Hello friends and welcome to Sleep Tight Stories. Each week we share a few shoutouts and birthday wishes for listeners who help support the show. It's a small way we say thank you, and it always makes us smile. Congratulations to Mason on your first communion. We are so proud of you and we love watching you grow. We love you so much. Love mom, dad, and Jackson. Happy belated 6th birthday to Cameron of Arundel, Maine, who turned 6 on May 7th. 6-7 We're so proud of your sweetheart, thoughtful spirit, amazing dinosaur knowledge, and one wonderful drawings. You amaze us every day, big hanny. We love you to the moon and back. Love mama, daddy, and Connor. Happy 6th birthday to Jane B from North Carolina. Mommy, daddy, Ollie, the cats, Lizard, Bubby, Zady, Mimi, Bubba, and your whole family love you dearly. We're so proud of your smart, spirited, thoughtful heart, and all your kindergarten accomplishments this year. We can't wait to see the adventures your 6th brings. Happy birthday to our wonderful soccer loving kid. Mom and dad are so proud of you Wells. Happy 10th birthday to Finn in Brookline, Massachusetts on May 18th. Mom, dad, and Sawyer are so proud of your hard work, boundless energy, and great sense of humor. You're the fastest kid on the soccer field and an amazing big brother. We love you so much. And thanks for getting us to subscribe to Bernice. Alia, 10 years old. Happy birthday. We love you so much. We're Tia Jessica, Tia Lisa, your brother, mommy and mom, grandma, and Nala and Dakota. Oh, Jack too. Happy birthday to Alice in West Hartford who is turning 6 on May 16th. Mom, dad, and big sister Ava are so proud of you. Happy birthday to Sig V Mahoney from County Kerry, Ireland who is 6. We hope you have the best day. Love from mommy, daddy, and Rianne. Happy 8th birthday to Beatrix from London. Daddy, mommy, Melissa, and baby Matilda love you and are so proud of you. You are our special shooting superstar. Maybe now is probably a good time to stop pulling funny faces in family photos. Happy 8th birthday to Georgia White in Pennsylvania. You are growing into the most wonderful, beautiful, and brilliant girl we could hope for. Love you today and always. Mommy, dad, Augh, and Ramsay. And happy 4th birthday to our Stella Star. You are strong, smart, brave, and kind. We are all so proud of you. Please dance to your own beat. Love mommy, daddy, Brutus, Fiona, and Whiskers. Happy birthday to you all. You know every time we sit down to record we think about you. Tucked in, ready for a story, maybe holding a favorite stuffed toy or snuggled next to someone you love. Knowing we get to be part of your bedtime makes everything we do feel worthwhile. If Sleep Tight Stories has become part of your family's routine, thank you. And if you'd like to support what we do while enjoying ad-free episodes and bonus stories, Sleep Tight Premium is just two taps away. The link is in our show notes. Now onto our story. Red and the gang are still working on the teacher's gift mystery. Red has the job of going to school to speak to Jordan to see if he has noticed anything unusual, where he is always at school early. Jordan is surprised when Red asks him about the teacher's gifts. And yes, he has some information to add. The transfer student volume 3, part 12. Red hadn't slept well and it took her a while to fall asleep. The physics journals were more interesting than she'd expected, comforting like reading old story books. But then her mind raced all night with the old dreams coming back. Dreams of flying objects in the sky. She used to think it was her brain noticing surveillance by the AID. Now she wasn't so sure. Still she didn't need her alarm to wake and luckily, blue wasn't in a teasing mood. No gags or traps. She quickly got ready and raced downstairs. Her mother had made some breakfast but looked very tired. What's up with her, Red thought? Sleeping in? Catching a virus? Now looking exhausted? She would have to remember to ask about it after this latest mystery was solved. After a quick breakfast and the usual conversation with blue, she rode the yellow monstrosity to school. Charlie seemed more together, no dripping nose and his socks actually matched. After Red arrived at school, she went straight to find Jordan. The library was quiet this early, just a few students scattered at tables. Jordan was in his usual corner spot, backpack on the floor, reading something that looked like a puzzle book. Red walked over trying to look casual. Hey, mind if I sit with you? Jordan looked up surprised. Oh, hi, sure. Red sat down, pulled out some English she had to work on. They worked in silence for a minute before Red spoke. So, Red said finally, keeping her voice low, we are investigating the teacher gifts, the anonymous ones in the teacher's lounge. Jordan's pencil stopped moving. He didn't look up. Oh, have you noticed anything? You're here early a lot, you see things. You are good at noticing stuff, so I thought I would ask. Jordan was quiet