The Great Turkey Heist

by Gertrude Chandler Warner

  Henry found a box of lightbulbs. He set up the ladder and began to remove the old ones.

  “This place sure is a mess,” Jessie said, wringing out her mop.

  “Yes,” Violet agreed. She wiped a cobweb from the corner of a shelf. “But even after it is clean, I am afraid it will still look dreary. It is not a very pleasant place for a food pantry.”

  Henry stood on top of the ladder. “Violet is right,” he said. “Now that the room is brighter, I can see how bad things are.”

  Benny pointed. “Look,” he said. “There are even some holes in the walls.”

  “I can fix those,” Henry said.

  “And maybe we can paint the walls a more cheerful color,” Jessie added.

  The children were standing together near the ladder when they heard a loud crash at the door. Everyone jumped.

  “What was that?” Benny asked.

  Violet took Benny’s hand.

  “Stay there,” Jessie said to her sister and brother. “Henry and I will check it out.”

  There were no windows to look outside into the alley. Henry slowly opened the door. Something red dripped down the door. Garbage was scattered in the alley.

  “What’s that smell?” Benny held his hand over his nose. “It’s terrible.”

  Henry opened the door wide. “It looks like a trash can full of garbage was overturned.”

  Jessie looked up the alley. There was no one there. The small yellow cat picked through the mess.

  “Do you think the cat knocked over the trash can?” asked Violet.

  “No,” Henry said. “Someone threw the trash can against our door.” He looked up at the red-liquid stain on the top of the door. A ketchup bottle lay broken beneath it on the ground. “For one thing, the cat could not get to the garbage up that high. And also, the sign that Mr. Grayson taped to the door is gone. I’ll be right back.”

  Henry jumped over a half-eaten sandwich and an empty soda bottle. He ran up the alley to Chestnut Street. He looked up and down the street. He only saw shoppers and people out for a stroll. No one looked suspicious.

  Jessie swept the garbage into a pile. Violet helped to dump it all back into the trash can. When they were done cleaning up, the children went back inside. They sat in a circle on the floor.

  “I don’t see how this food pantry will ever work,” Jessie said.

  “There’s not much food here,” Benny said. “It is not enough to fill up very many people.”

  Henry looked toward the door. “And someone is trying hard to hurt this food pantry.”

  Jessie looked at her brother. “Do you think that the person who threw the garbage could be the same person who knocked Mr. Grayson to the ground?”

  “It could be,” Henry said.

  “But why would anyone not like a food pantry?” asked Benny.

  Henry shook his head. “I don’t understand it, either,” he said. “It doesn’t make any sense.”

  Violet had been sitting very quietly. Now she suddenly stood up. “The person who did this is not going to stop the food pantry,” she said. “We are going to make it a big success. If Mr. Grayson agrees, we will paint the walls and the door outside, too. I can paint the name of the food pantry right on the door. No one will be able to steal it then.”

  “But there’s no food,” Benny said. His stomach was already growling for lunch.

  “A new sign is a good idea, Violet,” Jessie said. “But Benny is right. It will not help if there is no food on the shelves.”

  Violet looked thoughtful. “Maybe it will,” she said. “I have an idea.”

  Just then, there was a faint scratching at the door. The children sat very still.

  “Do you think the bad person is back?” whispered Benny.

  The scratching noise continued.

  Jessie opened the door a crack. She peeked outside. She felt something brush against her legs and she jumped back. It was the yellow cat! It snuck into the room and sat right next to Benny. It mewed.

  The children laughed.

  “This time it was the cat!” Benny said.

  Violet found a bowl and a small can of tuna fish in the cupboard in the back room. She set it out for the cat.

  “Poor little thing,” she said. “You must be very hungry.”

  The cat began to quickly eat the tuna fish. Violet ran her fingers through the cat’s soft fur. “This cat is our first customer at the food pantry!” she said.

  “I suppose you are right about that, Violet,” Henry said. “I hope she is not our last.”

  Benny’s stomach growled so loudly that even the cat looked up.

  “Sorry,” Benny said. “I guess all this talk of food is making my stomach go crazy.”

