Great Detective Race

by Gertrude Chandler Warner

  “Oh, right!” said Henry. “Good thinking.”

  With that, Benny walked up to the salesclerk. “I listen to the Big G!” he announced.

  “What …?” The salesclerk looked startled. “That’s, um, … nice,” she said, then hurried away to help a customer.

  “Well, that didn’t work,” Henry said as they stepped outside.

  “No luck?” Violet asked.

  Jessie shook her head. “Zero.”

  Violet had been thinking. “There’s a music store just down the street. Let’s check it out.”

  “A music store?” Henry looked puzzled, but only for a moment. “Oh, because the Pied Piper played music on his pipe, right?”

  “Exactly,” said Violet, taking her bike from the rack.

  “Hi there, kids!” said a voice behind them.

  As they whirled around, Amber Madison flashed them a smile. The children were so surprised by the author’s friendly greeting, they were speechless for a moment.

  “You’re the Aldens, right?” Amber went on. “I noticed you signing up for the Great Detective Race. Are you getting anywhere with it?”

  “Not really,” said Jessie. “Not yet, anyway.”

  “Oh,” said Amber. “Too bad.” She sounded disappointed.

  “But we’re getting warmer,” Benny said.

  Amber lifted an eyebrow. “Oh?” She flashed them another smile. “I’d love to hear all about it,” she said. “I find it quite fascinating.”

  Jessie suddenly felt very uncomfortable. “We have to go,” she said, glancing at her watch. “Sorry.”

  The Aldens hurried away.

  “That was weird,” Jessie said, when they were out of earshot. “How did Amber Madison know who we were?”

  “We didn’t tell her our names,” said Benny.

  “Maybe she overheard us talking at the mall,” suggested Violet. “I noticed her sitting on the edge of the fountain nearby.”

  But Jessie wondered if Amber Madison had asked someone who they were. But why?

  When they got to the music store, they soon forgot all about the author. Jessie, Violet, and Benny gave the shop a careful search while Henry had waited outside with Watch. They checked out the flute section twice. They even said the magic words to the salesclerk. But he just looked puzzled. Finally, they stepped outside again, shaking their heads.

  “Another dead end?” Henry asked.

  Violet nodded. “Looks that way.”

  Just then, Benny caught his breath. “Look!”

  The others followed their little brother’s gaze down the street. “Oh my gosh!” cried Violet. “Is that what I think it is?”

  Jessie nodded. “It’s a … a giant turkey!”

  Henry laughed. “I think it’s just Dennis Howe in some kind of turkey getup!” Dennis was a college student—and one of the Aldens’ neighbors.

  Sure enough, Dennis greeted them with a cheery smile. “Good to see you again, kids!”

  “Cool costume!” chirped Benny.

  “Actually it’s anything but cool, Benny,” Dennis said, as he knelt down to pet Watch. “I’m roasting under all these feathers.”

  “So … why are you dressed up like a turkey, Dennis?” Henry wanted to know.

  “Goes with the job.” Dennis looked up as he scratched Watch behind the ears. “I’m handing out fliers for the Turkey Trot dance studio,” he explained. “And what are you kids doing in town?”

  “We’re on the hunt for clues,” Jessie told him. “We’re taking part in the Great Detective Race.”

  “That explains the baseball caps,” Dennis said, standing up. “They’re very popular around here lately.”

  The Aldens glanced around at the shoppers. Dennis was right. Half the people in town seemed to be wearing WGFD baseball caps! Could they find the code word before anyone else?

  CHAPTER 3

  Three Strikes in a Row

  After dinner, the children took turns telling Grandfather about their day as they relaxed on the front porch. Watch was dozing nearby while the evening shadows grew longer. Benny finished by saying, “We kept striking out.”

  James Alden smiled over at his younger grandson. “I have a hunch there’s a clue just around the next corner, Benny,” he said. “Speaking of WGFD,” he added, “here comes Jordan Porter.” Grandfather waved as a man in shorts and a white T-shirt came jogging by. Waving back, the silver-haired man turned into the walkway and ran up the porch steps. Grandfather introduced the children to Mr. Porter, the owner of the WGFD radio station.

