“We know it was a girl,” said Jessie. “But we don’t know why she was here or why she turned out the lights.”
“To steal Sid’s art?” Benny said.
“Good guess,” said Violet. “We’ll never find her in this mob, even looking for red shoes.”
Henry consulted the map. “Here’s Al Conrad’s booth. Let’s pay him a visit instead.”
The ballroom was so jammed, the kids had to wiggle their way through the crowds. At last they reached Al Conrad’s booth. Al was talking to someone dressed as Captain Fantastic.
“Do you suppose that’s Marvin?” Jessie whispered.
Benny stared at the costumed figure. “I don’t know.”
“There’s another Captain Fantastic!” Violet pointed. “And another one over there by that pole!”
“A lot of people are dressed like Captain Fantastic,” Henry observed.
Benny stared at the figure leaning over Al’s booth. There was something about the costume that wasn’t right.
Then he realized what it was. The boots. In the comic, Captain Fantastic wore knee-high shiny black boots. The boots helped him jump over buildings. This person’s boots were brown and heavy. Captain Fantastic would never be able to jump over a building in boots like that.
The costumed person left and the kids went over to Al’s booth.
“Hello, Mr. Conrad,” Henry said. “Remember us? You sold us Captain Fantastic issue number nine last week at the antiques show in Greenfield.”
“I remember you,” the dealer said. “Isn’t this a great show? I hope you’re having a good time.”
“Yes, it’s lots of fun,” Henry said, steering Al back to the subject. “You don’t happen to have any more number nine comics, do you?”
Al shook his head firmly. “That comic is very hard to find, as you know. I was lucky to get the one I sold you. I may not see another number nine for months.”
Jessie watched the man’s face. He didn’t act the least bit nervous. If he was guilty of selling a counterfeit comic on purpose, he was certainly playing it cool.
Al looked at his watch. “It’s time for Sid Hoyt’s presentation. You don’t want to miss that.”
The kids hurried back to the Minuteman Room. Most of the seats were already taken.
They found chairs in the back near the control panel, where a red-jacketed hotel employee was checking switches and cables. Now red velvet curtains covered the stage.
“There’s the Captain Fantastic who was talking to Al Conrad,” said Benny, pointing to a costumed figure sitting in an aisle seat a few rows up. “I remember those boots.”
Jessie noticed that the person wasn’t very big. It could be a small man like Marvin Peabody…or a woman.
Suddenly Benny blurted, “The house-builders! That’s where I’ve seen those boots before!”
“Those are construction boots,” Henry agreed.
Jessie started to put two and two together.
“There’s another Captain Fantastic on the other side of the room,” said Violet.
“Irene is sitting next to him,” said Henry. “That must be Marvin.”
Sid entered the front of the room. Applause broke out. The curtains parted, revealing his original art propped on the easels.
“Welcome,” Sid said to the audience. “Thank you for coming. I’ll start with some slides showing how I work. Then I’ll talk about the art that’s displayed up here from issue number nine.” He waved toward the easels.
The audience went, “Ahhh.”
“And finally, I’ll talk about the mistake I made in that comic and reveal my secret signature,” said Sid. “The panel with the signature will be auctioned at the end of the day to benefit the Cartoonists Fund.”
He gave a nod to the hotel employee who was stationed by the control panel. The overhead lights dimmed as the projection screen was lowered in front of the easels.
Sid clicked the projector’s remote and images appeared on the screen. Sid showed views of his studio, his cats, and his paintings, as he explained each slide.
Suddenly the projector froze. Then all the lights went out.
Someone screamed. Others laughed nervously.
The Aldens were sitting by the door, where a little light from the small window filtered into the room. They saw a shadowy shape near the control panel.
“Who is that?” Benny whispered. “The hotel guy is working on the projector.”
The humped shape of the shadowy figure melted into the darkness.
After a minute, the lights came back on. The projector whirred to life again, but the screen was now raised halfway to the ceiling. Sid’s slide of his cats was projected onto the easels.
