“Unless he changed clothes,” said Henry.
“There were a lot of costumes backstage that anyone could use,” said Jessie.
“And they could hide the muddy clothing,” said Henry. “I’m not sure being muddy is a good clue.”
“I know a good clue,” said Benny. He was quietly brushing Jeff and listening to his brother and sisters talk.
“What’s your clue, Benny?” asked Violet.
“Jasper Beebe wouldn’t take Trigger. And he wouldn’t let out the cattle,” Benny declared.
“Oh, you’re right!” said Violet. She clapped her hands.
“What is it, you two?” Henry asked.
“Jasper is afraid of horses!” said Benny. “Violet told me. He screeched when Tricky Trigger took off his hat.”
“Jasper is afraid of cattle too, I think,” said Violet. “He got nervous just talking about them and he left before the cattle drive started!”
Jessie and Henry patted Violet and Benny on their backs. “You’re right. That definitely rules out Jasper Beebe as our bandit,” said Jessie. “Good job!”
“So we’re left with Calamity Connie,” said Henry.
“And Dapper Dallas,” said Jessie. “I think I know why he could also be our bandit. Remember who the buyer is?”
“A Hollywood producer,” said Henry.
“Maybe Dallas told the producer he could convince Bart and Nellie to sell,” said Jessie. “Maybe they promised him an acting job if he was successful.”
“He might do anything to make that happen,” said Henry.
“We now have two possible bandits,” said Jessie. “Where do we go from here?”
“I think we need more clues,” said Benny. The other children agreed. They put their horses into their stalls and gave each horse fresh hay and water. Then they walked back to Wildcat Stage.
The children entered through the back door. Costumes were still strewn on the floor. Nobody was around.
“Oh goodness! We forgot to clean up this mess,” said Violet.
“We were busy!” said Jessie, laughing. “We can clean it up now.”
Henry and Jessie picked up hangers, dresses, shirts, pants, and jackets and hung them on the costume racks. Benny collected shoes and boots and found their matches. Violet helped Benny line up the shoes and boots under the costume racks. They had the mess cleaned up in no time.
Violet pointed to the bulletin board. “Look at the different colored notes here,” she said. There were lots of notes tacked to the board. The notes were blue, pink, yellow, and orange.
“I think the orange and yellow notes are the same size and color as the notes we found.”
“I have them in my pocket,” said Henry. He brought the two notes out. Then he held them up to the bulletin board. “Yes, they are!” he said.
The children studied all the notes on the board. The notes seemed to have handwriting of all kinds. “Here is one that used purple ink!” said Violet.
Henry reached for the note she pointed to and inspected it. “It’s hard to tell if the same person wrote this note,” he said. “Look, Benny, there are no rs to compare.” He showed the note to Benny.
“What about the one that Dapper Dallas read before the play started?” asked Benny.
“I remember that note,” said Violet. “I watched him tack it in the middle after he read it.”
Henry reached for the bright yellow note in the middle of the bulletin board. “It looks like it has lines for the part of Dastardly Dallas,” he said.
“Dastardly Dallas said, ‘Pay the rent!’” said Benny. “What does the r look like?”
Henry smiled as he showed Benny the note.
“There is a swirly r, just like in the other two notes!” said Benny.
“It looks as if Dapper Dallas is our dastardly bandit!” said Jessie.
“Maybe not,” said Henry. “We don’t know that Dallas wrote this note.”
“Oh, that’s right,” said Jessie. “Maybe someone else wrote the note for him. It could have been Connie.”
“We know that Connie loves purple,” said Violet.
“Look, there’s a pad of paper on the table over there,” said Benny. He ran over to inspect his find. He held up the colorful pad of paper. The other children joined him.
“There’s a pen here too,” said Jessie. She picked up the pen from the table. She scribbled on the pad of paper. “It has purple ink!”
“Anyone could have written the notes with that pen,” said Violet. “It was here for everyone to use.” She seemed relieved.
