The Cereal Box Mystery

by Gertrude Chandler Warner

  She turned and walked away.

  The Aldens left, feeling discouraged.

  “She wasn’t very friendly,” Violet said. “But I guess that doesn’t mean she is hiding anything.”

  “Besides, she tried to keep the thief from getting away. That was very brave,” Jessie said. She paused, then added, “Unless she was just pretending, to keep people from being suspicious.”

  “But she couldn’t have taken the jewelry after the thief left,” Henry pointed out. “Mr. Darden was still in the shop.”

  “Maybe they were all three working together,” Jessie said.

  “Maybe,” said Henry. “But I don’t think so.”

  “I don’t, either,” said Violet. “I don’t think Mr. Darden had anything to do with it.”

  “Maybe the thief dropped the jewelry in some special place and whoever was helping him picked it up afterward,” Jessie said.

  “That could have happened,” Henry said.

  “But Ms. Smitts walked away in the opposite direction from where the thief had gone,” Violet pointed out. “And Mr. Darden stayed on Main Street, looking in shop windows.”

  “We still have two suspects,” Henry said.

  “Who?” asked Benny.

  “Mr. Bellows,” Henry began.

  “But why would Mr. Bellows steal his own jewelry from himself?” Benny cried.

  “I don’t know, Benny. But I think we should go talk to him and find out,” Henry said.

  “Who’s the other suspect?” Jessie asked.

  “Dr. Kroll,” said Henry.

  “Of course!” Jessie said. “She knew Mr. Bellows had the necklace. Why, she could have sold the necklace to Mr. Bellows — and then stolen it back.”

  “Mr. Bellows could even have helped her,” Henry said. “C’mon, let’s go talk to Mr. Bellows right now.”

  CHAPTER 8

  A Birthday Present and a Clue

  Mr. Bellows was sitting behind his counter. He looked as if he hadn’t moved since the last time they had spoken to him. Only a single lamp burned in the shop. It was dark and gloomy.

  When the Aldens came in, he looked up. For a moment, he looked hopeful. “Have you heard anything about the jewelry?” he asked.

  Shaking her head, Jessie said, “No. I’m sorry.”

  Mr. Bellows’s shoulders slumped forward.

  “That’s okay,” he mumbled, resting his head on his hands again.

  “Mr. Bellows,” Henry said, “didn’t you have insurance for such valuable jewelry?”

  Still staring down at nothing, Mr. Bellows said, “I have insurance for everything in my shop. But I had just gotten the necklace set and I hadn’t gotten extra insurance. I couldn’t afford it just yet. I had to borrow money to buy it. Of course, I hoped to sell it for much more.”

  “Does that mean that the insurance won’t pay for it?” Violet asked.

  Mr. Bellows shook his head mournfully. “Not even as much as I borrowed to buy the necklace, bracelet, and ring,” he said. “Oh, why wasn’t I more careful? Why did I even have it out on display? A perfect matched set of cabochon rubies. Oh, dear. Oh, dear.”

  Violet said, “What about Dr. Kroll?”

  Mr. Bellows took off his glasses and wiped them with a tissue. He peered shortsightedly at Violet. “What about Dr. Kroll?” he repeated.

  “She knew you had the rubies — could she have stolen them back?” Henry asked boldly

  “Dr. Kroll?” asked Mr. Bellows. “Oh, no. That wasn’t Dr. Kroll who ran out of here with the necklace set. She is six feet tall and has bright red hair. I would have recognized Dr. Kroll immediately.”

  “Oh,” Jessie said, disappointed.

  Mr. Bellows put his glasses on and stared back down at the glass countertop.

  “Don’t worry,” Benny told him. “We’ll find your rubies.”

  The shop owner glanced up and tried to smile. But it wasn’t much of a smile. He looked back down again. “I wish you could,” he said.

  At the door of the shop, Violet turned. “Mr. Bellows,” she said, “what are cab . . . cab . . .”

  “Cabochon rubies?” Mr. Bellows looked up for a moment, staring into space. He said, “Cabochon just means rounded, sort of like a marble. Most jewels are cut into square surfaces called facets before they are polished. But cabochon jewels are cut round and then polished. When gemstones are cut into facets, they sparkle more. Cabochons don’t sparkle as much. But they are still beautiful.”