  Henry laughed. “The cat is not the only hungry one in this room. Let’s go get some lunch, and Violet can tell us about her ideas.”

  CHAPTER 3

  Mind Your Own Business!

  Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny sat in a back booth at Green Fields restaurant. Jessie squirted ketchup on Benny’s burger.

  Noreen, the waitress, set four cold glasses of apple cider on the table. “Mr. Grayson is a little busy in the kitchen right now,” she said. “But he’ll be out to talk with you as soon as he can.”

  “Of course,” Jessie said. “We understand.”

  Violet took a long drink of her cider. “I was thinking,” she said, “that we need a lot of donations if we are going to fill up the shelves at the food pantry. I will paint a sign on the door. But no one will see it. We need to let everyone know about the food pantry.”

  “How about flyers?” Jessie asked.

  Violet took a bite of her salad. “Yes,” she said. “We could make flyers and put them up around town.”

  “The grocery store would be the best place,” Henry said.

  Jessie agreed. “People could buy food and donate it right at the checkout!”

  “And we could set up donation jars, too,” Violet said.

  Benny took a gulp of his apple cider. “What’s a donation jar?” he asked.

  Violet reached for a large glass container of mustard. She put it in the center of the table. “We could clean out jars like this, Benny,” she said. “Then we could tape a small sign to the front asking for donations. If stores will put them on their checkout counters, people could drop their change into the jar. We could use that money to buy more food for the food pantry.”

  Mr. Grayson walked up to the booth. He was wearing a white apron and carrying a warm apple pie. “May I join you for some dessert?” he asked.

  “Oh boy!” Benny said. “Pie!”

  Noreen brought five plates and five forks and sliced the pie. Everyone had a large piece.

  “Mr. Grayson,” Henry said. “We were wondering if we could paint the food pantry.”

  “It’s clean now,” Jessie added. “But it is still dark inside. Maybe a fresh coat of paint would brighten it up.”

  “That sounds wonderful!” Mr. Grayson said.

  “And Violet can paint a sign on the door,” Benny mumbled, his mouth full of pie. “Violet is a good artist. She can draw anything!”

  Violet’s face turned red. “Not anything, Benny,” she said. “But I’m sure I can design a nice sign for your door, Mr. Grayson.”

  “And no one better throw garbage on it!” Benny said as he ate the last crumb from his plate.

  Mr. Grayson looked confused. “Garbage?”

  Henry explained what had happened earlier at the food pantry.

  Mr. Grayson seemed surprised. “You weren’t hurt, were you?” he asked.

  “Oh no,” Jessie said. “Nothing like that. It was just messy.”

  Mr. Grayson crossed his arms. He stared out the window. “I don’t understand it,” he said. “Who could be doing these things?”

  Noreen hurried up to the table. “I’m sorry to interrupt,” she said. “You are needed in the kitchen, Mr. Grayson.”

  “Sorry, children,” he said. “I have a lot of work to do. But if yo
u want to paint the food pantry, you can get the supplies at the hardware store. I will call Mr. Carroll. He will put the charges on my account.” Mr. Grayson got up and walked back to the kitchen.

  “Mr. Grayson sure is a busy man,” Benny said.

  “Yes,” said Violet. “And he seems quite upset about the problems with the food pantry.”

  “We should get to the hardware store,” Henry said. “We have a lot of work to do.”

  The children parked their bicycles in the alley by the food pantry. They walked around the corner to the hardware store. Inside, they looked at all the color choices for paint.

  “There must be every color in the rainbow here,” Jessie said. “How will we ever choose?”

  Violet admired all the many shades of purple. It was her favorite color.

  “This one matches your hair ribbons and your shoelaces,” Benny said, pointing to a pretty shade of violet.

  Violet smiled. She often wore something purple with each of her outfits. “Yes, it does, Benny. And look! This color matches your shirt.” Violet showed her brother a golden-yellow paint.

  “That yellow would certainly brighten up the food pantry,” Jessie said.

  “I agree,” Henry added.

