CHAPTER 7
Topsy-turvy
The Aldens went about their chores that afternoon without talking much. They shredded newspapers for the hamster and guinea pig cages. Violet sprinkled pinches of food into the fish tanks. She didn’t mind when she had to spray water on the plants inside the lizard tank, even though the lizard was a little scary-looking.
“There you go, Lizzy,” Violet said. “You can drink the drops of water from the plants now so you won’t be thirsty.”
Lizzy, the lizard, stared at Violet as if she understood every word. Soon she was flicking her long tongue at the water drops dripping from the plants.
As they worked, the children heard Mr. Fowler and Mrs. Tweedy arguing.
“You led me to understand that Rainbow and George were abandoned, Mr. Fowler. I’ve now discovered that a friend of yours delivered them here,” Mrs. Tweedy said in a quiet, low voice.
Mr. Fowler banged something down before he spoke. “Were those kids telling stories about me? They don’t know a thing. I had them out delivering orders, and they couldn’t even get that right. In all the excitement, I guess I forgot to say that my old friend Jack found the animals where he works at Bird Jungle, over in Tannersville.”
Mrs. Tweedy interrupted. “Then how did they wind up in my shop?”
Mr. Fowler didn’t answer right away. “Well … uh … Bird Jungle had no place for them, so Jack … uh, came here. He remembered that I knew all about wild animals from when I worked on a fishing boat out of South America. He couldn’t leave them out on the street. He knew this was a good place.”
“The rain forest was a better place,” Mrs. Tweedy said in a sad voice. “Now do you understand why I don’t sell animals like George and Rainbow? If no one would sell them, no one could buy these beautiful creatures. They wouldn’t be taken from their homes. Now, when did you say the Tropical Animal Society will be coming for them?”
Mr. Fowler cleared his throat. “Um … this weekend. But before they do, why not consider selling animals and birds like that to your customers? Look how many people asked about buying them today.”
Henry peeked over the shelves. Mrs. Tweedy’s blue eyes were as dark as slate. “I have told you before, and this is the last time I will repeat it. The Pretty Bird Pet Shop will never sell wild animals or birds. Never. I’ll trust you to make sure they are safely gone to the zoo by next week,” Mrs. Tweedy said. “I have to go home now to pack for the convention. Are we agreed?”
“Agreed,” Mr. Fowler answered, ripping open a cardboard box with his hands instead of cutting off the top with scissors.
Mrs. Tweedy called the children to the bird room. Her voice was calm again now. “I’m off for a few days, children. I’ve been meaning to show you something you’ll enjoy doing while I’m gone. I’m going to teach you how to train young parakeets to come out onto your finger.”
Violet followed Mrs. Tweedy’s directions. “Just put your index finger in front of the bird over and over. Each time say, ‘Hop up. Hop up.’ Soon the bird will think your finger is a safe perch.”
Violet held her finger very still in front of Milo. “Hop up. Hop up,” she said. “It tickles,” she said softly when Milo hopped onto her finger.
“What if the parakeets fly around?” Jessie wanted to know. “How would we catch them?”
“One way is to take a small lightweight cloth, like a handkerchief. I keep a few right here on this shelf. Toss the cloth gently but quickly over the bird, then pick it up. It’s a very safe way to catch the bird. Then I always give them a treat when I return them to their cages.”
Jessie showed Mrs. Tweedy her checklist of jobs the children had finished. “This is how I organized everything. We’ll be doing the pet care jobs for Mr. Fowler on Sunday, since that’s his day off.”
Mrs. Tweedy nodded. “Wonderful. Now, when you go to Jerry’s Gas Station to feed their two guard dogs, don’t be frightened. Buster and Beau sound more dangerous than they are. Jerry built a special dog run for them in back that connects to the station. There’s a hatch door where you can leave their food. Buster and Beau are used to this. There’s no need for you to go in at all.”
“Do Buster and Beau bite people?” Soo Lee asked Mrs. Tweedy.
“Not unless someone is trying to get into the gas station who shouldn’t be there,” Mrs. Tweedy said. “Anyway, the dogs are always in the dog run. Not to worry.”
“We won’t,” Jessie said. “The only thing I am worried about is how to get supplies. Your shop is closed on Sundays.”