  “Oh,” Violet said. “Thank you.”

  Mr. Bellows didn’t answer. He had rested his head in his hands again, staring down at nothing.

  “Wow,” Jessie said after they had left the store. “Either Mr. Bellows is a really good actor or he didn’t have anything to do with the theft.”

  “He could be lying about not having enough insurance,” Henry said.

  “And about Dr. Kroll?” asked Benny.

  “No. No, because Mr. Darden and Ms. Smitts would have remembered someone who was really tall, too,” said Jessie. “I guess that means Dr. Kroll didn’t steal her jewels back.”

  “I don’t think Mr. Bellows did it, either,” Violet said, shaking her head.

  “If Mr. Map doesn’t have the rubies, and Mr. Darden doesn’t have them, and Ms. Smitts doesn’t have them, and Mr. Bellows doesn’t have them, and Dr. Kroll doesn’t have them, then who does?” Benny demanded.

  “I don’t know, Benny.” Jessie frowned. “It’s almost as if they have disappeared into thin air.”

  That afternoon, the Aldens decided to go pick out a tree for Grandfather’s birthday.

  “Here. ‘Greenfield Nursery, Plant and Tree Specialists,’ ” Violet read aloud from the phone book.

  “That sounds like the perfect place,” Jessie said.

  As they rode their bikes to the Greenfield Nursery on the other side of town, they talked about all the mysterious events.

  “You don’t think that whoever is following us and stealing boxes of cereal has anything to do with the jewelry theft, do you?” asked Violet.

  Jessie shook her head. “Nooo . . . but I guess it’s possible. After all, everything that happened to us happened after the jewelry store robbery.”

  “Maybe the thief thinks we saw something and is trying to find out what it is,” Henry suggested.

  “But what? We didn’t even see what the thief looked like when he ran by,” Jessie said.

  They pulled their bikes to a stop outside the nursery and parked them.

  Inside, an older woman with curly dark hair streaked with gray and friendly brown eyes came up to them. She was wearing blue overalls with the words GREENFIELD NURSERY embroidered across the front. “Hello,” she said. “I’m Adella. Welcome to the Greenfield Nursery. May I help you?”

  “We’re here to buy a tree,” Benny said. “It’s a birthday present for Grandfather.”

  “What a good idea for a present,” said the woman, the corners of her eyes crinkling in a smile. “What kind of tree did you have in mind?”

  “A beautiful one,” said Violet.

  The woman smiled more broadly. “I think all trees are beautiful,” she said. “But if you’ll follow me, I’ll show you some that I think you might like.”

  The Aldens followed Adella through the nursery. Adella showed them several trees, including one called a Japanese maple with beautiful red leaves. “It looks like it is made of rubies when the sun shines through it,” she said. “Most maple trees have leaves that turn beautiful colors in the fall, but this one has beautiful red leaves spring, summer, and fall.”

  “Like rubies,” said Violet softly. She touched one of the leaves gently.

  “I like this Christmas tree over here,” said Benny.

  “It’s a lovely tree,” Adella agreed. “It’s called a blue spruce. That would make a good gift, too. Why don’t you look around and then you can ask me questions if you have any. I’ll be at the counter.”

  “Thank you,” said Henry.

  The Aldens looked
at all kinds of trees, short, tall, fat, thin, with needles, and with leaves. But at last they decided on the tree with the ruby-colored leaves.

  “I think Grandfather will really like his birthday tree,” said Jessie as they walked to the counter to pay for the Japanese maple and arrange for it to be delivered. They decided to plant it in the backyard near the boxcar.

  “We can have the surprise party there, too,” said Jessie. “That way we can decorate and Grandfather won’t know.”

  As they were leaving, Violet stopped by a small plant. “That looks like a violet, but it has pink flowers,” she said. She smiled shyly at Adella. “That’s my name, Violet.”

  Adella smiled back. “Violets come in a variety of colors. I’ve been experimenting, too, trying to get some new colors. I call that violet Ruby Pink.”

  “Ruby Pink,” Violet said. “It’s beautiful.” She reached out and touched the pot as if she were petting the plant.

  “Violet,” Jessie cried. “Your hand! It’s on your hand! Don’t move!”

  Violet froze. “Is it a spider?” she asked.

