Encyclopedia Brown and the Mystery of the Stolen Watch

A sense of excitement hung in the town of Idaville as the county fair was in full swing. Yet amidst the revelry, a crime was committed; Mr. Wilson's antique watch worth thousands of dollars had been stolen from his fair stall. Immediately, the police were summoned, but the case seemed to be a dead end until Encyclopedia Brown, the only son of the Chief of Police, took interest in the case.

Encyclopedia, a boy renowned throughout the town for his uncanny knack for solving complex mysteries, immediately began his investigation. His first clue was a piece of lime candy found beneath Mr. Wilson’s booth. Upon questioning, Mr. Wilson revealed that he saw Sally Kim, the notorious bully of the local school and a known lime candy lover, lurking around his booth.

However, Encyclopedia didn't quickly jump to conclusions. He visited Sally Kim to see if he could glean more information. Sally declared her innocence vociferously, but Encyclopedia noticed a key detail: Sally's lime candy was rectangle-shaped, while the piece found at the crime scene was round. This didn't add up, and it propelled Encyclopedia to keep searching.

As Encyclopedia delved deeper into the mystery, he found out that another town resident, Timmy, was also present at the stall before the watch went missing. Timmy was known to love lime candy too and was even seen buying round lime candies that day at the fair.

Armed with this new information, Encyclopedia confronted Timmy. At first, Timmy was defensive, but when Encyclopedia presented the evidence, he confessed. He had taken the watch in a fit of temptation but didn't know what to do with it afterward.

The police were informed, the watch was returned, and Timmy was disciplined. Encyclopedia Brown had solved another mystery, and the town of Idaville could sleep a bit more peacefully knowing their boy detective was on the case. Regardless of the complexities or the twists, Encyclopedia Brown always found a way to uncover the truth, reinforcing why he was Idaville’s most celebrated boy detective.