Mrs. Tweedy patted Jessie’s hand. “No problem. Here’s an extra key to the back door. Come in for anything you need. Make sure to leave the shade down on the front door so no one thinks the shop is open.”
“Sure thing, Mrs. Tweedy,” Henry said. “Is there anything extra you want us to do?”
“See if you can get Mr. Fowler to smile,” Mrs. Tweedy whispered. “I wish he enjoyed his job as much as you children enjoy yours. He’s on the grumpy side. Maybe you can cheer him up.”
“We’re good at cheering up animals,” Benny said after Mrs. Tweedy left. “Milo and Magic like us, and so do Lizzie and Doughnut. Even Rainbow and George like us better than Mr. Fowler does.”
This was true. Already the big macaw and the little monkey seemed to enjoy having the children around. Benny and Soo Lee played monkey games with George. When they tilted their heads, George tilted his. When Soo Lee hid some food in the palm of one hand, George tried to guess which hand had a treat for him.
“He’s pretty smart,” Benny said to Soo Lee.
“So is Rainbow. Listen,” Violet said.
“Food, food,” Rainbow said when Violet came around to fill up the seed dish. “She’s already learned to say ‘food.’”
“Too bad they have to leave,” Violet said. “This might be the last time we see them before they go to the zoo.”
The children spent extra time with George and Rainbow. The smaller birds in the bird room seem excited, too. The whole bird room was filled with twittering, chattering, whistling bird talk and bird song. That is until the back door banged and everybody jumped.
“Let’s close the door,” Jessie said. “Drafts are bad for these birds and for George. Mr. Fowler is in the storage building, so I’d better see what this customer wants.”
When Jessie came out, she saw a tall, thin woman holding a small, brand-new pet carrier.
“Where is Mrs. Tweedy?” the woman demanded. “I have to see her. I specifically said the carrier I needed was for Bootsie. Why, everyone in Greenfield knows Bootsie won the Largest Cat Award in the pet show last year. This carrier wouldn’t fit a mouse!”
Jessie ran over to help the customer. “Mrs. Tweedy just left. Are you Mrs. Garfield? My brother and I dropped off that cat carrier yesterday. Is it the wrong size?”
The woman’s voice shook with anger. “Is it the wrong size, young lady? If you saw my Bootsie, you wouldn’t have to ask that question. Bootsie couldn’t get a paw into this tiny thing, let alone the rest of her.”
Jessie took the pet carrier from the woman. “I’m sorry. There’s my brother. Henry, can you pick out a large pet carrier for this customer? Do you have the sales slip, Mrs. Garfield?”
The woman reached into her pocket. “See, I ordered the Model Ten-eighty, but somebody crossed it out and wrote down Model Ten-twenty instead. I had to drive all the way to the vet’s with Bootsie jumping around inside my car.” The woman put her hand on her chest to calm herself down. “I could have had an accident! Then, to make matters worse, Bootsie ran from the car and was nearly eaten by a dog coming out of the vet’s. All because of a foolish mistake.”
By this time, Henry had pulled down the largest pet carrier in the shop. He handed it to the woman to calm her down. “Here, take this one. I can help you get your cat inside it if you want.”
“Hmmm. I might ask you to do just that,” she told Henry. “Getting Bootsie into a cat carrier is no easy task. One other thing. I never did
get my monthly order of diet cat food. Could you put a bag in the car for me? Or rather for Bootsie. I’m certainly not on a diet.”
Henry and Jessie hoped the woman would laugh, and she did. But the children couldn’t help wondering. How did Mrs. Garfield’s orders get switched? And why?
CHAPTER 8
A Scary Chase
Sundays were big breakfast days at the Aldens. The smell of bacon, sausage, and scrambled eggs filled the kitchen. The children sat with their grandfather and talked about their new jobs.
“Today’s Mr. Fowler’s day off. We get to do his pet-sitting jobs,” Benny said between gulps of orange juice. “But know what?”
“What, Benny?” Mr. Alden asked.
“We have to feed Buster and Beau while they guard Jerry’s Gas Station,” Benny said. “And know what else? There’s a little door where we have to put the food. We don’t want the dogs to think we’re burglars and chase us by mistake.”
