Dad chuckles again and stands up. "Tell you what, Detective," he says, "let's make a new batch before the whole family eats the next ones too." You smile and grab the mixing bowl. Rex follows you both to the kitchen, tail wagging like he's part of the baking team. Soon, there's flour on the floor, chocolate on Dad's shirt, and Rex wearing a chef's hat made out of a paper towel. When the cookies finally come out of the oven, they're golden and perfect. You set out a plate for Santa (and one small treat for Rex). The next morning, you wake up to find a note from Santa sitting by the empty cookie plate. It reads: "Delicious cookies! Excellent detective work, but next time, you might want to broaden your suspect list to include your brother and mom too!" You read the note out loud. Your brother and mom burst out laughing — and both admit they might have snuck a cookie too. The End.