“You’re right, Violet,” said Henry. “We need to figure out a way to trap the bandit. I think we know that it’s either Calamity Connie or Dapper Dallas.”
“That’s right,” said Jessie.
“And I have an idea,” said Violet. She looked at her brothers and sister proudly. “I think I know how we can find out which one is the bandit.”
“How can we do that?” asked Jessie.
“With their help!” said Violet.
CHAPTER 10
The Bandit Is Revealed!
“Please tell us your idea, Violet!” said Benny.
“Yes, please,” said Henry. “How are we going to find out who is the bandit?”
Violet took her camera out of her pocket. “I’ve been taking photos of all the actors,” she said. “See, they’re in a collection I made called Wildcat Crossing.”
Violet showed the photos she had saved on her camera.
“You did a nice job taking photos!” said Jessie. “There’s Bart acting in the play. And there is Nellie bending over him.”
“Here is Calamity Connie playing guitar. And Dallas acting as the evil landlord!” said Violet.
“Look, there’s Wanda riding Tricky Trigger. And Jack McCoy playing the part of the bank robber,” said Benny.
“What do these photos have to do with figuring out which one is our bandit?” asked Henry.
“What do actors do with photos of themselves?” Violet asked, smiling.
“Oh!” said Jessie. “They autograph them!”
“What a great idea, Violet,” said Henry. “We can ask Connie and Dallas to autograph their photos.”
“Then we can check to see who has the swirly r,” said Benny. Then he thought of something. “Dallas and Connie don’t have an r in their names.” Benny frowned.
“You’re right, Benny,” said Henry. “You’re getting very good at spelling!”
Benny grinned.
“We’ll ask them to sign it ‘at Wildcat Crossing’ after they write their names,” said Jessie.
“Crossing has an r!” said Benny.
“Good idea!” said Violet. “Now we just need to print the photos.”
“Maybe Bart has a printer in his office,” said Jessie. “Let’s see if he’s there.”
“My camera can plug into a printer,” said Violet. “I brought the cord with me. It’s in our bunkhouse.”
The Aldens raced up the road to the bunkhouse. They retrieved the cord for Violet’s camera, and they went back to the saloon. Connie was sitting by herself at a table. Nellie was working at the cash register. No one else was around.
“Hey there, Aldens,” said Nellie. “Thanks for finding those cattle! Did you get them put away without any trouble?”
“Yes,” said Henry. “Jack McCoy put a chain and a padlock on the gate.”
“Bart told him to,” said Nellie. “We’re so tired of all the problems we’ve been having. Maybe we should just give in and sell the town.”
Nellie noticed that Benny was hopping from one foot to the other. “Benny, what’s wrong?” she asked him.
“We know who the bandit is!” whispered Violet. Benny nodded his head up and down.
“But we have to prove it,” whispered Jessie. The children glanced at Connie. She didn’t seem to hear what they were saying.
“Is Bart in the office?” asked Henry. “We want to ask him something.”
“Yes, just down the hal
l across from the kitchen,” said Nellie. She followed the children to the office.
“Good to see you,” said Bart. He was sitting at a chair behind a desk stacked high with papers. “I’m just sorting through the mess. What can I do for you?”
“We’d like to print two photographs,” said Henry. “We think we know how to identify the bandit!”
“Is that so?” asked Bart. Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny took turns telling Bart and Nellie what they had learned. They showed them the notes and explained that the handwriting was the final clue.
“You kids are darn good detectives,” said Bart, smiling. “So it’s either Nellie’s sister Connie or Dapper Dallas?”
“That’s right,” said Jessie.
“I hope it’s not Connie,” said Nellie. “She should have told us if she was unhappy.” Nellie frowned.
“We’ll find out who it is,” said Bart. He came from behind the desk and gave Nellie a hug. “And we’ll go from there, Nellie. Okay, Violet, let’s plug your camera into the printer.”
Violet and Bart hooked up the camera. They printed out a photo of Calamity Connie. They printed a second one of Dapper Dallas.
