The Case of the Merry Mystery Shopper

’Twas the day before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring…especially after I detonated a bug bomb this morning. Because of the termite termination, I went to Target to finally start my holiday shopping.

The place was packed with shoppers reeking of desperation and bustling with panic. Thanks to all that time I spent in high school playing Frogger instead of talking to girls, I was able to duck and dodge my way through the shopping carts without getting squished, and I made it to the toy section.

At least I thought it was the toy section, but it was hard to tell since every shelf was picked cleaner than a zebra carcass at a lion convention. Every toy was gone, even the low-rate ones like New Jersey Barbie and the Donald Trump Toddler Tie Rack.

I looked around, dumbfounded, wondering what to do. And that’s when I saw him. He was a giant, bearded man dressed in a red jogging suit, his bulbous belly shaking like a bowl full of jelly (not that anyone I knew actually kept their jelly in a bowl). This brightly-clad cad was pushing one cart while pulling another, both overflowing with toys.

I rushed up and said, “Hey guy, you didn’t leave any toys for the rest of us. Now what am I supposed to do?”

“I ho-ho-hope you have a backup plan, Ace,” he said with a merry grin.

“Hey, how do you know my name, Mr.…”

“You can call me Nick. And you’d be surprised what I know a lot about: toys, cookies, unionized labor practices, list management, beard trimming and frozen reindeer droppings. What are your areas of expertise, Ace?”

“I know I’m in trouble if I don’t get my nephews a gift. And I know a lot about insurance.”

“Then maybe you can help me.”

“Only if I can snag a few of those toys in return, Nick.”

“Deal,” he said. “Now, I operate a vehicle that travels largely by air, but with very frequent ground stops. The vehicle is unlicensed and, while it can be used on public roads, it was not designed as such nor is it used that way. Will a personal auto policy protect me, or is my homeowners sufficient?”

“Can I get back to you on this?”

“No, I need to know tonight, or else Christmas will be ruined!”

“In that case,” I said with a gulp, “I have some news that’s more naughty than nice.”

How can Ace save Christmas?

Check your solution against Ace’s.