr. Jansen got up on the stage. He tapped on the microphone.

“Hello again,” he said. “I' m sure you'll be happy to know that my daughter Jennifer may have found the thief. Hopefully, Ken will soon have his wedding cake. Now, if you will all be seated, we will continue with the Fall talent show.”

Seniors standing by the tables found seats.

Cam sat by the window and watched Ken.

Danny stood by the stage.

“I can tell more jokes,” he whispered to Mr. Jansen.

“I'm sorry, Danny,” Mr. Jansen said, “but you had your turn.”

“Here's a good joke,” Danny said. “What would you do if you broke your leg in two places?”

“I'm happy once again,” Mr. Jansen said into the microphone, “to call up two great jugglers, Eric Shelton and Beth Kane.”

“If I broke my leg in two places,” Danny told Mr. Jansen, “I would just stop going to those places.”

“Please, sit down,” Mr. Jansen told him.

Eric and Beth walked toward the stage. Danny walked to an empty seat. He sat down.

Crunch!

“Oh, no!” Danny called out. “I sat on the cookies in my pockets.”

Danny reached into his back pocket. He took out a handful of cookie crumbs and chocolate chips. As he ate them, lots of the crumbs stuck to his cheeks and chin.

“Look,” Cam said, and pointed out the window. “Ken is talking on his cell phone. I'll bet the police called him. I'll bet they found Mr. Fancy.”

Cam ran outside. Lots of people followed her.

“They found Mr. Fancy!” Ken told them. “All the desserts were still in his truck. They're coming here. I'll be able to get to the wedding before it starts.”

Ken looked at Cam.

“You did it. You saved my cake.”

“Bob, my dad, and Eric helped,” Cam said.

“As a reward,” Ken told her, “I'm going to bake a wedding cake just for you and your friends.”

“I'm only ten,” Cam said, laughing. “I'm too young to get married.”

Ken laughed. “I meant I'll bake you a birthday cake.”

“Cam's birthday is May fourth,” Mr. Jansen said.

“That's not for a long time. Why don't you just come to my bakery? I'll give you lots of delicious breads, muffins, and cookies.”

Bob said, “I'll also give you a reward. You and your friends can come to my store, Old Bob's Mystery Bookshop. Each of you can pick out a book.”

A police car drove up. Behind it were a yellow truck and another police car. Officer Oppen got out of the yellow truck. He opened the two back doors of the truck. Ken looked in.

“There they are,” Ken said. “The wedding cake and the trays of pastries and cookies.”

Officer Davis got out of her car. She opened the back door and a man got out. His hands were locked in handcuffs. Two other police officers got out of the second car.

“This is Mr. Fancy,” Officer Davis told Ken. “His real name is Mr. Bailor and he took your cakes.”

Mr. Bailor's head was down.