The Case of the Stolen Confederate Stamps

Encyclopedia’s stomach rumbled. He put down his book and checked his watch. It was ten minutes past dinnertime, and no one had called him to the table.

He followed the smell of spaghetti and meatballs to the kitchen.

“Your father will be a little late tonight,” Mrs. Brown said. “He’s tied up with a case at the convention center.”

Encyclopedia’s eyes lit up at the prospect of a case. “Do you think Dad needs help?” he asked. Then his stomach rumbled again.

“Your stomach and your curiosity will have to wait a few more minutes,” Mrs. Brown said.

At half past six, Chief Brown came home.

“What’s happening at the convention center this week?” Mrs. Brown asked, after he had washed up and sat down at the table.

“The Philatelic Society is having its annual convention,” he answered.

“The stamp collectors,” Encyclopedia said. “Sally and I plan to bike there tomorrow and look at the new stamps.”

“Two very old stamps were stolen this afternoon,” Chief Brown said. “We recovered them, but we don’t know who stole them.”

“Give Leroy all the details,” Mrs. Brown said. “He’s helped you out before.”

Chief Brown pulled his notebook out of his pocket with a sigh. “I don’t know,” he said. “Even Leroy might have trouble with this case. It’s got me licked.”

Encyclopedia ate his spaghetti while he waited for the details.

“A dealer named Mr. Sansbury brought two rare stamps to the show,” Chief Brown said. “Both were issued by the Confederate government after the Civil War began. The first was a five-cent green Jefferson Davis stamp. The second was a ten-cent stamp with a picture of Thomas Jefferson.”

“There must be lots of suspects,” Mrs. Brown said.

“No.” Chief Brown shook his head. “Mr. Sansbury didn’t put these stamps on display. He kept them locked in a small office. But he gave three collectors, all of them longtime friends, the key to the office so they could view the stamps in private. They each spent time alone in the room before Mr. Sansbury noticed the stamps were missing.”

“But you said you already found the stamps,” Mrs. Brown said. “Didn’t they also lead you to the thief?”

“We searched each of the three suspects thoroughly,” Chief Brown answered. “Then Officer Lopez discovered that someone had pried up a corner of the carpet and slipped the stamps underneath. The thief must have intended to go back for the stamps at a later date. But it’s impossible to find out which one of the three is the real thief.”

Mrs. Brown glanced at Encyclopedia. She seemed a little disappointed that he hadn’t solved the mystery yet.

“Tell us about the suspects,” she prodded.

Chief Brown turned the pages of his notebook. “Each one of the suspects was alone in the room for a short time. The first was a Mr. Beckman from Tampa. He told us that he already had these stamps in his collection, a fact that Mr. Sansbury was able to confirm.

“Mrs. Dwyer is planning to open a stamp museum and store in the northern part of the state. But she couldn’t believe that a serious stamp collector would hide such valuable stamps on a damp concrete floor where they could be damaged.”

“Perhaps it was the third suspect,” Mrs. Brown said.

“That may be,” Chief Brown said. “Mr. Patterson has a well-known album of early American and Confederate stamps. And he has long been searching for these two to complete his collection.”

Mrs. Brown looked at Encyclopedia. She had run out of questions herself and hoped he was ready to ask the one that would truly crack the case.

Suddenly his eyes opened. “What kind of carpet was on the floor?” he asked.

“A standard dark blue carpet for a place like the convention center where there’s lots of foot traffic,” Chief Brown answered. “The thief had pulled up one corner.”

Encyclopedia opened his eyes. “Then it’s obvious who the thief is, it’s…”

 

WHO WAS IT?

 

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