“Okay, let’s find the bandit,” said Jessie. “We can start with Connie since she’s in the saloon.”
“Violet, you should be the one to ask for the autograph,” said Henry.
Bart and Nellie stayed behind as the children approached Connie. She was writing in a notebook. She looked up when the children arrived.
“Hello, kids,” she said. “Good job finding those cattle! I bet your grandfather will be proud of you.”
“Thank you,” said Henry. “We wondered if you would do us a favor?”
“Sure,” said Connie. “What’s up?”
Violet showed Connie the photo of her. “Will you please autograph this for us?”
“Oh my, sure!” said Connie, laughing. “What would you like me to write?”
“Please have it read ‘Calamity Connie at Wildcat Crossing,’” said Violet.
“Then we will always remember where we met you!” said Benny.
“Will do,” said Connie. She reached for the photo and scribbled on the bottom. Then she handed it back. “How’s that?” she asked.
Violet studied the autograph and smiled. “It’s just perfect,” she said. “Thank you so much, Calamity Connie!”
“You’re very welcome!” she said. “I see you also have a photo of Dapper Dallas. I saw him earlier at the museum.”
“Yes,” said Violet. “We want to get his autograph too.”
“Here, take my pen,” said Connie. “He probably doesn’t have one.”
The children thanked Connie and headed outside.
“Violet, you were smiling when you saw Connie’s autograph,” said Jessie. “Let’s see!”
Violet showed her brothers and sister Connie’s photograph.
“No swirly r,” said Benny.
Henry pulled out the two notes. They compared more of the handwriting. “Her handwriting is nothing like the handwriting on the notes,” said Henry.
“Calamity Connie is innocent,” said Violet.
“Then the bandit must be Dapper Dallas,” said Jessie.
The children walked down the road toward the museum just as Dapper Dallas was leaving the museum. He walked into the road and waved at them.
“There he is,” said Benny.
“He sees us,” said Jessie. “Let’s keep going.”
They walked toward Dallas as he walked toward them. Finally the children were face to face with Dapper Dallas.
“Hey, Aldens,” said Dapper Dallas. “Good job today! You were a great help to us.”
“Thank you,” said Henry. “We enjoy being here.”
“Violet has a favor to ask,” Jessie said.
“Well, hello, little lady,” Dallas said to Violet. “What favor would you like to ask?”
Violet shyly produced the photo of Dapper Dallas.
Dapper Dallas looked at the photograph. “I look terrific!” he said, smiling. “Can you send me a copy?”
“Yes,” said Violet. “But would you please autograph this one for us?”
“Just give me a pen,” said Dallas. Violet handed him Connie’s pen.
“Please write ‘Dapper Dallas at Wildcat Crossing,’” said Benny.
“I can do that,” said Dallas, signing the photo. Then he handed the photo and the pen back to Violet.
“Wow, look at that,” said Violet. She showed the photo to Benny so he could see. Henry and Jessie looked over her shoulder.
“Look at what?” asked Dallas.
“You write a swirly r,” said Benny.
“So?” asked Dallas. “I pride myself on my fancy handwriting!”
Henry pulled the two notes from his pocket. “Yes, you do,” he said. “We noticed.”
Dallas backed up a step, shaking his head. “What are those notes? I’ve never seen them. I never made any threats to Bart and Nellie!”
“What threats?” asked Jessie. “You just said you’ve never seen these notes.”
“But you seem to know what they say!” said Benny.
Dallas sighed. “Oh okay, I give up,” he said. “I didn’t mean any harm by any of it.”
“You put salt in the water tower? And hid Tricky Trigger?” asked Henry.
“Yes, that was me,” said Dallas. He walked to the wooden sidewalk. He plunked down on a wooden bench and hung his head.
“And you messed up the costumes? And turned the cattle loose?” asked Jessie.
“Guilty as charged,” said Dallas. “But I had a good reason!”
“I’d like to hear that reason,” said Bart. He and Nellie joined the children. Connie followed close behind.
