“I found the code word!” declared Amber.
The Aldens could hardly believe their ears.
Were they too late to win the race?
Just then, Mike Devlin gestured for Amber to join him. As the author stepped into the WGFD booth, Mike spoke into the microphone.
“Well, folks!” he announced. “Somebody just stopped by our booth. Looks like we just might have a winner in the Great Detective Race.” Turning to Amber, he added, “How about telling our listeners a bit about yourself. Do you live here in Greenfield?”
“No, I’m an author from out of town. My name’s Amber Madison,” she said, “and my book—which is on sale now—is called The Art of Good Manners.”
“Well, nice to meet you, Amber,” Mike said in his smooth voice. “So you think you’ve tracked down the code word, do you?”
Benny held his breath. He couldn’t stand the suspense.
“No doubt about it!” Amber sounded very sure. “The code word is … ‘mermaid!’”
“Yes, you hit the nail right on the—what?” Mike did a double take. “What did you say?”
Amber leaned closer to the microphone. “‘Mermaid,’” she repeated. “Now, about my book—”
“Um, no … I’m afraid that isn’t the code word,” Mike said, shaking his head in confusion.
For a long moment, Amber stared at Mike. Finally she said, “What … what do you mean?” She sounded puzzled. “Of course that’s it!”
Mike held up a hand. “Time for some mellow tunes from Lark Sanders,” he said, speaking into the microphone. As music boomed from the overhead speakers, he quickly hustled the author from the booth.
“That was pretty strange, wasn’t it?” Jessie said, keeping her voice low. “Mike seemed to be expecting a different answer.”
Henry nodded.
Amber whirled around to face the deejay. “What’s going on?” she demanded angrily. “I gave you the right code word—and you know it!”
“Please,” Mike told her, “try to calm down.”
“I will not calm down!” Amber was talking loudly now. “Not until you tell me what this is all about!” She folded her arms in front of her.
As shoppers gathered round, Mike ran his fingers nervously through his neatly combed hair. “This isn’t the time or the place—” he began.
“I won’t be cheated out of a win!” Amber broke in. “I guessed the correct code word. End of story.”
The Aldens looked at each other. They knew this was the moment to speak up.
“Actually,” said Henry, “we think the code word is ‘Alice.’”
Debra began to clap her hands. “Yes, yes, that’s it!” Turning to Mike, she added, “Looks like we have a winner after all.”
As a murmur went up from the crowd, Amber glared over at the Aldens. “And who on earth is Alice?” she wanted to know.
“It’s a nickname for the mermaid,” Jessie explained. “Everyone in Greenfield calls her Alice.”
“You were this close, Miss Madison.” Debra pinched her thumb and finger together. “But it was the name of the mermaid we were after.”
“Listen, Debra,” Mike said, “we can’t really expect someone from Boston to know what folks around here call the mermaid. Can we?” He lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “I say she was close enough. Let’s just declare Amber the winner.”
“We can’t do that, Mike,” Debra said firmly. “It wouldn’t be fair to the Aldens—or to anyone else in the race.”
Before the deejay could answer, Henry spoke up. “How did you know Amber Madison was from Boston?” he wondered.
It was a good question. Amber had said she was from out of town, but nothing else. How could Mike know? Everyone waited for an answer.
The question seemed to catch Mike off guard. “I, um … had a hunch, that’s all. What’s the big deal?”
Debra looked over at the deejay suspiciously, but she didn’t say anything.
“Maybe Amber mentioned it yesterday,” Jessie hinted.
“What are you driving at?” Mike asked. “I never met this lady before today.”
“Are you sure about that?” Violet questioned. Then she turned to Debra. “I have something you should see.” After shuffling through her snapshots, Violet handed Debra the photo taken outside the ice-cream parlor.
“No wonder you knew Amber was from Boston,” Debra realized. She was staring at the photograph with a frown.
“What are you talking about?” Mike shifted uncomfortably.
“How would you explain this, Mike?” Debra passed the snapshot to him. “It clearly shows that you and Amber Madison have met before.”
Amber inched her way closer to look over Mike’s shoulder. As she got a glimpse of the photograph, her mouth dropped.
“You fixed the race, didn’t you, Mike?” Debra said accusingly. “You told Amber that the mermaid was the code word.”
Mike was at a loss for words. He looked over at Amber.
“Are you waiting for me to say something, Mike?” the author asked him in disbelief. “Fixing the race was your idea, not mine.” She threw up her hands. “I should’ve known better than to trust some small-town deejay.”
“Now wait just a minute …” Mike began.
“No, you wait!” Amber snapped. “You told me the mermaid was the code word. How should I know anything about her nickname?” Her dark eyes flashed angrily. “I should have stuck with the Aldens.”
