A few days had passed since the Twins uncovered the origin of the love notes Mackenzie had been receiving, and their efforts to solve mysteries had noticeably slowed. They hadn’t received a call for help in over a week. Seizing the opportunity, Mason decided to accept Olivia’s invitation for a lunch date. 

Mackenzie was in the treehouse, browsing the message boards on their website for any hints that someone might need their assistance when Mason approached her to check in. 

“Hey, sis, have you found any mysteries to solve?” he asked. 

“Not yet,” Mackenzie replied. 

“Well, I made a promise to Olivia that I would take her out to lunch after Abby was discharged from the hospital—to thank her for taking in Alexa and for helping to figure out how Abby's arm got broken. I think it’s about time I honored that promise,” Mason explained. “I hope that’s okay with you.” 

“Yeah, that’s fine,” Mackenzie said. “Have a great time with Olivia. I’m going to stay here and keep searching for a mystery to solve.” 

“Or maybe you could use this time to do whatever you want for once. It’s not often we get a day off from solving mysteries,” Mason suggested. 

“Yeah, I suppose that’s true,” Mackenzie replied.

Mason set out to meet Olivia, and upon arriving at her house, he found her waiting for him. “Hey, Mason,” Olivia greeted him with a warm smile. 

“Hi, Olivia,” he replied. “Are you ready to grab a bite to eat?” 

“Absolutely! Where should we go?” Olivia exclaimed enthusiastically. 

“I know a fantastic place,” Mason suggested, and they strolled together to a charming diner just a short walk from downtown. 

Once they arrived at the restaurant, they settled at their table and explored the menu until their server approached them. 

“Hey, Mason! What’s up?” the server called out cheerfully. 

“Hi, Gloria,” Mason responded with a grin. “Gloria, this is Olivia, my girlfriend,” he introduced them. 

“Nice to meet you, Olivia,” Gloria said warmly. 

Mason added, “Gloria is also the owner of the restaurant. My sister and I once helped her solve a mystery that nearly led to the restaurant closing down.”

“Now, I imagine you’re eager to hear the story, aren’t you?” Mason said with a mischievous grin. “Absolutely!” Olivia replied, her enthusiasm unmistakable. Just as Mason was about to start, Gloria returned to check on them. “Are you ready to order, or do you need a bit more time?” she inquired. “I think we're ready,” Mason responded. “I’ll have a double bacon cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, and mustard, accompanied by fries and ketchup on the side. Oh, and please cook the burger medium well.” 

“I’ll have the chicken parmigiana sandwich with fries and ketchup on the side,” Olivia added. 

“Coming right up,” Gloria said. “Your drinks will be out shortly.” 

“Thanks, Gloria,” Mason replied. “Now, where was I?” 

“You were about to tell the story of how you saved the restaurant from going out of business,” Olivia reminded him. 

“Oh right,” Mason said, recalling the tale.

“Before I begin, I have a little something for you,” Mason said, handing her a small package. “I meant to give this to you as a Christmas gift, but I got so overwhelmed after returning home that I completely forgot.” He unveiled a beautiful pair of earrings he had carefully selected for her at the mall before the holiday.

“They're absolutely gorgeous! Thank you so much!” Olivia exclaimed, her eyes lighting up with delight as she put them on.

“Now, let’s return to the story,” Mason continued. “Or I could share some embarrassing childhood stories about my sister instead.”

“As entertaining as that might be, I think we should stick to the story,” Olivia replied with a smile.

“Right, you’re absolutely right,” Mason agreed. “Anyway, it all started a year ago when my family decided to eat out. I suggested we try this place since none of us had been here before.”

“Does anyone have any suggestions for where we should eat?” my dad asked. “I have an idea,” I replied. “There’s a nearby restaurant that none of us has tried before. Why not give it a shot?” “That sounds fantastic!” Melissa chimed in enthusiastically. We all piled into the car and headed over, only to be greeted by the manager, who expressed concern about how much longer the restaurant would remain open.

“Welcome! How many are in your party?” the manager inquired. 

“Four, please,” my dad replied as we were escorted to our table. 

“This is a lovely restaurant you have,” my dad complimented. 

“Thank you! But honestly, I'm not sure how much longer we can stay open,” the manager admitted. 

