Stories by Fans

The Story with the Best Twist

Written by: Jarryl Kiu
School:Fernvale Primary School

“Hurry up or we are going to miss the bus!”Colton grumbled for the third time.
“All right,we are ready to go!” Stacy was smiling like a Cheshire cat as she held up her shopping bags. Corey and Colton were only with her as she had begged them to help her pick out some new clothes. When they were about to reach the bus stop, Colton suddenly stopped in his tracks and shouted: “Is that a corpse in that alley?”

The three of them dashed to the alley and checked if the man was still alive. Colton then checked for the man’s pulse then he said: “He still has a pulse, but it is very weak!” Stacy poured some water onto the man’s face and the man’s eyes slowly flickered open.

“My shop was robbed!” he exclaimed.

“Robbed?” They echoed after him. “We have to report this to Corporal Faris!” Corey stated.

Five minutes later Corporal Faris was taking their statements and he said to the man, “We will investigate this case properly and we will return all your goods that were stolen from you.” The man then nodded with a grim smile, thanked the Corporal for helping him investigate the case.

“How about we go help him since his store was robbed? After all he might need some help getting things back together.” Corey said.

After Colton and Stacy had agreed, they asked him, “Sir, do you need help with your store?”

The man looked back and looked at them, “I do need some help for my store, but are you willing to help me?”

The three of them looked at each other than Corey said, “We can help out at your store after school, is that okay?”

The man then thanked them and asked them to call him Mr Lim.

The next day. When Corey,Colton and Stacy were dismissed from school, they were walking to Mr Lim’s store when they saw someone dressed in black shirt, track pants, ski gloves and ski mask running out from the store with goods in his arms. Colton chased after the masked man with Stacy and Corey behind him. After Colton had chase him for five minutes,the man suddenly slipped on a puddle of water and that gave Colton the time to catch him. Colton pinned the man down onto the floor. As he saw Corey and Stacy not far behind, he shouted to them, “Call Corporal Faris now!” Corey then took out her handphone and dialled 999. Within 2 minutes,the police arrived and was leading the man into the car. They then walked to the neighbourhood police station and asked Corporal Faris who the robber was. It turned out that it was Mr Lim himself! Mr Lim had confessed to robbing his own store as his store was insured and he would receive cash back if it was robbed, so Mr Lim decided to rob his own store for his greed.”
Another case solved by the Triple Nine Sleuths!” the three of them exclaimed.

THE END

The Case of the Missing Student

Written By: Lotus Wong
School: Fernvale Primary School

“Hurry up, Corey! Ma’s gonna scold us for being so late!” Colton shouted to Corey, who was busy talking to Stacy about something. “Hey! Did you hear? Some student is missing! It sounds like a mystery to me,” Stacy yelled back to him. Colton grinned broadly like a Chesire cat. “Yippee! Another case for the Triple Nine Sleuths! ” Colton cheered.

The bright rays of the morning sun filtered through Corey’s window. Corey yawned, stretching her numb arms. Ever the sleepyhead, Colton was sound asleep even though it was already ten. A sudden succession of shrill rings cut the peace of the morning. “Pick up the phone,” Colton murmured, using his pillows to mute the irritating sound of the phone. Corey peered towards the phone and picked it up. “Hello, this is Corporal Faris. We need some help with a case, can you kids meet me at the café at four this afternoon?” Corporal Faris said. “Sure!” Corey answered immediately.

“Hurry up! It’s almost four!” Colton yelled at Stacy and Corey who were lagging behind. Reaching the café, they saw Corporal Faris waiting patiently. “Sorry Corporal. Corey and Stacy were being slowpokes.” Colton complained. “So, a boy called Andy Lau was kidnapped. He belongs to a wealthy family who has a lot of rivals in business and his mom just had a baby girl. Anyone could be a suspect,” the Corporal stated.

“Well, we’re here, this was where the kidnap took place,” Stacy told the siblings. Both of them gasped in astonishment as they took in the majesty of the bungalow. “Wow. This looks more like a palace then a house,” Colton muttered under his breath.

“Hello? Anyone there?” Stacy called out. A lady in her mid- forties came bustling out of the house, wearing an apron and a concerned look in her eyes. “Yes?” the lady questioned. She had bags under her eyes and looked like she had not slept for few days. “Ma’am, we’re here to investigate the case,” the trio chorused together. The lady, Mrs Lau, invited them into the house. “Let’s get cracking!”

