The Great Stakeout

That afternoon, the trio hid behind some bushes near Mrs. Patterson's yard, eyes locked on the scene. Hours passed. The sun began to set.

Just when they were about to give up, a shadow darted across the lawn.

"Did you see that?!" Lily whispered.

The figure moved again—small, fast, and furry.

"Wait… is that…?" Noah squinted.

"A raccoon!" Jake gasped. It was dragging something across the grass—Mrs. Patterson's missing gnome!

They watched as the raccoon scampered toward a hollow tree and disappeared inside.

"Mystery solved!" Jake whispered. "But we need to return the gnome."

After a careful approach, they retrieved the stolen item and brought it back to Mrs. Patterson, who laughed when she heard the full story.

"You three are real detectives," she said, ruffling Jake's hair.