Beginning Detective Tips, A Floyd Sisters Mystery Read online

Tips for the Beginning Detective!

  A Floyd Sisters Mystery

  Sinda Cheri Floyd

  Copyright, 2013

  Published by

  Thank you for downloading this free little book! We enjoy reliving our childhoods through the stories that we write.

  A Floyd Sisters Mystery

  Tips for the Beginning Detective

  We have been amateur detectives for a while. It is scary and fun at the same time. It is not like we started off to be sleuths. Somehow it just happened because of situations we found ourselves in.

  We bet there have been times that you have found yourselves in situations that were unknown to you and maybe a bit scary. Since we have been in your shoes, we thought a few bits of advice would help you the next time you are confused, scared or just wondering what to do.

  Think! Think like a detective. Don’t panic. Take a deep breath and think.

  Here’s a little advice to help you.

  Lynda, Cheri & Sinda (the Floyd Sisters)

  CHAPTERS

  INTRODUCTION

  1.Big Tips

  2.Bigger Tips

  3.Safety

  4.Look and Listen

  5.Equipment

  6.Other Equipment

  7.Clothing

  8.What is a Clue?

  9.Why are Details so important?

  10.How do you know when you need help?

  11.Other Advice

  12.Ty-Ling Goes Astray – a mini mystery

  Danger in Dallas – new book sample

  About the Author

  Big tips

  Lynda thinks you should always plan before you start investigating. Don’t just run out the door.

  Cheri thinks, “Why plan when you can react?”

  Sinda doesn’t think that far ahead.

  Bigger tips

  Lynda says to tell someone where you are going or to leave a note.

  Cheri thinks that Lynda should do that job.

  Sinda will want to tell her best friend Miriam.

  Safety

  Lynda will tell you to always look around you. Be aware of your surroundings.

  Cheri will notice her surroundings if Sinda is not bothering her.

  Sinda will not notice her surroundings (she’s only 8 years old).

  Look and Listen

  Lynda says that the details you notice are very important. What are the colors and smells? What does it feel like? How does it sound?

  Cheri will agree if her batteries are fresh.

  Sinda will remember details if prompted by Lynda.

  Equipment

  Lynda will tell you to plan in advance any equipment you might need to carry with you.

  Cheri will remind you to carry a cell phone in case of emergencies.

  Sinda’s equipment will probably include candy.

  Other Equipment

  Lynda says to always take money with you. You never know when you may need a bus or subway.

  Cheri thinks if you read technology magazines, you will find out the latest technological stuff.

  Sinda will wear sneakers in order to be quiet when following someone.

  Clothing

  Lynda says to wear appropriate clothing for the weather. During the day, dress lightly but at night, take a jacket.

  Cheri wears her favorite sweater no matter what the weather.

  Sinda says that you should wear overalls with lots of pockets to carry things.

  What is a clue?

  Lynda defines a clue as something that leads you to something else in a mystery.

  Cheri will agree with that.

  Sinda will wander off and play with her dolls.

  Why are details so important?

  Lynda thinks details are mini clues to unlocking the mystery.

  Cheri says to carry a mini-recorder to record all conversations.

  Sinda will remember details when prompted by Lynda.

  How do you know when you need help?

  Lynda learned in Danger in Dallas, that you couldn’t carry all the responsibility by yourself. She was relieved when JT showed up!

  Cheri knew she was out of her depth when Sinda was kidnapped in Danger in Dallas.

  Sinda knew she was in big trouble when she was in an unknown car and her sisters were outside screaming for help!

  Other advice

  Lynda says to take flashlights if it will be dark when you are out.

  Cheri says to take a backpack so you can store stuff and leave your hands free.

  Sinda thinks you should go with an older sister (or brother) in case you get scared.

  We hope this advice will help you the next time you find yourselves in an unknown or uncomfortable situation. Just keeping your wits about you may be the best advice we can give!

  Good luck!

  Lynda, Cheri and Sinda Floyd

  P.S. Try using some of our tips to solve the little mystery coming right up!

  Ty-Ling Goes Astray

  A Floyd Sister Mini-Mystery

  It was a beautiful day outside and Sinda decided to take her doll for a walk. First, though, she needed to eat lunch. She ran down to the kitchen and found her mother, Jean, rolling out pie dough for the apple pie she was making.

  “Mom, will you make Ty-Ling and me a blue plate special?” Sinda asked.

  Jean turned to look at her youngest daughter. She noticed that Sinda’s blonde braids were knotted so loosely that it was like looking at a circle 8 on each side of Sinda’s head. Jean laughed. Obviously, Sinda had braided her own hair today instead of one of her sisters, Lynda or Cheri.

  “Sweetie, would you like to have a little slice of pie dough with cinnamon afterward?”

  “YES!” Sinda yelled. Her mother always cut her leftover pie dough into long strips and baked them with cinnamon and sugar for the girls. Yum!

  Now a blue plate special is a great lunch! Sinda got down her unique blue ceramic plate that Mother had bought for her somewhere. Or maybe Lynda got it for her. Anyway…a blue plate special consisted of tuna fish, lettuce and potato chips. Sinda and Ty-Ling gobbled down their lunch, grabbed a slice of baked pie dough and headed outside.

