A Monster of a Mystery Read Online Free Page B

again. When the room quieted down a little, he said he had another announcement to make.
    â€œWe really need that Spork back, and soon,” he said with a serious look on his face. “If it’s not back before three o’clock at the latest, the rest of today’s Morpho event will be canceled.”

Another Mystery
    O h no!” Frank blurted out, looking worried. “We’ve got to find that Spork!”
    â€œYeah!” Biff exclaimed. “This is really getting serious.”
    â€œDon’t worry, you guys,” Joe said. “We’ll find the Spork!”
    He looked around for Adam, but he didn’t see him. It was hard to spot anyone in the store just then. Everyone was milling around, looking upset and talking about Mr. Roberts’s announcement.
    â€œEven if you don’t find it, it’s no big deal,” Colin said. “They’re having a Morpho event at the comics store in my town next month. You could all come there—it’s only a two-hour drive.”
    â€œWe should still try to find it,” Joe said. “Let’s split up. We can talk to more people that way.”
    â€œCool,” Biff said. “Come on, Colin. Let’s go find someone to interview.”
    As soon as they left, Frank pulled Joe aside. “That was kind of weird,” he said. “If Colin could go see Morpho in his own town in a month, why’d he bother to come all the way to Bayport?”
    Joe shrugged. “Colin’s a superfan, remember? He probably goes to all the Morpho events he can.” He looked around. “Anyway, we have bigger problems right now. We have to figure out what happened to that Spork!”
    â€œDo you still think Adam took it?” Frank asked.
    â€œYeah,” Joe said. “But you were right. We have to investigate everyone, just in case.”
    Frank smiled. Joe knew why: His brother loved being right.
    â€œOkay,” Frank said. “Let’s get back to interviewing people.”
    They parted ways. As Joe wandered into the crowd, all around him he could hear people talking about the missing Spork. But nobody sounded as if they knew what might have happened to it.
    Then he spotted Adam near the comics rack. He was leaning against the rack as he paged through the new Morpho comic.
    Joe narrowed his eyes and watched him for a few seconds. But Adam didn’t move. He just kept reading the comic book.
    Finally Joe decided to move on. He could keep an eye on Adam while he talked to people.
    He interviewed several kids about the missingSpork, but nobody had anything useful to tell him. Just as he finished talking to a skinny girl with braces, he saw Frank coming toward him.
    â€œDid you find out anything?” Frank asked.
    Joe shook his head. “Nothing useful. What about you?”
    â€œMaybe,” Frank said. “A couple of kids said they saw someone in a Morpho mask sneaking into the back room a few minutes after the event started.”
    â€œA Morpho mask?” Joe looked around. Without even trying, he spotted at least four or five masks like the ones Chet and Colin had brought. “That doesn’t narrow it down much. Besides, isn’t the bathroom back through that back door? Maybe that’s where that mystery person was going.”

    â€œMaybe. But the kids I talked to thought it was weird, since the person in the mask left right when the artist started showing all those cool sketches.” Frank shrugged. “Anyway, it’s the only clue we have so far.”
    Joe thought about what Frank had said. Those Morpho masks were kind of expensive. Anyone who had one was probably a big fan. Why would someone like that want to miss part of this event?
    â€œI guess that is a pretty good clue,” he told Frank. Suddenly he remembered the teenagers who’d tried to trick him with the fake-out story. “Wait,” he added. “Who were the kids who told you? Are they reliable