“Why do you say that?” Mackenzie asked, intrigued. 

“I arrived today to discover that all our recipes are missing,” the manager explained. “Without our recipes, we can't prepare any dishes, and if we can't serve food, we'll lose our customers.” 

“I apologize for not introducing myself sooner. My name is Gloria, and I own this restaurant,” she continued. 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Gloria. I’m David, and this is my wife, Melissa, along with our kids, Mason and Mackenzie,” my dad replied. 

“Are you sure the recipes are missing?” Mackenzie asked. 

“Yes, I’m almost certain,” Gloria said. 

“My brother and I are actually detectives, so if you don’t mind, we would be more than happy to help you find them,” Mackenzie offered.

"Would you mind doing that? That would be fantastic; thank you," replied Gloria. 

Mackenzie then inquired, "Gloria, could you please show us where you usually store the recipes?" 

"Of course," Gloria responded as she led us to the storage area. "We keep them securely locked in here." 

Upon opening the safe, she remarked, "It appears there are no signs of forced entry, which suggests that the person who took the recipes must have known the safe's combination." 

Mackenzie asked, "Gloria, does anyone else in the restaurant know the combination to the safe?" 

"No, I’m the only one who has it, and I keep it locked in my office," Gloria replied. 

"Does anyone have access to your office?" Mackenzie continued. 

"No, I don’t allow anyone in my office for any reason," Gloria stated firmly.

"Where do you usually conduct interviews for new hires?" Mackenzie asked. 

"In my office, but that's the only time I allow anyone else in," Gloria replied. 

"What are you thinking, sis?" I inquired. 

Just as Mason was about to continue his story, the food arrived. 

"Here you go, you two—enjoy!" Gloria said with a bright smile. "Do you need anything else?" 

"No, I think we’re good for now, thanks, Gloria," Mason responded. 

"Now, where was I?" Mason resumed. 

"Gloria was showing you the safe that contains all the recipes," Olivia interjected. 

"Oh, right," Mason agreed as they both started to eat. 

“What are you thinking, sis?” I asked. 

“I believe we need to interview each new hire carefully; one of them could be a spy from a competing restaurant,” Mackenzie replied. 

“Gloria, do you have a log of everyone who has been hired here?” she asked.

“Sis, before we begin interviewing people, it would be beneficial to determine when the recipes were stolen. This information could help us narrow down our list of potential suspects,” I suggested. 

“I think that’s a brilliant idea,” Mackenzie agreed. “Gloria, what time does the restaurant usually close?” she asked.

“We close at 11:00,” Gloria replied.

“Do the closing staff typically stay later?” Mackenzie inquired.

“Yes, the closing duties usually take a bit longer to finish,” Gloria explained.

At that moment, Olivia chimed in, “Oh, I see where Mackenzie is going with this. She’s implying that the last person to leave the restaurant might be the one who took the recipes. That’s quite clever!” 

“Exactly,” Mason said. “So, do you normally stay to help, or do you leave before then?” Mackenzie asked.

"I leave before closing time because I trust my employees to complete their tasks," Gloria explained. "I believe that effective communication with the rest of the restaurant staff is essential. By the way, Gloria, do you happen to have a record of who closed last night?" Mackenzie inquired. 

"Absolutely, I have it right here," Gloria replied, retrieving the information. "It appears that four employees were responsible for closing, and we need to find out who was the last person to leave the building," Mackenzie added.

We then approached the employees who had closed the restaurant the previous night. "The closers were Jeremy, Samuel, Cody, and Marissa; one of them should know who left last," Mackenzie observed. "Why don't we split up and ask around? It would be quicker that way," I suggested. 

"That's a great idea," Mackenzie agreed. "You can talk to Jeremy and Cody, while I'll speak with Samuel and Marissa." As Mackenzie engaged with Samuel and Marissa, I turned my attention to Jeremy and Cody. 

“Hi Jeremy, my name is Mason. May I ask you a few questions?” I asked. 

“Of course,” Jeremy replied. 

"Are you aware of the incident involving the stolen recipes that happened last night?" I asked. 

"Yes, it's truly a tragedy. I hope the restaurant doesn't end up shutting down because of it," Jeremy replied.

"I hope so too," I said, a note of skepticism creeping into my voice. "By the way, you were closing last night with four other people. Do you know who was the last person to leave the building?"

