Maya:

Okay, a normal Saturday. Relaxed, right? Just hanging around, waiting till the last minute to do homework…now add a really weird Mrs. Widmeyer, a kid named Wendall, a tag-along called Perry, a missing wallaby, and Uncle Louie and the Polka Dots.

Let me backtrack. There had been some weird stuff in the paper about the Widmeyer place, a theft of some sort, so naturally I had to go explore. Equipped with a pad, a pen, my binoculars, and some graham crackers, I set out.

The Widmeyer place is one of those old houses that looks like it may or may not be haunted. But Maya Sunleaf isn’t afraid of anything.

I rang the doorbell. A woman’s voice came over the intercom speaker. “Are you the detective I hired, sir?â€?

On impulse, I deepened my voice. “Yes, ma’am.â€?

“Come right in.â€? I followed a trail of water to the bathroom, where Mrs. Widmeyer was sitting with cucumbers over her eyes. Yes, I thought. I can ask some questions.

“So, I heard there’s been a theft?â€?

“Yes!â€? She cried. “My darling pet wallaby!â€?