Mr. Alden put down his coffee cup. “That sounds like an important job, Benny.”
On Sundays it was Henry’s turn to clear the table. “Mrs. Tweedy told us the dogs are kept in a dog run,” he explained to his grandfather. “We won’t be getting close to them. Still, we can’t bring Watch along. Buster and Beau might get too excited.”
Mr. Alden sat back and poured himself another cup of coffee. “I’ll get Watch out for a walk in the woods this afternoon. He misses going out with you children now that you’re so busy at the pet shop.”
Jessie scratched Watch behind his ears. “Good boy. We’ll be back early.”
“Greenfield is so sleepy on Sundays,” Violet said after the Aldens picked up Soo Lee on their way to town. “Hardly anyone is out.”
“I’m not sleepy,” Soo Lee said. “I can’t wait to see the talking birds.”
The children arrived at the Pretty Bird Pet Shop to pick up supplies. As soon as Henry unlocked the back door, the chattering, yipping, squawking, and twittering started up, just like an animal chorus.
“Tweedy, Tweedy, Tweedy,” Grayfellow squawked from his cage.
“We’re not Mrs. Tweedy,” Violet said, laughing.
“Tweedy, Tweedy, Tweedy,” Grayfellow repeated.
Violet stopped by the parrot’s cage. “I guess he thinks anyone who comes in here is Mrs. Tweedy. I’m Violet.”
Grayfellow tried to peck at Violet’s bracelet right through the bars of his cage. He couldn’t say “Violet” yet.
Violet, Benny, and Soo Lee went around the shop to make sure all the animals had enough water and food. When Violet stopped by George’s cage, the little monkey reached out.
Violet handed him a piece of fruit. “Here’s some banana from my breakfast, George. I’ll miss you.”
“Yip, yip,” George said back.
“’Bye, Rainbow,” Soo Lee whispered to the macaw. “Do you think today is the day Rainbow and George have to go to the zoo, Jessie?”
Jessie filled a box with supplies. “Mr. Fowler said it might be this weekend. But maybe not, since he’s off today. In a way, I wish George and Rainbow could stay here, even though they’ll be happier in the zoo.”
Henry waved everyone toward the back door. “Time to go. Let’s lock up tight.” He looked over the delivery list. “Our first stop is on Magnolia Street. There’s a cat named Kit Kat that we have to feed. I’ve got the house keys Mrs. Tweedy left us.”
A few minutes later, the Aldens stood in front of a small white house. “This is where Kit Kat lives,” Jessie said. “The job sheet says that we should bring in the newspaper, check the mail, take in any garbage cans, and, of course, feed Kit Kat.”
“Can you and Violet and I feed her?” Soo Lee asked Jessie.
“That’s just what I was thinking,” Jessie said. “Here’s a new box of cat food, a cat treat, too.”
While Henry and Benny checked the outside of the house, the three girls let themselves in. Right away, a plump white-and-orange cat rubbed against the girls’ legs and purred like a little motor.
Jessie laughed. “I guess we don’t have to worry about Kit Kat being afraid of us, do we?”
Kit Kat got all excited when she heard Violet tear the wrapping off the cat food box. She purred so loudly that the girls expected her to start talking any minute.
“Cats are easy,” Jessie told Henry and Benny after the girls had fed Kit Kat. “Kit Kat practically ate out of Soo Lee’s hands.”
The Aldens headed for Jerry’s Gas Station next. This was a favorite stop whenever Grandfather Alden had to get gas. The children liked to get peanuts from the machine inside while they watched Jerry work on cars. But Sunday was Jerry’s day off.
Only Buster and Beau were on duty. As soon as the two dogs heard the Aldens, they began to snarl and bark in the most awful way. The younger children stayed close to Henry and Jessie.
“Not to worry,” Henry said. “They’re locked up in their run.”
Violet, Benny, and Soo Lee wanted to believe what Henry said. Still, that barking sounded awfully loud!
Jessie took Soo Lee and Benny by the hands. “Since Buster and Beau are guard dogs, they are trained to growl.”
Violet tiptoed behind the others. “They sound so close, Jessie. Are you sure they’re always, always kept inside?”
