Cam Jansen and the Birthday Mystery (2 page)

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Authors: David A. Adler

BOOK: Cam Jansen and the Birthday Mystery
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Mrs. Jansen’s parents were at the party. She hugged and kissed them. She hugged her friends.
“Surprise! I’m here!” Cam’s aunt Molly called out.
She hugged Mrs. Jansen and said, “I’m really surprised to be here. I travel so much that sometimes I don’t know where I am.”
“Molly works for an airline,” Mrs. Jansen explained to the people nearby.
“Granny and Gramps are coming, too,” Cam told her father.
“They should be here soon,” Mr. Shelton added. “Their flight should have landed about an hour ago.”
Aunt Molly said, “My flight landed this morning. I know where I am today. I’m here. But I don’t remember where I was yesterday.”
“I’m just happy you came to our party,” Mrs. Jansen told her.
“Me, too,” Cam said.
Mr. Shelton called out, “Let’s eat,” and everyone followed him into the dining room.
Mr. Shelton set the cake on the table. There were also plates of cookies, baby carrots, and celery sticks. There were bowls of pretzels, and popcorn, too.
Mrs. Jansen cut a slice of birthday cake and gave it to Aunt Molly. She was about to cut another slice when the phone rang.
Mr. Jansen lifted the receiver and said, “Hello.”
He listened for a moment. Then he said, “Oh, my. That’s terrible.” He listened some more and said, “We’ll be right there. Meanwhile, you call the police.”
“That was Granny. She and Gramps were robbed,” Mr. Jansen said as he hurried to the door. “They’re alone in the airport parking lot, and I’m going to get them.”
“I’m going, too,” Mrs. Jansen said.
Chapter Three
Cam’s parents hurried out of the house. Cam and Eric followed them.
Mr. and Mrs. Jansen got into the front seat of the car, closed the car doors, and drove off. They were in too much of a hurry, and too upset, to notice that Cam and Eric were in the back.
“It’s our party. I was just cutting the cake when we left,” Mrs. Jansen said as they turned the corner. “Maybe one of us should have stayed.”
“They’re our friends,” Mr. Jansen said. “They understand.”
“And my father is good at cutting cake,” Eric said.
Cam’s parents turned. They saw Cam and Eric sitting in the back.
“You shouldn’t be here. You should be at the party,” Cam’s mother told them.
“I want to see Granny and Gramps,” Cam said.
“And there’s a thief to catch,” Eric said.
“And maybe there’s a mystery to solve,” Cam added. “You know I love solving mysteries.”
They were driving on a highway now. There was a large green sign ahead, pointing the way to the airport.
“We’re going to the airport to pick up Granny and Gramps. Nothing else!” Cam’s father said sternly. “If there’s a mystery, the police will solve it.”
They were at the airport now. They drove through a short tunnel under a runway. Then they drove on a winding road through the airport. On one side, people were hurrying to board planes. On the other side was a large parking lot.
“Look for them,” Mr. Jansen said. “Granny said they’re in section four of the parking lot.”
There was a path for people walking to and from the parking lot. The light above it had turned red. Mr. Jansen stopped the car and people walked past.
“Look for them,” Mr. Jansen said again.
There were so many people crossing in front of their car that Cam couldn’t see everyone.
The traffic light changed to green. Cam, Eric, and Cam’s parents kept looking for Cam’s grandparents.
Honk! Honk!
The driver waiting behind their car wanted to go.
Mr. Jansen lowered his window. “Granny! Gramps!” he called.
The people closest to the car turned, but they weren’t Cam’s grandparents.
Honk! Honk!
“I’m parking in section four,” Mr. Jansen said. He drove to the parking lot entrance.
Mr. Jansen drove to the gate. He pulled out a time card. The gate went up and he entered the lot.
“Granny! Gramps!” Mr. Jansen called as he drove slowly through the lot.
“Granny! Gramps!” Cam called.
The airport was noisy. Planes were landing nearby. Horns were honking. No one heard Mr. Jansen and Cam.
It was a very large lot. The parking spots closest to the path were taken. Mr. Jansen drove to an almost empty part of the lot. He parked against the fence.
Mr. Jansen hurried out of the car. Cam and Eric were about to follow him when Mrs. Jansen stopped them.
“Don’t run ahead,” she told Cam and Eric. “This airport is a big place. I don’t want you to get lost.”
Cam, Eric, and Mrs. Jansen started toward the path. Then Mrs. Jansen stopped.
“I’m depending on you and your photographic memory,” she told Cam, “to remember where our car is parked.”
Their car was parked between a small red sports car and a gray van loaded with luggage. Cam stood back so she could see the Jansens’ car, the sports car, and the loaded van. She blinked her eyes and said,
“Click!”
Chapter Four
There were lots of people on the path. Many of them had luggage. When Cam, Eric, and Mrs. Jansen got close to the path, Eric whispered to Cam, “Let’s look for the thief, too.”
“That’s a good idea,” Cam whispered back.
A man wearing a dark suit and red bow tie rushed past. Cam looked at him, blinked her eyes and said,
“Click!”
Cam looked at a man with long blond hair who was wearing a dark blue jacket. She blinked her eyes, and said
“Click!”
She looked at a woman running past. The woman had her long brown hair in a pony-tail. Cam blinked her eyes and said, “Click!” again.
Mr. Jansen was in the middle of the crowd. “Where are they?” he asked. He was upset. “This is section four of the parking lot, and my parents are not here!”
Rrrrr! Rrrrr!
A police car entered the lot. Its lights were flashing and its siren was blaring. Mr. Jansen held up his arms. He waved wildly to the police and they drove over.
“Were you the people who called us? Were you robbed?” the policewoman driving the car asked.
“My parents were robbed,” Mr. Jansen answered. “They called us and said they were in section four. But we can’t find them.”
“This is a very large parking lot,” the policeman sitting next to the driver said. “The thief probably drove your parents to an empty part of the lot before he robbed them. That way, your parents couldn’t call out to anyone and the thief could escape.”
“Get in the back,” the policewoman said. “We’ll find them.”
Cam, Eric, and Cam’s parents squeezed into the backseat of the police car.
The airport had just one parking lot. The side closest to the terminals was filled with cars. Beyond that, the lot was empty. The policewoman drove to the far end of section four.
“Look over there,” the policeman said.
Two people were sitting by the fence. As the police car got closer, Cam shouted, “There they are!”

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