In their rush to get to the store, the Aldens hadn’t noticed the sign on their way in. But they could see now that it had been altered again. This time there weren’t any letters missing. Instead there were two words in the middle of the sign. All the other letters had been crammed together around the edges as though they weren’t needed.
The two words were CARTER and ROBBER.
Carter’s face turned bright red. “Is this some kind of joke?” he roared. He turned to the Aldens. “Did you kids rearrange those letters?”
“No,” they all responded in unison.
“I didn’t notice that sign earlier today,” Queenie spoke up. “But I know that yesterday it said CALL GEORGE BERBER TO RENT AT THE CROSSROADS MALL.”
Carter banged the door open and strode across the parking lot. The Aldens stood in the doorway to the Game Spot with Queenie and watched as he yanked down all the letters that spelled CARTER and ROBBER. When he came back into the store, he threw the letters down onto the counter.
“I know you didn’t have anything to do with these robberies, Carter,” Queenie said, trying to calm him down.
“Well, somebody thinks I did,” Carter said.
“That or someone’s trying to make it look like you did,” Henry pointed out.
“Who would do such a thing?” Queenie asked.
“I don’t know,” Jessie replied. “Perhaps the real robber?”
“I wish we knew who that was,” Queenie said.
Later, when the children were back home, they went out to the boxcar in the backyard to talk more about the case.
“Do you think Carter really is innocent? Or do you think someone is trying to tell us something by writing CARTER and ROBBER on that sign?” Henry asked.
“I don’t know,” Jessie said as she stretched her legs out and leaned back against the wall of the boxcar. “That’s a good question. Is the person who is taking letters off the sign is the same person who is breaking into the safes?”
“That’s another good question,” Henry said.
“Well, what do we know about Carter?” Jessie asked.
“We know he works at the Game Spot with Queenie,” Violet said. “And the two of them seem to be pretty close friends.”
“We know he has a key to the Game Spot and that he knew the combination to the safe,” Benny added.
“But he wouldn’t have had a key to the Java Café,” Jessie said. “And he wouldn’t have known the combination to their safe.”
“Probably not,” Henry agreed. “But he knows something about safes. Remember, he said his father was a safe manufacturer?”
“That’s right,” Jessie said.
“Maybe the Java Café and the Game Spot were robbed by different people,” Violet said.
“Maybe,” Jessie said. “But you know, there is somebody who had a key to both stores and who knew the combination to both safes.”
“Raina,” Henry and Violet said at the same time.
“We also know that Raina needed money,” Jessie said.
“But Queenie said Raina was out of town yesterday,” Benny said.
“And if Raina is the robber, then why didn’t the sign out front say RAINA and ROBBER instead of CARTER and ROBBER?” Violet asked.
“Maybe Raina’s the one who wrote the message,” Jessie said. “Maybe she’s trying to frame Carter.”
“Maybe,” Henry said. “But Queenie is sure that both Carter and Raina are innocent.”
“And maybe they are,” Violet said. “Maybe the robber is someone else entirely.”
“Maybe,” Henry said. “We don’t have enough evidence to accuse anybody yet. But I think we should keep an eye on both Carter and Raina and see if either of them do anything suspicious.”
Jessie nodded. “Good idea, Henry. And let’s not forget George Berber, either. Remember, he has a key to both stores.”
“But did he know the combinations to the safes?” Violet asked.
“I don’t know,” Henry said. “But that would be a good thing to find out.”
CHAPTER 6
The Figure in the Night
On Monday morning, the Aldens put on their old clothes again and biked over to the Crossroads Mall. They were planning to do some more work on the mural.
“Hey, the sign is blank today,” Violet said as they rode into the mall parking lot.
“That’s strange,” Jessie said. “I wonder if someone took all the letters this time or if there just wasn’t a message on the sign this morning.”
The children locked their bikes at the bike rack, then headed over to the Game Spot.
A van that said SILVER’S SAFES on the side was parked in front of Lake’s Jewelry Store next to the Game Spot.
“I wonder if they’re getting a new safe at the jewelry store?” Violet said.
“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Jessie said, opening the door. “Now that there have been two robberies in this mall, other store owners are probably getting worried. They want to make sure their safes are secure.”
When the children stepped inside the store they found Queenie and Carter in the middle of a serious conversation with George Berber, the mall owner. The three of them were seated around the table.
The Aldens didn’t want to intrude, but they didn’t want to start on the mural without permission from Queenie, either. So they lingered over by the model train set.
“You’re the store owner, Queenie,” George was saying. “You tell me what you want that sign to say. As long as I’ve got the letters, you can say whatever you want to say.
Queenie glanced at Carter. “I don’t know. I like STOP IN AND SEE GREENFIELD’S NEWEST GAME STORE. I don’t need my name up there on that sign for the whole world to see.”
“Yes, but you’re trying to project an image of small-town friendliness,” Carter said. “I think STOP IN AND SAY HELLO TO QUEENIE AT THE GAME SPOT sounds so much nicer. And it’ll be good for business.”