“I figured if that Hollywood producer bought Wildcat Crossing, I’d get to be a real actor,” said Dallas.
“Did they tell you to cause trouble?” Bart asked.
“Well, no, that was all my idea,” said Dallas, shamefaced. “I’m really sorry. I just love acting so much. I guess I got all excited about being a real Hollywood actor.”
“You are pretty good,” said Bart. “The crowd loves you. But this was a terrible thing you did to Nellie and me!”
“I know, and I want to make it up to you,” said Dallas.
“How will you do that?” asked Jack McCoy. He was standing behind Connie.
“You can have all my starring roles, Jack,” said Dallas. “I’ll take care of the horses and play all the bit parts. And I’ll pay for the damages. Please, Nellie, Bart, give me another chance.”
“Well, that might work,” said Bart. “Assuming Jack can keep from being so dang bossy to everyone!”
Jack looked around and shrugged. “I never thought I was all that bossy,” he said. “But I can work on that, I reckon.”
“You’re too easy on both of them, Bart,” said Nellie. “Dallas, you’ll also wash dishes for the rest of the festival. And, Jack, if you want to boss anyone, try to boss me. I dare you.”
“Yes, ma’am, thank you, ma’am,” both men said at once. They headed to the stable. Jack told Dallas he’d show him the ropes.
The children smiled, happy that things were working out. Then Violet noticed that Connie was walking back toward the saloon.
“Hey, Connie,” Violet called to her.
Connie turned around. She was clutching the little notebook.
“I wanted to return your pen,” said Violet. “Thank you for letting us borrow it.”
“It’s okay,” said Connie. “I’m glad that you found our bandit.”
“I wanted to ask you something,” said Jessie. “Why were you out of breath just before we discovered that Trigger was missing?”
“Oh, did you think I had something to do with all of this?” Connie asked. She sighed. “I was out of breath because I lost track of time.”
“What were you doing that was so important?” asked Nellie.
“I was writing songs in this notebook,” said Connie.
She handed the little book to her sister.
Nellie opened the book and leafed through the pages. “Wow, Connie, you have been doing a lot of songwriting.”
“Music is my dream, Nellie,” said Connie. “I love you and Bart and Wildcat Crossing, but I want to pursue my music career.”
Nellie hugged her sister and patted her on the back. She looked at Bart and nodded. Bart headed back to the saloon without a word.
“Thank you, Aldens, for catching our bandit,” said Nellie. “And thank you for helping me listen to my little sister. Let’s go see about some supper.”
They walked back to the saloon. Bart was inside, talking on the phone. He finished his call and smiled at everyone.
“I just talked to Jasper Beebe,” said Bart.
“Oh no,” said Jessie. “You didn’t sell Wildcat Crossing after all, did you?”
“Heck no, Jessie,” said Bart, laughing. “But Nellie and I had another idea.”
“We figured since the festival is only once a year, maybe the Hollywood folks could lease the town some other time,” said Nellie.
“But they have to honor history. That’s the deal,” said Bart.
“What did Jasper Beebe say?” asked Henry.
“He said they’d honor our wishes,” said Bart. “He was very nice. He felt terrible about the pranks. He was glad you found the bandit.”
“Leasing will earn us a little extra money,” said Nellie. She smiled at Connie. “We’ll give that money to you, for your dream.”
“Thank you,” said Connie. She hugged her sister.
“And by the way, Connie,” said Bart. “Jasper said those Hollywood folks couldn’t wait to see you perform.”
Connie smiled and blushed.
“So we have to put on our best Wild West show ever,” Bart continued. “Those Hollywood producers are coming to see us all perform!”
“Oh, don’t tell Dapper Dallas,” said Benny. “He’ll want his starring roles again!”
“Dapper Dallas will be fine,” said Bart. “I think he learned his lesson.”
“We gave him another chance,” said Nellie. “That’s what we do in Wildcat Crossing.”
“This is great news!” said Violet.
“It will be fun to see grumpy Jack McCoy in the starring roles,” said Jessie. “I think he learned his lesson too.”