Jessie and Henry exchanged glances. “You were at Potter’s Creek, weren’t you?” Jessie guessed.
“You were watching us through binoculars,” added Violet.
Debra gave the author a sideways glance. “You were actually spying on these children, Miss Madison?”
Amber didn’t deny it. “I heard them talking at the mall about being good detectives. I asked around and somebody told me they were the Aldens. I was hoping they’d lead me to the code word.”
“But … why?” Debra was shaking her head in disbelief.
“You wanted an interview on Mike Devlin’s show,” Henry said. “Right?”
“Yes,” admitted Amber, surprised that Henry knew that. “Mike was interviewing the winner of the race, so … I signed up.”
“And you left a fake clue!” Benny accused her. “That wasn’t very nice.”
“Fake clue?” Amber looked surprised. “I did get carried away,” she admitted. “I should never have followed you around town. But I had nothing to do with any fake clue.”
The children looked at each other. They had a feeling Amber was telling the truth.
“Well, no harm done, right?” Mike put in, trying to make light of everything. Then he turned to Amber with a shrug. “An interview on our Late Night show isn’t as bad as all that. Is it?”
“You must be kidding!” Amber snorted. “I want nothing more to do with this second-rate station. You won’t be seeing me around here again,” she said, walking away. “Not ever!”
“We’re counting on it,” Debra called after her.
CHAPTER 10
Swan Cake
“Look,” said Benny. “It’s Mr. Porter!” Sure enough, the owner of the radio station stepped out from amongst the shoppers. “What’s going on?” he asked.
“Oh, nothing really,” Mike was quick to say. “We were just congratulating the winners of the Great Detective Race.” With a sweep of his arm, he pointed towards the children. “The Aldens!”
“Well, how about that!” Mr. Porter gave them a big smile. “When I saw the crowd, I thought something might be wrong.”
“Now, what could be wrong?” asked Mike.
“Actually,” said Debra, “there is a problem, Mr. Porter.”
The station owner’s face grew stern as Debra told him about Amber Madison. He frowned as he looked at the photo. “How could you do something so dishonest, Mike?” he wanted to know.
“Hey, I just didn’t want kids to win the race,” Mike said with a shrug. “I did what was best for the station, that’
s all.”
“For the station,” Mr. Porter asked, “or for you?”
“What’s the difference?” Mike snapped. “I’m the reason for the Big G’s success. Everybody knows that.”
“Mike, I’ve always said it takes teamwork to make a station successful,” Mr. Porter said quietly. “But I don’t think you’re a team player.”
“I can see why you’re upset, but—”
“Here’s the deal, Mike,” Mr. Porter interrupted. “Everybody deserves a second chance, so I’m not going to fire you. You will, however, be working the Late Night show for a while.”
Mike’s jaw dropped. “You can’t be serious!”
“I run an honest station, Mike,” the station owner replied. “We’re planning more contests during the daytime and I just can’t trust you.”
“Look, I’m sorry I betrayed your trust, Mr. Porter.” Mike shifted uncomfortably. “I should never have done that, but … can’t we sit down and talk about this?”
Mr. Porter shook his head. “My decision is final, Mike. You won’t be back on the daytime show until you prove you’re a team player.”
Mike opened his mouth, then closed it again. Finally, he walked back to the WGFD booth, looking truly sorry.
“Congratulations,” Debra said, turning to the Aldens. She held out two envelopes. “Here’s your tickets to Swan Lake—and a voucher for a ride in the sky with Chopper Dan.”
“Thanks!” said Benny.
“But there’s only room in the helicopter for one other person,” Debra added. “I suppose you’ll have to draw straws.”
“Or put your names into a hat,” said a voice behind them.
The Aldens turned to see Chris standing with his father, Chopper Dan. Chris was giving the Aldens the thumbs-up sign.
Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny looked at each other. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Violet asked her sister and brothers.
Jessie nodded. So did Benny and Henry.
Benny held the envelope out to Chris. “You take it,” he said. “Now you can get a ride with your dad.”
Chris stared at the envelope. “What …?”
Henry said, “We want you to have it.”
Chris hesitated. “But … I haven’t been very nice.”
“You left that clue in the hopscotch game,” guessed Jessie. “Didn’t you?”
Chris nodded. “I heard you talking about all the mysteries you’ve solved,” he confessed. “I didn’t think I had a chance to win.”
Benny blinked in surprise. “You sent us on a wild-goose chase?”
“Yes,” he said. “I saw you in the park the other day. When you left your notebook on the bench …”
“You tore out the list of playgrounds, didn’t you?” guessed Violet. “Then you planted that fake clue in the hopscotch game.”
