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duck head umbrellas. There weren’t any duck head umbrellas, but I did see a very nice easel for only fifteen dollars.
    “That’s a good deal,” the woman at the register said. “Just brought in. It’s practically new.”
    And tempting. I’d had one just like this.
    “I’m looking for a certain type of umbrella,” I said. “Red with a duck’s head handle.”
    She shook her head. “Got plenty of regular ones.”
    “Does Celosia have a pawn shop?” I asked.
    “Jim’s Park ‘n’ Pawn on Highway Three. Doubt he’d have umbrellas, though. He deals mainly in electronics and furniture.”
    “Thanks.”
    I started out and she called, “Sure you don’t want the easel?”
    No, I wasn’t sure. “I’ll think about it,” I said.
    I leaned on my car and called Jim of Jim’s Park ‘n’ Pawn. He didn’t have any umbrellas. He had plenty of VCRs, camcorders, digital cameras, and sleeper sofas. I had just turned off my cell phone when the Pageantoids rounded the corner.
    “Madeline!”
    Celosia is just too damn small. I sighed and tried to smile. “Hello.”
    They rushed up to me. I don’t know if they plan this, but they always dress alike. Mitch had on khaki slacks and a pink golf shirt. Cathy was wadded into a khaki and pink jogging suit.
    “Madeline, we had no idea!” she said. “When you said you were a detective, we didn’t dream for a minute you solved actual crimes!”
    Mitch grabbed my hand and shook it. “The people in town said you fought off a real murderer!”
    Hadn’t these two been listening when Jerry told them I’d caught a killer? I pulled my hand free. “Yes, that’s true.”
    Cathy could hardly speak. “Mitch and I have just had the most fabulous idea. You have to go on tour. A crime-fighting beauty queen would inspire millions of little girls.”
    I laughed. “No, thanks.”
    “But it’s perfect! You can be beautiful and tough. That’s the message girls need to hear.”
    Just when I thought these two couldn’t get any nuttier. “Cathy,” I said. “Mitch. Calm down. I’m not going to tour around selling any sort of message. I’m going to stay here and do my job.”
    Cathy wouldn’t give up. “But this is so amazing. It’s like something out of a movie!”
    This gave Mitch another idea. “Cathy, we need to talk to the director of Voltage Films. I’ll bet he’ll say it’s a story that must be told.”
    Anything to get them away from me. “That’s a great idea.”
    “What crime are you investigating now?” Mitch asked.
    Let’s see. Should I tell them about the umbrella or the library books? “It’s confidential.”
    “A murder?”
    “No. Some missing items.”
    “Some sort of treasure? A lost will?”
    “Some valuable items that mean a lot to the owners.” That much was true.
    He looked at me as if I had answered the Final Pageant Question to thunderous applause. “How do you go about looking for things like that?”
    “You ask questions, follow leads.”
    “Is it dangerous?”
    “No, but it takes a lot of time, so if you’ll excuse me.” I opened my car door.
    Cathy beamed at me. “This adds another dimension to our relationship, Madeline.”
    “It certainly made my day, Cathy,” I said and drove away.
    ***
    When I got back to the Eberlin house, I found Denisha Simpson and Austin Terrell sitting with Jerry on the front porch. Denisha’s a self-assured little black girl. Austin’s a rugged little white boy. They’re best friends and Jerry’s biggest fans. They met Jerry while sneaking into the house via a secret passageway. Apparently, they’ve never met an adult willing to burp, climb trees, throw rocks, and roll down hills with them. They come over almost every day, in awe of Jerry’s giant screen TV, his diet, which consists mainly of pizza, cookies, and soda, and his enthusiasm for their most outlandish schemes.
    Denisha jumped down the steps. “Madeline, did you hear about the movie? It’s going to be here, and Austin and I are going