Case Files / Case File 003
The Confounding Case of the Contrary Chimera
one empty tin,
four very small scratches
Case File 003
| SAY IT | KY-MEER-uh |
|---|---|
| CLIENT | A chimera: one lion, one goat, one snake, and three opinions |
| MISSING | A recipe card older than anyone can remember |
| LOCATION | A warm cave on the Ledges, above Quarry Hill |
| SEASON | Winter break, the week before Christmas |
| STATUS | SOLVED |
The Case
Every Christmas Eve, before the sun is up, a cake appears on the back step of the Town Hall. It comes in a box of cedar bark, tied with a red ribbon, and it never has a name on it. Nobody knows who the Phantom Baker is.
This year, three tips arrive at once, all from the same snowy hillside. The agency’s new client has three heads, and every one of them disagrees with the other two. Their secret recipe has vanished. And a new judge in a polka-dot bow tie has declared that unsigned cakes will not be judged.
Christmas is in six days. Somebody is lying.
The “c-h” in chimera says “k,” as in Christmas, choir, and chorus. The manager observes that the word is as contrary as the creature.
Case File 003 is still being typed up. Its title is a working title, and the manager reserves the right to be fussy about it.
The Evidence Locker is sealed
Inside: the Case File Glossary, a Discussion Guide for classrooms and kitchen tables, and the Detective Skills used to crack this case. The key is printed at the very end of the book.
Parents and teachers: sign in at the Managers’ Entrance to use your key.