  “Can I help you kids?” A dark-haired man in a flannel shirt stood in the aisle. “I’m Mr. Carroll. Are you the Aldens?” he asked.

  “Yes,” Jessie answered. She introduced her sister and brothers. “We’re here for some paint.”

  “Mr. Grayson told me you would be stopping by. Did you pick out a color?”

  “We think this golden-yellow would brighten up the walls,” Jessie said.

  “That’s a good choice,” Mr. Carroll agreed. “I’ll get you started with a few cans. If you run low, you can come back for more.”

  Mr. Carroll grabbed a cart. He mixed the paint. Then he put the cans in the cart. He also put brushes, rollers, and paint trays in the cart.

  “Wow!” Benny said. “That’s a lot of stuff. I can’t wait to paint! I’m going to paint one whole wall by myself!”

  Mr. Carroll laughed. “You might need your brother to help you with the high places,” he said. “But if you are going to be painting, I think you need one more thing.” Mr. Carroll pulled a box down from a shelf.

  “What’s that?” Benny asked.

  “These are painter’s overalls,” he said. “I think I have some small sizes in here. Here, try these on, Benny.”

  Benny slipped into the overalls. They were a little too long. Jessie rolled up the pant legs for him.

  “Look at me!” Benny cried. “These even have a pocket in the front. I can put my brush in there!” Benny grabbed a brush from the cart and stuck it in the pocket. Everyone laughed.

  “There’s a pair for each of you here,” Mr. Carroll said. “Help yourselves.”

  “Thank you,” Henry said. “But we don’t want to run Mr. Grayson’s bill up too high. We should just get the paint and the brushes. We’ll be careful not to get paint on our clothes.”

  “I insist,” Mr. Carroll said. “I am donating all this to the food pantry.”

  “That is so kind. Thank you,” Jessie said.

  Mr. Carroll patted his round stomach. “I sure like to eat,” he said. “I don’t like to think of anyone being hungry. This is my way of helping. I will stop by later to see how you are making out.”

  The children thanked Mr. Carroll and carried their supplies back to the food pantry. The little yellow cat was waiting for them.

  “Can we let the cat in again?” Benny asked.

  “Sure,” Jessie said. “She certainly seems to like you.”

  The cat rubbed itself against Benny’s legs.

  “Come on, Sunny. Come on,” Benny said. He picked the cat up and held her in his arms.

  “How do you know her name is Sunny?” asked Violet.

  “That’s easy!” Benny said. “She is yellow and she feels warm!”

  Everyone laughed. Soon, they were all hard at work. Henry fixed the holes in the wall with material he found at the hardware store. Jessie took the wooden sticks Mr. Carroll had put in her bag and stirred the paint in the cans. She laid a blue tarp on the floor in the corner. Violet started outside, putting a nice, bright coat of paint on the door.

  “You can start here, Benny,” she said. “And I will start at the other end of this wall.”

  “Okay,” Benny said. “And then we’ll meet in the middle!”

  When Violet was done with the first coat on the door, she came inside. She took a small brush and started to paint on an empty wall. “How does this look?” she asked.

  “Violet! That’s wonderful,” Jessie said.

  Violet had painted Greenfield Food Pantry on the wall. Beneath it, she had painted a bright bowl overflowing with fruits and vegetables.

  “But I thought you were going to paint it on the door,” Benny said. “And all the fruits and vegetables are yellow.”

  Violet laughed. “So is your nose, Benny!”

  Benny had paint splattered on his overalls. There was a dab in his hair and a bright yellow spot on his nose. He rubbed his face.

  “It’s okay, Benny. It will wash off your nose,” Violet said. “I was just practicing on this wall. I will paint my sign on the door when it is dry. Then I will use all the right colors.”

  “But what about that?” Benny asked. He pointed to Violet’s painting. “Now there are yellow strawberries on the wall. That doesn’t look right.”

  “I’ll show you!” Violet took a large brush and painted over her picture. It disappeared in a minute.

  “I’m going to do that too!” Benny painted a small dog on the wall. “It’s Watch!” he cried. The cat mewed. “Don’t be scared, Sunny. It’s just a picture. Besides, Watch would never hurt you. He is a friendly dog.”

