The Last Jar On The Shelf? 

Christie Martinez pressed her nose against the cold glass window of Hazelworth's Gourmet Food Store, her brown eyes wide with horror. Inside, Mr. Giuseppe Hazelworth was placing what appeared to be the last jar of Nutella on the shelf. "This is a disaster of epic proportions," Christie announced dramatically, her black curls bouncing as she spun around to face her two best friends. Cindy Thompson, ever the calm one, tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear and peered through the window.

 "It's just one jar, Christie there will be more tomorrow." The very last jar of Nutella on the shelf. Just one jar?" Kylie Patterson gasped, her ginger hair seeming to stand on end with shock. She adjusted her bright pink headband and clutched her matching pink purse. "Cindy, don't you understand? We go through one jar in two days!" The three girls had discovered Nutella exactly six months ago during a sleepover at Christie's apartment in the Upper West Side. What started as a simple midnight snack had evolved into what Christie's younger brother Carlos called "an epic obsession." 

They ate it on toast, with strawberries, by the spoonful, and sometimes when no adults were looking straight from the jar with their fingers. Remember last week when Koreatown was sold out?" Christie continued, pacing back and forth on the sidewalk like a tiny lawyer making her case. "And then the CVS had none either? "Cindy nodded slowly. "And the bodega on 84th Street had exactly zero jars," Kylie finished, her voice dropping to a whisper. Meanwhile 6 blocks away the 20th Precinct, Detective Seller Spoons was having his own crisis. His real name was Detective Selim Spooner, but everyone called him Sell'em Spoons, because of his unusable habit of collecting vintage spoons, and his tendency to enthusiastically sell his theories to anyone who would listen, whether they made sense or not.

 ''Spoons!" barked Captain Rodriguez from her office doorway. "My office. Now." Detective Spoons carefully wrapped the chocolate glazed donut he'd been enjoying and shuffled over. His thick glasses had slipped down his nose, and crumbs decorated his beard like tiny ornaments. "Spoons, I'm giving you a case," the Captain said, sliding a thin folder across her desk. 'A real case?" Spoons' eyes lit up behind his glasses. "Not just helping Mrs. Chen find her escaped parakeet again?" A real case. "Their inventory is disappearing faster than they can stock it." Detective Spoons opened the folder and studied the reports. His soft heart immediately went out to all the disappointed children who couldn't get their favorite chocolate spread. "This sounds serious, Captain. Think of all the kids!" Exactly. And Spoons?" The Captain leaned forward. "This is your chance to finally solve a case. Don't mess it up."

  Mission Impossible. Or ls lt? 

Back at Hazelworth's, the girls had made a decision that would change everything, "We need to take drastic action,' Christie declared, her voice full of determination. 'What kind of drastic action?" Cindy asked, though she already suspected she knew where this was heading. "We need to secure our supply," Kylie said, understanding Christie's thinking immediately. "Before it's too late. "Christie grinned, revealing the gap between her front teeth. "Exactly! We need to plan the greatest Nutella heist in the history of New York.

"I prefer strategic redistribution," Christie replied with the kind of logic that had gotten them in trouble many times before. Kylie clapped her hands together excitedly. "Oh, this is going to be so fun! And think of all the Nutella we'll save from....well," 'from not getting caught while doing it" Cindy looked at her two best friends, Christie with her brilliant schemes and Kylie with her adventure calling. Even though her sensible side was sending up warning flares, she couldn't help but smile with fearless enthusiasm and with a slight familiar tug she said finally "Alright but we do this smart and we do this together." "Together," Christie and Kylie agreed in unison. None of them noticed the poorly hidden detective across the street, carefully writing notes in his little notebook as he observed their animated conversation through the store window.

The next morning, Christie's bedroom looked like a cross between a military command center and a craft store explosion. Pink poster board covered her desk (Kylie's contribution) a few scattered detailed maps of the neighborhood were spread across the floor (Christie's research), and a neat stack of backup plans sat organized in the corner (Cindy's practical touch). Operation Chocolate Gold begins now." Christie announced, standing in front of a hand drawn diagram of Hazelworth's store layout. She spun the wobbly shelf near the register. Kylie bounced on Christie's bed, wearing a hot pink tracksuit that she declared "perfect for stealth. "I still think we should wear matching outfits," she said for the fifth time that, morning.

"Kylie, the whole point of being sneaky is not drawing attention," Cindy explained patiently, adjusting her sensible navy blue hoodie. "Hot pink is the opposite of invisible." "But we'll look so cool!" Kylie protested. Christie clapped her hands twice to get their attention, a habit she'd picked up from watching her mom run parent teacher meetings. "Focus, people! We need to review the plan one more time." She pointed to her diagram with a ruler she'd borrowed from her brother's room. "Step one: We enter Hazelworth's at exactly 2:47 PM, when Mr. Giuseppe takes his afternoon espresso break in the back room." "How do you know he takes a break at 2:47?" Cindy asked. "I've been timing him all week," Christie replied proudly. "He's very consistent. Exactly 2:47, every day, fifteen minutes long."

