Part Two

The Hunt for Clues

Our class can be a little wild. Mostly it's the boys. Not me though. I'm never wild, well, I’m never wild at school. Sometimes, at home, I get a little crazy. Once on spring break I stayed up until 11:00pm! I just can't help myself, I love reading way too much and I had a new book, and absolutely did not want to stop.

Zach and Sierra are never wild at school either. That's why they're my best friends. And, even though none of us are excited about some dusty and stinky old plates at the museum, I have to admit This museum looks pretty awesome. It’s in the middle of the city, surrounded by tall glass skyscrapers that seem to touch the clouds. The museum isn’t nearly as tall as the other buildings, but it looks way more important.

The front entrance is surrounded by huge stone steps, and makes the museum look like it sits on top of a hill. And even though the roof is flat, and the museum is square shaped, the carvings on the front make it look the opposite of boring. Our class walked up the hundreds of steps, through the giant front doors,  and I felt like I was walking into an old Pyramid like the ones in Egypt.

-

"Zach! Sierra! Did you hear what I just heard?".

Their eyes were wide, and their mouths were both opened. They definitely heard what I heard. "That was Professor Solomon from the video we watched in class. Did he just say something was stolen!?"

Our entire class was immediately herded into the Ancient Israel tour. Mrs. Martin was very keen to see this exhibit, and told us it was the whole reason we were here today. She put us in groups, and smartly told us to “pay attention, stay in your groups, and don’t touch anything!”.

Zach, Sierra, and I are obviously in our own group. We walked together at the back of our class tour, and right when we passed the old wooden staff in the glass case that was next to the picture of an Egyptian Pharaoh, we heard the Professor’s conversation.

"Who would want to steal something boring from a museum?" Sierra, asked.

It was a good point. "Maybe it was gold, or old money!" Zach whispered back.

Another good point I thought. I didn’t hear WHAT was stolen, but he definitely said SOMETHING was missing. Suddenly this field trip was getting very interesting.

No-one else in our class seemed to notice Professor Solomon talking with the security guards. Not even Mrs Martin heard this incredible news. She just continued shepherding our class forward, and looking into the glass casses scattered througout the exhibit. The rest of the class were completely oblivious. They’re making jokes, pretending to play tag, and, you know, being wild. Ugh, kids…

"Where are the police?”, I asked sort of to myself and sort of to Zach and Sierra. “Where is the caution tape? Where is the detective with the funny hat, and magnifying glass? This is a crime scene. Does no-one here know what to do in a time of crisis?"

Okay, okay, I know. Detectives don’t really use magnifying glasses anymore. I know all about how fingerprints are mostly invisible. But someone needs to do something. This is a mystery, and mysteries are not solved by sitting around, staring at your phone, and talking into a walkie talkie.

I know the Professor is some sort of expert of old things from long ago, but I'm an expert too. I've read all my mystery books. Most of my mystery books I’ve even read twice. Some I've read three times! In all my books the first step in solving a mystery is always the same; we hunt for clues!  

-

"I don't understand Professor. Why would anyone take that cup? It's not even made of gold."

Cynthia was doing her best to track down the lost artifact, but she’s not in expert in old things, or an expert in solving mysteries either. Her big idea was to review the video from the security cameras. After watching the videos, and seeing nothing, she was fresh out of ideas.

"Cynthia, that cup is worth more than gold."

Not likely, Cynthia thought.

"That cup is not just any cup. It’s a priceless! It’s a treasure from antiquity. That cup holds answers, and truth, and hope, and life itself! It is simply the single artifact in this entire exhibit that was held in the hands of the Messiah."

In Cynthia's non expert opinion, a cup that holds truth, hope, and life isn't as good as a cup that holds water or juice, but she didn't say this. She didn't want to hurt the Professor's feelings. He was already having a hard day. “Maybe he was so upset because the cup belonged to this Mr Messiah guy. Maybe this was an old friend of the Professors”, Cynthia thought.

-

"Okay, that's weird. It’s a missing cup!?", Zach muttered mostly to himself.

The three of us secretly listened to the Professor and the blonde girl who took our tickets talk. "Yea! How can a cup be worth more than gold!?", Sierra agreed. I wasn't convinced either, but I didn't say so. Something about how the Professor talked made me feel, curious. And something he said made me feel, I don't really know, wishful I guess. Could this really be true? And if it was, could I drink from this mystery cup?

My mind wandered back to the conversation. I’m not sure what the truth is, but I have to find out. I have to solve this mystery, find this cup, and then I will know for sure what is so importan—

"Look!", I sort of loud whispered. It was loud enough to make Zach and Sierra jump. But not loud enough to make the Professor notice us. Did the other girl notice us, the blonde one? I couldn’t be sure.

“Right there. Those are... Footprints!"

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