Chris didn’t deny it.
Chopper Dan looked at his son in disbelief. “Why would you do such a thing, Chris?”
“I wanted to throw the Aldens off track.” Chris hung his head. “Getting a ride in the helicopter was so important to me. I figured the race was just a game to them.”
“It wasn’t just a game to us,” Violet exclaimed.
“It was more than that,” agreed Jessie. “A lot more.”
Henry added, “We were trying to win tickets to Swan Lake for our housekeeper, Mrs. McGregor.”
“I’m really sorry,” Chris said, handing the envelope back to Henry. “I don’t deserve this.”
Chopper Dan shook his head in surprise.
“You wanted a helicopter ride that much?” he asked his son. “I had no idea.”
“I think we can work something out,” said Mr. Porter. “We’ll make sure you get that ride in the sky with your dad, Chris.”
“Thanks so much!” said Chris. Then, turning to the Aldens, he added, “Sorry about the fake clue.”
“If you mean that,” said Jessie, “then you won’t play tricks on people anymore.”
“I won’t,” Chris promised. “Not ever.”
The next day, Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny trooped into the dining room where Grandfather and Mrs. McGregor were waiting. Henry was carrying a birthday cake while everyone sang “Happy Birthday” at the top of their lungs. Even Watch woof-woof-woofed his way through the song.
“Oh, how beautiful!” Mrs. McGregor said, as Henry set the cake on the table.
“It’s your favorite,” Jessie told her. “Chocolate with caramel frosting.”
“Well, fancy that,” said Mrs. McGregor. “And just look at those sprinkles on the top—in the shape of a swan!”
“Well, you couldn’t get tickets to Swan Lake,” Henry said, his eyes twinkling, “so we made you a swan cake.”
“How thoughtful!” said Mrs. McGregor.
“Now make a wish, Mrs. McGregor,” Benny said. “Sometimes wishes really do come true.”
Their housekeeper closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and blew out all the candles.
“Well done!” said Grandfather, as everyone clapped.
Benny held out an envelope. “Open this first, Mrs. McGregor,” he said. “Okay?”
Mrs. McGregor smiled at the youngest Alden. Then she opened the envelope Benny handed her. “Why, it’s a sketch of Watch!” she said, as she pulled out a birthday card.
“Violet drew it herself,” Benny said proudly.
“But everybody helped with the verse inside,” Violet was quick to add.
Mrs. McGregor opened the card and read the verse aloud.
We entered a race
and followed the clues
so somebody’s wishes
all would come true!
“Happy birthday, Mrs. McGregor!” Jessie handed their housekeeper another envelope.
“Oh, my!” said Mrs. McGregor. “What’s this?”
“Open it, Mrs. McGregor!” cried Benny. He was bouncing up and down with excitement.
The Aldens held their breath as she opened the envelope.
“Front-row tickets to Swan Lake?” the housekeeper blinked in surprise. “How in the world …?”
“It wasn’t easy, Mrs. McGregor,” Henry said with a grin. “First, we followed the Pied Piper, then—”
“We tracked down a giant turkey!” continued Benny.
“And don’t forget about the mermaid,” added Violet.
Mrs. McGregor laughed. “You know what?” she said. “I can’t wait to hear all about it!”
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 fun 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
THE MYSTERY GIRL
THE MYSTERY CRUISE
THE DISAPPEARING FRIEND MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE SINGING GHOST
MYSTERY IN THE SNOW
THE PIZZA MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY HORSE
THE MYSTERY AT THE DOG SHOW
THE CASTLE MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE LOST VILLAGE
THE MYSTERY ON THE ICE
THE MYSTERY OF THE PURPLE POOL
THE GHOST SHIP MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY IN WASHINGTON, DC
THE CANOE TRIP MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE HIDDEN BEACH
THE MYSTERY OF THE MISSING CAT
THE MYSTERY AT SNOWFLAKE INN
THE MYSTERY ON STAGE
THE DINOSAUR MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE STOLEN MUSIC
THE MYSTERY AT THE BALL PARK
THE CHOCOLATE SUNDAE MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE HOT AIR BALLOON
THE MYSTERY BOOKSTORE
THE PILGRIM VILLAGE MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE STOLEN BOXCAR
THE MYSTERY IN THE CAVE
THE MYSTERY ON THE TRAIN
THE MYSTERY AT THE FAIR
THE MYSTERY OF THE LOST MINE
THE GUIDE DOG MYSTERY
THE HURRICANE MYSTERY
THE PET SHOP MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE SECRET MESSAGE
THE FIREHOUSE MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY IN SAN FRANCISCO
THE NIAGARA FALLS MYSTERY