  “Guess what?” Benny said as he shook hands. “We just signed up for the Great Detective Race!”

  Jessie nodded. “We’ve been looking for clues all day.”

  Mr. Porter nodded approvingly. “We’re hoping to drum up more listeners with the race,” he explained. “The station just hired someone new. The race was her idea.”

  “Debra Belmont,” guessed Violet. “Right?”

  “Right!” Mr Porter said. “So far, she’s been doing a great job. But I must admit, she hasn’t had an easy time of it.”

  Grandfather raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

  “Mike Devlin can be a bit difficult sometimes,” said Mr. Porter. “He’s a good deejay. But I’m afraid he thinks he’s too important. He seems to forget it takes teamwork to make a successful radio station.”

  “Or solve a mystery!” said Benny.

  Mr. Porter smiled at the youngest Alden.

  “You’ll get no argument from me, Benny.” With that, the station owner gave them a friendly wave and hurried away.

  “Well, I still have paperwork to finish,” Grandfather said, getting to his feet. “Sounds like you have your work cut out for you, too,” he added. “So I’ll leave you to your detective business.”

  As the screen door closed, Jessie fished the riddle from her pocket and glanced at it again. “There must be something here we’re not getting,” she said.

  Just then, Watch let out a whine. He tilted his head as if he were listening to something that no one else could hear. A moment later, an ice cream truck came around the corner, a happy tune coming from its speakers.

  “Do we have enough money for ice cream, Henry?” Benny wanted to know.

  Henry took out his money and counted the change. “You’re in luck, Benny. Looks like we have enough.”

  The four Aldens were soon racing down the street with Watch close behind. When the truck slowed to a stop, they joined a long line of children waiting for ice cream.

  Violet had a sudden thought. “The ice-cream man is a bit like the Pied Piper,” she noted. “Don’t you think?”

  Henry turned to look at her. “What do you mean?”

  “Well, he plays a tune and all the kids follow him down the street,” Violet explained. Then she caught her breath, surprised by her own words. “Oh my gosh!” she cried. “The Pied Piper’s tune is the sweetest of all!”

  “And ice cream is sweet!” Benny exclaimed, catching on.

  “I think you just found the Pied Piper, Violet!” Jessie said.

  Henry added, “Now let’s see if the magic words work on him.”

  When they got to the front of the line, Benny piped up, “We listen to the Big G!”

  The young man handing out ice cream suddenly smiled. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a WGFD envelope. The Aldens raced home with ice cream bars and the next clue.

  “Read it, Jessie,” Benny urged, inching his porch chair closer. He couldn’t read very well yet.

  “Here goes,” said Jessie, tucking her long hair behind her ears. She read aloud:

  Make your way to an alley,

  that’s what you should do.

  Three strikes in a row

  and you’ll find the next clue.

  Benny looked confused. “We already struck out three times.”

  This made Jessie smile a little. “That’s true, Benny,” she said. “But I think this means something else.”

  Violet giggled. “Grand
father was right.”

  Henry looked over at her. “Right about what, Violet?”

  “He said there was a clue coming around the next corner,” she reminded them. “And there was!”

  Benny nodded. “The Pied Piper came around the corner driving his ice-cream truck.”

  “Grandfather was right about something else, too,” Henry said thoughtfully. “We’ve really got our work cut out for us.”

  Violet nodded. “Greenfield has dozens of back alleys.”

  “Let’s take another look at the map,” Jessie said.

  In no time at all, the Aldens were huddled around the street map again. Jessie put a red check mark beside every alleyway.

  “Whew!” Benny licked a drop of chocolate ice cream from the back of his hand. “This’ll take forever.”

  Violet agreed. “Looks like we have a lot of ground to cover. Any idea where we should begin?”

  “I’m not sure,” Jessie answered, without taking her gaze off the map.

  Henry smiled. “I think we can narrow it down a little,” he said. “I have a feeling we should start right here.” He placed a finger on the map.

