The Dissappearance of Rosie Fitzgerald, Star Soccer Player

I’d been looking for Rosie Fitzgerald, star soccer player, for a week with no luck. I'd asked everyone around the neighborhood. I felt defeated. I had no leads. I was stuck in the middle of a mystery, with no idea where to go next. Then it struck me. I decided to go to the library to learn more about her. Then I would be able to figure out where she was likely to be.

As I climbed the marble steps, I felt a sense of hope building in my chest. This could be it. This could be how I found Rosie. Once I was in, I looked around, taking it all in. It was filled with shelves upon shelves of books. Fantasy, non-fiction, mystery, you name it. It was the only library in the neighborhood, which was not surprising considering how small our town was. Straightening my back and walking with purpose to appear more assertive, I walked up to the librarian. 

“Hello, would you happen to have any books about Rosie Fitzgerald? She’s a star soccer player and her team needs her.” 

The librarian peered down at me. “I’m sorry?”

“Do you have any books about Rosie Fitzgerald? She’s been missing for a week.”

She sighed and stifled a laugh at the same time. I’m not quite sure why. A missing person is no joke. 

“I don’t think so.”

“I’ve looked everywhere.”

She pinched her nose between her thumb and index finger. “It was funny the first time, but I have no time for your jokes.”

“What are you talking about?”

“If you won’t give it up, then go find the book yourself. I’m sure it’ll be there.” She said it in a sarcastic way, but I was sure that the book really would be there.

It still made me frustrated. What a haughty librarian. How dare she speak to an aspiring detective like that? But rather than pick a fight, I hurried on my way. Every moment that I wasn’t looking for Rosie was another moment she could get further away. She was my only focus. 

As I’d only been in the library once (a week ago, with Rosie), I didn’t know where to find a book about her. As Rosie was a star soccer player, there had to be some kind of book with background information about her. 

I stopped to look at some of the more interesting books as I continued through the shelves. I couldn’t help it. I knew that the case was more important, but some of the covers were so enticing. But I was able to resist the urge to pick one up and start reading. Until I saw it. 

“The fifth book of the Percy Jameson series?!” I exclaimed. I ran towards it and accidentally bumped into someone, and he fell backwards against the bookshelf. A few heavy books fell on his head, including the Percy Jameson book. 

“Sorry!” I reached for it, but the man grabbed my arm. His face had turned a bright red. He wasn’t looking at me with the friendliest expression. I could tell he worked at the library, because he had a name tag that said ‘Hello, my name is JUNIOR’ with the official library logo stamped on it. 

“Get. Out,” he said, his eyes crossing. “Now.” I gulped and hurried outside. This is why detectives should never get distracted from their job. What was I going to do? The library was my only chance of finding out anything about Rosie. I couldn’t go anywhere else. 

Then, I figured out what I had to do. If the library was the only place I could go, I would have to find another way in. And I knew exactly how I was going to do that. The ventilation system. Of course, I had only seen that done in spy movies, but I was sure that since I had gone this far, giving up would be a waste of time and effort. 

I located the vent and took my Swiss Army knife out of my pocket. I pulled out the screwdriver tool, took the cover off of the vent, and crawled in. For once I was grateful for my small frame. 

There was one problem. I didn’t know how to navigate the system. Twice I found myself back where I started. Despite this, I continued on. The vents were covered in a thin layer of dust, and I stifled sneezes several times, afraid that someone would hear me. After what seemed like forever, I finally found a vent that I could use. When I looked through it, I could see a toilet and a sink. 

I was able to drop down, and fortunately no one had to use the bathroom at that moment. Now I would have to be very careful. After the earlier fiasco, I couldn’t risk any attention. I pulled up my hood and put on a pair of mirrored sunglasses. No one would be able to recognize me in this disguise. 

I sat down on a chair and pulled out a notebook and pen. What did I know about Rosie so far? She was a star soccer player. She was short and had brown hair and black eyes. She was last seen in this library before disappearing mysteriously. I racked my brain for answers, but couldn’t think of anything. 

Eventually, I decided to search for her biography again. If I could learn about her relationships or hobbies or something personal like that, I would have some ideas of places to check. But my luck really had run out. There was nothing about Rosie. I didn’t think I could live my life knowing that Rosie Fitzgerald, the star soccer player, would remain missing forever. 

I took off my sunglasses and hood. There had to be something I was missing. I looked around more. Then I heard a voice behind me, and my stomach grew taut with dread.

“Didn’t I tell you to leave?” Junior’s face was even more drawn with anger this time. I didn’t stick around. I ran away from him, weaving between shelves of fantasy and non-fiction, mystery and romance. 

Then, a sight made me rejoice. For sitting on a table ahead of me, was Rosie. I ran towards her. Her button eyes glittered cheerfully as I fixed her yarn hair. 

“Rosie! I’ve been looking for you everywhere! Mommy’s probably looking for me too right now. Also, I’m being chased by an angry man so we should go home.” 

And that is how I solved the disappearance of Rosie Fitzgerald, star soccer player.