It was Monday morning, and Zora had just walked into her classroom. She said hello to her friends Zander and Zoe, who had just come into the coat room, where Zora was removing her rain boots. It was nearly winter and the sky was cloudy and gray. As Zora changes into her sneakers, she notices that Boyd, who sat at a desk near hers, had mud on the soles of his boots. Just then, the bell rang, and Zora made her way to her desk.
Miss Rose, the teacher, stood up in front of the class. Though she usually wore a smile, this morning Miss Rose was frowning. "This morning, Miss Rose was saying, someone walked through the flower garden at the front of the school. There's a path of squashed flowers right through the middle of the garden. I know it's tempting to take a short cut through the flowers, but Principal Iris has announced many times that no one may walk through the flowers. If one of you is responsible, please speak up now. The principal tells me there will be no recess today if we don't solve this mystery."