Detective Harper leaned back in his chair, staring at the screen showing the museum’s empty gallery. The Jewel of Smith Museum had been stolen in the dead of night, and the footage from the security cameras revealed nothing. “Not even a shadow,” he muttered. The guards were clueless, and the police had no leads.

Meanwhile, across town, 12-year-old Max was struggling with his own mystery: a stubborn case of hiccups that wouldn’t go away. “Max, you sound like a frog,” his sister Ellie teased as he hiccupped for the hundredth time.

“I’ve tried everything,” Max grumbled. “Holding my breath, drinking water upside down—nothing works!”

Before Ellie could suggest another remedy, their mom turned on the news. A reporter stood outside the Smith Museum, explaining the bizarre disappearance of the priceless jewel. Ellie’s eyes lit up. “Let’s go check it out!”

“What? We can’t just walk into a crime scene,” Max said.

“We’re not walking in; we’re investigating,” Ellie said, grabbing his arm. “Come on, Sherlock Hiccups!”

At the museum, Max and Ellie blended into the crowd of curious onlookers. The security room door was ajar, and Ellie’s curiosity got the better of her. “Let’s take a peek,” she whispered, dragging Max along.

Inside, they found the room empty. Ellie started scrolling through the footage while Max tried to stop hiccupping. Suddenly, on the screen, a faint shadow flickered. “Did you see that?” Ellie asked.

“Nope, hiccupped,” Max said. But when he hiccupped again, the shadow reappeared.

Ellie froze. “Your hiccups are doing something to the video!”

Sure enough, every time Max hiccupped, the cameras picked up faint traces of movement. A figure in a cloaking suit appeared, carrying a small bag. Ellie rewound the footage, confirming their discovery. “Max, your hiccups just cracked the case!”

The siblings hurried to Detective Harper. At first, he was skeptical, but when Max hiccupped in front of the footage, Harper’s jaw dropped. The thief’s cloaking suit was malfunctioning just enough to be detected by sound vibrations. “Well, I’ll be,” Harper said. “You kids just solved the mystery!”

Later that evening, the Jewel of Smith was recovered, and the thief was arrested. The mayor gave Max and Ellie a medal of honor, calling them “the most unexpected detectives in town.”

Max grinned. “So, hiccups aren’t so bad after all,” he said.

Ellie smirked. “Don’t get any ideas, Sherlock. One case is enough.”