  “No,” Jessie said. “It’s your ring.”

  She looked at Adella. The greenhouse owner said, “Why, it’s the same color as the ruby pink violet.”

  “It is!” Benny said.

  “It’s a pretty ring,” Adella said. “It looks old.”

  “It is,” Jessie said, to everyone’s surprise. “It’s an antique. Thank you for your help. We have to go.”

  Jessie grabbed Violet’s hand and led the way out of the Greenfield Nursery.

  Outside, she stopped. “Look at your ring, Violet,” Jessie commanded.

  Violet looked down at the pink ring that had come out of Benny’s cereal box. The stone was dark pink and rounded, polished like a marble. The setting was fancy and old-fashioned-looking.

  With a little gasp, Henry said, “Emeralds come in different colors. And rubies come in different colors. . . .”

  “Like ruby pink,” Jessie said.

  “And cabochon stones are round and polished, like marbles,” Henry said.

  “Like Violet’s ring,” Benny almost shouted.

  “Shhh, Benny!” Jessie said.

  Then they all stared down at the ring on Violet’s hand. Violet said wonderingly, “Is that why my ring is so heavy? Because it is real?”

  “I think so, Violet,” Henry said.

  “But how did the stolen ring get into my cereal box?” asked Benny.

  “The thief must have put it there,” Jessie said. “Remember how your bike was turned over and everything was spilled out, Benny?”

  Benny nodded.

  “The thief must have run into your bike and slipped the ring inside the open box of cereal,” Jessie said.

  “And the thief thinks that the ring is still in the cereal box!” exclaimed Violet. “That’s why he’s been watching us.”

  “Yes,” Henry said. “And that’s why he broke into our house and stole the cereal.”

  “And went through our garbage,” Jessie said.

  “He stole the cereal from our boxcar, too,” Benny said. “He’s a cereal thief and a jewelry thief.”

  “But where is the rest of the jewelry?” Violet asked.

  Henry said, “I’m not sure. It’s not in our empty cereal box, that’s for sure. But I have an idea. Let’s go visit Mr. Bellows one more time.”

  Inside Antique Treasures, Violet walked up to the counter. She held out her hand. “Mr. Bellows,” she said. “I think we found something that belongs to you.”

  For a moment, Mr. Bellows stared down at Violet’s hand. Then he leaped to his feet. He looked as if he were about to start dancing. His mouth opened and closed, but no words came out. “The ring,” he managed to say at last. “The cabochon ring! Where did you find it?”

  “In my cereal box,” Benny answered.

  “But how did it get there? When? I don’t understand,” Mr. Bellows said. He took a handkerchief out of his pocket and mopped his forehead. “Where is the necklace? And the bracelet?”

  Henry said, “We’re not sure. But can you tell us one thing? When the thief ran out of the shop, was Ms. Smitts by the door?”

  After thinking for a moment, Mr. Bellows shook his head. “No. She was standing near the counter.”

  “That means she ran all the way across the shop and out the door after him,” Jessie said. “He had a pretty big head start, but she caught up with him right outside the door.”

  “That’s right,” Mr. Bellows said. “It was a brave thing for her to do. She could have been hurt when the thief pushed her. As it was, her shirt got torn.”

  But Henry was shaking his head. “It doesn’t make sense,” he said. “Ms. Smitts should never have been able to catch up with the thief. When she did, though, she should have been able to stop him.”

  “I don’t understand,” Mr. Bellows said. He looked more puzzled than ever.

  Jessie burst out, “Ms. Smitts teaches karate. In fact, she has a black belt in karate. That means she’s really, really good.”

  “With a black belt in karate, she should have been able to at least stop the thief for a minute. Instead, he pushed her away and kept running,” Violet said.

  Benny was looking from one to the other, his eyes round. He said, “Why did Ms. Smitts let the thief go, then?”

  “Because they were partners, Benny. They were working together,” Henry said.

  Now Mr. Bellows was nodding. “It makes sense. She stood in front of me by the counter, blocking my view of the glass case where the necklace set was. She got in front of me when I shouted for the thief to stop —”

  “And she pretended to go after the thief so you wouldn’t be suspicious,” Violet said.

  “Oh, it was more than that, Violet,” Jessie said. She glanced at Henry and smiled. “Much more than that.”