Queenie thought about it for a moment. “Well, if you really think it’s a good idea, Carter,” she said finally. She turned to George. “Okay, go ahead and write STOP IN AND SAY HELLO TO QUEENIE AT THE GAME SPOT.”
“I’ll have to see if I’ve got enough Es left for that whole message,” George said as he rifled through his letters. “Let’s see—one, two, three, four, five, six. You’re in luck. I have just enough.”
“Oh good,” Queenie said.
George and Queenie both stood up. “I’ll get your message up right away. I just hope the letters don’t go missing as soon as the message is put up.”
Queenie said good bye to George, then walked over to the Aldens. She looked tired today.
“Hello, kids,” she said. “I’m afraid what with all the commotion yesterday I haven’t been able to get out and get you some more paint.”
“Oh, that’s okay,” Jessie said. “Would you like us to come back another time?”
“Would you mind?” Queenie asked. “Perhaps I could leave Raina in charge of the store and go out later this afternoon?”
“Would you like us to stick around in case Raina needs help while you’re gone?” Violet offered.
“Oh no,” Queenie replied. “That won’t be necessary. Raina can handle things just fine. And if for some reason she can’t, Carter should be here, too.”
“What can I handle?” Raina asked as she came up behind them with a stack of games in her hands. A pretty sapphire necklace lay against her throat.
Queenie jumped. “Oh, Raina. I didn’t see you there. I was just telling the Aldens that I’m going to try and get to the paint store this afternoon. You can handle things by yourself, can’t you?”
“Certainly,” Raina replied. She set the games on the shelf behind her.
“Good,” Queenie said. “Because I’d like to get that Kids’ Korner finished by this weekend. Do you suppose your grandfather would let you come to paint this evening while the store is closed?”
The children all glanced at one another. “I’m sure he will,”
Henry said.
“Good.” Queenie smiled. “Then I’ll see you all tonight. Shall we say seven o’clock?”
“Seven o’clock it is,” Jessie said.
As the children were leaving, they noticed Raina twisting her finger around her necklace while she spoke to Carter.
“That’s a beautiful necklace, Raina,” Carter said. “Where did you get it?”
“At Lake’s Jewelry Store next door,” Raina replied with a sheepish smile. “I really don’t have the money to be buying myself jewelry. But I saw it in the window this morning. And it was on sale, so I just couldn’t resist.”
Carter glanced over his shoulder nervously. “Do they have a lot of nice things?” he asked in a low voice. “I’ve never been in there.”
“Oh, yes,” Raina said enthusiastically. “Lots of nice things. You should stop in sometime.”
“Maybe I’ll stop in there right now,” Carter said. “Thanks, Raina.” He turned to Queenie and said, “I’m going to step out for a few minutes, okay?”
“Sure, Carter,” Queenie replied. “When you get back, I think I’ll go over to the paint store.”
The Aldens followed Carter out. They watched as he went into the jewelry store next door. Tony’s truck was gone.
“I wonder where Raina got the money for that necklace?” Jessie said. “She was pretty low on money last Friday.”
“Well, she told the person she was talking to on the phone that she was going to get paid today. Maybe Queenie gave her a paycheck early,” Henry suggested.
“Maybe,” Jessie said.
“Hey, George is still here!” Henry pointed across the parking lot to where the mall owner was placing letters on the sign. “This is a good time to talk to him.”
By the time the Aldens got across the parking lot, George was almost finished.
“Hey, kids,” George said as he closed up his book of plastic letters.
“It’s too bad someone keeps stealing the letters from your sign,” Violet said.
“Yes, it is,” George agreed. “These are the last Es I have. If they disappear, too, I don’t know what I’ll do.”
“It’s too bad about the safe robberies, too,” Henry said. “Do the police have any leads?”
“None at all,” George said with a heavy sigh. “And that’s bad news, too. People hear about the robberies and they don’t want to rent space in this mall. Look at all the storefronts that are still empty.” He gestured toward the mall.
“There have to be some clues somewhere,” Jessie said. “Someone had a key to both the Java Café and the Game Spot and someone knew the combinations to both safes. It shouldn’t be so hard to find out who that could be.”
“Chip Douglas and Raina Holt were the only people who had keys to the Java Café, and they were the only people who knew the combination to that safe. And Queenie Polk, Carter Malone and Raina Holt were the only people who had keys to the Game Spot and the only people who knew the combination to the safe there.”
“Everything seems to be pointing to Raina,” Jessie noted.
“But Queenie has known Raina since she was a little girl,” Violet pointed out. “She’s sure Raina isn’t guilty.”
“The police don’t think she’s involved, either,” George said as he stopped in front of a white jeep. “They checked out her story. Apparently she really was out of town when this last robbery occurred.”
“What about you?” Benny asked boldly. “Don’t you have a key to both stores and don’t you know the combinations to both safes?”
“Benny!” Jessie exclaimed. It sounded like Benny was accusing George of something.
But George just smiled good-naturedly. “That’s okay, Jessie. I have nothing to hide. I do have a key to both stores. In fact, I have a key to all the stores here. I need to be able to get in in case there’s an emergency. But I don’t know the combinations to any of the safes.”
“I hope you don’t think we were accusing you,” Jessie said. “We’re just trying to gather information.”
