Davina

"Okay, morning newspaper? Check! Coffee? Check!" I said, "Now, let's see here. Hippo escapes from a local zoo, helium spill on Interstate 80, and nothing else."

 I looked over at my Dutch Sheperd, Arlo, and said, "I wish there was some mystery that I could solve, being a detective is fun, but I can't seem to find any jobs around here."

Arlo looked at me and turned his head like he had no idea what I said, well he is a dog after all! Suddenly, Arlo took the paper from my lap, drug it to the ground, put his paw over an article, and gave out two loud barks.

"What is it, boy?" I asked, "What? There is no way! I can't believe this, twenty-seven kids have gone missing since last night, Halloween.”

Arlo barked once and I ran out the door and drove to the nearest police station. 

"Hello." I said to the elderly woman at the front desk, "Have you heard any news on the twenty-seven kids that went missing last night?" 

The woman started laughing and she said, "Last night was Halloween and most of those kids are just playing jokes on their parents, ya' know!"

A young woman walked into the building and stood right behind me waiting to talk to the elderly lady at the desk. I slowly walked out with Arlo and heard the young woman that was behind me ask the elderly lady at the desk, "Have you heard any news on the twenty-seven kids that were kidnapped? I fear my son and daughter are two of them!" My eyes widened and I quickly ran over to this young woman and said, "Hi, I am Davina Willdersmith and I am a certified detective. I am willing to help you find your children." 

The young woman started to cry and said, "Oh, my! Thank you so much! By the way, my name is Gwenn Naupper. Would you like to come to my house for a cup of coffee and to discuss some things over about this mystery?" 

I smiled and said, "I'd love to, is it okay if I bring my Dutch Shepherd, Arlo?"

Gwenn nodded and then we got in our cars and drove to her house. When we got there, we went right in and she told me to sit down at the kitchen table. Gwenn walked over to the table with two cups of coffee and I got my notepad out to take notes. 

“Okay, Gwenn. What are their names and what time was it when they left your house?” I asked professionally.

Gwen immediately responded with, “Their names are Wynter and Cash, they left here exactly at 6:00.”

I wrote that down and asked her, “What were your kids last seen wearing?”

“They were dressed as Mickey & Minney Mouse.” Gwen said, “Oh, by the way, my daughter, Wynter is 13 and my son, Cash is 5 ½ years old.”

“I have one last question for you, Gwenn.” I said, “Can you track her phone?”

Gwenn sprung into action and grabbed her handy-dandy iPhone XS out of her pocket and went to her “Find My” app. 

“OH. MY. GOSH!” Gwenn exclaimed as she was the most frightened mother in the universe, “Her phone is moving around in the creepy house and now entering the cemetery!”

“Oh my, grab a dirty clothing item that your kids have worn!” I said shaking and worried. “I’ll meet you in my car!”

I got in my car and Gwen followed my directions. She got in the car, and we were off on the road to the cemetery. 

After about five minutes we arrived and we gave Arlo the kids’ dirty clothes to sniff them out. 

“We can’t look suspicious,” I whispered to Gwenn, “We have to be very discreet.”

Gwenn nodded and then Arlo sniffed out a trail that led to the front door of the creepy and abandoned house. 

Gwenn and I looked at each other and nodded. I put Arlo on his leash, Gwenn, Arlo, and I walked on the front porch, and I rung the doorbell. We braced ourselves as someone opened the door. 

“What brings you here?” A creepy little old lady asked Gwenn and I.

Arlo barked and the lady started to shut the door and I asked, “Could we please come in?”

The old lady nodded and we went in. When we went in the house, I took Arlo off of his leash and discreetly had him sniff the clothes. He immediately started sniffing. The old lady had Gwen and I sit down at a dusty, moldy, and smelly couch. 

“Could I please stand?” I asked the lady and she said, “If you would like to be put in my cellar to die like twenty-seven other kids, you may stand. Hey, that goes for your beautiful friend over there too!”

Arlo barked and I said, “I refuse to sit!”

Gwenn said the same and the old lady grabbed the hoods on our coats and walked us to the cellar door. She opened up a door and kicked our right calves and then pushed us down the stairs. We screamed and Arlo attacked the lady. 

“Go, Arlo, go!” Gwenn yelled cheering him on.  

The lady had enough and also pushed Arlo down the stairs. The lady locked the door and laughed. 

I got out my phone and turned the flashlight on.

“Hey, Gwenn.” I whispered, “Could you please see where Wynter’s phone is?”

“Oh, Yeah!” Gwenn said quietly, “It says that she is to our left.” 

We turned and saw Wynter sitting there holding her feet.

“Mom?!” Wynter said quietly.

Gwenn’s face lit up and ran over to her daughter said, “Honey, I’ve missed you so much! What in the world happened and where is your brother?”

I ran over and Gwenn introduced me to Wynter. 

I gasped and asked, “What happened to your feet?”

“An angry crocodile stole my shoes and one of my toes and Cash was poisoned by the lady that lives here,” Wynter said.

“How long ago was that?” Gwenn asked. 

Wynter started screaming and said, “About 15 minutes ago, guys, move! The crocodile is coming!”

Gwenn and I worked together to quickly pick Wynter up, Arlo followed behind. We carried her up the stairs to the locked door, because crocodiles can’t climb stairs, or so we thought.

Suddenly, the croc started charging towards the stairs, and without any troubles, he started climbing up.

“Oh my gosh, what should we do?” Gwenn asked frantically standing at the top of the stairs. 

“We have one choice, to jump once it comes closer.” I said, “Wynter, you have to use your feet.”

Wynter nodded her head, we all screamed, and then jumped with fear.

We landed safely, even Arlo and Wynter. 

“I’m going to call the police now, would you guys mind trying to find the other kids?” I asked Gwenn and Wynter. 

They both said, “Yep.” and Wynter waddled away, while Gwenn walked away. 

I dialed 9-1-1 and the operator picked up awfully fast. 

“Hello, my emergency is twenty-seven kids have been reported missing and I have found them.” I said, “We got shoved into a lady’s basement/ cellar and she has a crocodile down here. One of the kids that my friend, Gwenn Naupper, and I rescued was bit by the croc.” 

I told them more information and they said that would be here as fast as they could. 

In the meantime, Gwenn and Wynter found the rest of the kids, three of them were poisoned by the elderly creepy lady and twenty-four of them were bitten by the crocodile. 

The police broke the door down and came downstairs to the basement/ cellar. The police did what they needed to do, such as taking all of the kids that were poisoned to the hospital and the sketchy old lady got sentenced to prison for a few years and she also got a large fine for owning a crocodile illegally. 

After this disturbing incident, we figured out that this crazy woman was a lady that was sick to the brain and she had a few brain injuries in the past. Her excuse was that she wanted grandchildren, but wanted to poison their brains to make them think that they wanted to stay with her and they would forever be under her rule. 

Gwenn rewarded me with $2,500 for finding all of the kids, and the police station also rewarded me by becoming head detective at the Clarion PA Police station. 

Even though this was quite the adventure, it was extremely interesting. I will have many more stories to tell about my adventures in being a detective. 

If you may wonder, all of the kids died except the strongest, Cash and Wynter.