“I have a feeling it’s the maid,” Colton said, racking his brains for any more likely suspects but none came into his mind. Corey started biting her fingernails. “Don’t you guys think it’s a bit too easy?” Corey asked, furrowing her brows. Stacy started to carefully go over the clues. “Guys, I know who it is, it’s Andy himself! He left all the clues pointing to the maid so no one would suspect him. I bet he’s just doing this to get attention from his parents, Corporal Faris told us they just had a baby girl, didn’t they?” Corey and Colton gasped in realization and mentally slapped themselves for not figuring it out.

After solving the mystery, Corporal Faris thanked them profusely. As for Andy, his allowance got drastically cut down. “Another cracked case for the Triple Nine Sleuths!” Colton pumped his fist into the air in victory.

THE END

A Twist to Dangerous Limelight

Written by: Matthew Lim Dao Yuen
School: Anglo- Chinese School (JUNIOR)

​“Ring…” the school bell rang signalling the end of school. Siblings Corey and Colton were walking home together. Stacy joined them as she was going to the siblings’ house to play. Beads of perspiration trickled down their temple as they had walked under the scorching sun. A pungent smell filled the air as they sauntered along the corridor. “It sure smells like some soiled rugby socks that have been left in the closet for months!” Stacy joked. Soon, it became difficult to ignore the overpowering smell. Colton then shouted, “I think the putrid smell is coming from our neighbour Mrs Cordelia Chan’s house.” Corey and Stacy nodded their heads vehemently. Then he continued, “It’s from a decomposing body!” Both Corey and Stacy were petrified. Without hesitation, they fled home to dial for the police.

The trio’s discussion was interrupted prematurely when two policemen came knocking on their door. They excitedly ‘gave their statements’ to the policemen while the other policemen went into their neighbour’s house to investigate. “Wow! This is just like the American detective show I watch on television!” Colton exclaimed as they watched the police leave. “What is the big black bag the police are carrying out of the house?” Stacy asked. Colton muttered in a sad manner. “I think our neighbour has died. Usually when a victim dies, their body would be carried away in a black bag.” Corey asked, “I wonder…” Before she could finish, Stacy said, “Why not we become ‘detectives’ and find answers to all our questions? How about naming our detective group the ‘Triple Nine Sleuths’?” Both Colton and Corey smiled at Stacy. Even after the “body” was removed, the stench lingered there. The Triple Nine Sleuths were determined to find out what had happened. They would relentlessly look out for updates on Mrs Cordelia.

After a few days, when Corey, Colton and Stacy were at the playground, a familiar rancid smell wafted in the air as they heard a distinctive high-pitched voice calling out to the. They felt a cold shiver and rubbed their eyes when they saw Mrs Cordelia with her recognizable beet-root lipstick. “Mrs Cordelia!” They gasped She distributed some goodies to the trio who by then had started narrating, “That day…” When they were done speaking, Mrs Cordelia replied, “That bag was actually full of salted fish. I gave the policemen some of my salted fish since they were there.” “Where were you for the past few days?” They asked unanimously. “I was in Malaysia taking part in a world-wide cooking competition and the best part is … I won using my salted fish recipe!” The three of them congratulated her wholeheartedly.

They were glad that their neighbour was still alive and they now have a renowned chef living in their neighbourhood. It seems the siblings would have to get accustomed to the smell. Stacy said in jest, “The Police probably could have used the salted fish in high crime areas to keep burglars at bay!”

THE END

Murder in a Hotel

Written by: Chew Yan Xin
School: Xinmin Primary School

“I can’t believe that we are going to stay in a hotel for two weeks!” Corey exclaimed excitedly.

Her brother, Colton and her best friend, Stacy were excited too. The three of them, with Corey’s parents, were going to stay in a hotel for two weeks during the June holidays.

Corey parents laughed. “Well, why don’t we go and check in at the hotel first? There it is, Rivesville Hotel.” Corey’s mum said.

They checked in and unpacked their luggage. Suddenly, they heard an ear piercing scream coming from the hotel lobby. “Help! There is a dead person here!”

The three friends looked at one another. “It looks like a case for us to solve.” Colton said. The three friends were detectives and were called the Triple Nine Sleuths. They had solved many cases!

The other two agreed. They rushed inside the hotel lobby. On the floor lay a dead man. They called the police.

After a while, the police came. Their parents went to the hotel rooms. The police cordoned off the area. Stacy showed them her detective ID card. A policeman recognised them from the newspaper and allowed them to investigate. They put on their gloves and looked at the man who was dead. The policeman said “He is Tom Lim, a loan shark. We looked at the CCTV but the killer broke it.”

Corey thanked the policeman. The killer must be a professional one she thought.

