For my mom's birthday, I organized a scavenger hunt.

Not really.

Back in the day, my aunt used to concoct 50s Proms and Murder Mysteries for family birthday parties. "I should have done something like that," I thought on Saturday as we gathered as my mom's house for combined birthday festivities.

But it turns out, in a way, I did.

"Hey, wouldn't it be fun to invite Zathy?" I asked my mom as we were planning the birthday events. Zathy – the parents of my childhood friend Mandy, our family friends who we grew up with. They've asked to be referred to here as Zathy, which I foresee will make the storytelling more complicated, but I'm always up for a challenge. They are definitely as stylish as Brangelina – are they still together, by the way? Anyway, per Zathy's suggestion, we'll refer to them as Zathy 1 and Zathy 2.

It was a sunny autumn afternoon with a crisp breeze and crunchy leaves. We'd eaten chili – my grandma's recipe – sandwiches, and more than a few pieces of Halloween candy. Little L had gone outside to play with her Gampa D and the dog. Slowly, we all put on our winter jackets and wandered outside to join the tennis ball-chasing. It was the perfect time for the pumpkin scavenger hunt my mom had planned to begin.

As the last pumpkin was spotted, I was in the front yard with Zathy 1. "I need to go look for my phone," she said to me, after I took a selfie with her to send to Mandy in California.

"Hey, let's go for a quick walk," Axel said, and he, Little L, and I, went on a short jaunt to the park.

We weren't gone but 20 minutes total – but we had missed a lot.

"Hey, do you have Zathy 1's phone?" I had texts from my brother, my cousin, and Zathy 1 herself – an error in my contacts, apparently, as I had entered both Zathy 1 and 2's numbers as simply Zathy. I'm sure friends of Brangelina can relate.

My mom had been frosting the cakes while the hubbub began. She brought them out now and set them on the table in the living room.

Little L has her eye on them, but no one else makes a move to sing "Happy Birthday." Zathy 1 is out in the backyard, now with a flashlight, as the yellow-orange sun begins its descent over the horizon. I snap a photo and send it to Mandy: "Your mom can't find her phone."

Zathy 2 is on his own iPhone, trying to sign in to track Zathy 1's phone. My mom is taking coats and boxes out of the front hall closet, examining them one at a time, my cousin assisting. Axel and I check the front yard, which Little L and her Gampa D have already checked twice. My brother David is giving a running commentary, and his partner Ami goes between bathrooms checking all surfaces.

"Is there any chance you left it at home?" My mom sticks her head out of the front hall closet and asks.

"I don't think so. I remember putting it in my pocket when I hung my sweatshirt up. But I'm going to go home to get my iPad to track my phone." Everyone yells after her to be sure to check the house.

As Zathy 1 departs, the rest of us continue the search. "Wow, this is like one of those birthday games!" my brother says. I'm not sure, but I think he's thinking of the murder mystery.

"Are you guys just doing this as a joke?" my mom asks. Now she's in the kitchen emptying the garbage and scouring its contents. No phone is going to get thrown out on her birthday.

Eventually Zathy 1 returns with the ipad. "Did you find it?" Zathy 2 asks hopefully, as he takes the ipad and logs in to the phone-finding app. Zathy 1 shakes her head.

"And it's not in the car?" Ami asks. "I feel like it has to be in the car."

Another round of searching ensues as Zathy 2 gets the phone-finding app running and announces that indeed, the map is showing the phone located right here on our street!

"Why don't you go out for a drive?" Zathy 2 suggests to Zathy 1. "Then I can watch on the map and see if the phone moves." I have been wondering if the phone had moved as we walked around the house – perhaps it was on one of our persons? Zathy 2 assures me that there has been no movement.

Little L tries on some fake ears and a witch nose sitting on the living room table. I wonder how much time we have before the evening unravelling will begin – she didn't get much sleep the night before and discovered the stash of Gamma's Halloween candy as soon as we arrived – along with Axel and Zathy 2.

Zathy 1 backs out of the driveway in her silver hatchback . I walk past the cakes and give them a sidelong glance. They sure would be a great treat, if we ever solve this mystery.

"Is the phone moving?" I ask Zathy 2, whose eyes are glued to the iPad.

He shakes his head. "It doesn't seem to be."

"It takes a while to update," Ami offers reassuringly.

"It's not in your backpack, right Zathy 2?" my mom asks.

"Definitely not," Zathy 2 says. But I hand him the backpack anyway. Wouldn't that be a great twist to end our story?

A few minutes later, and the backpack declared phone-free, Zathy 1 rushes in. "I was driving over by the retirement home, and I started hearing a dinging. Were you dinging my phone?" Zathy 1 looks at Zathy 2, who nods.

"I pulled over and looked, but I couldn't find it." Zathy 1's cheeks are flushed with anticipation.

Ami jumps up from her seat. My cousin and my mom follow Ami and Zathy 1 out the door in their stocking feet.

By the time I am exiting the front door, cheers erupt from the driveway, and everyone begins hugging.

The phone has been found.

Over mountains of cake, we listen as Ami gives us the secret to her sleuthing. "I've lost my phone under there too. You almost have to move the seat to get it."

We move on to the gift portion of the evening, and I no longer feel bad that I haven't created a game for the evening, as this real-life one has proven so much more challenging and gratifying. Even if my mom had to dig through the garbage on her birthday.

Later that night, back at home, and Little L asleep despite the three pieces of cake she's added to her sugar count for the day, I check in my backpack one more time. Where are my sunglasses?

I text my mom and brother and even Zathy at one of their numbers. "You haven't seen them have you?" I get lots of laugh-crying emojis in reply, with my mom sending me a photo of them on the ground next to me while I was stuffing my face with chocolate cake.

"I honestly think they're in the car," I text. "But it's too late now. I'll check in the morning." The car seems as good a bet as any.

And then something compels me to check in the kitchen storage container where I usually keep them – where I always put them – just one more time.

"VICTORY!" I text everyone. I know that after today, the whole gang will appreciate the thrill that comes with an item once lost, but now found.

You're welcome, Mom, for a great birthday game. That's about as much fun as we could have without ruffly dresses or the quest to find out whodunit.

Although, of course, we do know: It was Zathy 1, in the car, with the Kleenex box.

Everybody wins.