CHAPTER 8 – MOM'S RECIPE BOOK IS MISSING! WHO COPY-PASTED IT?
1. ANOTHER MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE – THIS TIME, A RECIPE BOOK!
After Asar prayers, Aiman sat in the living room, flipping through the latest issue of Ujang magazine while occasionally checking messages on his Nokia 3310. Suddenly, he heard a panicked voice from the kitchen.
“Aiman! Mom’s recipe book is missing!”
Aiman jumped up and rushed to the kitchen. His mother, Puan Nora, was frantically searching through drawers and shelves. She looked genuinely worried.
“I was sure I placed it here earlier. Aiman, have you seen it?”
Aiman scratched his head. “Which recipe book, Mom?”
“The one with all our Raya cookie recipes! Semperit, pineapple tarts, bangkit cheese... Everything’s in there! Raya is just around the corner—how am I supposed to make the cookies without it?”
Aiman froze. Semperit again?
A few days ago, semperit cookies had mysteriously gone missing from shops. Now, his mom’s recipe book was gone. Could there be a connection?
He quickly sent an SMS to Johan:
Aiman: Bro, my mom’s recipe book just disappeared!
Johan: Serious? This is turning into a national Raya cookie scandal!
Aiman: Feels like it’s linked to our case…
Johan: Meet at our usual spot after Maghrib. We need to talk.
2. CONNECTING THE DOTS – SOMETHING’S NOT RIGHT
After Maghrib prayers and breaking their fast, the Kampung Melayu Detective Gang gathered at their usual hangout—the stone bench near the mosque’s playground. This time, Faizal was also with them.
“Okay, first of all,” Johan began, “we now have three mysterious disappearances:
- Semperit cookies from multiple shops.
- Din’s sahur money.
- Aiman’s mom’s recipe book.”
Badrul scribbled in his small notebook. “This case is getting weirder. First, food disappears. Then money. Now a recipe book. What’s the connection?”
Din folded his arms. “I don’t think this is just some naughty kids messing around. Someone’s trying to make money from this.”
“But why steal a recipe book?” Faizal asked. “Who would want Aiman’s mom’s recipes?”
Aiman thought hard. If someone stole cookies, maybe they wanted to make their own and sell them. But why go as far as stealing the recipe?
Johan suddenly remembered something. “Guys, remember when we bought semperit at the bazaar the other day and suspected they were stolen?”
Everyone nodded.
“What if… the seller wasn’t actually selling stolen cookies, but making their own? But they didn’t have the right recipe, so they stole one?”
Aiman’s eyes widened. “You mean someone is trying to mass-produce Raya cookies… and they need the best recipe to do it?”
Badrul whistled. “This is crazy. If that’s true, we’re not dealing with an ordinary thief. We’re dealing with a Raya cookie syndicate.”
3. A NEW SUSPECT – WHO ENTERED THE HOUSE?
“Who came into your house today, Aiman?” Johan asked.
Aiman thought for a moment. “Not many. This morning, Pak Mail delivered the gas. Then Mom invited Kak Salmah, our neighbor, inside for a while. Oh, and a delivery guy dropped off the flour Mom ordered.”
“The delivery guy came inside?” Faizal asked.
“Yeah, he put the flour in the kitchen.”
Badrul jotted something down. “What if… he saw the recipe book and took it?”
“That’s possible,” Din said. “But how do we know for sure?”
Johan smirked and pulled out his Sony Ericsson K300i. “Good thing I have a camera phone.”
“What are you going to do?” Aiman asked.
Johan typed something on his phone. “I know a guy whose brother works for the delivery company. I’ll ask him if he can get me the name of the delivery guy.”
A few minutes later, Johan received a reply.
Johan: Bro, do you know the name of the delivery guy from this morning?
Friend: His name’s Azlan. Why?
Johan: Just need to ask him something about his job. Got his number?
Friend: Here you go. 019-XXXXXXX.
Johan grinned. “We’ve got a new suspect.”
4. A SHOCKING SMS REVEAL!
Johan immediately sent a message to Azlan.
Johan: Assalamualaikum bro, you delivered flour to my friend’s house today, right?
Azlan: Waalaikumussalam. Yeah, why?
Johan: Did you see a recipe book in the kitchen?
Azlan: Err… why are you asking?
Johan: It’s missing.
There was no reply for a few minutes. Then, Azlan finally responded:
Azlan: I didn’t take it. I just took a picture of it…
Johan: A picture? Why?
Azlan: My boss told me to take a picture of the cookie recipes.
Johan’s eyes widened. “Guys… he didn’t take the book. But he TOOK PICTURES of the recipes!”
“Who’s his boss?” Faizal asked.
Johan quickly typed again.
Johan: Who’s your boss?
Azlan: I can’t say…
Aiman clenched his fists. “This confirms it! Someone is stealing my mom’s recipes to make and sell their own cookies!”
Badrul raised a hand. “Hold up. If they copied the recipe, that means their cookies should taste exactly like your mom’s, right?”
Aiman nodded.
Din smirked. “Which means… we need to buy semperit from the bazaar, taste it, and compare?”
5. THE PLAN: FINDING THE IMITATION SEMPERIT!
The next day, after Asar, they headed to the Ramadan bazaar. They searched for the stall selling semperit cookies and bought a box.
That night, at Aiman’s house, they placed the bazaar-bought cookies next to the ones his mom had made.
Faizal picked up a cookie from the bazaar’s box and sniffed it.
“It smells the same…”
Aiman took one from the bazaar’s box and one from his mom’s batch. He snapped both in half.
“The texture is identical…”
Din pinched off a small piece and tasted it. His eyes widened immediately.
“This… TASTES EXACTLY THE SAME!”
Johan quickly typed on his phone.
- Bazaar-bought semperit tastes identical to Aiman’s mom’s cookies.
- Suspect: The mysterious cookie boss stealing recipes.
- Next mission: Find out who is really behind the Raya cookie syndicate.
The mystery was getting deeper, and they knew one thing—this thief needed to be caught before Raya morning arrived!