Cam Jansen and the Graduation Day Mystery (2 page)

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Authors: David A. Adler

BOOK: Cam Jansen and the Graduation Day Mystery
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“I don't know how many there are,” Cam said, “but I know how to find out. We just have to count the number of names in the printed program.”
Eric opened the graduation program and started to count.
Then he stopped.
“Did you already look at the program?” he asked Cam.
“Yes.”
Eric laughed.
“Close your eyes and say,
‘Click!'
Look at the pictures you have in your head of all the names on the program. Then tell me how many graduates there are.”
Cam closed her eyes. She said,
“Click!”
Then, with her eyes still closed, she said, “There are six pages of names. Each page has four columns.”
With her eyes still closed Cam counted the names in the first column.
“One, two, three . . . eighteen, nineteen, twenty.”
Cam Jansen has a photographic memory. After she takes just one look at something, she remembers it perfectly. It's as if she has a mental camera and pictures in her head of everything she's seen.
Cam says,
“Click!”
whenever she wants to remember something. She says it's the sound her mental camera makes.
“Six pages of names with four columns on each page,” Cam said. “That's twenty-four columns. There are twenty names in each column.”
Cam opened her eyes.
“We just have to multiply twenty-four by twenty.”
“I'll do that,” Eric said. “I'm good at math.”
Eric borrowed his mother's pen. He wrote the problem on the back of his program.
“Cam,” Eric said. “There are four hundred and eighty graduates.”
Cam's real name is Jennifer. But when people found out about her amazing memory they started calling her “The Camera.” Soon “The Camera” was shortened to “Cam.”
Meow!
“Hey, Mom,” Harry said. “There's a cat at the graduation.”
Harry held out a few animal crackers.
“Here, kitty. Have a giraffe. Have a monkey.”
Meow!
“Hey, Mom,” Harry said. “The cat ate the cookies.”
A woman in a black cap and gown stood on the platform. She tapped on the microphone.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
“Please be seated,” she said. “We are about to begin.”
Chapter Two
“That's Dr. Bette Guterman,” Eric's mother whispered. “She's the president of the college.”
The large crowd was suddenly quiet. Donna, Diane, and Grandpa Shelton hurried to their seats.
“We found Dad,” Donna said. “He's sitting in the middle of the fourth row. We waved to him, and he waved back.”
“Everyone please rise,” Dr. Guterman said.
Thousands of people in the huge field stood.
Mrs. Shelton stood slowly. She didn't want to wake Howie.
“Stand straight,” the woman sitting behind the Sheltons told her son. “Hold your hand over your heart.”
Harry held his hand and his toy train over his heart.
“Hold your paw to your heart,” Harry told the cat.
Dr. Guterman and the people at the graduation faced the flag of the United States. They recited the pledge of allegiance. Then they sang the national anthem.
Dr. Guterman asked everyone to be seated.
“What happens now?” Diane asked.
Grandpa looked at his program.
“A speech,” Grandpa answered.
“And then what?” Diane asked.
“Another speech,” Grandpa said, “and another, and another.”
Diane complained, “No one told me I'd have to listen to so many speeches.”
“You don't have to listen,” her mother whispered. “You just have to sit quietly.”
Diane and Donna sat quietly for a while. Then they played with Harry and the cat.
Cam and Eric turned and watched Donna, Diane, and Harry feed the cat animal crackers.
“It's almost over,” Mrs. Shelton whispered to Cam and Eric. “The graduates are getting their diplomas.”
One by one Dr. Guterman called out the names of the graduates in the order they were listed in the program. One by one the graduates stepped onto the platform. They received their diplomas. Then they returned to their seats.
“Yay, Jacob!” a few people sitting in front of the Sheltons called out.
A young man with short dark hair had just received his diploma. He held it up and smiled.
“Yay, Margery!” Harry and his mother called out.
A young woman just climbing onto the platform turned and bowed to the crowd.
Donna said, “I'm hungry.”
“Soon we're going to a restaurant,” Grandpa told her. “You'll have plenty to eat.”
“Anne Sheldon,” Dr. Guterman called.
“Nancy Sheller.”
“Dad is next,” Mrs. Shelton whispered.
Grandpa hurried down the aisle.
“Benjamin Shelton,” Dr. Guterman called.
Eric told Cam, “Benjamin is Dad's real name. Ben is just what most people call him. It's his nickname.”
Cam said, “I know about nicknames.”
Mr. Shelton stepped onto the platform.
Cam stood. She looked straight at Eric's father. She blinked her eyes and said,
“Click!”
Mrs. Shelton stood. She was holding baby Howie. Eric and the twins stood, too.
Dr. Guterman gave Mr. Shelton his diploma. He held it up and smiled.
“Yay!” Mrs. Shelton and Cam called out.
“Yay, Dad!” Eric and the twins called out.
Howie opened his eyes. He looked at his mother and smiled.
“Isaac Shulman,” Dr. Guterman called.
Grandpa Shelton hurried back to his seat.
“Look,” he said, and showed everyone the small screen on the back of his digital camera. “I took some great pictures of Ben.”
“I took pictures, too,” Cam said, “but I took mine with my mental camera.”
After all the graduates had received their diplomas, Dr. Guterman held up her hands. She wanted everyone to be quiet.
“What's happening now?” Diane asked.
“I don't know,” her mother whispered. “There's nothing else listed on the program.”
Everyone was quiet. They looked at Dr. Guterman and waited.
Dr. Guterman smiled. Then she announced, “Congratulations to the graduates !”
The graduates cheered. Many of them threw their caps into the air. The people in the audience cheered, too.
“Yay!” Donna and Diane called out.
They threw their programs into the air.
“That's it,” Grandpa Shelton said. “When Ben gets here we'll all go to Green Stripes Restaurant to celebrate.”
Donna and Diane picked up their programs.
The graduates walked down the center aisle. When they reached their friends and families there were lots of hugs, kisses, and happy cheers.
Eric's father smiled and held up his diploma as he walked toward his family.
“Yay, Dad!” Eric called out.
Mrs. Shelton hugged her husband. Grandpa Shelton and all the children applauded.
“Grandpa has a surprise for you,” Eric said.
“It's right in here,” Grandpa said.
He held up a small shopping bag.
“Let me see,” Diane said.
“It's wrapped in silver paper,” Grandpa said. “No one sees what's inside until I give it to Ben at the restaurant.”
Diane looked in the bag.
“Grandpa,” Diane said. “There's nothing silver in here. All you have are toys, crackers, and apple juice.”
Chapter Three
Grandpa opened the bag. He took out a small toy train.
“Is that the present you got for Dad?” Diane asked. “If he doesn't want it, I'll take it!”
Grandpa shook his head.

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