Dastardly Villain on the Loose?

Super Secret Jack Spinner the Specialized Sleuth and his Mighty Sidekick Zachery the Kosmic Kid were in the Super Secret Headquarters when the red jingle-phone — the direct line to the North Pole Command Office — began to jingle sharply.

Super Secret grabbed it. Bernard Elf’s voice burst through, frazzled and loud:
“Jack! Zachery! We’ve got a situation — and I need the Mighty Duo immediately!”

“We’re on it!” Super Secret declared heroically and slammed the receiver down so hard the phone shook on its hook.

“So, uh… where exactly are we going?” Kosmic Kid asked.

“Ahh yes, important detail. Very important,” Super Secret said, pacing.
Just then, the jingle-phone jingled again.

A very exasperated Bernard spoke slowly, as if his list was three miles long:
“Jack… should I tell you the location?”

“Yes, please. I was just explaining to Kosmic how absolutely vital that information was.”

Moments later, Super Secret and Kosmic Kid stood at the top of the stairs inside Santa’s Village Headquarters, outside Bernard’s temporary command center. A frantic Bernard Elf stood in the doorway, wearing his sorting gloves and a look that screamed “I haven’t slept since yesterday.”

“Tell them,” Bernard muttered.

“My sewing machine,” said Mrs. Claus, stepping forward with trembling hands. “It’s… it’s stopped working!” She immediately burst into tears.

Bernard added in a whisper, “And this is bad. Very bad. She makes all the uniforms, aprons, flight gloves — EVERYTHING.”

“Oh,” Super Secret said deflatingly. “Doesn’t sound too serious to me.”

Mrs. Claus’ eyes flashed.
“Not too serious?! Bernard is running three departments, Santa is… unavailable, and if I can’t sew, the whole place falls apart! Too tight! Too baggy! No pockets! Buttons bouncing all over the floor!”

Super Secret gulped as Kosmic Kid gently said, “Mrs. Claus, we won’t let this jeopardize anything. Let’s check your workroom and see if—”

“NO!” Super Secret barked. “No one enters the workroom. I declare it a CRIME SCENE!”

Bernard pinched the bridge of his nose.
“We could just have Gizmo take a—”

But Super Secret was already spinning dramatically.
“This smells like sabotage. We’ll find the dastardly villain behind this—”

He whipped around, tripped over both untied shoelaces, and tumbled down the stairs.
KABOOM, BAM, THUNK!
He landed in the kitchen, sending a table flying and a rolling pin rocketing straight into his forehead — BONK!

“OWWW! That’s gonna leave a mark!” he groaned. “This villain is clever. Setting booby traps already!”

Is there a dastardly villain on the loose?
Will the Mighty Duo crack the case of the sabotaged sewing machine?
And will Super Secret Jack Spinner manage to stay upright long enough to help Bernard keep the North Pole from unraveling?

More on this developing story next Sunday.

Same Super Secret time!
Same Super Secret place!