Officer Washington held on to the sugar tin. “I’m going to take this tin back to Delilah’s now,” she said. “I will talk with Dawn and Steve about how they would like to handle this. In the meantime, Ms. Ramirez, please remove all of Charlie’s recipes from your menu.”
“Of course, Officer,” said Hilda. “Please tell them I’m sorry this has happened.”
“Officer,” said Charlie, “I’d like to come with you and the children to Delilah’s. I think maybe it’s time for me to talk to my brother, fair and square.”
Back at Delilah’s, Steve sat down with Charlie at a corner table. Steve held the sugar tin on his lap. Officer Washington and the Aldens waited across the room. After a while, the two brothers stood up and shook hands.
“Are they friends now?” asked Benny. “Brothers are supposed to be friends, aren’t they?”
“Yes,” said Jessie. “Brothers should be friends. But I’m not sure if those brothers will be.” Jessie glanced over at the men, who were still talking.
After another minute, Steve and Charlie walked toward the Aldens and Officer Washington. Charlie looked relieved. Steve still held the sugar tin.
“I won’t be taking this matter any further, Melinda,” Steve said. “Charlie and I have an agreement now. We’re going to see how things go for a while.”
Charlie smiled nervously. “We’re going to try working together,” he said.
“Cool!” said Benny. “You’ll probably make even more crazy doughnuts than ever.”
“Maybe,” said Steve. “We have to see.”
Charlie said, “We realized that we both wanted the same thing: to continue our parents’ ways of making and selling doughnuts. I’d always thought Steve wouldn’t agree to try anything new or unusual, like our dad used to do. He seemed to want to make only our mother’s recipes. But I guess I was wrong.”
Steve smiled a little. “I was wrong too,” he said. “I shouldn’t have been so stubborn about wanting to stick to the old-fashioned doughnuts. I hardly ever made the newer recipes Dad made up—even the really good ones.”
“So,” said Charlie, “we’re going to see if we can keep on remembering that we have the same goals: to keep making customers feeling welcome at Delilah’s.”
“And, if Charlie and I can meet each other halfway,” said Steve, “then he can work for Delilah’s. And try new ideas here too.”
“That sounds like a fine plan,” said Officer Washington. “I don’t think I’m needed here any longer. But I’ll take my usual cup of coffee to go.”
“Coming right up,” said Dawn, who had joined the group.
“I think we’d better get our aprons back on,” said Violet. “It’s almost time for the afternoon crowd to come.”
“Sure,” said Steve. “But first, I’m putting this tin away, where only we can find it!” He patted Charlie on the back, and both of them smiled.
A New, Old Shop
Two weeks later, on a Saturday, there was great excitement at the Alden home. The whole family was going to town for a special event. Violet was extra eager to get to Greenfield.
Grandfather smiled down at her. “I know you didn’t do every bit of the plan,” he said. “But you did come up with the best ideas. I’m very proud of you.”
Violet beamed. She’d brushed her hair and checked her outfit in the mirror more than once. She was wearing jeans and her favorite purple sweater. “We haven’t seen the finished product,” she told her grandfather. “I’m super excited to see how everything looks all together.”
Benny came hopping down the stairs to the front hallway. “Where are our aprons?” he asked. “We have to have them. And they have to be clean and neat!”
Henry and Jessie laughed as they came down the stairs behind Benny. “This might be the first time I’ve heard Benny insist on something being clean and neat,” said Jessie.
“Well, they are important items for the celebration, after all,” said Henry.
“Don’t worry, Benny,” said Jessie. “I have the aprons in my backpack. They’ve been washed and ironed.”
Benny looked relieved. “I sure wouldn’t want to look messy,” he said. Everyone laughed. Benny had never minded looking messy before.
As the Aldens drove to Greenfield, Benny said, “There’s a big surprise just for us—Dawn said so!” He bounced up and down in his seat.
“We know, Benny,” said Henry. “She also said we’d be surprised to see who’s working at Delilah’s now.”