“I know,” George said. “And I appreciate that you kids are trying to find our robber.”
“I just wish we were having better luck,” Henry said.
That night the Aldens returned to the Game Spot at seven o’clock as planned. Queenie had gotten to the paint store and picked up all the colors they had requested. She had also bought a wooden table and four chairs for the Kids’ Korner.
“I couldn’t find tables and chairs in bright colors,” Queenie explained. “Are you still willing to paint these?”
“Absolutely,” Violet said. “We can use the tables and chairs to bring out the colors in the mural.”
“That’s a wonderful idea,” Queenie said. “I’m really pleased with the job you kids are doing.”
“Thanks,” Violet replied. “We’re having fun, too.”
“Well, I can see you don’t need me, so if you don’t mind, I’ll be working in the backroom,” Queenie said.
“Okay,” Jessie said.
The children got their paint and supplies. They spread out dropcloths below where they were working. Then they got busy. Jessie and Violet did some small brush work around the mural. Benny and Henry worked on the table.
“What do you think, Benny?” Henry asked. “Red or yellow?”
“Yellow,” Benny replied. “With a blue lightning strike down the middle.”
“That sounds good!” Henry said. He opened a can of yellow paint and started stirring.
It was so quiet in the store that night that Queenie had put on a radio for background noise. Every now and then the children would sing along with a song they recognized. But other than that, they worked straight for the next hour.
“Whew!” Jessie wiped the back of her hand across her forehead. “I’m ready for a break.”
“Me, too,” Henry said. He and Benny had just finished painting the table yellow. They’d need to let the paint dry before adding the blue lightning strike.
It was starting to get dark outside. The streetlights in the parking lot had come on.
“Shall we go wash our hands and get a snack?” Jessie asked. Mrs. McGregor had packed them some cheese and crackers and lemonade in case they got hungry while they were working.
“Sure,” Violet said.
One by one, the children took turns washing up in the small bathroom in the back, then they went to sit down at the large table in the front of the store.
“The mural is almost done,” Violet said. “And I don’t think it’ll take very long to paint those chairs. We’ll probably just need to come in one more time to finish all that up.”
“Hooray!” Benny said. “I can’t wait until the Kids’ Korner is done!”
“I bet Jessie can’t, either,” Henry said. “She’ll be in here all the time playing Word Master.”
Violet and Benny nodded their agreement.
But Jessie didn’t seem to be paying much attention to what they were saying. She was staring at something out the window.
“What are you looking at, Jessie?” Violet asked. It was getting dark outside, so it was hard to see anything.
“I don’t know,” Jessie replied, her forehead pressed against the glass. “I thought I saw someone moving around in the bushes in front of that sign out there, but I’m not seeing anything now. Maybe I was mistaken.”
The others all pressed their hands to the window and peered out into the darkness, too.
“I just saw something, too,” Henry said.
“So did I,” Benny said. “It looks like there’s someone hiding in the rose bushes. I think they’re reaching up and taking letters off the sign.”
“Let’s go!” Henry leaped to his feet. “Maybe we can catch our letter thief in the act.”
CHAPTER 7
Another Robbery
The Aldens raced out the front door and across the parking lot. But the noise they were making alerted the intruder, and he dashed away in the opposite direction.
All they could se
e was that he was tall and thin and wore jeans and a jacket. He ran around behind the mall. The children hurried after him. But when they reached the back alley, they found it deserted.
“Where did he go?” Henry asked, glancing left, then right.
The intruder was nowhere in sight.
“Where do all these doors go?” Benny asked. “Could he have gone inside one of them?”
“I think those doors all lead to the different stores in the mall,” Jessie said as she rested against the brick building. “He could have gone inside one of them.”
Henry tried the door closest to them. “It’s locked,” he said.
The children continued down the alley, trying each door along the way. But they were all locked.
There was a fence at the end of the alley. The intruder may have climbed the fence, or, if he had a key, he may have gone inside one of the doors. Either way, he was gone.
Disappointed, the Aldens turned around and walked back around to the front of the mall.
“Did anyone get a good look at him?” Jessie asked.
“No. It was too dark,” Violet said.
Queenie was pacing back and forth on the sidewalk. “My goodness,” she said when she saw the children. “I heard you all go running out of the store, but I didn’t know where you went. I was worried.”
“We’re sorry,” Violet said. “We didn’t mean to worry you. But we saw somebody pulling letters off that sign. We wanted to see if we could catch him.”
“And did you catch him?” Queenie asked hopefully.
Benny shook his head. “He was too fast.”
“Which letters did he take this time?” Jessie asked.
The group walked over so they could read the sign. The children remembered that the sign was supposed to say STOP IN AND SAY HELLO TO QUEENIE AT THE GAME SPOT. Now it said STOP IN AND SAY HEL_O TO _ _EENIE AT THE GA_E SPOT.
“There’s an L, a Q, a U, and an M missing,” Violet said.
“Hey, what’s this?” Benny reached for a piece of brown cloth that was stuck to a thorn on one of the rosebushes in front of the sign.
“Looks like part of a pocket,” Jessie said as she fingered the cloth.