The triples questioned some of the staff that was around, but none of them had witness the accident. They took photos of bloodstains, the knife and fingerprints. Then, they went up to their hotel room to check the fingerprints. They did not notice that someone was spying on them.

Suddenly, Colton remembered that he saw one of the staff running out of the lobby. Could the staff be the killer? He wondered. He quickly told the rest what he saw and together, they went to find the staff.

When they went to the lobby, the staff was there. They asked her some questions regarding the murder. She said she ran out as she wanted to tell her manager what had happened because she was afraid.

Suddenly, Stacy noticed that there was someone behind her. She kicked him, making the person yell in pain. Then she turned around. It was a policeman! She pinned him down.

Corey called the other police officers and they rushed over. “Yes, I am the killer. Tom was a very evil and greedy guy. Even after my father paid him back the money he owned him, he still wanted more. So I killed him. He deserves to die! Everything was going well until you three interfering detectives came!” He confessed angrily.

The policeman was charged for murder. It was another thrilling case for the Triple Nine Sleuths!

THE END

The Theft of the Prized Necklace

Written by: Shawn Lim Kai Jie
School: Xinmin Primary School​

“Brring…Brring!” the alarm went off at 1.30 a.m.
The police then immediately called the owners. They headed to the jewellery shop. It was 2.00 a.m. Everyone- Mr Lam, Mr Tey, Mr Pang and Ms Lee was extremely tired. The door was broken and there were shattered remains of glass.
“It must be a theft of something here! Oh no!” Mr Lam, the shop owner pointed out.
The owners wasted no time and immediately turned on the surveillance camera. A man dressed in navy blue shirt and pants had stolen… the prized necklace! It was shown that the culprit hit the door down with a heavy weapon. The safe was broken too! The necklace was worth about $50 000! They were appalled! “The doors were locked and kept in a safe … How could it have been stolen?” questioned Mr Tey in disbelief, the shopkeeper.
They called for the famous kid detectives, Triple Nine Sleuths- Corey, Colton and Stacy. They sprang into action with their detective tools and darted to the jewellery shop. The owners explained everything to them.
The Triple Nine Sleuths used a magnifying glass to look for clues. “Look! Fingerprints!” Stacy shouted.
She was right! A few fingerprints were found on the stand that was holding up the stolen necklace. They called the police to check the identity of the robber using the fingerprints.
Soon, the robber was discovered. His name was Mr Poh Lee Koon. They went to his house to check for the necklace. However, the necklace was nowhere to be found. The police brought Mr Poh to the station for questioning.
“Who were you with?”
“What were you doing?”
He was buried under an avalanche of questions like asking him what he had done last night. “I was sleeping”, Mr Poh replied.
They had no evidence that Mr Poh had stolen the necklace. So, the police and the trio carried on further investigation.
The owners of the jewellery shop were upset. The detectives and police headed back to the shop with Mr Poh. They checked the surveillance camera once more, this time zooming in. “Hey, gloves!” Corey noticed.
Corey was right. The culprit was wearing a pair of gloves. “I think it could be Ah Seng”, Mr Poh pointed out.
Mr Poh explained about borrowing money from Ah Seng, a loan shark. He owed Ah Seng $850. The police then checked the list of past loan sharks. Indeed Ah Seng was in the list. “He must have worn gloves that had my fingerprints. But how did he get those gloves?” Mr Poh asked.
The police, the owners of the jewellery shop, Mr Poh and the Triple Nine Sleuths went to Ah Seng’s house. There was another professor – like person. Ah Seng was found guilty when the necklace was found in his house. “I think I know why this professor is here. He had made the gloves!” exclaimed Colton.
Ah Seng and the professor surrendered and they were arrested. The professor had actually used the fingerprints on the contract that Mr Poh signed to borrow money.
This was a learning experience for Mr Poh to not borrow money from loan sharks. The Triple Nine Sleuths were thanked profusely for their help.

THE END

The Case of the Finger in the Toilet

Written by: Chiam Tat Yi
School: Fernvale Primary School

“What’s that smell?” he muttered under his breath. Colton, Corey and Stacy were in the mall to eat at a posh restaurant. He assumed that smell was coming from faeces of the man in the next toilet. Something soon caught his eyes. It was blood.

Colton rummaged through his bag for his iPhone, and immediately dialled “999”. “I am Colton and I’ve got a bad news, I suspect that there is a dead body in the toilet.” Colton stammered. Colton also told the police where the mall was. Colton quickly finished his big business and rushed out of the toilet. He saw Corporal Faris and Sergeant Rani. “Where is it?” Sergeant Rani asked. Colton pointed with a trembling finger at the toilet room. Sergeant Rani opened door choked back a scream.

