The Fire Mystery

Everyone was in the restaurant eating lunch. Just then, when you were about to leave, there was a scream in the kitchen. The cook saw a fire in the kitchen and it was about to spread into the whole restaurant. Everyone was scared, and you heard a fire truck. In a minute, the fire was gone. Your detective, Lancy, is now there questioning the cook, Susan. Susan: "I was so scared that I could not move; I could only scream. Thanks to the firemen I didn't die in there. No one came to help me. I hate this restaurant and the job that I am doing. If there was a better job, I would quit, and never come here again. Mr. Jason will never give me a raise. This restaurant should be destroyed. I have been teased and I have never been treated well."

You go outside and see a fireman. You go up to question him.

Garry: "I knew that this would happen. There is no doubt about it. I was only a minute late. I had extra water so that I could get rid of the fire as soon as possible. I want to buy the land, you see. I want it for my own store."

Your friend Kelly has talked to someone else. She told you that Mr. Jason, the store manager, has said that he wouldn't mind if someone burned the building down. He wanted to start a new restaurant without Susan.

Kelly: "I think that Garry did it because he has always wanted to destroy the restaurant. He wants to open his own business so he can get most of these people to come to his restaurant. It looks obvious to me that he might have done it. Well, we have to find out."

As you spy on Garry, you see that he has been playing with matches and fire. He is an expert at lighting matches. You think that Garry may have done it and add him to your list of suspects?

Now you spy on Susan. You find her and question her.

Susan: "I love the water. I also like a bubble bath. It is so lovely. I hope to have a bubble bath tonight. I live in an inn."

You find out that she is living in the same inn as you are. That night, you sneak in the bathroom and find out that Susan's tub is still full of bubble bath soap. She couldn't have taken as long in the bubble bath when the crime occurred. She said that she has stayed in the bath for almost an hour each night.

The next day, you, the detective, go to the restaurant. You see in the kitchen that there are some calendar papers on the floor. On the floor you see the calendar pages for June, July, August, September, October, and November. It looks like they were put on the floor on purpose. You put this information in your notebook.

Just then, you see a bubble bath bottle next to the calendar papers. Susan must have left it on the floor. Susan must have left the room last.

When you come back to the inn, you see Susan with a stack of papers. The papers are calendar pages for January, February, March, April, and May.

The next day, you see Garry with a stack of books about fire, firemen, fireballs, matches, and handbooks. Then, later in the day, you see Mr. Jason looking and planning his own new restaurant without Susan.

The Second set of questioning:

Susan:"I, of course, love calendars. I look forward to having a birthday party in three days: May the 4! I am so excited. Anyways, the bubble bath was delightful! Actually, my birthday is on April 30th. I hate the rain outside; it soaks me up. I want to go to the Olympics this year. I am a gymnast! (Then she walks over and trips over a chair.) OW! That hurt! (She wraps a long roll of paper around her leg.) Ah! Better. ( She whispers) I cannot leave the restaurant or I will have no job."

Garry: "Well, if those Rockwells don't move, I will just go and talk to Jason. I want the place by May 31. June 1 will be a bad day for them. My calendar ripped, and I am going to get my matches and burn them. I am a fireman, not a fire maker. Firemen get rid of fires. Oh! what should I do? Life just doesn't work out the way you want. But I still love fire.
He cries but no tears come out.

Mr. Jason: Well, I am trying to think of how to plan out my new restaurant. Well, I am so unlucky that I will end up crying my head off if I don't get the restaurant to myself without Susan. But don't worry, she will be gone. I will force her to leave.