“I just can’t wait to see how all of our ideas turned out,” said Violet. “It was kind of hard to go back to school this week. I kept thinking about what the final touches would look like.”
“I wonder what kind of party there’s going to be,” said Jessie. “It’s nice and warm today, so I think it will be outside.”
“I know something about it,” said Benny.
“What’s that?” asked Jessie.
“There will be plenty of…doughnuts!” Benny sang as he bounced. “Surprises and doughnuts! Surprises and doughnuts! We all love surprises and doughnuts!”
Grandfather and the children laughed.
Mr. Alden parked the car around the corner from Delilah’s. Benny wanted to race ahead, but Mr. Alden turned to talk to the children.
“This is a big day for all of you,” he told them. “Not only did you help redecorate Delilah’s, but you solved an important mystery for the shop. You’ve made some people very happy. You helped bring two brothers together too.” He hugged each of his grandchildren.
“And now, let’s celebrate!”
The Aldens could hear the sounds of people laughing and talking before they came around the corner. The first thing they saw, though, were the balloons. Blue, green, and white balloons were tied with ribbon to the newly painted bench out front, to new planters on either side of the bench, to the front door, and even to the waste bin and the streetlight in front of Delilah’s.
Children marched around, eating doughnuts and wearing blue and green party hats. Adults chatted, sipped coffee, and nibbled on doughnuts. Everyone seemed to be smiling.
“I see Officer Washington!” cried Benny. He waved to her.
“Congratulations,” said the officer. She came over and introduced herself to Mr. Alden. “This is a good day to celebrate the beautiful new shop,” she said. “I hear you children had a lot to do with that.”
“We just did some of the painting last weekend,” said Henry. “And we gave Dawn and Steve some ideas. They did the rest.”
“It’s not really a new shop, is it?” asked Jessie. “At least, I hope it hasn’t changed too much.”
“Go and see,” said Officer Washington. “I won’t hold you up.”
The Aldens went into Delilah’s.
“It’s so much brighter!” said Violet. “Look! The pictures are up again.”
Delilah’s had had a makeover: Gone was the flowered wallpaper. In its place were two cream-colored walls and two bright blue walls. Along the edges of the walls was a stripe of pale green trim. The posters and photos looked wonderful against the newly painted walls.
Gone too were the curtains. The windows were bright and shiny; sleek blinds were there to keep the sun out when needed. The wooden trim and the counter had all been sanded and polished smooth. From the ceiling hung bright globe-shaped light fixtures.
“Aldens!” called Dawn. She was wearing a blue apron now. It was the same shade as the walls and the same shade as the aprons the Alden children had.
“What do you think of our shop now?” asked Dawn.
“It’s great,” said Jessie. “I love the matching aprons. Does Steve have a blue one too?”
Dawn nodded. Steve, wearing his blue apron, was just coming out from the kitchen with a new tray of doughnuts. And right behind him came two more people, also wearing blue aprons.
“Nathan!” called Jessie.
“And Charlie too,” said Henry.
Charlie smiled as he approached. “I never did get used to peo
ple calling me that name. I’ve decided I like going by Dave better.”
“But aren’t you afraid people will know about your old business?” Benny whispered.
“Oh, that’s old news. I’ve got a new business I’m proud to be a part of.” Dave put his hand on his brother’s shoulder.
“And now we’ve got all the help we could need,” said Steve. “I lured Nathan back to Delilah’s too.”
Nathan blushed a little. “It was easy. Steve’s going to let me keep a notebook while I’m learning. No more sneaking in at night to practice.”
“You all look like a team now,” said Jessie. “We should put on our aprons too.” Jessie pulled the children’s aprons from her bag and handed them to her siblings.
“We’d make a great picture,” said Dawn, looking around at all of Delilah’s workers.
“A real photo opportunity!” said Violet, holding up her camera. “Why don’t we go outside? We could stand under the new sign. We didn’t get a good look at it when we got here.”
