It was a dark, stormy night when Gertrude McCluck got the call; there had been a roost robbery! A sneaky raccoon had broken into the coop and stolen 10 eggs. When she got there, she knew she had to act fast before the Poultry Police came. But she was too late. By the time she got there, the raccoon had escaped. She peeked into the coop to make sure everyone was okay. Suddenly she heard a gruff voice say, "Stop right there!" It was the Poultry Police. "You're under arrest for roost robbery," they said.

"But I'm not the thief!" Gertrude stammered. But they wouldn't listen! They put her in the car and drove away.

On the way to the jail, Gertrude thought about how to escape. When they got there, the jail guards asked for her name. "Gertrude McCluck," she replied. The guards burst out laughing, but then they got serious. "Your real name is what we want."

Gertrude was shocked! She cried, "My name is Gertrude McCluck!"

Then the guards got mad, "Once is funny, hen, but we've got work to do. Tell us your real name and we'll be on our way."

Gertrude was even more shocked! She insisted, "I'm telling you, my name is Gertrude McCluck."

The guards were furious. "Stop playing around, hen. You don't look like Mrs. McCluck, so how could you be her?"

Now she was downright exasperated. She opened her mouth to say something but then she remembered that she had covered herself with soot that night. "Would one of you roosters be kind enough to get me a bucket of water? All this talk has turned my mouth to desert."

The taller rooster sighed and went to get it. He returned soon and placed it in front of her. She reached down as if to drink but grabbed the bucket and dumped it over her head. The charcoal washed off and there in a puddle of liquid ash, stood... Gertrude McCluck!

M-M-Mrs. McCluck! We are so s-s-sorry that this happened," the guards stammered.

"It's quite fine," Gertrude replied.

The police took Gertrude McCluck home and apologized many times. Gertrude forgave them easily and told them who the thief really was. In the end, the raccoon ended up in jail, the coop was set with a security alarm, and the town of Coopville was safe again, all thanks to its newest detective, Gertrud McCluck!