Three weeks after their sleepover, Thanksgiving was approaching, and the Barnes family was preparing to host guests. "Do you need us to grab anything from the store?" Mackenzie inquired. "That would be wonderful," their mother replied. "We need mashed potatoes, stuffing, corn, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. If you come across any other desserts you’d like, feel free to add them to the list. And don’t worry about the turkey; your father is taking care of that." 

"Okay, Mom, we’ll be back soon," Mackenzie assured her. "Just try not to take too long; our guests will be arriving later," their mother reminded them. 

"Got it, we’ll be back shortly," Mackenzie confirmed, and she and her brother Mason set off for the store to gather the items for Thanksgiving dinner. While shopping, they unexpectedly ran into Olivia, who was there with her father and sister. 

"Hey, Olivia," Mason greeted her. 

"Hi, guys," Olivia replied warmly. "Are you shopping for Thanksgiving too?" 

"Yep," Mackenzie answered. "We’re having guests over later. You should join us!" 

"Thanks for the invitation, but we’re actually heading to my aunt’s house for dinner tonight. This time of year is always tough for my dad since our mom left us. Anyway, see you later," Olivia said, waving goodbye. 

Once Olivia departed, Mason said, "Mackenzie, I know what you're thinking, and we should stay out of it. This isn’t one of our mysteries; let’s just focus on what we need and head home." 

"You're right. It’s none of our business, even though I’m a little curious," Mackenzie acknowledged. "Let’s grab what Mom requested and get out of here." 

After collecting the necessary items, the twins returned home. Upon their arrival, they found their father already there, preparing the turkey to go into the oven.

Later that evening, guests began to arrive at the house, including their cousin Noah and his father, a well-known workaholic. The twins immediately noticed that Noah appeared somewhat downcast. 

"Hey, guys," Noah said in a subdued tone. 

"Hey, Noah. Is everything alright? You seem a bit down," Mackenzie observed. 

“It’s my dad,” Noah replied. “He’s always incredibly busy this time of year, and he never seems to have time for me.” With that, he walked into the house, visibly upset. 

"I feel bad for him," Mason said. “All he wants is his father’s attention, yet he’s always preoccupied. I wish we could do something to help him.” 

"Maybe we can," Mackenzie suggested. "I have an idea, but we’ll need Noah’s assistance to pull it off." 

"Um, okay," Mason said, confused. "I just hope whatever you’re planning doesn’t get us in trouble." 

As Mackenzie dashed off to find Noah, she called out, “Noah, I have a plan to get your dad to notice you, but we’ll need your help.” She began to explain her idea. 

“Mason, do you think Olivia will be okay with us borrowing her dog?” Mackenzie asked. 

“I’ll text her. I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Mason replied. “But how exactly is this going to help Noah connect with his father?” 

“You’ll see,” Mackenzie said with a smile. 

“Olivia said we can borrow her dog, and she also told me where to find the spare key to her house,” he reported. 

“That’s great!” Mackenzie exclaimed. “I’ll make sure Noah knows what he needs to do while you’re away.” 

“Oh, where should I put the dog?” Mason inquired. 

“Keep it under the porch and try to keep it quiet,” Mackenzie instructed. 

Turning to Noah, Mackenzie encouraged, “Why don’t you try talking to your dad to see if he’ll listen?” 

“Okay,” Noah replied hesitantly. He shouted, “Hey, Dad? DAD!!! Would you please talk to me for just one minute?” 

“Not now, Noah. I’m busy with work,” his father replied curtly. 

“You’re always busy with work! It never feels like you have any time for me!” Noah responded, frustration evident in his voice.

"Noah, I promise that once I finish, we’ll spend more quality time together, okay?" his dad said. "You always say that," Noah replied, feeling defeated as he stepped outside, just as Mackenzie had planned. There, he discovered a small dog hiding beneath the porch. Eventually, it was dinner time, and as everyone began to sit down, it became clear that several dishes had gone missing. 

"Mom, is everything okay?" Mackenzie asked. "I could have sworn I put out the corn," Melissa replied. "Is that the only dish that’s missing?" Mackenzie inquired. "Actually, the mashed potatoes, green beans, and applesauce are gone too. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about this, would you?" Melissa asked, eyeing her. 

"I wouldn’t know anything about it," Mackenzie said innocently. "Would you and your brother mind helping me investigate?" Melissa requested. "We’d be happy to," Mackenzie responded. "Everything is going according to plan," she thought as she headed off to find Mason.

