The Case of the Counterfeit Coins

Detective Lily, a small but sharp girl with bright red hair, peered at the pile of coins. Old Man Fitzwilliam, the town's coin collector, had been robbed. His prized collection, including a rare gold coin, was missing. Only counterfeit coins remained.

"These coins are almost perfect," whispered her partner, a tall, lanky boy named Finn. He wore a magnifying glass around his neck.

Lily examined a coin. "The weight is off," she announced. "And the etching on the eagle's wing is slightly blurred." They checked each counterfeit coin. The weight was always a tiny bit off, and the blurring was consistent. But it wasn't enough to catch the thief.

They interviewed the townsfolk. The baker, Mrs. Gable, seemed nervous. So did the blacksmith, Mr. Strong. Lily and Finn noticed something strange. The baker and the blacksmith both had unusually smooth hands, too clean for their jobs. The counterfeiter must have needed a specific skill.

The duo remembered a tool in the blacksmith shop used for smoothing metal. Could they have used this to make the counterfeit coins? They rushed to the shop. Mr. Strong admitted to being jealous of Old Man Fitzwilliam's fortune and using his skills to make counterfeit coins.

They recovered the real coins hidden in Mr. Strong's forge. Old Man Fitzwilliam was elated. Lily and Finn, proud of their clever deduction, received a reward: a delicious apple pie from Mrs. Gable who felt awful about her part in the crime and was happy the crime was solved.