for a long moment. Then quietly said, I've been leaving some things, just a few things. Red let out a deep sigh. They'd solved it, just like that. Jordan was just small stuff. Jordan continued quickly, bookmarks I made, nice notes, things that don't cost much. He finally looked up, meeting her eyes. I'm not leaving the expensive stuff, the coffee and chocolate and fancy pens. I can't afford that. Red studied his face. Jordan looked worried. Honest. A little embarrassed. He didn't look like he wasn't telling the truth. After the locker notes, Jordan explained, voice barely above a whisper. I learned that helping people directly feels better than hiding. So I started making bookmarks, leaving little notes for teachers who look stressed. But anonymous still because, he trailed off. Because it feels better, Red finished. Yeah. Jordan looked relieved, she understood. But I swear I'm not leaving the expensive gifts. I saw them appear same as everyone else. I even saw someone else near the lounge, twice, during my early mornings. Red leaned forward, who? Jordan hesitated. I don't want to accuse anyone without being sure and I don't gossip. I only saw them from behind. Could have been a teacher, could have been someone else, I'm not really sure. Red respected that. Jordan had learned not to jump to conclusions and to not spread rumors. Can you keep watching? Let us know if you see them again. Yeah, I can do that. Jordan managed a small smile. Do you think it's crazy? The bookmarks? Crazy? Red shook her head. Jordan, that's really kind. Teachers probably love those. They're not much. They're thoughtful. That's what matters. Jordan looked down at his puzzle book, but Red could see he was pleased. After completing a few very boring exercises for English, Red gathered her books. If Jordan was leaving small gifts and someone else was leaving expensive ones, they had two mysteries. Two gift givers. Thanks for telling me, Red said, and I hope you will keep making the bookmarks. It's very nice. Jordan nodded. Thanks, Red. As Red left the library, her mind was already working. Two people. Two different patterns. Jordan doing small handmade kindness. Someone else doing expensive purchased gifts. The question was, who was the other person? And why were they leaving these gifts? And today's schedule gave her a whole day of classes to think about it. Red got home that afternoon and barely made it through the front door before Blue intercepted her. I did more investigating. He announced proudly, you're welcome. Red dropped her backpack. What did you do? Blue held up two plastic bags like they were full of treasure. I conducted forensic analysis of the teacher's lounge waste receptacle. You went through the trash? Evidence collection. Blue corrected. It's a legitimate investigative technique. Red sighed. Ugh. Okay. I hope you washed your hands afterwards. Show me what you found. Blue carefully laid out his findings on the hallway floor. First, there was a receipt from a fancy coffee shop downtown. An expensive order from two weeks ago. The paper was slightly crumpled, but the purchase details were clear. $12 for coffee. Second, there was a handmade bookmark with a pressed flower carefully preserved between two pieces of clear contact paper. Recent, delicate, obviously made by hand. There was also a gum wrapper with gum in it that must have got stuck to the rest. Yuck. Red stared at the evidence. Two different trash days, Blue explained. Way too excited about the garbage. Two different styles. Two different people, obviously. Red picked up the bookmark carefully. It looked exactly like something Jordan would make. Simple and thoughtful. The receipt was expensive. Definitely not something Jordan could afford. You actually figured it out, Red said slowly. There are two gift givers. Jordan's making the bookmarks. He told me this morning. But someone else is buying the expensive stuff. Blue beamed. I knew it. One person makes stuff. One person buys stuff. Different patterns. Different methods. Probably different motivations too. It's basic forensic analysis. How did you even get into the teacher's lounge? Mr. Hennessey was cleaning. I told him I was helping with a school project about waste reduction. Blue looked very pleased with himself. Which is technically true. I am reducing confusion by analyzing waste. He'd had to admit, as annoying as Blue was, he'd actually done solid detective work. This is helpful, thank you. Does this mean I get promoted from consultant? No. Worth a shot. Blue grabbed his bags. So who's the second person? The one buying expensive stuff. That's what we need to figure out. Can't throw out the evidence, Red told Blue, I should show the gang. Blue saluted dramatically. Evidence secured. Let me know if you need more forensic support. Red rolled her eyes. But she was smiling. Sometimes having an annoying genius little brother was actually useful. An hour later, hardly enough time for Red to grab something to eat. The gang was crammed