Roxy arrived at the museum. Detective Smith was inspecting the display case and taking notes.
Roxy grinned. "Are you taking notes for a school project, Detective? It's probably too late for you to get extra credit."
"Ha-ha, Rocket Girl," Detective Smith said.
The two security guards hurried over.
"The thieves were ninjas!" Bob said.
Detective Smith stood up. "Ninjas?"
"Yes. They stole the Jade Dragon vase," the other guard said. "And they escaped without touching the laser beams."
"Laser beams?" Roxy said.
Bob nodded. He typed some numbers into a keypad on the wall. Laser beams appeared all around.
"It's a high-tech security system," he said. "The alarm goes off when something touches the beams."
"Can you tell us anything else about the thieves?" Roxy asked.
"I thought they were kids," Bob said. "But kids probably wouldn't steal a priceless vase."
The second guard nodded. "They were all dressed in black. And there was a red bird symbol on their back. I think it was an ostrich."
Bob shook his head. "It was a flamingo."
Roxy thought for a moment. "Was it a crane?"
The guards shrugged.
"Hmm," Roxy said. "There's a new karate studio. Something seemed strange about it. And its logo is a crane."
"Maybe you should talk to the owner," Detective Smith said. "I'll check the display case—Rocket Girl?"
As he spun around, his foot crossed a laser beam. An alarm sounded.
"Oops," Detective Smith said.
Roxy flew to Red Crane Karate Studio. Inside, two students were practicing fighting. Others stood at attention, watching them.
Suddenly the sensei hit a gong. Dong! The students froze and bowed to him.
"Welcome, Rocket Girl," the sensei said. "I’m Sensei Spike. Have you come to learn from me?"
"Um . . . not today," Roxy said. "A vase was stolen from the museum." She pointed to the studio's logo. "And the thieves' clothes had a picture of a crane."
Spike frowned. "Are you saying my students are involved?"
Roxy shrugged. "We're not sure yet."
"Well, none of my students did anything wrong," Spike snapped. "Now please leave. You're distracting these karate students!"
Roxy turned back to the kids. They were all staring ahead without blinking. "Are they okay, Sensei? They look like they're in a trance."
Spike smiled. "They understand discipline. My newest student will give you a short demonstration."
He waved a hand, and the newest student came forward.
Roxy gasped. It was Jack!