“I stole the samosa.”

Marvin Wobble stared at the golden button in his hand.

Everyone stared at Marvin.

The underground kitchen became completely silent.

Even Gary stopped making noise.

Then Mrs. Noodle slowly raised her hand.

“I have a question.”

Marvin looked at her.

“What?”

“Did you actually steal it?”

“No!”

“Then why did you say you did?”

“Because everyone was staring at me!”

Mrs. Noodle nodded.

“Fair.”

Mayor Pickles pointed at Marvin.

“Then explain the button!”

Marvin looked at his coat.

There was a missing button.

He looked at the golden button again.

“This isn’t from my coat.”

Everyone looked confused.

Marvin smiled.

“I knew it!”

Mrs. Noodle sighed.

“You said it was your button thirty seconds ago.”

“I was under pressure.”

Chef Alfredo took the button.

He examined it carefully.

“This isn’t a button.”

Marvin frowned.

“What is it?”

“A golden coin.”

Professor Biscuit pushed his glasses up.

“Interesting.”

Marvin looked at the coin.

There was a strange symbol engraved on it.

A pigeon.

Holding a samosa.

Marvin’s mouth dropped open.

“This is getting ridiculous.”

Mrs. Noodle nodded.

“It was ridiculous from the beginning.”

---

Professor Biscuit examined the coin.

“I’ve seen this symbol before.”

Everyone leaned closer.

“Where?”

Professor Biscuit pointed toward the wall.

There was a faded drawing.

A pigeon.

A samosa.

And beneath it, three words:

THE SAMOSA SOCIETY.

Marvin stared.

“The Samosa Society?”

Chef Alfredo nodded slowly.

“My grandfather mentioned it.”

“What is it?”

“A secret group.”

“What do they do?”

Chef Alfredo looked serious.

“They protect the original Golden Samosa recipe.”

Marvin’s eyes widened.

“Secret samosa protectors?”

“Yes.”

“Do they wear costumes?”

“I don’t know.”

“Do they have secret meetings?”

“Probably.”

“Do they have snacks?”

Everyone stared at Marvin.

“What?”

He shrugged.

“I’m hungry.”

---

Suddenly, the tunnel shook.

Dust fell from the ceiling.

BANG!

Everyone jumped.

“What was that?”

Another BANG!

Professor Biscuit shouted,

“Earthquake!”

Mrs. Noodle shook her head.

“No.”

Another BANG!

Chef Alfredo looked toward the tunnel.

“Someone is coming.”

Footsteps echoed through the darkness.

Slow.

Heavy.

Getting closer.

Marvin grabbed a frying pan.

“Stay behind me.”

Mrs. Noodle looked at the pan.

“That’s my frying pan.”

“Then stay behind your frying pan.”

A shadow appeared.

Everyone held their breath.

The figure stepped into the room.

It was a man wearing a black coat.

He had a black hat.

Black sunglasses.

And a black mustache.

Marvin whispered,

“He’s dressed like a villain.”

The man stopped.

“Who are you?”

Marvin pointed the frying pan at him.

“I’m Detective Marvin Wobble.”

The man stared.

“Never heard of you.”

Marvin lowered the pan.

“That’s rude.”

The man looked at everyone.

“Where is the Golden Samosa?”

Everyone shouted at once.

“WE DON’T KNOW!”

The man smiled.

“Good.”

Marvin frowned.

“Why is that good?”

“Because if you don’t know where it is…”

He pulled something from his pocket.

“…then you’re not the thieves.”

Marvin stared.

“What are you?”

The man removed his sunglasses.

“My name is Victor Crust.”

Chef Alfredo gasped.

“No.”

Marvin looked at him.

“You know him?”

Chef Alfredo nodded.

“He’s the leader of the Samosa Society.”

Everyone gasped.

Victor Crust smiled.

“And you have something that belongs to us.”

---

Marvin stepped forward.

“What?”

Victor pointed at the golden coin.

“The Society’s coin.”

Marvin looked at it.

“You can have it.”

He threw it.

Victor caught it.

“Thank you.”

Marvin smiled.

“You’re welcome.”

Victor stared.

“That’s it?”

“Yes.”

“You’re not going to fight?”

“No.”

“Chase me?”

“No.”

“Try to stop me?”

“No.”

Victor looked confused.

Marvin smiled.

“I have another plan.”

“What plan?”

“I haven’t thought of it yet.”

Victor sighed.

“You’re a terrible detective.”

“I’ve been told.”

---

Victor suddenly pulled out a small device.

A strange buzzing sound filled the room.

The lights flickered.

Professor Biscuit’s eyes widened.

“What is that?”

“A Samosa Locator.”

Marvin stared.

“That exists?”

“Of course.”

“What does it locate?”

“Samosas.”

“Obviously.”

The machine beeped.

Victor looked at it.

“It’s close.”

Everyone looked around.

The machine beeped again.

Faster.

Then faster.

Victor’s eyes moved toward Marvin.

The machine began screaming.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Everyone stared at Marvin.

Marvin slowly stepped backward.

“Why is it pointing at me?”

Mrs. Noodle looked at his coat.

“Open it.”

“What?”

“Your coat.”

Marvin opened his coat.

Inside was a small golden box.

Everyone gasped.

“I’ve never seen that before!”

Victor rushed forward.

He grabbed it.

“This is it!”

Marvin protested.

“I didn’t put that there!”

