BACK ARRESTED 8' Detective and the arrest of the farmer's daughter Once upon a time a long time ago in a land far, far away. Michaela and her family were awakened in the middle of the night by a knock on the door. When they opened the door they saw their next door neighbors. "Michaela! You have to help us!" exclaimed the woman. "Our daughter was just arrested!" exclaimed the man. Their daughter, Annabelle, was a beautiful girl who recently turned sixteen years old. "What was she arrested for?" asked Michaela. "They said she committed treason!" exclaimed Annabelle's dad. "How could she commit treason?!" exclaimed Annabelle's mom, "She's never left our sight!" Michaela asked, "Treason can also be planning crimes against the king. Has she been talking to strangers lately?" "Definitely not!" exclaimed Annabelle's dad, "We live out here in the country, just like you. The only time she talks to ANYONE besides us is on Sunday, when we go to the village to go to church." "And even then, we never even SEE anyone we don't know!" exclaimed Annabelle's mom. "Can you investigate this for us?!" exclaimed Annabelle's dad. "Please?!" exclaimed Annabelle's mom. "Of course!" replied Michaela. She got dressed and rode with her neighbors into the village. The sun was coming up when she knocked on the door of the Sheriff. When he answered the door, he was still in his night clothes. "Michaela!" he exclaimed, "What are you doing here so early?!" "I'd like to talk to Annabelle." replied Michaela. "Annabelle?" asked the sheriff, "What makes you think Annabelle is here?" "Her mom and dad told me that she had been arrested." explained Michaela, "Are you saying YOU weren't the one who arrested her?" "No." replied the sheriff, "Noone ever spoke to me about it. What was she arrested for?" "Treason." replied Michaela. "Oh." said the Sheriff, "I don't think Annabelle is capable of treason. But if she was arrested for treason, she's probably being held by the palace guards." So, Michaela rode with her neighbors to the capital city. Hours later, they arrived at the palace. "I'd like to talk to Annabelle." said Michaela. "Annabelle?" asked the captain of the palace guards, "We don't have anyone here named Annabelle." "Are you sure?" asked Michaela, "She was arrested in the middle of the night last night for treason." "Treason?!" exclaimed the captain, "We haven't arrested anyone for treason in years!" "Then who would have arrested her?" asked Michaela. "Noone that I know." replied the Captain, "But even if someone did, I would surely have heard about it." "Then, may I talk to the king?" asked Michaela. "I'm sorry," replied the captain, "The king died last night." "Oh dear!" exclaimed Michaela as she began to pace the floor, "Oh dear!" "What are we going to do?!" exclaimed Annabelle's mom, "Nobody seems to know where she is!" "Let me think." replied Michaela. After several minutes of pacing and thinking, Michaela turned to the captain and said, "Captain, I think this is more than just a coincidence. I think that Annabelle's arrest for treason is somehow connected to the death of the king. Was the king murdered?" "Definitely not." replied the captain, "He had a bad heart. It's been getting worse for years." After several more minutes of pacing and thinking, Michaela turned to the captain and said, "Captain, I still think these events are connected. But if these two events are connected, that means that Annabelle herself and the king are somehow connected." So, Michaela turned to Annabelle's parents and asked, "Do you know if there is any connection between Annabelle and the king?" There was a long nervous silence, then Annabelle's dad replied, "We promised that we wouldn't tell." Michaela asked, "Are you aware that Annabelle's life may be in danger?" "Yes." he replied, "But we promised the king that we would never tell, no matter what." Michaela turned to the captain saying, "Captain, I think we should talk to the queen." The captain agreed and brought them to the throne room, where the queen was drying her eyes of tears. All of them bowed before her. "I'm sorry to bother you at such a sad time, Your Majesty." said Michaela, "But..." The queen stood up and walked over to Annabelle's parents and exclaimed, "Annabelle! Where is Annabelle!" "You know Annabelle?!" exclaimed Michaela, "How do you know Annabelle?" "Where is she?!" exclaimed the queen, "Is she alright?!" "She was arrested for treason last night!" exclaimed both parents. "Oh dear!" exclaimed the queen, "I should have known!" "How could you have known?" asked Michaela. "Annabelle is my daughter!" replied the Queen. Everyone in the throne room gasped and mumbled. "How did the queen's daughter end up as the daughter of a farmer?" asked Michaela. The queen explained, "About sixteen years ago, while we were at war with the king's brother, I had a baby. We called the baby Anne. But we kept the birth secret because we feared that if the king's brother heard about an heir to the throne, he would surely try to kill her. So, we sent the baby away to the pastor of your church. He found a home for the baby with a couple who couldn't have a baby of their own. And he made them promise never to tell where the baby came from. But someone must have let the secret slip. And now my daughter is gone!" "We can get her back!" exclaimed Michaela. "But how?!" asked the queen. Michaela explained, "If we know something about the men who arrested Annabelle, we might be able to tell where they're from." She turned to her neighbors and asked, "What can you tell us about the men who arrested Annabelle?" "I was so upset, I didn't notice anything." replied Annabelle's mom. Michaela suggested, "For instance, did they speak with an accent?" "Yes!" she replied, "They pronounce some of their words differently." "What about what they wore?" asked Michaela. "Did they where tunics and sandals like the sheriff or like the palace guards here?" "Neither one!" said her husband, "They wore kilts and white shirts." The captain of the guard said, "The Scotts wear kilts. They must have been Scottsman!" Michaela explained, "Every Scotts tribe has different colors in their kilts. What color was the plaid in their kilts?" "Blue. And White." said the wife. "Some black." said the husband. The captain exclaimed, "That's the kilts of the Shetlands." The queen exclaimed, "Shetland is where the kings brother fled to when we defeated him in war. Do you think that's where they took Annabelle?" Michaela explained, "With Annabelle out of the country, there would be no heir to the throne and the king's brother could take over the throne." Just then, the door to the throne room slammed open with a thud. There was the king's brother. "I am the heir to my brother's throne!" exclaimed the brother, "According to the law of the land, in three days I will be crowned king!" The queen whispered to Michaela, "Find my daughter and bring her here. You have three days." Michaela nodded, then motioned to her neighbors and the captain to leave the throne room with her. The queen went back to the throne shouting, "Make preparations for the coronation in three days. Until then, "I" am the reigning ruler of this country. Now, everyone leave me alone!" The brother of the king had no choice but to leave the palace until the coronation. Meanwhile, Michaela organized Annabelle's rescue with the captain of the guard. Three days later, the king's brother marched down the aisle of the church to be crowned king. But as he approached the throne, the double doors at the back of the church flew open with a thud. "Stop the coronation!" shouted Michaela. "What is the meaning of this?!" exclaimed the king's brother, "Who dares to interrupt the crowning of the king?" Michaela shouted, "The true heir to the throne!" When she motioned with her hand, Annabelle stepped into the doorway. The king's brother gasped, "Where did she come from?!" Michaela asked, "Princess Anne, do you have anything to say?" "Yes," replied Princess Anne, "Guards, arrest that man for kidnapping me and keeping me prisoner!" After the king's brother was arrested, the coronation continued. But this time Princess Anne became Queen Anne. And, because of the great detective work of the world's greatest detective, they all lived happily ever after. ©2008 Bob Snook. Conditions for use: This story is free. Pay no fees or royalties. Do not sell this story or rewrite it. You may reproduce and distribute this story freely, but all copies must contain this copyright statement. http://www.bobsnook.org/kid email: bob@bobsnook.org BACK |