I ate a frozen mushyberry pancake.

It did not help me think.

Except about my cold teeth.

“What happened after you left

the pancake house?” I asked.

“Well, I had lots of bags.

I dropped them outside

the pancake house.

Then I picked them up

and brought them home.

I put the pancake bag in the freezer

and the other bags over there

in that corner.

But the Booksie’s bag isn’t there.”

“Hmmm,” I said.

I went over to the corner

and looked inside all the bags.

No book.

“Both the book and the Booksie’s bag

are missing,” I said.

“I, Nate the Great, say

that we should go

to Booksie’s Bookstore.

I think you dropped your book

in its bag when you were

in front of the pancake house.

It wasn’t there today.

Perhaps somebody found it

and took it back to the store.”

Duncan kept looking at his feet.

“Somebody could have found it

and taken it home,” he said.

“Or taken it on a trip.

Or mailed it. Or kicked it.

Anything! This is a big city.

My joke book could be anywhere!”

“You are right,” I said.

“I am?”

“Yes. This is a big-city case.

Your book could be anywhere.

But we don’t have enough time

to look everywhere.

So I, Nate the Great,

have to choose where to look.

And because the book was probably in

the Booksie’s bag when you lost it,

I choose Booksie’s Bookstore.”

“Oh,” Duncan said. “There

is more to this detective

business than I thought.”