“Not yet,” said Steve. “You haven’t gotten your big surprise, Aldens.”
Steve made the children wait at one of the tables. He went back to the kitchen and came out with a baking tray.
“Presenting The Alden!” said Steve, putting the tray down in front Benny, whose eyes grew. On the tray were rectangular doughnuts covered with pale green icing and blue and white sprinkles.
“You children get the first taste,” said Dawn.
Violet took a picture of the tray first. “They match the new decor!” she said. “Everyone should get the first taste!”
Benny, Violet, Jessie, and Henry each took a doughnut. Then Grandfather, Steve, Dawn, Dave, and Nathan took theirs. There was quiet munching for a few seconds.
“Mmmm!” said Benny. “I’m glad there are more! These are amazing!”
“There’s something special in this doughnut,” said Henry. “I don’t know what it is.”
“We can’t tell you!” said Nathan. “It’s a secret ingredient. But if you keep tasting, you might figure it out yourself.”
Everyone laughed.
“Can we take our picture now?” asked Violet.
“Sure,” said Steve. “In fact, I think the Greenfield News team has arrived. They can take our picture for the paper.”
“Wow,” said Benny. “We’ll be famous.”
Back outside, the first person to greet Delilah’s team was Hilda Ramirez. She hugged Dawn and shook hands with everyone. “You folks look great. And the shop does too! I really love your sign.”
The children stepped back from the door. Above it was a big new sign, made out of polished wood and shiny metal.
“‘Delilah’s Doughnut Shop,’” read Benny.
A man with a camera came up to the group. “Are these all the helpers?”
“They sure are,” said Steve.
“Well, everyone, face me, and we’ll take some photos for the paper. Say apple fritter!”
When the party was over, Steve and Dawn let the Aldens take home the rest of their special doughnuts. There would be more batches coming soon to Delilah’s.
In the car, Benny looked into the paper bag of doughnuts. He’d promised to wait till after dinner to have his.
“Why are you looking so hard at those doughnuts?” asked Violet. “I can’t believe you want to eat more already. Do you?”
“I’m thinking,” said Benny. “These doughnuts are the same shape as a boxcar!”
“That’s true,” said Violet slowly. She looked into the bag Benny was holding. “I’m getting ideas for redecorating our clubhouse. Thanks, Benny!”
“You’re welcome,” said Benny. “Doughnuts make everyone think better, don’t they?”
Turn the page to read a sneak preview of
THE ROBOT RANSOM
the next
Boxcar Children mystery!
Benny Alden knelt on the floor of the boxcar, nose to nose with a one-foot-tall robot. “Hi, DogBot!” he said.
“Arf!” The robot barked and rolled back and forth on its wheels.
Six-year-old Benny laughed. “I see why you call it DogBot. It doesn’t look like a dog, but it barks like one!”
His brother Henry grinned. “We modeled the robot after a search and rescue dog. The barking is just for fun.” At fourteen, Henry was the oldest of the Alden siblings.
Twelve-year-old Jessie nodded. “Search and rescue dogs affected our design. But our robot doesn’t have to look like a real dog.”
The robot backed away from Benny and began exploring the room. When DogBot got to a wall, it turned. Soon the robot dog got close to the Aldens’ real dog, a wire fox terrier named Watch. DogBot let out another friendly “Arf!” Watch just backed into a corner and growled.
Violet, who was ten, hurried to give Watch a hug. “Don’t worry. We would never replace you with a robot dog!” Watch licked her face and then turned to look suspiciously at DogBot. The children laughed.
Henry checked the time on his phone. “Is everyone ready to leave?”
“Our suitcases are in the house,” said Violet. “I helped Benny pack.”
“All right,” said Henry, picking up DogBot. “Say good-bye to the boxcar for a few days.”
“We’ll have to say good-bye to Watch too.” Violet gave the dog another hug. “We’ll miss you, but you wouldn’t like being around all those robots.”
“Thousands and thousands of robots!” said Benny. “I can’t wait.”