  Benny took a big brush and painted over Watch. “Now he’s gone!”

  Henry was standing on a ladder. “Look at mine!” he called. He had painted a baseball player holding a bat. Henry was very good at sports.

  Soon, the children were painting pictures all over the walls. As soon as they finished each one, they painted over it. They made it into a guessing game. It was easy to guess what Violet had painted. Her art was very lifelike. Some of Benny’s pictures were just a jumble of lines that made everyone laugh. “It’s a rocket ship landing on the moon,” he said of one of his pictures. “See? Here is the astronaut. He is flying.”

  Jessie smiled at her little brother. He had only made a yellow circle and a yellow rectangle. But Benny had a very big imagination.

  Drawing pictures and painting over them made the work fun. Time flew by quickly.

  Henry was just moving his ladder when he heard shouting outside.

  “Helloooo! Hellooo! Anybody still in there?”

  “It sounds like Mr. Carroll,” Jessie said, rushing to open the door.

  “Hello, children,” Mr. Carroll said. “I didn’t want to knock. The door still looks wet.” He looked around the room. “You’ve done a great job so far. Would you like some help?”

  “Yes, thank you,” Henry said.

  “I’ve brought something that should make the work go quickly.” Mr. Carroll had a small machine. It had a long wand attached to it. He poured paint into the machine.

  “Okay, Benny,” Mr. Carroll said. “I need your help. Can you push that button for me?”

  When Benny pushed the button, a motor whirred. Paint sprayed from the wand onto the walls. In no time at all, Mr. Carroll had finished all the painting.

  After all the brushes were cleaned, everyone stood and admired the room. It looked bright and cheerful.

  “Now all we need is to fill up the shelves,” Violet said.

  Jessie noticed Benny’s droopy eyes. He was yawning. “We should get home,” she said. “It’s late. Thank you for all your help, Mr. Carroll.”

  “It was my pleasure,” Mr. Carroll said. “I’ll walk out with you.”

  But when everyone went out into the alley, they
were surprised.

  Four bicycles were lying on the ground, and the tires were flat! Someone had cut holes in them all!

  “Oh no!” Jessie cried. “Our bicycles! Who would do such a thing?”

  Benny pulled a note from the basket on his bicycle. “St . . . stay away,” he tried to sound out the words. “Min . . . Min . . .” He handed the paper to Jessie.

  “STAY AWAY! Mind your own business!” Jessie read.

  CHAPTER 4

  Stolen Flyers

  After dinner, Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny sat in chairs around the fireplace. Mrs. McGregor had set a fresh batch of ginger cookies and a pitcher of milk on the end table.

  “It was nice of Mr. Carroll to give us a ride home,” Violet said.

  “He is very kind,” Jessie agreed. She passed two large cookies to Benny.

  Benny bit into the warm ginger cookie. “Do you think the shop put the new tires on our bikes yet?”

  “I hope so,” Henry said. “We’ll need them to ride around town and distribute the flyers.”

  Violet sat with her sketch pad in her lap. She was drawing a picture of a turkey for the flyer. “We will need to be careful when we put the flyers up,” she said. “Someone does not want us to help the food pantry.”

  “You’re right, Violet,” Henry said. “But who could it be?”

  Jessie pulled out her notepad. When the Aldens were faced with a mystery, Jessie often took notes. “Do we have any clues at all?” she asked.

  “What about the man who knocked into Mr. Grayson in the street?” Violet asked. “I don’t think it was an accident. And he seemed very angry.”

  “I wish we had gotten a better look at him,” Jessie said. “I agree that he pushed Mr. Grayson on purpose.” She tapped her pencil on her pad. “Anyone else?”

  “What about the lady who owns Harvest Restaurant, Ms. Matthews?” Henry said. “She called Mr. Grayson a liar right in the Green Fields restaurant.”

  Benny took a long drink from his glass. He had a big milk mustache. “That’s right!” he said. “She called Mr. Grayson a fraud. What is that?”

  “A fraud is someone who pretends to be something that he is not,” Jessie explained.