One of the easels stood empty. The kids knew instantly that Sid’s original art panel with his secret signature for issue number nine was missing!
“Both Captain Fantastics are gone!” Jessie reported, scanning the room.
“Quick!” Henry cried. “The thief can’t be far! He’s got the big panel!”
The children dashed out the back door.
“There’s one of the Captain Fantastics!” Benny cried, as a sweep of purple cape disappeared into the crowd.
“Where is the one wearing work boots?” Violet wondered. “He couldn’t have that much of a head start.”
Jessie drew in a breath. “That person is probably right in front of us!”
“I don’t see anyone wearing a costume,” said Henry.
“The best disguise is no disguise!” Jessie said. “The person simply took off the costume and is in regular clothes! I know who it is!”
CHAPTER 10
Benny’s Super Leap
Jessie raced through the milling crowd to Al Conrad’s booth. A woman with blond hair was talking seriously to Al. A flat, newspaper-wrapped bundle was tucked under one arm.
The woman had on stretch pants and heavy boots, just like the boots that one of the Captain Fantastics had been wearing.
Then Jessie noticed a sprinkling of yellow sawdust on the carpet around Al’s booth.
“There’s the thief,” she cried as the others caught up. “She took our note and prowled around Sid’s house!”
“And that’s Sid’s stolen art,” Henry declared.
Just then, Sid Hoyt came up behind them and shouted.
The woman whirled. When she saw him, she took off.
But the kids expected this.
“We’re the Super-Aldens!” Benny exclaimed, sprinting down the aisle.
The four children ran after the woman, each taking a different route. Being the smallest, Benny was able to dodge in and out among people. He tracked the woman down a long aisle as she made for an exit.
One of the vendors was unloading a new batch of comics. Boxes blocked Benny’s path.
But he jumped higher than he’d ever leaped before to dart in front of the woman just as she reached the door.
“Stop right there!” he demanded.
Henry, Jessie, and Violet surrounded the woman so she was unable to escape.
“Who are you?” she asked, breathing hard.
“We’re the Super-Aldens!” Benny told her.
“Very funny. Now get out of my way.” The woman tried to maneuver around them.
“I’m afraid they can’t do that,” said Sid, hurrying over.
“Sid!” the woman exclaimed.
“It’s been a long time, Dorian,” Sid said wearily. “You’ve got a lot of explaining to do. Let’s go back to the conference room.”
At that moment, Marvin Peabody and Irene rushed over to them. Marvin had taken off his mask, but still wore the rest of his Captain Fantastic costume.
“What’s going on?” he asked. “I just came from Al Conrad’s booth. He said he’s been robbed. Is that true?”
“He would say that!” the woman hissed.
Sid slid the package from under her arm. “I believe this belongs to me. Let’s go, Dorian.”
Everyone trooped through the exhibit hall to the
Minuteman Conference Room, now empty. They all sat down.
Dorian looked defiantly at Sid. “I suppose you’re going to have me arrested, now that you’re a famous cartoonist!”
“I want to hear your side first,” Sid said. “Kids, this is one of my old friends from ABC Comics. Dorian used to be the inker there, when I was the cleanup man. She quit after my Captain Fantastic comic was published.”
“I got tired of making comic books,” Dorian said. “So I went into construction.”
“We saw you working on the new house near the library,” Violet said.
“I saw you, too,” said Dorian. “You look like smart kids—the kind who figure things out.”
“We figured you stole the note from the library,” Henry countered. “And you prowled around Sid’s house.”
“What gave me away?” Dorian asked.
“Sawdust!” Benny exclaimed.
Dorian looked down. “I guess it’s usually on my boots,” she said ruefully.
“You were at Al Conrad’s booth at the antiques show last weekend,” Jessie put in. “You dropped off the fake number nine with the note in it. Al sold it to us by mistake.”
