Maudie: This is Maudie and Ava...
Ava: reporting today's case.
Maudie: It all started in Ms. Tan's class on Wednesday ...
Ava: You see, Ms. Tan has a whiteboard where she writes down homework assignments and when they're due.
*Maudie looks at Ava*
*Ava looks sheepish*
Ava: Sorry!
Maudie: Anyway, it was the end of class when Ms. Tan assigned something for homework.
*Flash Back*
Ms. Tan: Alright, everyone, settle down; tonight's homework will be a worksheet on mathematics.
*Present*
Ava: And then Ms. Tan wrote the assignment on her board.
*Flash Back*
*Ms. Tan writes the assignment on the whiteboard*
Ms. Tan: Oh, and Kyle, remember to turn this one in, if you don't, you can't play in the football tournament on Friday.
*Present*
Maudie: Kyle needed to play in the tournament. It was the Semi-Finals, and Kyle was one of the best players on the team. If he didn't play, his team would lose.
Ava: And if they didn't win the semi-finals, they wouldn't get into the finals.
Maudie: Everything went well until the next morning.
Ava: Well, except my mom forgot to buy cheese for that night's dinner.
Maudie: Ok, everything else went well, except Ava's dinner, until the next morning.
Ava: We all walked into class and started our lesson, until Ezra spoke up.
*Flash Back*
Ezra: Miss, I'm sorry for interrupting but shouldn't you be collecting homework?
Ms. Tan: What Homework?
Ezra: The one you wrote on the board yesterday!
*Present*
Ava: But when everyone looked at the Homework board, it was blank except for a couple of streaks.
Maudie: You see, this was important because , in addition to being clumsy, doesn't have the best memory. Writing homework assignments on the board was her way of keeping track of them.
Ava: Someone was taking advantage of Ms. Tan, and that's not nice!
Maudie: During snack, Ezra called an emergency meeting.
*Flash Back*
Ezra: Ok, does everyone know why we're here?
*Kyle tosses a ball into a glove on his left hand.*
Kyle: Ooooh, is it to investigate what happened to the cheese for Ava's dinner?
*Everyone looks at Kyle*
Kyle: What?
Ezra: We're here because someone erased the homework assignment Ms. Tan posted on the Whiteboard.
Kyle: Ohhhh, yeah that!
Maudie: Ok, who do we know that would have been in the classroom before class this morning?
Everyone except Kyle: Ms. Tan!
Kyle: The School Ghost!
Ava: Kyle, there is no school ghost.
*Kyle looks suspicious*
Kyle: Yeah, right.
Ezra: Well, let's talk to Ms. Tan
*Present*
Ava: We found Ms. Tan in her classroom
*Flash Back*
Ava: Ms. Tan?
Ms. Tan: Yes?
Ezra: We have some questions about what happened to the assignment you wrote on the whiteboard.
Ms. Tan: Ooh! Am I part of an investigation?
Ezra: It's an InBESTigation!
Ms. Tan: Oh, right.
Maudie: Anyway, did you see anything suspicious after class yesterday?
Ms. Tan: No, I spent my time after school grading assignments and planning lessons. Oooh, and when I left I locked the door to the classroom.
*Present*
Maudie: We then knew that someone had erased the whiteboard that morning.
Ava: Now all we had to do was figure out who had been in the classroom that morning.
*Flash Back*
Maudie: Ok, did anyone see anything by Ms. Tan's classroom this morning?
*Ava looks guilty*
Ezra: Ava?
Ava: Well, when I got to school this morning, I kind of maybe saw…
Maudie: What?
Ava: Ruby, sitting in the classroom.
Maudie: Well then, I think we should talk to Ruby!
*Present*
Ava: We all rushed to find Ruby.
Maudie: And we found her in the library.
*Flash Back*
*Ruby taps her pencil on the table with her right hand and then writes in her notebook.*
Kyle: Ruby, we know what you did!
Ruby: What?
Maudie: Sorry, Ruby, where were you this morning before school?
Ruby: I was in the classroom. Why?
Kyle: Aha, you erased the whiteboard because you forgot your homework and didn't want to ruin your grade point average!
*Present*
Maudie: You see, Ruby is academic. She competes in Trimathlons and always turns in her work.
Ava: So you could see why Kyle would think that Ruby erased the board.
Maudie: Luckily, he was wrong.
*Flash Back*
Ruby: No, I was just working on extra credit. Here you can see my mathematics page. Weren't you the one who forgot your homework?
Kyle: How do you know?
Ruby: I know it's rude to eavesdrop, but on my way out of the classroom I overheard you chatting with Mario, and telling him that you forgot your homework again and that you wouldn't be able to play.
*Present*
Ava: Suddenly, it was Kyle who looked suspicious.
*Flash Back*
Ezra: So Kyle erased the board when he realized he forgot his homework.
Kyle: I didn't! I swear!
Maudie: It wasn't Kyle!
Kyle: See, it wasn't me!
Maudie: I'll explain, but first - Kyle where did you go after your conversation with Mario?
Kyle: To play handball outside.
Maudie: Who were you playing with?
Kyle: Duncan, Patrick, Tobby, Diet, and the twins. Why?
Maudie: I'll explain later, I think we need to have another look at Ms. Tan's whiteboard!
*Present*
Maudie: Just then, the bell rang, so we all headed back to our seats.
Ava: Everyone except Maudie, who hung around the back of the room. Ms. Tan told everyone that she was still collecting the maths homework. Everyone started passing their sheets towards the front. Mario was writing his name on his assignment when Maudie spoke up.
*Flash Back*
Maudie: Ms. Tan, I know who erased the homework assignment from the board.
Ava: It was Ruby!
Maudie: It wasn't her
Ava: Wait, what?
Maudie: It wasn't Ruby because she's right-handed.
Ms. Tan: I don't follow.
Maude: The erase streaks on the white board go from the upper left to the bottom right. If the perpetrator was right handed the streaks would go from the upper right to the bottom left. Ruby is right-handed because she was writing in the library with her right hand.
*Flashback to Ruby holding her pencil in her right hand*
Maude: That's how I know the offender was someone who is left handed.
: But what about Kyle?
Maudie: Kyle is also right-handed. I figured that out when Kyle was tossing a ball with his right hand.
*Flashback to Kyle tossing the ball*
Kyle: Then who was it?
Maudie: Mario!
Everyone: WHAT!
Maudie: When Kyle told Mario that he wouldn't be able to play in the sports tournament, Mario panicked knowing the team wasn't as good without Kyle. He also wasn't there when Kyle played handball with his other friends before school.
Ms. Tan: Mario, is this true?
Mario: Yes, I'm sorry!
*Present*
Maudie: So Mario had a chat with Mr. McGillick, and Kyle didn't get to play in the tournament, but his team still won.
Ava: Today is the final of the soccer tournament, and this time, Kyle is playing
Madie: So, we're going to the game to support Kyle
Ava: Because that's what friends do.
*The two hold up "Go, Kyle!" posters*