When she located him, he was engaged in conversation with some relatives. "Mason, the plan is working. We just need to stall until Uncle Matthew realizes Noah is missing and goes looking for him outside," Mackenzie explained. "Hey, sis, this isn’t going to get Noah in trouble, is it?" Mason asked, concerned. "It shouldn’t," Mackenzie replied. "If it does, I’ll do my best to ensure Uncle Matthew doesn’t punish him. We might end up in trouble ourselves, but it's for a good cause, so it’ll be worth it." "I was afraid you would say that," Mason remarked. "For now, let’s start questioning people about the disappearing food. I hope you plan on replacing the items that have gone missing," Mason added. "Don’t worry, I’ve got everything under control," Mackenzie assured him. "Oh, and I need you to do one more thing. Take this money and head over to the pet store; they should still be open. Meanwhile, I’ll pretend to investigate the missing food by questioning our relatives."

Mason set off on his special mission while Mackenzie began her inquiries with the guests, starting with Uncle Andrew. 

"Hey, Uncle Andrew," Mackenzie greeted him.

"Hey, Mackenzie! What’s going on? Are you working on another case?" Uncle Andrew asked. 

"Yep! You might have noticed that some food has gone missing. Do you happen to know anything about that?" Mackenzie questioned. 

"Hmm, I’m afraid I can’t help you there, but you should definitely talk to your Aunt Helen. She loves gossiping and might have some information," Andrew suggested. 

"I'll do that; thanks, Uncle Andrew!" Mackenzie replied. 

Just as she was about to head over to Aunt Helen, Uncle Matthew approached her. "Hey, Mackenzie, have you seen Noah around?" he asked. 

"No, I’m afraid I haven’t," Mackenzie responded. "Have you checked outside?" she asked. 

"Not yet, but I’m starting to get worried," Uncle Matthew admitted. 

"Don’t worry, I’ll help you look," Mackenzie offered reassuringly.

When she found him, Mason was engaged in conversation with some of the other relatives. "Mason, the plan is working! Now we just need to buy some time until Uncle Matthew notices that Noah has vanished and goes out to search for him," Mackenzie said. 

"Hey, sis, this plan isn’t going to land Noah in trouble, is it?" Mason asked, concerned. 

"It shouldn’t," Mackenzie replied. "And if it does, I’ll do everything I can to ensure Uncle Matthew doesn’t punish him. If anything, we might end up getting in trouble ourselves, but it’s for a good cause, so it’ll be worth it." 

"I was afraid you would say that," Mason remarked. "For now, let’s start asking people about the disappearing food. I hope you plan to replace what’s been taken," he added. 

"Don’t worry, I have it all figured out," Mackenzie assured him. "Oh, and I need you to do one more thing for me. Take this money and head over to the pet store; they should still be open. In the meantime, I’ll pretend to investigate the missing food by questioning our relatives."

With that, Mason set off on his mission while Mackenzie began her inquiries, starting with Uncle Andrew. 

"Hey, Uncle Andrew," Mackenzie greeted. 

"Hey, Mackenzie! What’s going on? Are you on another case?" Uncle Andrew replied. 

"Yeah! You may have noticed that some food has been going missing. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?" Mackenzie asked. 

"Hmm, I’m afraid I don’t have any information on that, but I recommend talking to your Aunt Helen. She’s quite the gossip; she might have some insights," Andrew suggested.

"I’ll do that. Thanks, Uncle Andrew," Mackenzie said before heading off to find Aunt Helen. However, before she could approach her, Uncle Matthew approached her. 

"Hey, Mackenzie, have you seen Noah around?" he inquired. 

"No, I’m afraid I haven’t," replied Mackenzie. "Have you checked outside?" 

"Not yet, but I’m starting to get worried," Uncle Matthew admitted. 

"Don’t worry, I’ll help you look," Mackenzie offered.

"Just let me have a quick word with my aunt, and then I'll meet you outside," Mackenzie said, heading off to find her aunt. After a few moments, she spotted Aunt Helen in the living room, engaged in conversation with guests. 

"Hey, Aunt Helen. I heard you might be able to shed some light on the food that’s been disappearing from the table," Mackenzie inquired. 

"Hello, Mackenzie. You didn’t hear this from me, but I suspect the culprit might be either a child or some kind of animal. I'm not entirely sure which," Aunt Helen replied.

"Thanks, Aunt Helen. I’ll go check outside," Mackenzie said before making her way out to find Mason, who had just returned from the pet shop. 

"Did you get one that looks just like Olivia's?" she asked him. 

"I got as close as I could," Mason responded. 

"That’s fine," Mackenzie replied. "I also took care of the other thing you mentioned."

"Oh great, you got the replacement food," Mackenzie exclaimed. "It’s time for the grand finale. If all goes according to plan, Noah should be under the porch with Olivia’s dog right now. We just need to make it seem like he’s been caught red-handed stealing the food."

"How are we going to pull that off?" Mason asked, his brow furrowing.