“Well, hundreds of robots anyway.” Henry led the way back to the house. “This is a regional Robot Roundup. We’re one of ten middle school teams competing.”
“That sounds like a tough contest,” said Violet.
Benny skipped ahead toward the house and called back, “Henry and Jessie can win.”
Henry smiled. “Thanks. Winning would be nice. But no matter what happens, we’ve already learned a lot in robotics club.”
“It has been fun,” said Jessie. “We’re lucky that our team members have so much experience.” As the children went through the back door of the house, the front doorbell rang. “That must be Naomi and Rico now!”
The Aldens hurried to answer the door, where Jessie introduced her teammates to Violet and Benny. “Naomi and Rico have done this competition for two years,” she said.
Naomi had dark skin and a puffy halo of black hair. She said, “Each team has four students. Our old teammates are in high school this year. We sure are glad Henry and Jessie joined us.”
Rico was tall, with tan skin and dark hair falling into his eyes. “We need a good team if we’re going to beat Silver City.” Watch came up and sniffed at Rico’s knee, making him jump. Then he bent down to pet the dog.
“The Greenfield STEAM Team can do it!” said Naomi.
Violet was often shy with strangers, but Naomi was wearing a purple shirt. Purple was Violet’s favorite color. She immediately liked the older girl, so she said, “That’s a good team name. I’m glad you included Art along with Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. I like STEAM better than STEM.”
“Oh, I get it now,” said Benny. “STEAM comes from the first letters of those other words.”
“That’s right, Benny,” Jessie said proudly. Then she turned to Naomi. “Violet is an artist.”
“That’s great,” Naomi said. “Art is an important part of science and engineering. Maybe you’ll join the robotics club in a couple of years.”
Grandfather entered the room. Henry introduced him to Naomi and Rico. “Thank you for offering to drive us,” said Rico.
Grandfather nodded. “I have business near Port Elizabeth. We’ll stay at the hotel together. I can drop you off and then take care of my work. It will be fun for Violet and Benny to see all the robots too. Shall we go?”
Once they were on the road, Violet turned to Rico. “You said you want to beat the Silver City team. What about the other teams?”
“Sure,” said Rico. “But the Greenfield STEAM Team and the Silver Ci
ty Gearheads are rivals.”
“Tell them what happened last year,” said Henry.
Rico nodded. “The Silver City team is very competitive, especially this boy named Logan. He can get pretty insulting.”
“He doesn’t have the right spirit for the Robot Roundup,” Naomi said. “But that’s not the worst part. Last year, we won fair and square, but Logan complained. He said the judges hadn’t given us the right score.”
Violet stared at her with wide eyes. “What happened?”
Naomi shrugged. “The judges stayed with their decision. We got the trophy and the prize money. But Logan and the Gearheads kept saying bad things about us. It took some of the fun out of winning.”
Jessie made a face. “I’m not looking forward to meeting him.”
When they arrived at the hotel, everyone grabbed their luggage and piled out. They carried their things into the lobby and waited while Grandfather checked in.
Jessie looked around the lobby. “It’s time to meet Coach Kaleka, but I don’t see him yet.”
Henry, Rico, and Naomi also looked around the lobby. A few people sat in chairs, while others came and went. Naomi said, “I don’t see Coach. But there’s the Silver City team!”
A short woman with big glasses was talking to four children. One of them, a boy about Henry’s age, glanced around the room. When he spotted their group by the check-in desk, he walked over. “Look, it’s the Greenfield daydream team,” he said. “Because you’re dreaming if you think you can beat us.”
Naomi rolled her eyes. “Hello, Logan.”
“Are these your new team members?” Logan pointed at Violet and Benny. “I guess even little kids could do better than you.”
“Hey, I could make a good robot!” Benny said.
Henry stepped forward. “I’m Henry and this is my sister Jessie. We’re the new members of the Greenfield STEAM Team. We’re looking forward to a fun, fair competition with good sportsmanship.”