  Jessie looked from her older brother to the map and back again. “Behind the ballpark?” she said. “Why do you say that, Henry?”

  “I know!” said Benny. “Three strikes in a row. That means baseball!”

  Henry nodded. “Exactly.”

  CHAPTER 4

  Gobble, Gobble

  “Sorry, Watch,” Benny said the next morning. “You can’t come with us this time.” He knelt down and gave their little dog a hug. “We might be gone all day.”

  Henry petted Watch softly on the head. “We’ll take you for a walk after dinner, Watch,” he promised.

  A few minutes later, the Aldens were riding towards the ballpark. It was a perfect day for a race—the sky was clear and the sun was shining.

  The four children rode up and down the narrow alleyway behind the ballpark. They searched carefully for a clue. But after a while, they stopped and looked at one another in dismay.

  “Well, I guess I was wrong,” Henry said. “And you know what that means.”

  Jessie glanced over at him. “What?”

  “We’ll have to search every alley in Greenfield,” Henry said.

  No one said anything as they pedaled along. There was nothing to say. What could they do except check all over town? They couldn’t think of any other way to find the next clue.

  All morning long, they rode their bikes up one alley and down another. Finally, Benny had a suggestion. “Maybe we should check the alley behind the diner,” he said, as they stopped to wait for a light to change. The youngest Alden wiggled his eyebrows, making everyone laugh.

  “We get the hint, Benny,” said Henry. “Let’s get something to eat.”

  It wasn’t long before they were settled into a booth at the diner. They each ordered the special—chicken burgers, salad, and lemonade. While they waited for their food to arrive, they talked about the race.

  “I was so sure the riddle was leading us to the alley behind the ballpark,” said Henry.

  “The clues added up,” Violet said with a nod.

  “Wait a minute!” Henry suddenly had an idea that hadn’t occurred to him before. “I just thought of a sport with strikes in it.”

  “We already figured that out, Henry,” Benny reminded him. “It’s baseball.”

  Henry shook his head. “I think we got the wrong sport.”

  “But, Henry,” Benny argued, “there are strikes in baseball.”

  “Yes,” Henry agreed, “but there’s another sport with strikes in it, too. Come to think of it …” He paused to sort out his thoughts. “It’s a sport you play in an alley!”

  “I’m not following, Henry,” said Jessie.

  Violet looked just as puzzled as her sister. “A sport with strikes … that you play in an alley?”

  “Oh!” said Jessie. “Bowling!”

  “Oh, right!” Benny’s face lit up. “If you knock down all the bowling pins, it’s called a strike.”

  “And the Greenfield Bowling Alley is just around the corner,” Violet said.

  “We’ll check it out right after lunch,” said Jessie. She was handing everyone a napkin from the dispenser when something caught her eye. “Isn’t that Debra Belmont over there?”

  Henry nodded. “And that’s Mike Devlin sitting across from her.”

  The children didn’t mean to eavesdrop. But from where they were sitting, they couldn’t help hearing what the two people were talking about.

  “But Mike,” Debra was saying, “when I first told you about the Great Detective Race, you said it was a cool idea.”

  “Well, now I’m not so sure.” Mike did not sound very happy. “Why are so many kids signing up for this race? Will you please tell me that?”

  “It’s summer vacation, Mike. I wanted the race to appeal to kids. They listen to our station, too.”

  “Kids don’t listen to my show. My listeners are between the ages of twenty and fifty!” Mike was talking loudly now. “Or have you forgotten?”

  “No, but …”

  “No buts about it, Debra.” Mike got to his feet. “You just make sure the winner isn’t some kid!” With that, he stormed out of the diner.

  As Debra hurried after the deejay, Violet turned to her sister and brothers. “I wonder what that was all about?” she whispered.

  “Mike Devlin really can be difficult,” said Jessie, recalling Mr. Porter’s words.

  Benny swallowed a bite of his burger. “I don’t think Mike likes kids.”

