THE NEW MEMBER

THE NEW MEMBER(jo) NEW MEMBER

A couple weeks ago Cookie and her friends decided to open their own detective club, which they named the We Always Catch Our Crooks Club. And so far since starting the club they’ve solved many cases. today’s meeting was not about a new case but to decide on which of their friends would become a new club member.

For the hundredth time you can’t nominate her, she’s a girl.

Umm, hello Tommy, news flash, if you haven’t noticed, but Cookie, Vicky and I are girls, Daisy the penguin frowned.

My point exactly, Tommy the tiger cub smiled. we don’t need another one. I nominate Toby.

Toby Snake? Vicky the dragonfly frowned.

Yah and if you ask me he’ll fit right in. he’s smart and well liked.

Not by everyone, Vicky interrupted. the only reason he’s so popular is because he’s always buying the other kids in school stuff.

So.

What she means is that he buys his friends instead of trying to make them, Daisy added.

Whatever. what do you think Sammy? Tommy asked Sammy the turtle.

He’s not so bad I guess, Sammy shrugged.

Well we can at least ask him if he’d like to try out. who knows, maybe he’ll say no, Cookie added.

Umm, I already did ask him, sort of, Tommy mumbled.

You what?

Umm, I sort of mentioned it to him the other day that we were looking for another member.

Oh terrific Tommy, how could you do that without talking to us first? Vicky asked.

I’m sorry you guys, it just slipped out.

Still Tommy, that wasn’t cool, Cookie replied. and what did he saywhen you asked him?

At first he didn’t seem to be so interested, but I guess he thought about it, cause he called me that night and said it’d be cool. he even said that if we ever wanted to use talkies that he’d get them for us.

You see he’s doing it again, Daisy cried.

Oh give me a break, he’s just trying to be friendly, what’s wrong with that? So what do you guys say, is he in? Tommy asked.

Okay let’s take a vote. all those in favor of letting Toby in raise your hands, Sammy asked.

Only Tommy raised it.

Aw you guys!

Real detectives don’t take bribes and that’s what Toby’s trying to do. Hey I got an idea, Cookie replied. Tommy wants Toby and both Daisy and Vicky want Susie to try out. But Susie just moved to Rocky Shores a couple weeks ago, we hardly know her.

For all we know she could be a crazed killer, Tommy interrupted.

Well, if she is then I know who her next victim should be, Daisy laughed.

Okay, okay, fighting with each other isn’t getting us nowhere. why don’t we ask them both to join and the first one who helps us solve our next case gets in, Cookie said.

That’s a great idea, they all agreed.

Then its settled, Cookie smiled. okay Tommy, you and Sammy talk to Toby and we’ll do the same with Susie, about our club rules and what we decided on doing. all we need now is a case to test them on.

The next afternoon Sammy told them that he wanted to have a club meeting right after school. Every one showed up except for Susie.

I bet she couldn’t figure out what to wear, that’s why she didn’t show up! Tommy laughed.

Zip it Tommy, before I do it for you, Daisy frowned.

Cool it you guys. okay Sammy, what’s up? Cookie asked.

We got our next case. Miss Cow’s wallet was stolen. she had to goto a staff meeting during lunch and forgot to take her purse and when she went back her purse was still there but her wallet was missing. She hopes that the person who took it will turn themselves in and return her money, Sammy explained.

Wishful thinking, Cookie said.

Hey, isn’t Susie in her class? maybe you can ask her who she thinks would be the perfect suspect, Vicky added.

That’s a good idea. you and Daisy go talk to her while the rest of us look for Miss Cow’s wallet, Cookie answered.

But doesn’t the crook have the wallet? Toby asked.

I don’t think so. the way I figure they probably stashed it somewhere. we’ll split up and search different parts of the school and playground and see if we can find anything, she added.

The next day Toby was washing his hands at the bathroom sink before the lunch bell rang when Tommy walked in.

Hey Toby how’s it going?

Okay. how’s the case going, do we’ve any leads on it yet?

Nope, but don’t worry we always catch our crooks! Tommy laughed.

Oh. Toby went into the corner stall while Tommy washed his hands, then leaned against the sink to wait for him. After a few minutes he heard weird noises coming from inside the stall.

Hey Toby are you okay?

Yah, its just this paper dispenser is jammed up so I can’t get much
paper out of it.

Hey no problem, I’ll get you some Tommy said.

No it's okay, I pulled out enough, thanks.

A few minutes later he came out then walked with Tommy so they could go to lunch together. After school they met by the monkey bars inside the playground, except for Susie and Daisy who arrived ten minutes later to talk about the case.

Well it's about time you two showed up, Tommy scowled at them.

We’ve got a very good excuse for showing up late, Susie smiled.

Oh yah, what?

We found Miss Cow’s wallet!

That’s great, where was it? Cookie asked.

Inside the boys bathroom, Daisy said. Susie was the one who actually found it.

Huh? How? you can’t go inside the boy’s bathroom, you’re a girl. what were you doing in there?

Shut up Tommy and let her finish, Vicky snapped.

Anyway, when Daisy told me about the case and what the plan was, I started to wonder, if I were the crook where would be the perfect place, then it came to me. So before going to class I checked out the girls bathroom and found nothing. then I checked inside the boys.

And was the wallet in there? Toby mumbled.

