Excerpt: The Mystery of the Museum Robbery

Norman was brought home just after lunch, accompanied by a police officer, who said gravely to Mom, “Good afternoon Mrs. Andrews. You’re son is allowed to come home, but I’m afraid we have had to put him under house arrest. He is not allowed to go out of a five mile range of this house. We are asking you and your husband to please make sure this happens. We will be keeping an eye on him.”
“Yes, of course.” Mom had a pained look as she answered, and drew Norman inside as the police officer touched his hat, and left.
“I’m so glad you are back.” Mom said, hugging her oldest son with a little sob, “I’ve been worrying about you all afternoon.”
Norman hugged his mother back, “I’m glad to be back too, although I hate that I have to wait here. Just wait until they say if I am guilty or not…” He sighed.
“How did the questioning go?” Grace asked, in worried tones herself, as she entered the room and gave her big brother a hug.
Norm shrugged, “They don’t believe me, I can tell. And I can’t say I blame them, there is so much evidence against me, and now that my wallet is missing it’s even worse.”
Grace’s eyes grew wide, “Your wallet is missing?” She groaned, “How could that have happened?”
“That’s what I’ve been trying to figure out all last night and today.” Norm answered, “I mean, I guess I could have dropped it somewhere…” He thought for a moment, and then suddenly he said, “Wait a minute, I remember something now! I did stop somewhere on the way to Joe’s! I stopped at a gas station to get gas, and while I was pumping it a guy walked by be really close, and tripped and almost fell right behind me, but he bumped into me! I wonder if he swiped my wallet, because at that moment another person came up and asked me if there was a grocery store nearby, so I was sort of distracted!” He sighed and flopped down on the couch, and put his head in his hands and groaned, “Why didn’t I think of that?”