Human Thomas and Friends Mysteries Book 36, Part 1

"Three points!" Gordon cheered as the orange basketball sailed through the hoop. He raised his hands in the air, grinning broadly. "We won!"

"Good game, you guys," Edward said kindly. He shook Gordon's hand. "You dissevered to win for your team, Gordon." Then he shook his teammates' hands.

"Time for a mystery!" Percy cheered. Everyone laughed at that. They all loved mysteries.

"No Percy," chuckled Thomas. "I think this calls for an ice-cream celebration at the Sodor Café."

The Sodor Café is a café that across the school, the engines had once solved who stole Mrs. Cortez's homemade cherries, and now the café is best known to all the engines. They go there after school for a snack before heading to the dormitory. They serve the best kind of ice cream, and smoothies. They order them for free.

"Before we set off," James said, wiping his sweaty forehead. "We need to solve a mystery now!"

"James is right," said Duck. "There's Mrs. Forester, the gym teacher. Her face looks splotched than I've seen it."

Mrs. Forester was the school's gym teacher. She has a strict personally, and gray skin to prove it. She had already left her office, heading towards the kids. Duck was indeed right, her face had splotches like she usually does when she's angry, but they now looked even more splotches. She stopped right in front of them. Her gray hair was tangled in thick curly webs.

"You've all done a great job of practicing for the Sodor Basketball Championship cup," she told them. "But I'm afraid to tell you that I have some terrible news. The winning basketball trophy is now missing!"

The engines gasped. Oliver jumped and James fell over, but was safely caught by Edward, who patted him gently. The basketball trophy was a trophy shaped like a basketball nearly carved into a monster's face.

"There's only a solid week to find out who stole my perilous beautiful trophy," Mrs. Forester said, her face wrinkled with worry, "I've heard that you guys are first-class decetetives, so I except you to figure out who stole the winning ticket."

"We can try our best," said Henry kindly. "I guess we'll see you during gym class tomorrow." He turned towards the others. "Come on everyone, it's off to a celebration at the Café."

"Good bye," Mrs. Forester called. "And good luck!" ---

"So where should we start at?" Emily asked, sipping her strawberry milkshake. The engines have settled into their usual booth, as usual, and has ordered milkshakes to celebrate.

"We should start as why James fell over," chuckled Percy. He nearly choked on his banana milkshake.

James glared at him. "We shouldn't start there!" he protested, before taking a sip of his chocolate milkshake. "We should start by looking for clues and suspects, like we usually do."

"James is right," said Gordon firmly. "We need to figure out this before the end of the week." He took a sip of his peach-cream treat.

"So where should we begin this?" Edward asked. He took a sip of his lemon milkshake. "In fact, where would a good suspect be?"

"Me," said a voice. It was Ms. Young, the language arts teacher. She was a kind young teacher, but usually makes her students read mystery books. She knew the Steam Team loved mysteries. "I may be a suspect, just like in one of the Mr. Drew books we're reading in class."

"Ms. Young, do you have a suspect you would like to share?" Thomas asked politely, before taking a gulp of his marshmallow milkshake.

"Yes, I do," she replied. "I overheard Mrs. Forester talking Ms. Marsh, and she said something about a bald guy who had a director's visor."

Ms. Marsh was the math teacher. She had a strict personally too, but she now has blonde hair to prove it.

"In Mr. Drew and the Missing Key-Stone", Ms. Young explained. "Mr. Drew asked Mr. Carter if he has seen this bald guy and he said that he did, but with no visor."

"So in order to figure this out," Duck said thoughtfully, taking a gulp of his blueberry milkshake. "We need to find out this bald guy with a visor, and see if he has any suspects in mind."

"That's using your heads!" Ms. Young smiled as she took a lick of her peach ice-cream.