“What else did you figure out?” Dorian wanted to know.
Benny spoke up. “You drive the noisy white pickup truck. We saw it where the new house is being built.”
“Al told me he’d accidentally sold you the comic before he took the note out,” Dorian said. “When I saw you ride by the construction site on your bikes, I followed you to the library, hoping you had the note with you.”
“I’ve been trying to find out who has been passing counterfeit number nines,” Sid said. “These kids solved the case. Why don’t you tell the whole story, Dorian.”
With a heavy sigh, Dorian began. “I was jealous of your success with Captain Fantastic, so I quit. But I kept going to comic conventions. I guess I wanted to get back in the business. I met Al Conrad and we started talking about how hard it was to find Captain Fantastic issue number nine.”
Marvin stared at her. “Is that when you got the idea to make fake comics?”
“Yes,” Dorian replied. “Al said he could make a lot of money if he had an unlimited supply. He was kidding. But I told him I could copy Sid’s style and make a new original. Suddenly, Al was very interested.”
“You two couldn’t pull this off alone,” Sid said. “You still needed to print your copies.”
Dorian’s eyes flashed. “Les helped me. He’s working at Golden Lamp Comics. He secretly had the comic printed.”
“Les was my other old friend at ABC Comics,” Sid explained to the children. He turned back to Dorian. “I can’t believe you thought you’d get away with this scheme.”
“We did get away with it,” Dorian said, tossing her hair. “At least, until these kids showed up. We had our plan worked out very carefully.”
She went on to say that Al would sell the comics only to kids like the Aldens, who wouldn’t know the difference between the original number nine and a fake one.
“That’s why Al wouldn’t let Marvin buy the comic we got from him last week,” Jessie interrupted. “He acted like he’d never go back on a deal, no matter how much money Marvin offered him.”
Sid nodded. “Al knew a sharp collector would spot the comic as a fake.”
Henry spoke up. “But you made a mistake.”
Dorian drew in a breath. “Sid’s secret signature! I didn’t know about it! And I never found it when I copied his drawings.”
“How did you find out about it?” asked Benny.
She pointed to Marvin and Irene. “I came to one of the fan club meetings at the library.”
Jessie nodded. “We found the business card you gave Marvin.”
“I learned about the secret signature at the meeting,” Dorian said.
“We’re having a contest to see who can find the signature first,” Irene put in. “That’s why we were so excited about Sid’s presentation today. He was going to reveal the location of the signature in number nine. But that was before you stole the art!”
“I had to take it,” Dorian said defensively. “Sid’s original panel with the signature needed to be destroyed. It was too late for me to go back and make another drawing with the signature in it —Al had already sold a lot of fake comics.”
“You prowled around Sid’s house last night,” Benny accused. “You scared his cats. You were trying to break in.”
Dorian slumped in her chair. “But you kids came out. I barely got away.”
Benny looked at Marvin. “You followed us from the restaurant the other day. Why?”
Marvin stared at the floor in embarrassment.
“I was jealous,” he admitted. “I’ve been president of the local fan club for three years and Sid had only talked to me at conventions or on the phone. But you kids had just met him and he was taking you out to eat!”
“I appreciate all my fans,” Sid told him. “But the Aldens were helping me. No one on the comic book scene knew them, so they could get information that I couldn’t.”
Violet had a question for Irene. “What were you doing in the conference room? You turned the lights out on us.”
“How did you know that was me?” asked Irene.
Violet pointed. “I saw your red shoes under the screen. The other night you had on pink ballet shoes. You like to wear pretty shoes.”
“Shoes seem to be giving away a lot of people,” Irene said. “I was trying to find Sid’s secret signature. I figured I could see it on the original panel and win our club contest. But the art wasn’t in there and when you came in—I panicked. I want to win the contest. The winner gets a copy of number nine.”
“I’ve been trying to get a copy for you,” Marvin told her. “I know how much you want one. That’s why I kept offering to buy the Aldens’ copy.”
