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Authors: David Adler

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BOOK: Cam Jansen and the Wedding Cake Mystery

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“Hurry,” Eric whispered to Beth, “before something else happens.”

They started juggling.

“Ken found his keys,” Cam called from the window. “He left them in the back door of his truck.”

Eric caught the first ball Beth had thrown. He quickly threw it back to Beth. She caught the ball Eric had thrown and quickly threw it back to him.

Bob joined Cam by the window.

“Look,” Bob said. “Ken is opening the back of his truck.”

Eric and Beth kept juggling. But many of the people in the audience were not watching them. They were waiting to hear what Cam and Bob would say next.

“Lucy and Ken look upset,” Bob said. “Now they're coming back.”

Eric and Beth stopped juggling.

Lucy and Ken hurried into the main hall.

“I found my keys, but the pastries, cookies, and cake are gone,” Ken said. “Someone stole everything I baked for the wedding.”

Chapter Four

“I baked all week,” Ken said. He sadly shook his head. “The wedding is in three hours. I don't have time to bake all those desserts again.”

Mr. Jansen looked at the many trays of cookies and cakes on the tables. “You could take the cakes you gave us to the wedding.”

Ken shook his head.

“Thank you, but they wouldn't be nearly enough,” Ken said. “And what about the wedding cake? The bride and groom wanted a tall, beautiful wedding cake, and that's what I baked.”

Bob turned to Cam. “This is exciting,” he said. “We have just three hours to find the cake.”

Judy, the director of the senior center, hurried to the front of the room.

“I just called the police,” she said. “They'll be here soon.”

“I'm going outside,” Bob said. “Maybe this girl with the amazing memory and I can solve the wedding cake mystery before the police even get here.”

Bob quickly left the room. Judy, Ken, and Lucy followed him.

“A real mystery!” an old woman with curly white hair said. “This is the best party we've ever had.”

She went outside, too. Lots of seniors followed her.

“Let's go,” Danny said.

Cam and her friends followed Mr. Jansen past the tables with the cookies, cakes, and drinks.

Danny took a few large chocolate chip cookies off a tray. He put one in each of his front and back pants pockets. Then he took a large oatmeal raisin cookie and bit into it.

“Ghim ghakigh thum gnow,” he whispered to Beth.

“What?”

Danny swallowed.

“I'm taking cookies now,” he whispered. “I'm taking the good stuff before Cam's father gives it all to Ken for the wedding.”

“Look at all the people around Ken's truck,” Eric said to Cam once they were outside. “We won't be able to get close enough to find clues.”

Mr. Jansen, Danny, and Beth walked ahead.

Cam and Eric stopped by the entrance to the senior center.

Cam looked at the people crowded around Ken's truck and her father's car. She blinked her eyes and said, “
Click!
”

“Did you see something? Did you find a clue?” Eric asked. “Can you solve the mystery?”

“I see lots of things,” Cam answered. “But I don't know who stole the cakes.”

Cam and Eric walked toward the truck.

“There you are,” Bob called. “I found clues.”

Bob unfolded a small piece of paper.

Eric looked at the paper.

“It says âmilk, juice, cereal, bread, and carrots,' ” Eric said. “It's a shopping list.”

“Don't read the paper! Look at the broken cookie and cookie crumbs on the paper. I found them near the truck. And there are lots more. Whoever stole the wedding cake and cookies opened those big doors at the back of the truck and took them out.”

“I bet he took lots of things all at once,” Eric said. “That's why he dropped the cookies.”

A police car drove up. It parked behind Mr. Jansen's car. Two officers got out, a tall woman and a not-so-tall man.

“I know them,” Cam said. “They came to our school. They're Officers Davis and Oppen.”

Everyone gathered around the two police officers.

Ken told the officers, “I left my keys in the back door lock. Later, when I found my keys and opened the doors, the cake, pastries, and cookies were gone.”

Officer Davis said, “You shouldn't have left your keys in the door.”

“Yes, I know,” Ken said.

“Look what I found,” Bob said. He showed the officers his collection of cookie crumbs. “It's a clue.”

“Hey,” Officer Oppen said to Cam. “Aren't you the girl with the âclick, click' memory?”

“Yes,” Cam said. “I say
âClick!'
when I want to remember something.”

“She has an amazing memory,” Eric told the police officers. “She uses it to solve mysteries. I bet she'll remember something that will help you find the missing cake and cookies.”

“I hope she remembers something soon,” Ken said.

“She's not the only smart one,” Danny told the police officers. “I'm smart, too. And I just saw something that I think will help. I may even know where to find the cake.”

Chapter Five

“Someone saw the keys in the lock,” Danny said. “He opened the truck and took the cookies, cake, and pastries. Now who could have seen the keys?”

Danny looked at the two police officers. He looked at the many people who had gathered around them.

“This is like school,” the old woman with curly white hair whispered. “That boy is the teacher and he's giving us a test.”

“I don't like tests,” another woman whispered back.

Danny waited.

“Well,” Officer Davis asked him. “Are you going to tell us?”

Danny pointed to the house next to the senior center.

“Do you see that big front window? Someone in that house looked out and saw the keys. He opened the truck and stole the cakes.”

“I don't think so,” Beth said. “A big front window doesn't mean someone is a thief.”

“Oh, yeah?” Danny said. “I bet right now someone is sitting in that house and eating wedding cake. I bet he has lots of white icing all over his face and shirt.”