Victor opened the box.

Inside was a tiny piece of paper.

He read it.

His expression changed.

“What?”

Chef Alfredo asked.

Victor handed the paper to him.

Chef Alfredo read it.

Then he laughed.

“What does it say?” Marvin asked.

Chef Alfredo held it up.

It said:

Congratulations. You have found the world’s smallest samosa.

Everyone stared.

Inside the box was a tiny samosa.

It was the size of a fingernail.

Mrs. Noodle picked it up.

“Can I eat it?”

“No!” everyone shouted.

---

Suddenly, the room filled with laughter.

Marvin looked confused.

“What’s funny?”

Victor removed his black coat.

Underneath was a bright yellow shirt covered in little samosa pictures.

Marvin stared.

“You’re not a villain.”

Victor laughed.

“No.”

“Then why the black coat?”

“Because it makes me look mysterious.”

Marvin nodded.

“I understand.”

Mrs. Noodle whispered,

“He’s just as ridiculous as you.”

Victor smiled.

“I was testing you.”

“Why?”

“The Samosa Society has been watching the investigation.”

Marvin’s eyes widened.

“You’ve been watching me?”

“Yes.”

“Even when I fell into the flowerpot?”

“Especially then.”

Marvin looked embarrassed.

“That was tactical.”

“Of course.”

---

Victor explained everything.

The Golden Samosa had never been stolen.

There were actually three special samosas.

The first was the original recipe.

The second was a practice version.

And the third was the festival samosa.

But during the festival, Chef Alfredo had accidentally switched the boxes.

The real Golden Samosa had been placed in the wrong case.

Then Gary found it.

He carried it away.

But another pigeon stole it from Gary.

That pigeon belonged to the Samosa Society.

Marvin blinked.

“So the pigeon was working for you?”

Victor nodded.

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t you just tell us?”

Victor smiled.

“Because it was more entertaining.”

Marvin looked offended.

“You made me chase a pigeon for three days!”

“Yes.”

“Through the market?”

“Yes.”

“Into the train station?”

“Yes.”

“Across the mayor’s roof?”

“Yes.”

Marvin put his hands on his hips.

“That’s incredibly irresponsible.”

Victor nodded.

“Thank you.”

---

Then Gary flew into the room.

He was carrying something.

Everyone became silent.

Gary landed on Marvin’s shoulder.

Marvin looked at him.

“Please don’t tell me you have another samosa.”

Gary dropped it.

The Golden Samosa fell into Marvin’s hands.

Everyone cheered.

“We found it!”

Chef Alfredo examined it.

“This is the real one.”

Mayor Pickles danced.

“My Golden Samosa!”

Mrs. Noodle clapped.

Professor Biscuit started crying.

“Science has won!”

Marvin held the samosa above his head.

“We solved the mystery!”

Everyone cheered.

Then Marvin looked at the samosa.

“Can we eat it?”

Everyone became silent.

Chef Alfredo shook his head.

“No.”

“Why?”

“It’s gold.”

Marvin stared.

“Right.”

---

The group returned to the festival hall.

Mayor Pickles placed the Golden Samosa back inside its glass box.

This time, the box had five locks.

Two alarms.

Three cameras.

And Gary sitting on top.

Marvin looked at the pigeon.

“You’re security now?”

“COO.”

“Fair.”

The mayor turned toward Marvin.

“You solved the case.”

Marvin smiled proudly.

“I did.”

Mrs. Noodle cleared her throat.

“Technically, everyone solved it.”

Marvin ignored her.

“I solved it.”

Victor Crust shook his hand.

“You’re officially invited to join the Samosa Society.”

Marvin’s eyes widened.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Do I get a badge?”

“Yes.”

“Do I get free samosas?”

“No.”

Marvin’s smile disappeared.

“Then I decline.”

Everyone laughed.

---

But just as the celebration began, a loud alarm rang.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Everyone froze.

Marvin turned toward the glass box.

The Golden Samosa was still there.

The mayor checked the locks.

“Nothing happened.”

The alarm continued.

Professor Biscuit checked the wires.

“Everything is working.”

Marvin looked around.

“Then why is the alarm ringing?”

Mrs. Noodle suddenly pointed toward the floor.

“Look!”

A small envelope had been pushed under the door.

Marvin picked it up.

On the front were three words:

CASE NOT OVER.

He opened it.

Inside was a photograph.

It showed the festival hall.

Everyone was standing around the Golden Samosa.

But in the corner of the photograph was a person nobody recognized.

A tall figure.

Wearing a red hat.

And beneath the photograph was a message:

You found the samosa.

But you haven’t found the thief.

Marvin’s smile disappeared.

Everyone looked at each other.

Gary stopped making noise.

Even the mayor became serious.

Marvin slowly folded the photograph.

“Looks like we have another mystery.”

Mrs. Noodle sighed.

“Of course we do.”

Marvin put on his oversized detective hat.

“Nobody panic.”

The lights suddenly went out.

Everyone screamed.

Marvin shouted,

“I SAID DON’T PANIC!”

Someone shouted from the darkness:

“WHO TURNED OFF THE LIGHTS?”

Another voice answered:

“NOT ME!”

Then came a loud sound.

COO!

The lights came back.

Gary was gone.

And so was the Golden Samosa.

Again.

Marvin stared at the empty glass box.

Then he whispered:

“Oh, come on.”

TO BE CONTINUED…