The Lemonade Detectives watched as Robby stomped away without another word.
"What's wrong with him?" Cole asked, still staring after Robby.
Henry was wondering the same thing. Robby's behavior seemed suspicious.
"Why is Robby so mad at Mr. Tate?" he asked one of the other kids.
"I don't know," the kid said.
"Anyway, I think I hear my mom calling me." He ran off.
Henry looked at another kid. "Why's everybody acting so weird?" he asked him.
"Is it because of what Robby said?"
"No. Maybe. I mean, I have to go too."
The second kid scooped up the ball and hurried away.
Two others left after him, leaving only Emma.
"What's going on?" Maggie asked Emma. "Why did Robby get so angry just now?
Does he really want Mr. Tate to leave West Belltown?"
"I guess," Emma said in a soft voice.
"But why?" Cole asked.
"I think it would be cool to have a new ice-cream place in my neighborhood!"
Emma shrugged. "I'm not sure. But I should go home too," she said.
"I told my dad I'd help him give our dog a bath."
She said good-bye and hurried away.
"That was weird," Cole said when she was gone.
"Robby seemed really angry when we mentioned Mr. Tate."
"Yeah. He always seems pretty happy at school," Henry said.
"Maybe he should be our first suspect."
"Do you think Robby stole Mr. Tate's ice cream?" Maggie asked.
"Why would he do that?"
"All those kids were acting weird just now, not just Robby," Henry said.
"Any of them could have done it."
Maggie looked doubtful.
"You think one of those kids broke into the Dessert Den and carried off all Mr. Tate's ice cream?"
"Maybe they didn't carry it off." Cole grinned. "Maybe they ate it!"
"Mr. Tate didn't say his ice cream was stolen," Henry reminded them.
"He said his ice-cream flavor was stolen."
"What does that mean?" Maggie looked confused.
"How can someone steal a flavor?"
"I don't know," Henry said. "Let's ask Mr. Tate when we see him.
We need to find out exactly what happened."
They walked their bikes the rest of the way to the Dessert Den.
As they got closer, Henry saw a plumber leaving the shop.
"Wow," Cole said, peering inside the front door. "This place looks cool!"
Henry nodded. The Dessert Den had big glass windows and a fancy sign out front.
Inside, tables and chairs were painted in bright colors, and there were bins filled with candy and other treats.
The front door was locked, but Henry could see Mr. Tate inside.
He was sweeping the floor in the dining area. Maggie knocked on the door.
Mr. Tate looked up and then came over to unlock the door.
"Hello," he greeted them. He sounded a lot more cheerful than he had earlier.
"You're just in time."
"Just in time for what?" Cole asked as he walked inside with the others.
"Did you solve the mystery?"
"No, nothing like that." Mr. Tate hurried over to the shiny, tiled counter.
Several white boxes were sitting there.
"I just got a very special delivery—some of the caramel-swirl brownies I'll be selling. Want a taste?"
"Sure!" Cole said eagerly. "I love brownies!"
"You love every kind of dessert," Maggie reminded him.
Mr. Tate chuckled. "Great! You're my perfect customer."
He opened one of the boxes and handed each of the kids a brownie.
Henry tasted his. "Yum! This is delicious!" he said. Cole and Maggie agreed.
"I'm glad you like it," Mr. Tate said, smiling.
"Tell all your friends to come to my grand opening tomorrow, okay?"
"Sure." Cole licked his fingers.
"But first, maybe you should tell us more about your mystery."
Mr. Tate's smile faded. He glanced at a menu that was hanging above the counter.
Henry could only see part of the menu. The rest was covered with a sheet.
"You said someone stole your new ice-cream flavor," Henry reminded him.
"What does that mean?"
"The Dessert Den is going to serve all kinds of desserts," Mr. Tate said.
"But one of our specialties is ice cream.
So I invented a brand-new, exclusive flavor for my grand opening.
It's supposed to be top secret.
But somehow, someone found out about it—and stole it!"
"How does someone steal a flavor?" Maggie wondered.
"And who would do something like that, anyway?" Cole added.
"I know exactly who stole it!" Mr. Tate snapped.
"I just need you kids to help me prove it!"
Henry felt more confused than ever.
"You already know who stole your flavor?" he said. "Who?"
Mr. Tate scowled. "It was Mrs. Sweet, who owns the Sweet Shop!"