There, the body lay. The smell was coming from the decomposed body! The police took the body and went back to the police station to investigate.

Colton, Corey and Stacy decided to investigate the case. Suddenly, “Ring!” Colton’s iPhone rang. It was Corporal Faris! “Hi Colton! I was thinking of giving you some information so that you and your sister may solve the case!” Corporal Faris said. “The man’s name was Tan Hock Tee, he is the boss of a shop called Tan’s Shop, and it sells electrical appliances.” “Thank you, Corporal Faris,” Colton said. What he did not was that it nearly cost Colton’s life.

A brilliant idea suddenly flashed through Colton’s mind. He checked the toilet room beside the one taped with tapes saying: “Do Not Enter”. He saw a hole, some droplets of a liquid on the toilet room where the victim was and a needle. He immediately knew how the victim was killed. Someone drilled a hole and a needle immersed in poison and fired at the victim. The victim might have been probably sleeping at that time. Colton also knew that unless the she had some disguise, the ex-wife could not enter. Colton called Corporal Faris about what he discovered.

When Colton stepped out of the toilet, a young man suddenly lunged forward at Colton with a shiny knife. “Argh!” Colton screamed. Suddenly, “Bang!” the young man fell down laying crumpled on the floor. Corporal Faris saved Colton’s life!

When Colton opened his eyes, he saw himself in a hospital bed and he saw Corey, Mum, Dad and Corporal Faris. Corporal Faris explained, “The murder was actually the son of Tan Hock Tee, the ex-wife hated her husband so much that she persuaded her son to kill her ex-husband. She offered $100,000. The son went to the toilet room next to his father, drilled a hole and shot the sleeping father a needle filled with poison. When you discovered that, he tried to kill you, and fortunately I came just in time. I actually wanted to investigate the murder, but when I saw you were being attacked, I shot him in the leg.” Colton smiled. It was a good day after all.

THE END

Dangerous Abuse

Written by: YaoChai YinFei
School: Fernvale Primary School

“Yay!” Colton yelled. Colton, Corey and Stacy were at the departure gate in Changi Airport, waiting to board the plane. It was the school holidays and they were going to New York to visit one of their relatives with Pa. “I can’t believe we are actually going to New York!” Stacy muttered, trying hard to control her excitement.

After a long journey in the airplane, they finally arrived at the airport in New York. Carrying heavy luggage, they searched frantically for Auntie Isabelle among the crowd. Pa suddenly exclaimed, “There, there she is!’’ Corey, Colton and Stacy quickly ran towards Auntie Isabelle. Soon they were all chatting together animatedly. Auntie Isabelle brought them to her house and told them to go to sleep as it was getting late.

The next morning, they woke up to find Auntie Isabelle already at the breakfast table, reading a newspaper. “Good morning! And have some breakfast!” She greeted them cheerfully in a sing-song manner. They settled down around the breakfast table and began eating. Munching with his mouth full, Colton said,” Wow! This is so great-“He stopped in the middle, for Auntie Isabelle had suddenly turned as pale as a sheet of paper.

Without saying anything, she passed the newspaper over to Corey. Stacy and Colton immediately crowded around her. The newspaper headline screamed “MURDER AT GUNPOINT IN NEW YORK”. Reading the article, they learnt that a man, named Mr. Perauld, had been shot dead in the evening yesterday at his house, number 19 on Queensway Street.

“Hmm…House number 19…Isn’t that your neighbor? “Colton asked thoughtfully. Auntie Isabelle nodded. Stacy added brightly, “Looks like we’ve got a new case, and auntie, we would need some information on this Mr. Perauld, do you know much about him?” Auntie Isabelle hesitated for a moment before replying, “Well, he’s quite friendly if you got to know him, except when he was often drunk. His wife died of cancer a few years ago. He was left with two children, Lauren and Gina.” She paused for a while, “I think Lauren is about the same age as you… or perhaps older? And Gina is eight. I’ve heard that he was quite a successful businessman.”

Colton thanked Auntie Isabelle and quickly gestured Corey and Stacy outside. Once they were alone, he announced,” The Triple Nine Sleuths must investigate on this case.” Then, they heard Auntie Isabelle calling,” There’s an old tree house in the backyard if you want to discuss anything.” “Alright! ”Colton shouted back, ”We’ll be going to Mr. Perauld’s for a while, okay? “Without waiting for an answer, the three of them were already racing out.