"It's simple," Mackenzie said confidently. "You go under the porch to find Noah while I go get Uncle Matthew to let him know we’ve discovered Noah’s little escapade."

"And what should I do with this?" Mason asked, gesturing to the food. 

"Let’s stash it in the garage for now. When I give the signal, you can bring it out," Mackenzie instructed. 

"Okay, I think it makes more sense for you to fetch Noah while I go find Uncle Matthew," Mason said. With that, the twins put their plan into action. Mason secured the food in the garage before heading off to find Uncle Matthew, while Mackenzie ventured to check on Noah.

"Uncle Matthew, we’ve found Noah! Come with me," Mason called out. Matthew followed Mason outside, where he was guided under the porch, where the missing food—and an unexpected guest—awaited their discovery.

"Dad, I can explain," Noah said, clearly caught off guard.

"You’d better start explaining why you not only disappeared for an hour but also why all the missing food is here. And you better give me a good reason why I shouldn’t give you a spanking right here and now," Noah's dad replied sternly.

“Uncle Matthew, please wait. This isn't Noah’s fault at all. Mason and I orchestrated everything to encourage you to pay more attention to him. He’s been feeling neglected lately,” Mackenzie explained.

“Is that true, Noah?” Matthew asked.

“Yes, Dad. It feels like no matter how hard I try to get you to notice me, you're always too busy to spend time with me,” Noah replied. “Mason and Mackenzie were just trying to help me, that's all."

“Please don't punish Noah; he doesn’t deserve it,” Mackenzie pleaded.

“I understand, son. I’m truly sorry if it seems like we haven’t had much time together. I promise that’s going to change—this time I really mean it,” Matthew said reassuringly.

“So, I’m not in trouble?” Noah asked, relief evident in his voice.

“Of course not,” Matthew confirmed. “Mason and Mackenzie, thank you for not only helping my son but for opening my eyes to how I’ve fallen short as a father.”

“We have one more surprise for you, Noah,” Mackenzie chimed in just as Mason emerged with a special gift.

“A puppy for me?!” Noah gasped in astonishment. “Thank you so much, guys!”

“We wanted you to have a friend in case your dad gets busy and can’t spend time with you,” Mackenzie explained. “I hope that’s alright with you, Uncle Matthew.”

“That’s perfectly fine with me,” Matthew replied with a smile. 

“I should return Olivia’s dog to her now,” Mason said.

“I’m going to go talk to Mom and hope she isn’t upset with us for what we did,” Mackenzie added.

As Mason took Olivia’s dog back, Mackenzie approached their mother. “Hey, Mom, about the whole scheme to take food off the table, I just wanted to say I’m sorry. I hope you’re not too angry with us. We felt it was for a good cause. If anyone should be punished, it’s me, since it was my idea,” said Mackenzie.

“Sweetheart, what you did for Noah tonight was very thoughtful and generous, and I’m proud of you for that. But I wish you would have come to me first to discuss your plan. Your father and I could have had a conversation with Noah’s dad,” Melissa replied gently. “I’m also proud of you for taking responsibility and accepting the consequences of your actions.”

“I hope you aren’t too angry with me,” Mackenzie said, looking contrite.

"Angry? No, I’m not angry with you. I’m proud of you for stepping up and doing the right thing," Melissa reassured her. "So, I’m not in trouble?" Mackenzie asked anxiously. "Given that you did something commendable today, I think we can overlook the consequences just this once. Plus, you did replace the food that was taken, which was incredibly generous of you." 

"Thanks, Mom," Mackenzie replied, wrapping her arms around her mother in a heartfelt hug. 

Eventually, Mason returned from Olivia’s house, and the family could finally sit down to dinner, now that all the missing food had been replaced and Noah and his father were on better terms. After the meal, the conversation flowed easily, with Noah playing with his new puppy until it was time for everyone to go home. 

As Noah and his father were leaving, Noah paused to thank the twins for everything they had done for him. "Thanks, guys, for helping me reconnect with my dad and for my new puppy," he said gratefully. 

"We’re always happy to help, Noah. If you need anything, we’re just a phone call away," Mackenzie replied warmly. 

By the time everyone had departed, it was time for bed, and the twins headed upstairs to prepare for the night. 

"Hey, sis, that was really kind of you to help Noah today," Mason said. 

"Thanks, Mason, but I couldn’t have done it without your support. I’m just relieved that Mom wasn’t upset about it," Mackenzie replied. 

"I wouldn’t have blamed you if you got in trouble again, even though I did mention that everything was my idea." 

"Anyway, goodnight, Mason," Mackenzie said. 

"Goodnight, sis," Mason replied, and the twins settled into bed after a busy day of solving another case—sort of.