Weeks later, Leo still couldn’t shake the strange feeling he experienced when he stared down at his wallet.
“It’s gone,” he’d whispered to himself as he stood there in shock. “My money is gone.”
He’d spotted the perfect Christmas gift for his brother at the Citrus Grove Elementary Micro Marketplace. But when he returned to his backpack to grab the cash he’d been saving up, he only found an empty wallet.
Now, after starting a printing business and earning enough micros to buy his brother a present, Leo was more determined than ever to apprehend the criminal. His public pleas for the thief to turn him or herself in had failed. So Leo turned to Micro Peacekeepers Angelo and Addison to help solve the crime.
In their first meeting, he answered their questions and described the situation in detail.
“Is it possible your wallet fell out and someone picked it up?” Addison asked as she scribbled some notes on a legal pad.
“No.” His backpack had been securely zipped, so there was no chance his wallet could have fallen out accidentally. Whoever took the money had done so deliberately, and very sneakily. He had his doubts that the case could be solved.
“Do you remember who was nearby when you set your backpack down?” Angelo asked.
Leo’s memory was sharp, but he couldn’t be sure exactly who he’d seen that day. “I wish I could say I’d seen someone suspicious, but I really don’t remember.”
Angelo and Addison nodded and listened intently. “Don’t worry, Leo. We’ll crack this case for you,” Addison said reassuringly.
Leo shrugged, not expecting much to come out of the investigation. But the next day, he noticed a line of students outside Mrs. Newman’s door. “What’s going on here?” he asked a classmate.
“Didn’t you hear – the peacekeepers are interviewing everyone who was at the Marketplace the day your money was stolen,” Jacob answered.
Leo’s eyes lit up. “What a great idea,” he thought. “Someone surely saw something.”
But his optimism soon turned to disappointment, when he heard from Angelo that they had yet to gain any leads. “But we have another idea,” he said, looking up from his notepad. “I have a good feeling about this case.”
The next day, Leo was approached by Angelo and Addison, expecting to hear that they’d given up on finding his missing money.
“We have good news!” they said in unison.
“You found my money!?” Leo said in disbelief.
Mrs. Newman tapped him on the shoulder and handed over an envelope. “Angelo and Addison here had the brilliant idea to ask the bank for their cooperation. It turns out, one student recently made a very large cash deposit and couldn’t explain where it came from.”
“I can’t believe it!” Leo said as a smile spread across his face. He turned to Angelo and Addison, “Thanks to you two, I’ll be able to open my business!”
Addison chimed in, “That’s not all, Leo. Here’s a confession and apology letter from the mystery thief.”
“Case closed,” Angelo said, tapping his notepad.
“We hope you won’t need us again,” Addison smiled, “but if you do, the Peacekeepers are here to help!”
Leo shook their hands and smiled. “It’s nice to be on the other side of the law this time.”