There, they found several policemen and a doctor examining the corpse. They walked boldly through the gate. Amidst the adults, they found a girl, who was slightly taller than them, holding a younger girls hand. The older girl was sobbing while the younger one was wailing and weeping un bitterly. Colton nudged Corey. Unwillingly, Corey went forward, and felt herself blushing,” Um… Are… Are you Lauren?” The girl looked very taken aback, and said,” Why? … Yes, my name is Lauren, and this is my sister, Gina. But how do you know my name? And who are you, why are you here?”

Patiently, Stacy introduced themselves and told Lauren that their aunt is Mr. Perauld’s neighbor. And they hope to work on this case. Lauren asked shyly,” Oh, really? Um, you know, can I help?” Corey replied without any hesitation,” Certainly! You might provide us with some useful information to track down the murderer!” They invited Lauren over to the tree house and insisted on her telling them every bit of information she knew.

She began,” Well, as you see, Father sometimes came home drunk. He’s got a brother, who is my uncle, Uncle Sam. Who… who could be a suspect, I guess. I was at the …café with my friends when the murder took place.” Colton could tell that she had chosen the words very carefully. Stacy contemplated for some time and said firmly,” We must interview Uncle Sam this afternoon. Wanna come, Lauren?” Lauren shook her head,” No, thanks. I’ll stay with Gina.”

That afternoon, they walked to Uncle Sam’s house. They knocked on the door and it opened. A man stood at the doorway. “What do you want?” He asked gruffly.” Err… Good afternoon, sir. We hope to ask you some questions regarding your brother’s death.” Stacy said, trying to be polite. Colton asked,” Do you know if your brother had any enemies?” The man eyed them suspiciously and replied,” Not that I know of! And stop wasting my time! All I can tell you is I-am-not-the-murderer!”Then, he slammed the door shut. Corey said,” That’s so rude! I wouldn’t be surprised if he is the killer!”

Disappointed, they went back. On the way, they met Lauren. She told them that the policemen searched Father’s office and found his will. He wrote that half of his fortune will be given to me and Gina, and the other half will be given entirely to Uncle Sam.

As they went back to the tree house, Corey said,” Now we’ve got more proof against Uncle Sam. I’m positive he murdered Mr. Perauld. The motive is SO clear! Money!” Stacy nodded, agreeing with Corey’s opinion.” I don’t think so,” Colton said quietly. “WHAT? Then who do you think it is?” Corey and Stacy asked aloud in unison.“Lauren.” Came Colton’s prompt reply. Stacy asked,” Why? What’s her motive? And she’s still a teenager, you know.” Colton explained,” Did you notice the cane marks on her arms, and even her legs. I bet her father often beat her after being drunk, so she killed him in anguish.””That’s such a lame and ridiculous motive; she said she’s at the café. I bet you a million pounds that it isn’t Lauren.” Corey protested defiantly.

Colton flashed her a mysterious smile, and said,” The key word is ‘she said’, it might be to provide an alibi. But I’ve thought of a brilliant way to find out.” That evening, Stacy deliberately invited Lauren over to distract her while Corey and Colton secretly went to Lauren’s house. Corey and Colton searched high and low in hope to find Lauren’s personnel diary. “Found it!” Colton shouted. They turned the dusty pages until the day of the murder. Both of them gasped in shock at that entry.

Dear Diary,

Iki lledm yfath er tod ay. Hebe ganhur tingGi na thes edays andIca n’tbe arit. Isor egretted afte rwardsb utIr eally don’tk nowwh attodo. Iwis hIha dnev erste aled Fathe r’sr ifle.

Lauren

“That must be a code,” Corey murmured, and whipped a pen and note book out of her pocket. She rearranged the spaces in between the letters and eventually got the message. Colton peered at it and sneered,” Told you.” They put the diary back to place and went back. Corey had taken a photo in her phone and she kept on glancing at it, muttering’ I can’t believe it’ to herself. After Lauren had left, Corey and Colton told Stacy the shocking news. Stacy stuttered,” What! I…I thought Lauren is quite a good sort after speaking to her. And now I learnt that she’s a-, MURDERER! Unbelievable…”

Corey sighed and called Corporal Faris on the phone. After listening to the entire case, Corporal Faris breathed,” Remarkable!” and said that he would arrange for his colleague in New York, Sergeant George, to their place the next morning to get a full-case report. Hearing that, Stacy commented mournfully,” I hope Lauren doesn’t get very dull punishments.” Colton held out his hand and joked,” Where’s the one million pounds you bet for?” And got a friendly punch from Corey.

THE END