The Mystery Detective Club Sniffs Out an Adventure

by Rodger Parr

“These hols are the most boring yet,” groaned Penny, as the gang lolled about in the garden.

“Yes, absolutely nothing to do,” moaned Pete.

“Buck up you lot,” said John. “Let’s go and get some ices and lemonade and go for a walk down by the river.”

John was the oldest of the four and unofficial Captain of the Mystery Detective Club. So far they had solved the Mystery of the Disappearing Cat and The Mystery of the Disappearing Dog, but this holiday there had not even been a sniff of an adventure and the summer was almost over.

“Smashing idea, John” said Jenny, jumping to her feet at once. “And you never know, we may even stumble upon an adventure on the way.”

Soon the gang was strolling along the riverbank, chugging from bottles of lemonade and licking the cold ices they had just purchased from the village tea shop, their faithful dog Bouncer jumping around their heels. Just as they reached the bend that led into Windy Wood, Penny, who was leading the way, suddenly froze, the rest bumping into her on the narrow path.

“Look, down there!” She pointed. The others looked and saw two men dragging a large sack out of a rowing boat. “I wonder what they are doing? And what have they got in that sack?” she said.

“Yes, most mysterious,” agreed John. “Let’s follow them.”

The children knelt down until the two men had disappeared into the woods and then started to silently trail them up a small dirt track.

They followed the track for what seemed like an age before they spotted the men again. They were both in a small clearing, leaning over the sack. which was now on the ground.

“This really does look like another adventure for the Mystery Detective Club,” whispered John to the rest.

“Woof!” agreed Bouncer, excitedly.

Detective Inspector Moore entered the conference room and took his seat in front of the press cameras. He scanned the room, cleared his throat, then began.

“I can now confirm that after an extensive search of the local area, the bodies of four children have been recovered today in Windy Wood. The parents of the children have been informed of this tragic turn of events and are being supported by a specialist police team. A task force has been set up with immediate effect and we will be doing everything in our power to bring the culprits of this heinous crime to justice. I can also confirm that a dog belonging to one of the children was found wandering close to the scene. The dog is in good health.”

Rodger Parr is a writer from Norn Iron whose short fiction occasionally crops up in print and online. Most recently, it has appeared in 365 tomorrows and Postcard Shorts. He currently hides out at https://twitter.com/RodgerParr. Feel free to come join him.