(A Tootsie Chase Mystery)
by Paula Robinson

Tuesday Afternoon

In a land that’s far away,
There is a place called Beetlebay.
The sun shines each and every day,
The weather’s fine, most folks would say.

Children play the whole day through,
Moms and dads are happy too.
No one scowls or wears a frown,
In this happy little town.

Each day at one a bell will sound,
And everyone from miles around
Comes to the park to listen and look,
While Mrs. White reads from THE GOLDEN BOOK.

The book, whose special lessons are taught,
Is locked in a room and everyone thought
There was just one key to the big oak door
Of that library room on the second floor.

But, yesterday at the stroke of one,
When THE GOLDEN BOOK story should have begun.
Mrs. White shouted across the lawn,
“THE GOLDEN BOOK is gone, gone, gone!”

The Next Morning

I go by the name of Tootsie Chase,
A private detective brought in on the case,
Of a missing book with a cover of gold.
Someone stole it, that’s what I’ve been told.

I’ve a list of suspects numbering four,
Who might have opened the big oak door.
I must eliminate all but one,
To find who stole the book and how it was done.

The Suspects

Mrs. White
She runs the library, Mrs. White,
Takes care of the books from morning till night.
THE GOLDEN BOOK is her favorite it’s said,
And she likes to read library books in bed.

Sally Dance
Sally is seven, in second grade,
She likes to read books and sit in the shade.
Her wish is to read from THE GOLDEN BOOK,
The one that someone recently took.

Mr. Black
The library handyman is he,
Inside the building all day he will be
Dusting the books and sweeping the floor,
And polishing up the big oak door.

Jimmy Long
Jimmy’s a boy of almost eight,
He likes reading books and staying up late.
The keys he collects number twenty-four,
And one just might fit the big oak door.

The Golden Book

A book with a cover made of gold,
It’s easy to read but heavy to hold.
When the book disappeared something happened, they say;
Things started to change in Beetlebay

I must get busy and pick up the pace,
Find some clues that will solve this case.
I’ll talk to some people and see what they know,
So, to the library I must go.

As I walked down the tree-lined street,
Raindrops splashed upon my feet.
The sun had left the morning sky,
And I began to wonder why.

When I arrived, I found Mrs. White,
She must have had a restless night.
There was a scowl upon her face
And books were scattered all over the place.

“What happened here?” I said at last,
When the shock of the mess had finally past.
The children left the room this way.
Everything’s changed since yesterday.

“Look at the books that were thrown on the floor.
No one is happy anymore.
They’re grumpy as Mr. Black used to be,
But he’s happy today as you will see.”

She closed her eyes and gave a sigh,
I asked her, “Do you mind if I
Go up to the room on the second floor
And look behind the big oak door?”

She gave a shrug and shook her head,
“The book is gone from there,” she said.
“And now the sun has gone away,
From our little town of Beetlebay.”

I walked up the stairs and went to the room,
Where Mr. Black stood with a dust rag and broom.
He stays in this building till half past four,
That’s when he walks out the library door.

I went inside to look around,
If clues were there they must be found.
But, Mr. Black had cleaned the place
And he looked at me with a smile on his face.

“So, you’re Mr. Black,” I said to the man.
“Do you know when unhappiness first began
Here in the town of Beetlebay?”
I wanted to hear what he would say.

“I know who you are, you’re Tootsie Chase,
The private detective brought in on this case.
You won’t find clues here,” was all he would say.
Then he turned on his heel and he walked away.

“I think that man has something to hide,”
I said to myself, then suddenly spied
A pair of sunglasses behind a book.
I decided to take a closer look.

They belonged to a child, that’s what I would guess,
But I don’t know who owns them I must confess.
Then I saw a big scratch by the lock on the door,
One that I hadn’t noticed before.

It could have been made by a key, that’s true.
But the facts in this case are far too few.
So, I left that room and closed the door,
Went down to see Mrs. White once more.

The library had opened and children were there,
Books were still scattered on every chair.
There was pushing and shouting and throwing of books
While parents stood silent with grumpy looks

“What’s happening here?” I asked the crowd.
But no one could hear me the noise was so loud.
People don’t usually act this way,
In the little town of Beetlebay.

Mrs. White was shaking her head,
The parent’s eyes were full of dread.
While Mr. Black stood in the library’s hall,
He was smiling at it all.

I left the building and went to the park,
Where I saw a young girl and heard her dog bark.
She was searching through some tall, wet grass.
“What are you doing?” I asked the lass.

“I lost something the other night,
So I came to the park to see if I might
Find what I need, it’s my only chance.
And who are you?” asked Sally Dance

“Could these be what you’re looking for?
I found them behind the big oak door.”
She took the sunglasses and ran away,
There was nothing more she wanted to say.

The rain was coming down again,
I was going to leave the park and then,
I saw a young boy who was down on his knees,
And in his hand was a bunch of keys.

“Hello,” I said, ”Did you lose a key?”
That’s when the boy looked up at me.
I knew right away that something was wrong,
“Yes, I lost a key,” said Jimmy Long.

“When did you lose the key?” I said.
He got to his feet and lowered his head.
“The other night running through the park.
I should have been home, it was after dark.”

“I think you’re right,” was all I could say,
As Jimmy turned and walked away.
That gave me another clue, you see;
Now I think I can solve this mystery.

The solution has something to do with a book;
The golden one that someone took.
I think the book affects the way,
That people act in Beetlebay.

Now comes the part where you can have fun,
Do you know who did it and why it was done?
Sort through the clues you’ve been given throughout;
See if you can figure it out.

Was it Sally or Jimmy or Mr. Black?
Or did Mrs. White take the book home in a sack?
Who stole the book the other night?
Check back on this web site to see if you’re right.

Who took the Golden Book?

 Sally Dance

 Jimmy Long

 Mr. Black

 Mrs. White

 I don’t know