"It's weird to think that someone from our neighborhood is a thief," Cole said.
"I know," Henry agreed.
"But Maggie's money is gone, which means that someone stole it.
All we have to do now is figure out who it was."
"Who are the suspects again?" Cole asked.
Maggie sighed. "Weren't you listening?" she said.
"There were only a few people close enough to the lemonade stand to grab the money.
They were Nathan and Nora, Mrs. Martin and Marty, Ryan, and those two teenage girls."
"I doubt it was Nathan," Cole said. "He's a nice kid."
Henry nodded. Nathan was the same age as him and Cole, and everyone liked him.
Kids liked him because he was always smiling and loved to have fun.
"That little sister of his is kind of weird though," Maggie pointed out.
"She's always making up crazy stories and dressing up in funny costumes and stuff."
"Nora is a bit strange," Henry agreed.
"But being weird isn't the same as being a thief.
Plus she's only five years old.
That's pretty young to steal money from a cashbox."
"What about Ryan, that kid who skateboards all the time?" Maggie said.
"He's always getting in trouble at school."
Ryan was three years younger than Henry.
Henry had seen him around, but he didn't know Ryan very well.
"What kind of trouble?" Henry asked Maggie.
She shrugged. "Mostly teachers get mad at him for goofing off and not paying attention in class."
"I heard he skateboarded into his neighbor's flowers," Cole said.
"He got in big trouble for that!"
"That doesn't make him a thief," Henry said.
"But he seems like a better suspect than the others.
Let's go find him and talk to him."
Maggie put a cover on her pitcher of lemonade so bugs wouldn't get in it.
Then the three kids headed down the block in the direction that Ryan had gone.
"What are we going to say when we find him?" Cole asked.
"I know what I want to say." Maggie frowned.
"I want to tell him to give me back my money!
Otherwise I'll break his skateboard in half!"
"I don't think that's a good idea, Maggie," Henry told her.
"We're not going to threaten Ryan.
We're just going to ask him a few questions, like my dad does when he's interviewing someone."
Henry's father was a journalist who wrote stories for the local newspaper.
He liked to say that his job was one part writing, one part asking questions, and three parts listening.
That was because he spent so much time interviewing people and listening to their answers.
"Wait. We're going to ask Ryan a few questions?" Cole said.
"I can only think of one question:
Did you take the money?"
"Yeah," Maggie said. "And I already asked him that."
Henry had just spotted Ryan up ahead.
The skateboarder was practicing kick flips.
His baggy shorts fluttered when he jumped, and his sneakers squeaked when he landed.
"Just listen and play along," Henry whispered to Cole and Maggie.
"I'm going to interview Ryan, just like Dad would.
We might learn something by listening to his answers."
The other two looked skeptical. But Henry hurried forward.
"Hi, Ryan," he called out. "Can I talk to you for a second?"
Ryan finished his flip, and then rolled over to Henry on his skateboard.
"Sure, dude. What do you want to talk about?"
He grinned, shoving both hands in his pockets.
Henry smiled back.
"We're just trying to find out what happened to Maggie's money.
Since you were there, we thought you might have seen who took it."
"Nope. Sorry." Ryan shrugged.
"Okay," Henry said.
"Then did you see anyone hanging around the lemonade stand?
Maybe a stranger or something?"
"I already told you there was nobody else around, Henry," Maggie interrupted.
Then she glared at Ryan. "I know you stole my money.
Why don't you just admit it?"
"No way." Ryan glared back at her.
"Why should I admit to something I didn't do? I didn't take your money!"
"Well, somebody did," Cole pointed out.
"It was probably her." Ryan laughed and pointed at Maggie.
"What?" Maggie screeched. "Don't be ridiculous!
Why would I steal my own money?"
Ryan shrugged again. "How should I know?"
Henry looked away, thinking.
He still believed that Ryan was the most likely suspect, but this interview wasn't going well so far.
Henry tried to think of another question.
What would his dad ask? He couldn't think of anything.
Besides he was pretty sure that Ryan wouldn't answer any more questions.
Not after Maggie had just accused him of the crime again.
So how could they figure out if Ryan had done it?