Meanwhile, six blocks away getting out of his patrol car, Detective Spoons was having considerable difficulties of his own, figuring out how to get out the car without spilling coffee on his case files. "Note to self," he muttered, dabbing at a small stain with a napkin, "buy coffee with better lids." He looked up at the first store on his list: Murphy's Corner Market. The owner had reported selling out of Nutella three times in one week, which was apparently unprecedented. The bell above the door chimed as Detective Spoons entered immediately catching the attention of Mrs. Murphy, a mean looking women with silver hair and suspicious eyes.

"You here about the Nutella situation?" she asked before he could even show his badge. 'Yes, ma'am. Detective Spooner, NYPD." He pulled out his notebook, accidentally dropping his pen in the process. As he bent to pick it up, his glasses slipped down his nose. "Could you tell me more about these unusual sales patterns?" Mrs. Murphy crossed her arms. "Unusual doesn't begin to cover it, Detective. I've been running this store for thirty-two years, and I've never seen anything like it. Kids coming in, buying every jar." "Kids?" Detective Spoons perked up, his soft heart already imagining some innocent explanation. "Maybe they're just having a growth spurt? I remember when was young, I could eat an entire box of donuts and still be hungry." 'Detective, I'm talking about three little girls who bought eighteen jars last Tuesday. Eighteen! They could barely carry the bags."

Back at Christie's apartment, the planning session had reached a critical point.

"What if Mr. Giuseppe comes back early?" Cindy asked, ever the voice of reason.

That's what the lookout is for." Christie explained, pointing to Kylie. "You'll be stationed by the magazine rack with a clear view of the back room. If you see him coming, you do the signal." Kylie immediately demonstrated the signal they'd practiced, a dramatic hair flip followed by a fake sneeze. "Achoo! That means danger," she explained unnecessarily. 'And what exactly are we taking?" Cindy continued with her questions.

Just enough to last us through the weekend, Christie said. "Maybe four jars. Six at most.'"Six jars?" Cindy's voice rose an octave. "Okay, fine. Three jars. But the big ones!" Just then, Christie's mom called from the kitchen: "Girls! Lunch" As they filed out of the bedroom, none of them noticed the slight figure of Christie's nine-year-old brother Carlos lurking in the hallway, having heard every word of their "secret" plan. His dark eyes gleamed with the kind of mischief that only little brothers possess. Meanwhile, down in the kitchen, Mrs. Martinez had prepared grilled cheese sandwiches which, naturally, the girls immediately began planning to enhance with Nutella.

                        When Plans Collide

I love how your definition of innocent has changed." Cindy muttered, but she was smiling, Kylie was practically vibrating with excitement. "This is going to be the best day ever! We'll have enough Nutella to last us through next week!" What none of them knew was Det. Spoons has a genuine desire to solve his first real case. However, Carlos was already formulating his own plan involving his knowledge of his sister's scheme and a potential reward from their mother. The stage was set for an afternoon that none of them would ever forget. Carlos decides to blackmail the girls for their allowance money. Detective Spoons arrives at Hazelworth's just as the girls begin.

At exactly 2:43 PM, three girls stood outside Hazelworth's Gourmet Food Store, trying their best to look casual. Christie checked her watch for the fourth time in two minutes, her heart beating she was sure everyone in Manhattan could hear it. Remember," she whispered, "we're just three normal kids buying normal groceries for our normal families." 'Christie, you're talking like a robot," Cindy pointed out. "That's the opposite of normal." Kylie adjusted her hot pink tracksuit and struck what she clearly thought was a spy pose. "Should I do a cartwheel to distract everyone?" 'NO cartwheels!" both girls hissed in unison. As they approached the familiar green awning of Hazelworth's, Christie felt a familiar warmth. This wasn't just any store this was their store, where Mr. Giuseppe always remembered their names and asked about school.

Where he'd let them sample new cheeses and told stories about his grandmother's recipes back in Sicily. For just a moment, Christie's stomach twisted with something that felt suspiciously like guilt. Two minutes," she announced, shaking off the feeling. This was about survival. About friendship. About Nutella. What Christie didn't notice was the slightly dented police cruiser pulling up to the curb just as the girls pushed through the front door. Detective Spoons sat in his car for a moment, consulting his notes and trying to work up the courage for this interview. Mr. Hazelworth was apparently the most knowledgeable shop owner in the neighbor hood when it came to gourmet food trends. If anyone would have insights about the Great Nutella Mystery, it would be him. 'You can do this, Selim." he muttered to himself, using his real name the way he did when he needed a confidence boost. "You re a good detective. You just need to ask the right questions"