Cereal Box Mystery by Charles Tang Page B

here!”
    Now David Darden looked surprised and a little hurt. “Of course they are. I stayed in the shop to make sure nothing would happen to them.”
    “Oh,” Mr. Bellows said. He looked slightly embarrassed. “Sorry. Thank you.” Then he glanced toward another corner of the store and his face grew grim. “Oh, no,” he said.
    “What’s wrong?” asked Jessie.
    “The thief took the most valuable thing in the store — a necklace set — a matching necklace, bracelet, and ring.” Mr. Bellows pointed toward a small case. “They were especially valuable because they were made of rubies.”
    The Aldens went over to the small case. “The lock isn’t broken,” said Henry. “Did it have a key in it?”
    “No,” said Mr. Bellows. “I keep the key on my key ring.”
    “Could the thief have picked the lock while you were helping other customers?” asked Henry.
    “It’s possible,” said Mr. Bellows.
    “Or maybe you left it open the last time you unlocked it,” Violet said.
    “Oh, no. You locked it,” said Mr. Darden.
    “Are you sure?” asked Mr. Bellows.
    “Yes,” said Mr. Darden. “Right after you showed the jewels to me.” He smiled and shook his head. “They were beautiful, but much too expensive for me. I just want an engagement ring.”
    “It’s true,” Ms. Smitts chimed in. “I was here when you showed the jewelry to Mr. Darden. I saw you lock the case, too.”
    “It’s amazing that anybody could pick that lock in that short a time,” said Mr. Bellows. He looked very unhappy. “They were particularly fine rubies. I was delighted when their owner offered to sell them to me.”
    “Rubies,” Violet said softly.
    “Yes,” said Mr. Bellows. “And these were particularly beautiful and rare, a perfectly matched set.” He sat down heavily in a nearby chair. A puff of dust came up around him, but he didn’t seem to notice. “Oh, dear. Oh, dear,” he said. “I hope they catch the thief.”
    “Don’t worry,” said Benny. “If they don’t, we will.”
    Ms. Smitts laughed. Benny put his hands on his hips. “We can,” he said. “We’ve solved lots of mysteries.”
    Although she stopped laughing, Ms. Smitts still kept smiling. The Aldens could tell that she didn’t believe Benny.
    Mr. Bellows shook his head. “If someone doesn’t catch the thief,” he said, “I’m ruined.”
    “We’d better go,” said Henry. “Let us know if we can do anything to help.”
    Fumbling in his pocket, Mr. Bellows brought out a small notebook and a pencil. He said to Ms. Smitts and Mr. Darden, “You’d better leave your names in case the police want to talk to you.”
    Mr. Darden said, “Are you sure that is necessary? . . . I mean, I don’t want my name to be in the newspaper.”
    Ms. Smitts gave Mr. Darden a suspicious look. “Well, I don’t have anything to hide,” she said. She took the notebook and pencil and wrote “Tori Smitts” and her phone number in the notebook. Reluctantly, Mr. Darden wrote in his name, address, and phone number as well.
    Then Ms. Smitts and Mr. Darden walked out of the store with the Aldens. When they got outside, Benny raised his hand and pointed. “Oh, no!” he cried. “My bike. Look what happened to my bike!”
    Benny’s bike was no longer parked where he had left it. It was lying in the middle of the sidewalk, with groceries spilled out all around it.
    Quickly the Aldens hurried toward the bicycles. Mr. Darden and Ms. Smitts went with them. They helped the Aldens pick up the scattered cans and boxes from the grocery bag.
    “There,” said Ms. Smitts. She looked inside the basket and shifted the open box of Silver Frosted Stars. “It looks like one of your boxes of cereal got broken open when your bike fell over. You want me to throw it away?”
    She held up the box, but Benny shook his head. “No, I’d already opened it. It’s okay.”
    He took the box from Ms. Smitts and put it back in the basket.
    “Thank you for helping us,” said