Yep it was hiding inside the paper dispenser by the corner stall. I was about to walk out when somebody came in. I had to hide until they left which made me late for homeroom and I had to stay after school because of it.

Oh wow! Good job Susie! Cookie smiled.

So Susie, what’s it like inside the boys bathroom? Vicky laughed.

Gross and smelly! Susie laughed back.

So I guess that’s it, our case is closed, Sammy said. where’s the wallet now?

Susie opened her book bag and handed it to him. Here.

Hey wait a minute! The money is missing, he frowned.

I knew it! It was you! You stole Miss Cow’s wallet, Tommy cried out.

No I didn’t! the money was still there when I found it. I even wrote down the serial number when I was waiting to sneak back out.

Tommy how can she be the one who took it when she’s the one who found it? Daisy frowned.

Exactly, don’t you guys find it a bit weird that she knew exactly where to look?

But that’s not how--

Yah, yah, you set the whole thing up so we’d think that she solved the case. Toby and me were in there this morning and we didn’t see anything. why? I tell you, cause she hid it in there so we’d all think it was a boy who stole it, Tommy started to explain.

No I didn’t and I’m not going to stay around here and be blamed for something that I didn’t do, I’m going home!

Cookie didn’t believe that Susie stole the money, but how was she going to prove it? Suddenly an idea popped into her head. she whispered something into Vicky’s ear.

Susie, can you come with me, I forgot something back inside my locker. you too Daisy, Vicky said. we’ll be right back.

What was that all about? Tommy frowned, watching them walk off.

Okay, you guys, good job. I guess another case solved.

What? Cookie this case isn’t solved. we still don’t know what happened to the missing money, Sammy interrupted.

And before Tommy could answer Cookie cut him off. Doesn’t matter, we’ll just turn it in just as we found it, she shrugged. and Toby, since you did such a good job in helping us solve this case, you’re more than welcome to join our club if you like, she added smiling.

Yah sure, Toby shrugged.

Great! Now maybe we can get those talkies that you promised us.

Hey no sweat, my dad gave me some money last night. we can go get them now if you like? Toby smiled. He then reached into his pocket and took out a wad of bills and as soon as Cookie saw it she suddenly snatched the money and ran to catch up with the other girls who were waiting for her by the front door of the school.

Hey Susie, do you still have those serial numbers with you? Susie took out a folded piece of paper from her back jean pocket. Yah, here. Cookie checked the number with Toby’s money and cried out, I knew it!

Hey what’s the big deal, give me back my money! Toby growled, once he and the others caught up.

Don’t you mean Miss Cow’s money? we just checked the numbers with the list that Susie made and it was the perfect match.

What are you talking about Cookie? Tommy demanded.

I’m talking about what really happened, Cookie answered. I found it weird that Toby didn’t find the wallet when he was in the same stall that Susie went to afterwards. it wasn’t because Susie stole the wallet, Toby did.

What! No way!

Yes way! You stole the wallet then you hid it inside the dispenser. you thought that no one would ever think of looking for it in there. But when you heard what we had planned you got nervous that one of us might find it so when you went to get it Tommy walked in and you didn’t want to take the chance that he might see it, am I right so far?

Toby just slowly nodded his head yes.

But why dude? you told me that your dad gives you money all the time, so you didn’t need to do that, Tommy asked in debrief.

I lied, he only gives me a couple of bucks a week and that hardly covers all the stuff that I buy every day.

But you don’t have to buy all that stuff, Vicky began.

Oh yes I do. if I don’t the kids in school will stop liking me.

Toby if they were really your friends they wouldn’t care if you
buy them stuff or not, she added.

Please don’t turn me in. if you do they’ll call my dad and he’ll kill me if he ever finds out. I promise never to do it again I swear!

Toby hold on a second. guys can I talk to you over here for a minute? Tommy asked. Susie I’m sorry that I didn’t believe you.

That’s okay Tommy.

But what are we going to do about Toby? Sammy asked. I sort of feel sorry for him.

Yah me too, he looks so scared. if we could think of some way to
give him a second chance, Daisy added.

That’s it! Cookie cried.

That’s what? Vicky asked.

You’ll see. hey Toby, we decided not to turn you in, Cookie began.

Really? wow, thanks guys!

Whoa! Don’t thank us just yet, you didn’t let me finish. I said that we weren’t going to turn you in, because you’re going to turn yourself in.

Huh?

That’s right, you’re going to tell Miss Cow what you did.

But if I do then she’s going to tell my dad.

Not if we go with you and explain what you just told us, how you
promised never to do it again. You’re going to write the whole thing down and if you don’t get into any more trouble then we’ll rip it up, but if you do something like this again and we find out then we’ll show the letter to your dad and take it to the cops. What do you say, do we have a deal? Cookie explained.

Deal. but do you think that Miss Cow will agree? Toby asked.

I don’t know, we’ll just have to wait until tomorrow, Cookie shrugged.

The next day they talked to Miss Cow and returned her wallet to her. At first she was very upset, but after hearing the deal that Cookie came up with she had a change of heart and agreed to it. Toby kept true to his word. he even helped Miss Cow clean up every day after school for a week. And he also helped Susie with her math homework, just to make it up to her. He also learned a very valuable lesson, that stealing doesn’t pay, and doesn't make you true friends, in the end.

Copyright © belongs to Cookie 2006