  “Well, one thing’s for sure,” said Henry. “Mike doesn’t want anyone under the age of twenty to win the race.”

  “It doesn’t make sense,” said Violet. “How can Debra make sure a kid doesn’t find the code word?”

  Jessie took a sip of lemonade. “Let’s concentrate on one mystery at a time,” she suggested.

  That did seem like a good idea. “The important thing right now,” said Henry, “is to find the code word.”

  After finishing their lunch, the Aldens headed over to the Greenfield Bowling Alley. As they rounded the corner, Jessie looked back over her shoulder. Was somebody following them?

  “What is it, Jessie?” Henry asked.

  “I’m not sure,” said Jessie, keeping her voice low. She didn’t want to frighten Violet and Benny. “I just feel like somebody’s watching us.”

  Henry looked behind them. But he didn’t see anybody.

  “There’s nobody there now, Jessie,” he assured her.

  “I’m probably just imagining things,” Jessie said, trying to make light of it. But something didn’t seem right.

  As they stepped into the bowling alley, a man behind the shoe-rental counter looked up. When he recognized the Aldens, he smiled and waved. The children often bowled on the weekends with Grandfather.

  “Hi, kids!” The man removed his wire-rimmed glasses, “I’ll get shoes for you.”

  “Thanks anyway, Ron,” Henry told the owner of the Greenfield Bowling Alley. “We’re not here to bowl.”

  Benny stepped up to the counter. “We listen to the Big G!”

  “What can I do for you then?” Ron asked, as if he hadn’t even heard Benny’s remark.

  “Would you mind if we look around?” Jessie asked.

  “Oh, I get it,” Ron said, smiling. “You’re taking part in that race, aren’t you?”

  Violet nodded. “The Great Detective Race.”

  “We listen to the Big G!” Benny repeated, a little louder this time.

  Ron gave the youngest Alden a puzzled look. “I heard you the first time, Benny,” he said. Then he added, “Look around all you want.”

  It wasn’t long before Benny was tugging on his brother’s arm. “We’re wasting our time here,” he whispered.

  Henry, who was checking out the bulletin board, looked over at her brother. “What makes you say that, Benny?” he wanted to know.

 
“I said the magic words twice and nothing happened.”

  Henry nodded. “I know, but I still think we’re in the right place.”

  “I think so, too,” said Jessie.

  The Aldens went back to their search. But after a while, even Henry was having second thoughts.

  “I haven’t seen anything that looks like a clue,” he told the others. “Have you?”

  Jessie shook her head. “I don’t get it,” she said. “According to the riddle, it should be here.”

  “I guess we’re on the wrong track again,” Benny said sadly.

  As they headed for the door, Ron called out, “Why not have a practice game while you’re here. No charge.”

  Benny broke into a big grin. “Really?”

  “Sure!” Ron set their bowling shoes on top of the counter. “The lanes are empty anyway.”

  “Thanks very much,” said Jessie.

  The children put all thoughts of the race aside for a while as they took turns rolling balls along the lane. When Benny knocked down all the pins, Henry, Jessie, and Violet cheered for him. They cheered even louder when he got a second strike, and then a third.

  “Way to go, Benny!” said Jessie. “That’s a record for you.”

  Just then, a turkey suddenly flashed on an overhead screen. They all burst out laughing.

  “What’s a—” Benny began to say, but Henry knew the question before his brother asked it.

  “If you get three strikes in a row, it’s called a turkey,” he explained.

  Jessie suddenly whirled around. A funny look came over her face. Then she clapped her hands and cried, “That’s it!”

  “What’s it?” asked Violet.

  “Remember the riddle?” Jessie said. “Make your way to an alley,/ that’s what you should do—”

  “Three strikes in a row/ and you’ll find the next clue,” finished Violet, who knew the words by heart.

  “And I got three strikes in a row,” said Benny, who still couldn’t get over it.

  “Yes, you did,” Jessie said, giving her little brother a hug. “And we found the next clue!” She pointed to the turkey flashing on the screen.

  “Our next clue is a turkey?” Benny echoed.