The Trick or Treat Mystery

Written by Tom Fowler, Published on 10/30/2009

Ed and Ellen McAnn lived in a semi-rural area. There were rows of houses on both sides of the street but, once you left the small neighborhood they had lived in for almost ten years, you had to travel over a mile to get to the next populated suburb. Ed and Ellen liked the semi–privacy of being out, but not too far out, from the edge of the town.

They never knew what to expect on Halloween. Some years, they had numerous costumed children come to their door, happily shouting to them, “Trick or Treat! In other years there was only a handful. Ed, a detective with the City Police Department, never could figure out why this was the way it was. But, on this night, he didn’t care. Ellen had agreed to answer the door and pass out treats to the many or few who would visit their home. He had a favorite movie to watch on television.

The evening was crystal clear and beautiful. The moon was shining bright above their home, which sat on the north side of a street which ran east and west. In their neighborhood where there were few trees, there was more than ample lighting for children walking over lawns and across public streets.

Ed and Ellen’s daughter Crystal brought their grandsons over just after dark. She didn’t see Crystal pull her car into the driveway, as it sat to the extreme west of the property and out of view of the front door. They were the first trick or treat customers and Ellen was not only surprised but delighted. This year, she was handing out starlight mints. She knew this wasn’t much but there had been the death of her aged uncle last week and there had been little time to shop and prepare for Halloween. She felt badly but there was nothing she could do about it.

Ellen soon realized this would probably be a year of few children coming to the door. It was almost an hour later before the first one arrived at the front door and, over the course of the next couple of hours, there would be only four more. She turned off the porch light and closed the door just after 9:00 p.m.

She and Ed thought no more about Trick or Treat night until the next morning. As Ed opened the garage door to leave for work, he noticed something propped up on the driveway, close to the door and blocking his exit. It was a small model tombstone, which bore the inscription:

Few treats in this house, I fear; Tricks to all who live here!

Beside the tombstone, there were a couple of broken eggs that created a small but inconvenient mess to clean up. The garage doors sat several feet back from the front of the house and anyone wishing to pull a prank by the door would do so unnoticed. Ed remembered his wife’s concern over the lack of goodies to pass out. It seems one child resented the modest starlight mint treat and wished for more. After assisting Ellen with the cleanup, he told her they would discuss it after he returned from work.

That night, Ed and Ellen relaxed after dinner. He said, “Tell me about last night.”

Ellen answered, “We only had five kids come to the door. I’d like to know which one pulled the “trick” on us. I recognized all of them and would like to call the parents.”

Ed said, “Keep talking.”

“Well, the first child, dressed as a witch, hurriedly appeared from the direction of the Smiths, our neighbors to the east and left going towards our neighbors to the west. After listening for the traditional “Trick or Treat,” I dropped a mint into the witch’s brew pot and the child skipped away. I was a little concerned for the witch because her costume was so baggy and loose fitting that I feared she would trip and hurt herself.”

“Next came the lion. He was very small and with his father. After thanking me I saw them head toward the Smith home. They didn’t seem unhappy with the small treat.”

“A little while later the ghost appeared. The ghost was very real looking in the moonlight as the slight breeze kept blowing the sheet, which served as the costume. The ghost came from the direction of the driveway and headed east after thanking me for the starlight mint.”

Ellen continued as Ed intently listened. “Next came Superman. This boy was a little older and the tight fitting costume showed off a developing, muscular physique. He didn’t seem unhappy with his treat, either.”

“Last was Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. Before leaving our door, her little dog, dressed as Toto, ran into the street to chase a rabbit in the moonlight. I went outside to make certain everything was OK. ‘Dorothy’ didn’t retrieve her dog until they were several houses up the street.”

Which direction did they go? ”

“West.”

Ed thought a minute and smiled. He said to his wife, “You think you know who all of the five children were?

“Yes, I’m certain of it. I know them all from volunteering at the school.”

“Good. I know whose parents you need to call.”