  Lynda had thoughtfully placed Sinda’s brown wicker doll carriage outside the front steps for her. Sinda didn’t think too much about it because Lynda always did nice things for her. Her sister Cheri, however, did not. Hmmmm.

  Sinda had grabbed her big Annabelle doll off the sofa before going out the front door. Annabelle was a pretty doll with a white bow on her head. Today Sinda had her in a silky yellow dress with green striped socks. She smelled like soap and baby powder. She wanted to put Annabelle in the doll carriage, but Ty-Ling had jumped into it!

  “Ty, get out of there. You know I want to walk Annabelle today,” Sinda whined at the big Siamese cat. Ty-Ling gave her a long cat look that said, “I am not moving.”

  “OK, Ok, I guess I am walking Ty and carrying Annabelle.”

  It was a sunny day and walking down the sidewalk was fun. Sinda chatted to Annabelle about playing with her friend Miriam later on today and stopped to occasionally pet Ty-Ling when he allowed it. They had walked a block from their house when all of sudden, Ty-Ling jumped out of the doll carriage and disappeared! Sinda was so stunned, she stood there like a marble statue.

  She snapped awake as though someone had thrown a bucket of cold water on her, grabbed the carriage and ran as fast as she could back to the house.

  Back at the house, Lynda was practicing the piano and Cheri was downloading a new app into her cell phone. Sinda raced in with Annabelle and the doll carriage in tow and started blurting eve
rything out at once.

  “Ty-Ling, pant, pant, jumped, pant, pant, carriage, walk, pant, pant!”

  “Wait a minute,” Lynda soothed. “Now slow down and tell us what happened.”

  “And make it fast,” Cheri added, “This app is almost loaded on my phone.”

  Finally getting her wind back, Sinda said, “I was walking down the block holding Annabelle and Ty was riding in the carriage.”

  “Ty was in the carriage,” Cheri laughed. “I bet he insisted on going and wouldn’t get out, right?”

  Sinda gave her an irritated look and continued.

  “We got all the way down to the Mills house and Ty jumped out so fast, I don’t know where he went. I called for him, but he didn’t come back. Lynda, Lynda, he’s lost,” Sinda sobbed.

  “No, no, don’t cry. He probably just went to visit one of the neighbors. Let’s walk back down the block and see what we can see. Cheri, are you coming?”

  Cheri grumbled, “Ok. We always have to help the “baby.”

  Sinda stuck out her tongue at her and Cheri stuck hers out back at her.

  “Would you two knock it off? Let’s go find the cat!”

  Now there are only 3 houses on their block besides their house. Lynda stopped the girls at the first one.

  “Ok, Sinda, this is Miriam’s house. Think a minute. Does your friend have anything that would interest Ty-Ling?”

  “Oh come on,” Cheri whined. “ Miriam has a big cat named Yellow who doesn’t get along with Ty. Why would he go there?”

  “Cheri, let Sinda think a minute. I see Miriam’s mother just went grocery shopping. She probably got some fish, which Ty loves.”

  “I don’t know if Ty would go for the fish while Yellow is around,” reasoned Sinda. “Let’s go to the next house.”

  After Miriam’s house was the Slagle house. The yard had a huge fence around it because of the two golden retriever dogs that lived there.

  “For Pete’s sake, Lynda,” said Cheri. “Why in the world would Ty jump into a yard with two dogs?”

  Sinda thought a minute. “Ty-Ling loves to tease dogs. Remember that time he stalked that dog on the next block and scared him away?”

  “That is good thinking, Sinda,” said Lynda. “Let’s keep that in mind.”

  The last house on the block was the Mills house. It had a wrap-around porch that was open. The girls would go visit Mrs. Mills who had several birds. She had canaries and finches in separate cages. Today, she had a birdcage out on the porch.

  Cheri opened her mouth to say something.

  “Hold it, Cheri. Let Sinda think about what she sees.”

  Sinda’s eyebrows were deep in thought, at least as deep as it went for her little sister, Lynda thought.

  Suddenly, Sinda brightened and a big smile spread across her face. “I know where Ty-Ling is,” yelled Sinda, jumping up and down happily.

  Lynda smiled.

  Cheri rolled her eyes.

  Where do you think Ty-Ling went? Go to the next page to solve the mystery.

  How does Sinda know where Ty-Ling went?

  Could he be at Miriam’s house with the fish? It’s possible but would Yellow invite Ty to share the fish with him?

  Could Ty be at the Slagle house with the two golden retrievers? He does like to tease dogs, but did he today?

  Could the cat be at the Mills house? Mrs. Mills has a cage with a bird in it on her open porch. Would he be there?

  If you guessed house #3, you guessed right. Mrs. Mills was not out on the porch with her bird and they found Ty-Ling sitting on the porch railing by the bird’s cage, staring intently at the flustered bird!

  Thank you for taking time to read a Floyd Sisters mini-mystery. We hope you enjoyed it enough to continue reading.

  Please take the time to read the first chapter in our latest mystery called: A Floyd Sisters Mystery: Danger in Dallas.

  The girls are trying cope with their parents’ divorce and a new move to Texas when the unexpected happens. If they don’t act, their mother could lose her job!