Irene’s face lit up with a smile. “That’s so sweet of you!” Marvin blushed.
“What are you going to do about me?” Dorian asked.
Sid shook his head. “I’m very upset that my young fans have been cheated. But because you and Les were once my best friends, I won’t press charges.”
Dorian looked relieved.
“But—,” Sid added firmly, “you have to destroy the original plates you made of issue number nine, in my presence. Plus all the copies.”
“Don’t forget Al Conrad,” Henry reminded Sid.
“Don’t worry,” Sid said. “Al isn’t getting off, either. He will call each fan on his mailing list and return their money.”
“That seems fair,” Dorian said in a small voice. “I’m sorry, Sid. I shouldn’t have let jealousy get the better of me.”
“I’m sorry, too,” Sid said with regret. “We were once such good friends.”
Then he went out to the exhibit hall to confront Al Conrad.
“People shouldn’t let anything get in the way of friendship,” Violet said.
“We’ll be friends forever, even if we are family,” Jessie agreed.
When Sid came back, he gave a slim package to Henry. “I want to thank you. You kids did a terrific job solving this case.”
Henry opened the package. “It’s Captain Fantastic issue number nine!”
“A real one,” Sid said with a grin.
“Thanks!” said Henry, speaking for them all. “Now our collection is complete.”
“We have a present for you, too,” said Violet. From her backpack, she shyly pulled out a copy of their own comic, The Super-Aldens.
“I’ll treasure this,” Sid said.
With the mystery solved, the kids went back to the exhibit hall to enjoy the rest of the convention.
Benny wondered what their next mystery would be about.
It probably won’t be too tough, he thought. Nothing the Super-Aldens can’t handle!
About the Author
GERTRUDE CHANDLER WARNER discovered when she was teaching that many readers who like an exciting story could find no books that were both easy and f
un to read. She decided to try to meet this need, and her first book, The Boxcar Children, quickly proved she had succeeded.
Miss Warner drew on her own experiences to write the mystery. As a child she spent hours watching trains go by on the tracks opposite her family home. She often dreamed about what it would be like to set up housekeeping in a caboose or freight car — the situation the Alden children find themselves in.
When Miss Warner received requests for more adventures involving Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny Alden, she began additional stories. In each, she chose a special setting and introduced unusual or eccentric characters who liked the unpredictable.
While the mystery element is central to each of Miss Warner’s books, she never thought of them as strictly juvenile mysteries. She liked to stress the Aldens’ independence and resourcefulness and their solid New England devotion to using up and making do. The Aldens go about most of their adventures with as little adult supervision as possible — something else that delights young readers.
Miss Warner lived in Putnam, Connecticut, until her death in 1979. During her lifetime, she received hundreds of letters from girls and boys telling her how much they liked her books.
The Boxcar Children Mysteries
THE BOXCAR CHILDREN
SURPRISE ISLAND
THE YELLOW HOUSE MYSTERY
MYSTERY RANCH
MIKE’S MYSTERY
BLUE BAY MYSTERY
THE WOODSHED MYSTERY
THE LIGHTHOUSE MYSTERY
MOUNTAIN TOP MYSTERY
SCHOOLHOUSE MYSTERY
CABOOSE MYSTERY
HOUSEBOAT MYSTERY
SNOWBOUND MYSTERY
TREE HOUSE MYSTERY
BICYCLE MYSTERY
MYSTERY IN THE SAND
MYSTERY BEHIND THE WALL
BUS STATION MYSTERY
BENNY UNCOVERS A MYSTERY
THE HAUNTED CABIN MYSTERY
THE DESERTED LIBRARY MYSTERY
THE ANIMAL SHELTER MYSTERY
THE OLD MOTEL MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE HIDDEN PAINTING
THE AMUSEMENT PARK MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE MIXED-UP ZOO
THE CAMP-OUT MYSTERY
Comic Book Mystery Page 5