“Of course they are, Violet. Don’t be—” but Jessie’s comforting words were interrupted by Henry yelling.
“Run, Jessie! Run! Go back to the front with the others. The dogs are loose!”
Jessie hurried the children down the alleyway. She turned around to make sure Henry was all right. He was running right behind them and made it through the gate, locking it behind him.
“Grrrrr. Grrrr,” the dogs growled from the other side of the gate.
“Here, Henry, I brought some treats. Maybe the dogs will eat them if we toss them over the fence,” said Jessie.
Henry threw them into the dogs’ pen, which was just over the fence. The dogs ran excitedly into their pen and lay down to eat their snack. Then Henry went back through the gate, quietly, and shut the dogs into their pen.
“That was close,” he said aloud. He called down to the other children. “All clear. Bring the water and dog food over here.”
Jessie and Violet led Soo Lee and Benny by the hands.
“Henry says it’s okay to feed the dogs now,” Jessie said.
Henry was right. All Buster and Beau wanted to do was eat lunch, not the Aldens! Their tails wagged at the sight of the dog food bag Violet was carrying.
“Benny, lift the small door here,” Henry said. “I’ll get their bowls out. Benny can pour in the dog food. And, Violet, you can fill the water bowls. They’re not growling anymore.”
“Is this enough water?” Violet asked after she finished pouring water from a big jug.
Henry pushed the bowls into the small opening to the dog pen. “Just right,” Henry said. “Everybody did great, just great. And thanks for thinking of the dog treats, Jessie.”
Jessie began to laugh. “Guess what, Henry? Those weren’t dog treats. They were cat treats! I brought them along so Kit Kat wouldn’t be afraid of us!”
Henry smiled. “Well, anyway, it worked. Buster and Beau are safe inside. They won’t be able to get loose again unless somebody lets them out on purpose.
“Again,” he added softly so the younger children wouldn’t hear him.
CHAPTER 9
Little Footprints
Main street was busier in the afternoon when the Aldens returned to the Pretty Bird Pet Shop. The children stood at the traffic light in the middle of town and waited for the light to change.
“Can I cross now?” Benny asked as soon as the light turned yellow.
“Wait, Benny!” Jessie cried, grabbing his arm. “That van is running the yellow light.”
The children jumped back when a gray van whizzed past.
“Hey!” Henry cried. “Isn’t that Mr. Fowler driving the delivery van from the pet shop?”
Jessie looked both ways. She wante
d to make sure no more flying vans were coming. “Today’s the day Mr. Fowler said Rainbow and George might be going to the zoo. But I thought the people from the Tropical Animal Society were going to pick them up, not Mr. Fowler.”
Henry and Jessie guided the younger children across the street. “There’s only one way to find out,” Henry said. “Let’s see if the van is at the pet shop or not.”
Sure enough, when the Aldens got to the parking lot in back of the Pretty Bird Pet Shop, the gray delivery van was gone.
“I thought Mr. Fowler wasn’t working today,” Jessie said.
Benny and Soo Lee ran ahead. Were George and Rainbow really gone?
Benny leaned on the door and got a big surprise. “Whoa,” he said when the door gave way and he nearly fell down. “The door wasn’t closed all the way.”
Jessie raced over. “Wait a minute. I checked this door over and over. I double-locked it with Mrs. Tweedy’s key.”
Henry pushed past Jessie. “Let’s check around, just the two of us, to see if the store was broken into. Then we can call the police.”
Jessie looked down at the lock. “The store wasn’t broken into, Henry. There’s Mr. Fowler’s key ring with the store key right in the lock. He must have gone out in such a rush, he forgot to lock up.”
The children tiptoed inside. What were they going to find? Again, the twittering of dozens of birds greeted them.
Jessie grabbed Henry by the arm. “Wait, doesn’t it sound different in here? Bird noises are coming from every direction.”
Henry reached for the light and flipped on the switch. There was a huge flutter. Birds were flying all over the store!
“Oh, no!” Jessie cried. “Somebody let the birds out of their cages. They’re everywhere. Quick, let’s catch the ones we can.”
Parakeets clung to shelves with their tiny claws. Some were near the ceiling where it was warmer.
Others flew back and forth from the front of the store to the back, diving and swooping nervously.