"Hi! I heard you guys are detectives."
Henry glanced up from pouring a cup of lemonade.
So did his cousin, Maggie, and his best friend, Cole.
It was a hot summer day in Belltown, and the kids' lemonade stand was busy.
A girl named Gail was standing there.
Gail was a year ahead of Henry and Cole in school and three years ahead of Maggie.
"Yes, we are detectives!" Maggie told her.
"We solve all mysteries, large and small. See our new sign?"
There were two handmade signs hanging by the lemonade stand.
The first sign was about the lemonade.
The second sign was about the stand's latest business.
It said: The Lemonade Detectives
All Mysteries Solved, Guaranteed
No Problem Too Large or Too Small
$5 per case plus expenses
Henry thought the new sign looked great, but so far it hadn't brought any customers with mysteries to solve.
The other sign, however, had brought plenty of people looking for a cold glass of lemonade.
"Do you have a mystery for us?" Cole asked Gail eagerly.
"No, my sister just told me that you three are detectives now," Gail said.
"I'd like to buy some lemonade though."
Maggie looked disappointed. "Are you sure you don't have a case for us?
Hasn't anything mysterious happened to you lately?"
"Nope. Sorry," Gail said.
Henry reached for the lemonade pitcher.
He poured some into a cup and handed the cup to Gail.
"That will be 25 cents, please," he told her. "Enjoy your lemonade."
"Thanks." Gail handed him a quarter. "Good luck with your detective agency."
After she left, Henry sighed.
"I'm starting to think that there are no more mysteries to solve in Belltown."
"We've been sitting here all morning, and haven't gotten a single case!" Cole added.
"We could have been playing soccer instead."
"At least we're making money." Maggie fanned herself with her hand.
"It won't be long before I have enough to start horseback-riding lessons!"
Maggie had started the lemonade stand because she wanted to take riding lessons.
Her parents had told her they would only pay half the cost.
She needed to earn enough money to pay the other half herself.
The lemonade stand was a success right from the start.
Maggie had made plenty of money selling her delicious lemonade.
But then all her money had disappeared right out of her cashbox!
Henry and Cole had helped her track down the thief.
That was when the idea for The Lemonade Detectives was born.
"We'd be making a lot more money if we had a case," Cole grumbled.
"Besides Henry and I never agreed to be lemonade salesmen.
We want to be detectives!"
"Detectives need to be patient," Maggie shot back.
"Sooner or later we'll get a case and then—"
"Stop arguing, you two," Henry said. "Here come some more customers."
A group of boys was heading their way.
"Four lemonades, please," one boy said, holding out a dollar bill.
"Here you go." Maggie poured their lemonade.
"Did you know that we offer detective services now as well as lemonade?"
The first boy squinted at the new sign.
"How can you guys be detectives?" he asked. "You're just kids."
A boy named Ryan, who never went anywhere without his skateboard, was standing there too.
"I bet it's because they figured out who stole Maggie's money," he said.
"They thought it was me at first!"
He began telling his friends about how he'd been a suspect as the boys walked away sipping their lemonade.
"At least people are hearing about our detective agency," Maggie said, watching them go.
"That's good," Henry said.
"But I don't think all three of us need to stay here for the whole day."
Cole nodded. "Henry and I could go play soccer, and you could call us if someone shows up with a mystery."
"No way!" Maggie said. "I need you to help me with the lemonade."
"If we aren't here, it means you get to keep all the lemonade money," Henry reminded her.
Maggie hesitated, thinking about that.
"Here comes your next lemonade customer, Maggie," Cole said, pointing down the street. "He's all yours."
Henry glanced at the boy hurrying toward them.
"Hey, it's Nathan," he said.
"Maybe we should see if he wants to play soccer with us."
Nathan was a kid in Henry and Cole's class who lived nearby.
Everyone liked him because he was always friendly, nice, and happy.
When he got closer, though, Henry saw that Nathan didn't look very happy right now.
In fact, he was frowning and looking worried.
"What's up, Nathan?" Cole asked when Nathan reached the lemonade stand.
Nathan pulled a five-dollar bill out of his pocket and slapped it down on the table.
"I've got a mystery for you!" he announced.