Little Lily woke with a whisper. Her Teddy sat on the bed, but his red hat was gone. "Where is Teddy's hat?" she asked. She put on her little coat. She was three and very careful. She was also a small detective.
Lily looked under the blanket. She looked in the toy box. She looked in the kitchen. She found a small button on the rug. It was blue. Lily picked it up. "A clue," she said. She smiled. Teddy smiled too.
Lily followed tiny A crumb. A fluff. A small muddy paw print on the mat. Lily crouched. She touched the print with one finger. It was soft. It was small. She scratched her head. "Hmm," she said.
She heard a meow. The kitten sat by the door. Her whiskers twitched. The kitten had a bit of red yarn on her paw. Lily's eyes grew big. "Oh," she said. She thought the kitten might have Teddy's hat. The paw print looked like the kitten. The yarn looked like the hat. Lily took a slow breath.
She remembered what her grown-up always said. "Be kind. Be sure." Lily nodded. She did not point a finger. She did not shout. She liked the kitten. She wanted to be honest.
Lily checked the next clue. A strip of paper lay on the floor. It had blue paint. Lily held it up. "This is paint," she said. She looked at the button. The button had the same blue paint. "Hmm," she said again.
Lily asked the reader, softly. "Can you help me look?" She looked under the table. She looked behind the chair. She looked in the small basket of art things. There! A small pile of red felt. A tiny red hat. It was next to a little paper cup with blue paint on it. The cup had knocked over in the art corner.
Lily thought. The paint and the button came from art time. The hat came from art time. The kitten had been playing near the hat, but she had only brushed it. The muddy paw print came from when the kitten chased a leaf in the yard. It was a false trail. It looked like the kitten took the hat, but she did not.
Lily stepped close to the kitten. "I'm sorry," she said softly. She stroked the kitten's head. The kitten purred. Lily picked up the red hat. Teddy put it on his head. He looked happy.
Lily smiled. She put the blue button back on the coat. She told the grown-up the truth. "We found it by the paint," she said. The grown-up hugged Lily. "Thank you for being kind and honest," they said.
That night, Teddy kept his red hat. Lily kept her small detective notebook. She learned to look for real clues. She learned to be gentle. She learned that saying sorry is brave. She fell asleep with Teddy and the kitten close by. The house was calm. The mystery was solved.