  “But how do we prove any of this?” Mr. Bellows said. “I’m glad you found the ring, but it is much more valuable when it is part of the set.”

  “I know how we can find the necklace and the bracelet — and catch the thief,” Henry said. He looked at Violet’s hand, which was still resting on the top of the glass case. “We’ll set a trap. But we’ll have to use the cabochon ring as bait.”

  Mr. Bellows stared down at the ring. Then he looked back up at the Aldens. Slowly he nodded. “Let’s do it,” he said. “Let’s set a trap and catch the thief.”

  CHAPTER 9

  A Picnic Surprise

  “What a great day for a picnic,” Henry said. ”Look, there’s a good place, right there near the trees.” He parked his bike and took a blanket out of the basket. He and Violet spread the blanket out on the ground.

  Jessie unstrapped a picnic basket from the back of her bicycle and put it on the blanket. She opened it and took out knives, forks, spoons, plates, cups, and napkins.

  “I’m hungry,” Benny said. “I hope we brought lots and lots of food.”

  “Don’t worry, Benny, we have plenty,” Violet assured him. She unloaded sandwiches and fruit and some of Mrs. McGregor’s homemade cookies from the picnic basket.

  “Just in case, I brought another box of cereal,” Benny said. “It’s a good thing we got all those boxes of cereal when we went to the grocery store the other day.”

  “Oh, Benny.” Jessie laughed. “Won’t you ever get tired of eating Silver Frosted Stars?”

  “No,” said Benny. “It’s the best cereal in the whole world. And in this box, maybe there’ll be another silver star. I only need one more to send away for the special detective’s badge.”

  He put the cereal next to him on the grass.

  Watch sat down next to Henry, keeping a close eye on the sandwiches. Watch liked peanut butter.

  Soo Lee said, “When is the tree being delivered for Grandfather’s party?”

  “This afternoon,” Henry said. “Grandfather is going to be in Silver City, so he won’t see it arrive.”

  “We can get up early tomorrow morning and make a f
ew more decorations for the tree,” Violet said. “Before we start getting ready for the party.”

  “You don’t think Mrs. McGregor will forget to make the birthday cake, do you?” Benny asked anxiously.

  Henry laughed. “No, Benny, Mrs. McGregor won’t forget the cake. Don’t worry. Have a sandwich.”

  But Benny shook his head. “I’m going to open my new box of cereal,” he announced. He opened the box, got a cup, and poured out some cereal.

  He stopped and stared into the cup.

  “What is it, Benny? What’s wrong?” asked Soo Lee.

  “Look!” Benny said. “Look at the prize that came in my cereal.”

  He reached into his cup and pulled out the pink cabochon ruby ring.

  “Oh, Benny, it’s a ring. A pink ring!” Violet cried.

  “It’s beautiful,” Jessie said loudly. “What a great prize to find in a box of cereal!”

  At that moment Watch growled. Henry grabbed Watch’s leash and held on tightly.

  “Let me see the ring, Benny,” Jessie said. Benny handed his oldest sister the ring. She held it up high, so high that anyone in the park who was looking could see it.

  Suddenly a voice said, “Well, well, well, if it isn’t the Aldens.”

  Startled, Jessie looked up, almost dropping the ring. “Ms. Smitts!” she gasped.

  “What are you doing in the park?” Ms. Smitts asked. She smiled.

  “We’re having a picnic,” Benny said. “I’m having cereal. Look at the prize I found in the cereal box.”

  Ms. Smitts focused on the ring. Her eyes narrowed. Then she smiled again. “What a cute toy ring,” she said.

  “It’s a ruby ring,” Benny said.

  Henry gave Benny a warning look. Ms. Smitts laughed. “What a good imagination you have, Benny, to be able to pretend that a pink plastic ring is a real ruby.”

  Now Ms. Smitts was speaking in a loud voice, too.

  Then everything seemed to happen at once. Watch leaped forward to the end of his leash and began to bark. Someone burst out of the woods and pushed Jessie over, snatching the ring from her hand.

  “Stop, thief!” Henry cried.

  The thief ran right across the picnic blanket, kicking aside the picnic basket. The Aldens had a glimpse of someone in a tan raincoat, with a hat pulled low on his forehead.