Never Grow Up

She had just finished a bike ride around their yard. “What are you two doing?”
“Mom lost her bracelet.” Kari looked at Ashley. An idea hit her. “The Baxter Kids Detective Agency is on the case.” She smiled at Brooke. “You can join if you want.”
Brooke seemed slightly amused, but she shrugged. “Can’t. I need to do homework.” She took one last drink of her water and set the cup in the sink.
“Aha!” Kari returned to the sink. “What if it fell down the sink?” She put her hand down the kitchen drain, feeling around for anything that resembled the bracelet.
Nothing.
Brooke started to leave.
“Wait!” Ashley called out. “Come on, Brooke. Help us. We’re having fun.”
“I don’t have time for kid games.” Brooke frowned. “I have real work to do.”
Erin came into the kitchen and sat on the counter. “I’ll help.”
“See?” Brooke pointed to their youngest sister as she left the kitchen. “You have Erin. That’s plenty of detectives. You don’t need me.”
Kari and Ashley and Erin watched her go.
Ashley shrugged. “Fine. Brooke’s right. Who needs her anyway?” She turned to Kari. “Where to next?”
“I’ve been thinking.” All of a sudden Kari pointed to the cupboard under the sink. “The trash! Let’s check there.”
“Why?” Erin peered around Kari.
“Because…” Kari opened the cabinets. “Maybe Mom’s bracelet accidentally slid off the counter and into the trash bin.” Kari pulled the trash can out and set it on the floor. The thing was full to the brim. “Yikes.” Kari plunged her hand into the garbage and sorted through banana peels and empty cans of dog food and apple peelings.
The smell was ripe.
“Ew!” Erin held her nose. She backed up a few feet.
“I’ll help!” Ashley dug her hands in, too. “Let’s find it!”
“What’re you doing?” Luke bounced the basketball into the kitchen. Kari could feel him standing behind her. “Why are you digging in the trash?”
Erin was still holding her nose. “They’re looking for Mom’s bracelet. It’s lost.”
“Awesome!” He dropped to his knees and pushed up his sleeves.
“Thanks, Luke!” Kari smiled at him. Luke was the best little brother. “You are now officially part of the Baxter Kids Detective Agency. This is our first case.”
“Great!” He began to sift through the trash. “Which bracelet did she lose?”
Ashley pulled a bag of moldy grapes from the garbage. “Her gold one.” She peered into the slimy bag. “Not here.” She dropped the grapes back into the can.
When they reached the bottom, Luke stood and held up his hands. They were covered in slime. “That’s the last of the trash.” He washed his hands in the sink. “Where next, fellow detectives?”
Kari and Ashley washed their hands, too. Who knew trash could smell so bad? Kari jotted down this detail in her notebook:
Not in the trash.
She tapped her pencil to the paper. “I was sure it would be there.”
Then a thought hit Kari. She walked to the back door. If it wasn’t on the kitchen counter or in the sink… and if it wasn’t in the trash can… then where was it?
Erin joined her. “Maybe we should look outside?”
“Why would it be out there?” Ashley came to the door and Luke followed her.
Kari nodded. “I like it. Maybe it slipped off while she was in the garden.”
“Let’s go!” Luke led the parade outside to the garden. They checked between the zucchini and squash and carrots. Then they searched the bushes and the flower beds, and around the trees.
The four of them marched out to the front porch and then to the mailbox, and up the driveway.
Kari prayed as they searched. It’s a small thing, God. But it matters to Mom. Please help us find it.
They came full circle to the back porch again. Kari and her siblings sat on the steps like deflated balloons. Hopeless.
“I really thought we were going to find it.” Kari dug her elbows into her knees and slouched. Being a detective made her tired.
Luke stood and stared at the vast backyard. His baseball cap kept the sun from his eyes. “It has to be somewhere.”
“That’s our motto.” Kari stood next to Luke. “It hasn’t helped much.”
Suddenly Ashley pointed. “What about Bo?”
“Hmm.” Kari hadn’t thought about that yet. Bo loved shiny things, and he chewed on everything. “It’s possible.”
“No.” Luke called Bo over. Their dog looked innocent. Luke patted his head. “Bo wouldn’t steal Mom’s bracelet.”
“Maybe as an accident.” Ashley jumped around. “It’s possible.”
“Ashley’s right.” Brooke’s voice came from behind them. “We should check Bo’s bed.”
Kari spun around. Their older sister stood in the doorway. Kari held out her arms. “Brooke!”
Ashley stood and hugged Brooke. “You made it!”
“If there’s still a spot for me… I’m in.” She looked a little embarrassed. But whatever had happened before this didn’t matter. Brooke was here now.
“Of course there’s a spot.” Luke shook Brooke’s hand. “Welcome to the Baxter Kids Detective Agency. This is our first case.”
Brooke laughed. “I have a lot to do… but I never want to be too busy for you four.”
“Well, come on, people!” Kari clapped her hands. “We have a bracelet to find.” Kari marched them inside to Bo’s fluffy bed. And there, tucked deep in the fabric, was Mom’s beautiful gold bracelet. Covered in slobber and dirt. But it was there!
Kari held it up. “We found it! We found it!” Kari and her siblings shouted as they rushed into Mom and Dad’s room with her bracelet.
“I can’t believe it.” Happy tears filled Mom’s eyes. “I’ve been praying!”
“Me, too.” Kari handed the dirty bracelet to Mom. Kari shrugged. “I guess God’s the leader of our detective agency.”
“Good call.” Mom dabbed at her eyes. “He knows everything.”
Dad smiled. “I’d say your first case was a huge success!”
Mom took the bracelet to her bathroom and washed it. Then she put it where it belonged. Back on her wrist.
A few minutes later Kari found a spot next to Bo on the sofa. She still needed to work on her essay. But their detective work had been a great change of pace. Kari’s head didn’t feel so full now.
“Okay,