into Red's room, looking at Blue's evidence spread across her desk. Two people? Charlie's voice went up an octave. This whole time we've been looking for one person and there's two? It makes sense, Alexa says, pulling up her tablet. Look, I've been tracking every gift. She turned the screen so everyone could see her spreadsheet. Small gifts, bookmarks, pressed flowers, handwritten notes, appeared early mornings, always between 6.45 and 7.30 a.m. Expensive gifts, fancy coffee, calligraphy pens, gourmet chocolate, appeared during lunch periods, always between 12 and 12.45 p.m. Different timing, Alexa said, different style, different cost. We've been tracking two separate patterns this whole time. So Jordan's won, Rachel said. He told Red this morning. The small stuff, Red confirmed, handmade bookmarks, nice notes, things that don't cost much. He wanted to be kind to teachers, but he can't afford expensive gifts. He hurt unwrapped a granola bar, hungry again. So who's the other person who's leaving the expensive stuff? Jordan said he saw someone near the lounge, Red explained, early in the morning, which doesn't quite match. But he wouldn't say who because he's not so sure. Why not? Charlie asked, frustrated. Is he hiding something? Maybe he is involved in some grand conspiracy or because Jordan doesn't want to accuse someone without proof, Red sighed. Charlie had a vivid imagination. Except for the sound of Kurt eating a second granola bar, the room went quiet for a moment. So Alexa said, typing notes, we're looking for someone who has money for expensive gifts, has access to the school during lunch, and she paused. Someone who noticed Jordan's small kindnesses? What do you mean? Kurt asked. Look at the timing, Alexa pointed at her screen. Jordan's small gifts started two weeks ago. The expensive gifts started three days later. What if someone saw what Jordan was doing and wanted to do more? Red's mind clicked. That made sense. Jordan's quiet kindness inspiring someone else to be generous too. Teachers notice everything Rachel said quietly. It could be a teacher. Mr. McCaskill drinks a lot of coffee, Charlie observed, and he's always at school early. McCaskill? Kurt stopped mid-bite, but he's, why would he leave anonymous gifts to other teachers? Red thought about Mr. McCaskill's comment last week. Sometimes people have good reasons for staying anonymous. And how he seemed to know they were investigating. And how he's always observant, always kind, always noticing things others miss. Could it be him? We need more surveillance, Red said, but different this time. We focus on two different times. Early morning and lunch periods. Jordan's handling mornings. We need to figure out who's doing lunch. Split surveillance, Alexa said, already making notes. Different times, different patterns. Charlie rubbed his hands together. This just got way more interesting. It also got way more complicated, Rachel pointed out. But we're closer, Red said, looking at the evidence. We know there are two people. We know when each one operates. We just need to figure out who the second person is. And why, Rachel added softly. Why would someone be inspired by Jordan to do this? That was the real question, Red thought. Jordan's small act of kindness, creating ripples. Someone seeing that kindness and wanting to add to it. It was actually kind of nice. Tomorrow, Red said, we watched during lunch. See who's not in the cafeteria. See who has time to slip into the teacher's lounge unnoticed. Everyone nodded. The Solving Mysteries Club had a new plan. And this time, Red had a feeling they were really close to the answer. After that evening, after everyone had gone home, Red sat at her desk thinking about the day's discoveries. Two Gift-Givers. Jordan leaving small handmade kindnesses. Someone else, someone with money and time, leaving expensive gifts. Jordan's quiet acts of generosity, inspiring someone else to be generous too. So they'd figure out who the second person was and why they would want to stay anonymous while being kind. Red took out her English exercise worksheets she had been ignoring since this morning. English was still a challenge for her. Are you writing about my brilliant detective work? Blue shouted through the wall. Red threw a pillow at the wall. Go to sleep. I expect full credit when you solve it. Blue was annoying, but he was sometimes a big help. She quickly finished the last few exercises she had to do for tomorrow and put the sheets away in her binder. She enjoyed these mysteries, though not challenging in the way that science was or the problems she had to solve on Mars, they were a wonderful diversion and she couldn't deny that it was fun to hang out with the gang. Tomorrow would be interesting, she thought. Tomorrow they'd learn something about the kind of person who sees someone else being kind and decides to join in. That seemed like the kind of mystery worth solving. And that is the end of our story. Good night. Sleep tight.
