Roxanne Rags Is Missing

Denny braked his scooter to a stop. Little Emma Sanchez sat on a bench beside the apartment building’s playground, crying.

“Emma, what’s wrong?” Denny asked.

Emma wiped her cheeks. “Roxanne Rags is gone.”

“Who’s Roxanne Rags?”

“My rag doll,” Emma said. “I left her right here when I was swinging with Amber. Then I had to go home to eat lunch, and when I came back she was gone.”

“Amber’s still on the swing,” Denny said, pointing at the blonde girl. “Maybe she saw what happened to Roxanne Rags.”

Emma shook her head. “No. She had to go eat lunch, too.”

Denny thought a moment. “Why don’t I investigate?

Emma frowned. “Inves...what?”

Denny smiled. “Investigate. You know – like a detective. Look for clues and stuff.”

Emma’s face brightened and she jumped up. “Oh, and I can help!” She turned toward the swings and yelled out, “Amber, guess what.”

Amber stopped swinging. “What?”

“Denny and me are gonna be detectives. We’re going to find Roxanne Rags.”

At that moment Emma’s mother walked up. “Time for your piano lesson, Emma.”

“But....” Emma looked at Denny.

He winked. “Don’t worry, I’ll start on the case, and you can help later.”

Emma nodded and followed her mother.

Denny frowned as soon as Emma disappeared from view. Detective work sounded like fun, but where should he begin? He hefted his scooter over his shoulder and crossed to where Amber was swinging. “Are you sure you don’t know where Emma’s doll is?”

Amber dragged her feet on the sand and crinkled her nose. “Nope. Maybe Emma took it inside and doesn’t remember.” She stuck out her legs and pumped, moving high into the air.

Denny decided to scooter around the apartments for possible witnesses.

The first person he spotted was Matt. “Hey there,” Denny said.

Matt nodded a hello and removed his headphones. “I’m listening to a great CD.

Want to give it a try?”

“Later. Right now I’m searching for a lost doll.”

“A lost doll?” Matt laughed.

Denny’s face turned red. “It’s not my doll. It’s Emma’s. She left it on the playground and now it’s gone.”

Matt looked over at the playground. “Maybe Amber knows something?”

“No,” Denny said. “She said she doesn’t.”

“Of course she says that,” Matt said, “but that doesn’t make it true.”

Denny stared.

“Or maybe some other girl saw the doll and scooped it up,” Matt continued. He pointed at a girl from their fifth grade class who was passing by. “How about her – Kate?”

Kate paused and looked at them. “Did I hear my name? she asked.

Matt nodded. “Denny wants to know if you stole a doll off the playground.”

Kate flushed. “I don’t steal other girls’ rag dolls.” She stomped off to the next apartment, slamming the door behind herself.

“Guess I better let you do the questioning from now on,” Matt said. He put his headphones back on.

Denny slowly wheeled away. Being a detective was hard. And embarrassing.

Maybe he should investigate the scene. Maybe the doll hadn’t been stolen. Maybe it was still on the playground somewhere. Denny lifted his scooter and took the shortcut across the grassy area.

He looked under the slide, then in and around the climbing bars. No doll.

“Did you find Roxanne Rags yet?” Amber asked, swaying to a stop.

“No,” Denny said. Then he snapped his fingers. Rags. Rag doll. Of course! He thought he knew where Roxanne Rags was.

“Watch my scooter, okay, Amber?” Denny ran across the grass.

“What’s the hurry?” Matt asked, removing his headphones again as Denny approached.

“Later,” Denny puffed. He stopped and knocked at Kate’s apartment door.

“Oh, it’s you,” Kate said when she opened the door.

“I think you did take the doll,” Denny blurted. Kate blinked, and then sighed. “You’re right, and now it’s all fixed.”

“Fixed?”

“Yes,” said Kate. “I found it on the playground earlier. I was going to just leave it, but then I saw the poor thing had a big tear on one side. I’ve been learning to sew so I decided I’d fix it and then find out who it belonged to.” Kate reached to one side and when her hand reappeared she was holding Roxanne Rags.

“Wow,” Denny said turning the doll over in his hands. “You did a great job. I can’t even see a tear. Come on. It belongs to Emma. Let’s see if she’s finished with her piano lesson.”

“I guess I should have admitted earlier that I had the doll,” Kate said as they rang Emma’s doorbell. “But when Matt said it had been stolen I got scared and-- Say, how did you know I had it?”

“You said you didn’t steal other girls’ rag dolls, but Matt and I never told you what kind of doll it was.”

“Oh,” Kate said. “That’s slick detective work.”

Denny grinned.

Emma and her mother opened the door and Kate handed Emma the doll.

“Roxanne Rags!” Emma cried. She hugged the doll close. “Where was she?”

Kate explained. “I’m sorry, Emma. I found her on the playground, but I didn’t know she was yours. When I saw she was ripped I took her home and sewed her up. Denny figured it out.”

“You fixed her?” Emma looked at the doll again. “She looks really nice. Thanks, Kate. Thanks, Denny.” She laughed, and everyone else did, too.