Doug Peterson - The Big Sleepover

TO BE FILED SOMEDAY

The Mess Detectives
Case #374:
The Big Sleepover

Written by Doug Peterson
Illustrated by Ron Eddy and Robert Vann

ROCKFORDS FILE

Anyone who hides his sins doesnt succeed. But anyone who admits his sins and gives them up finds mercy.
Proverbs 28:13 NIrV

L adies and gentlemen, the story you are about to read is silly. The names have been changed to protect the serious.

It was a hot Saturday morning in Bumblyburg. Temperatures were already in the low 90s. Even the ice cubes were sweating.

My partner and I were working the Mess Desk. My name is Larry. Im a detective. Im also a cucumber. My partner is Bob the Tomato. He carries a badge. I carry a badger.

Dont ask why.

8:33 a.m.

We got an urgent call from Madame Blueberry on the south side of town. She was baby-sitting a group of Veggie friends, who had held a sleepover the night before. They left a major mess. So what else is new?

8:46 a.m.

Bob and I reached Madame Blueberrys house, which was as hot as an oven. Broken air conditioner, I guess. Madame Blueberry looked very upset. She was baking a pie.

Good morning, maam, I said. My name is Larry the Cucumber, and this is my partner, Bob the Tomato. He carries a badge. I carry a badger. Dont ask why.

Please tell us what happened, said Bob. Just the facts, maam.

Drat. Bob always beats me to that line. Why do you always get to say, Just the facts, maam?

I dont always say it, Bob argued.

Yes you do. I never get to say it.

OK, OK. Bob rolled his eyes. Go ahead and say it then.

Its too late, I pouted. You already said it. You cant say Just the facts, maam twice in one adventure. That would be a violation of Section 15, Paragraph 32.

Bob sighed.

Are you boys done? asked Madame Blueberry.

I think so, I said. So what happened here, maam? Just the I stopped myself just in time.

Percy Pea and some of his friends were having a noisy sleepover upstairs last night, she explained. They were eating pizza and watching movies.

Uh-huh, I said. Go on.

This morning, when I went upstairs to bring them breakfast, I found the bed was broken. But none of the boys will take responsibility for it.

They wont say who bounced on the bed and busted it.

I made a note of that.

9:05 a.m.

We found the four boys in the room upstairs, watching the movie An American Pea in Paris. Things were messier than we thought. Dresser drawers were hanging open. Clothes were thrown all over the room.

The bed was badly broken, with one of its legs snapped right off. But three of the boys didnt seem to notice or care. They were eating pancakes on the bed as they rolled off of the tilted mattress. Then they climbed back on. It went on and on. Ive seen stranger things, but I cant remember when.

Lenny Carrot was sitting in the corner all alone. He had a strange look in his eyes, but I couldnt put my finger on why. Perhaps its because I dont have fingers.

Any of you boys want to tell us who broke the bed? Bob said.

They didnt answer. They continued to eat their pancakes. I made a note of that.

More syrup, please, one of them requested. My badger passed the syrup. Badgers have very good manners.

Bob and I looked at each other. We decided this might be a good time to turn up the heat. Make them sweat. I decided to play the silly cop, and Bob was going to play the serious cop. Its an old routine that works pretty well.

But before we could make a move, Lenny Carrot suddenly broke down.

OK, I admit it! he sobbed. I broke the bed. But I didnt mean to do it.

Were you jumping on the bed? I asked.

NO! Lenny shouted. I just sat on the bed, and the leg broke.

You did the right thing by coming clean about this, Lenny, said Bob. Thats called taking responsibility. Doesnt it feel good to admit it when you mess up?

Lenny nodded. I felt terrible hiding that secret.

9:15 a.m.

It looked like this was going to be an open-and-shut case. Bob and I were getting ready to take Lenny downstairs to apologize to Madame Blueberry. But thats when things took a surprising twist.

I cant stand here and watch Lenny take the heat. He shouldnt take the blame, Percy Pea suddenly blurted out. Lenny didnt do it.

The other boys gasped. Pieces of pancake flew out of their mouths and onto the floor. (Never gasp with your mouth full.)

OK, suppose you tell us what happened. Start from the very beginning, I said. And give it to me straight, man. (Ive always wanted to say that.)

Last night, Lenny went downstairs to help Madame Blueberry get the pizza ready, Percy explained. While he was gone, the rest of us started jumping on the bed.

Uh-huh. I made a note of that.

Thats when one of the legs of the bed broke, Percy continued. We tried to hide it by putting the broken leg back in place. We never thought that Lenny would sit on the bed and blame himself for breaking it. We just wanted to hide our mess.

It was the old break-it-and-hide-it routine.

Thanks for coming clean, said Bob.

Because of Percys honesty, the guilty Veggies would probably get an easy punishmenta weekend of being grounded with the hope of parole. It was a typical pea bargain. Once again, it looked like the case was closed.