"I believe it was Cody who left last," Jeremy answered. His certainty struck me as odd, prompting me to follow up with Cody next.

"Hi Cody, my name is Mason. Would you mind if I asked you a few questions?" I inquired.

"Sure thing," Cody responded. 

"Are you aware of the situation regarding the stolen recipes?" I asked.

"Yeah, it’s a real shame," Cody said.

"Indeed it is," I replied, still unable to shake the feeling that something was off. "Do you remember who the last person to leave the building was?"

"Yeah, it was Jeremy," Cody stated.

My suspicions were confirmed: it was time to reconnect with my sister. "Did you notice anything unusual about the behavior of the closers during your conversations with them?" I asked. 

"Now that you mention it, yes," Mackenzie replied. "When I spoke to Jeremey, he claimed that Cody was the last to leave the building. However, when I questioned Cody, he insisted that Jeremey had left after him." Mackenzie nodded in agreement. "A similar pattern emerged with Samuel and Marissa," she continued. 

"Do you see what this implies?" I inquired. 

"It suggests that this wasn't the work of a single individual," Mackenzie concluded. "It was a coordinated effort." 

"Hey Gloria, we’ve identified the person who stole the recipes from the safe," Mackenzie announced. 

"Who was it?" Jeremey asked, feigning innocence. 

"Don't pretend you're innocent now," Mason retorted. "This wasn't the work of just one person; it was a collective endeavor," Mackenzie asserted. "First, one of you requests to meet with Gloria in her office to obtain the combination," she explained. "Then that combination is passed on to the next person." 

I added, "The third person then uses the combination to unlock the safe," to which Mackenzie responded, "Finally, the recipes are handed over to the last member for safekeeping." 

“But where are the recipes now?” Gloria asked.

"Given that the recipes were stolen last night, I suspect they may be in one of your homes. You can either reveal which house they are in, or we can visit each of your residences to conduct a search. The choice is yours," Mackenzie stated. The group unanimously pointed to Marissa, claiming she was the one in possession of the recipes. 

"But I fail to understand why the recipes were taken in the first place," Gloria remarked. 

"It was merely a harmless prank," Jeremy added. 

"We had no intention of causing any harm, and we certainly did not anticipate that it would lead to the restaurant's shutdown," Cody chimed in.

"We’re truly sorry, Gloria," Samuel said. 

"We’ll understand if you decide to fire us," Marissa added. 

"You should consider yourself lucky that I'm not firing you," Gloria replied sternly. "Consider this your one and only warning. If anything like this happens again, I won't be so lenient. Do you understand?" 

"This is your last chance." 

"Yes, ma’am," the group replied in unison.

As Olivia and Mason were finishing their meal, Olivia interjected, “Wait, did you ever get the recipes back?” 

Mason replied, “We did, actually. It turns out they were in Marissa's car the entire time.” 

“Thank you so much for helping me retrieve the recipes. Dinner is on me tonight!” Gloria announced with a smile. 

“Thanks, Gloria,” Mackenzie chimed in, and we finally settled in to enjoy our meal. 

"And that's how my sister and I helped save a restaurant from potential closure," Mason concluded. 

“Ready to head out?” he asked. 

“Yep,” Olivia responded. “Do you want to come back to my place, or would you prefer to go home?” 

“Actually, I’d love to see your new treehouse,” Olivia said enthusiastically. 

With that, the two set off for the treehouse, where Mackenzie was still busy searching for a mystery to unravel. However, upon arriving at the house, Mason noticed a mysterious package sitting on their front porch.

“What’s this?” Mason wondered aloud as he lifted the box, bringing it closer for a better look. Just then, Mackenzie called out, “Hey, Mason! Hey, Olivia! How was lunch?” 

“It was great,” Mason replied. 

“Let me guess: you took her to Gloria’s and ended up sharing the story about how we nearly saved it from shutting down,” Mackenzie said with a knowing smile. 

“You got it,” Mason confirmed. “By the way, this package was waiting for us on the doorstep, and I have no idea who sent it or what’s inside.” 

“Let’s open it and find out!” Mackenzie suggested eagerly. 

When they finally opened the package, they couldn’t believe what they found inside. 

TO BE CONTINUED.