“Did she give money to families with sick children too?” Jessie asked. She drew her eyebrows together as the answer became clear.
“Yes,” Marcus said. “How’d you know?”
“Oh,” Henry said, putting a hand on Jessie’s shoulder. “I’m pretty sure that we just figured out who the ghost is. There’s someone living in Greenfield today who gives money and volunteers at the children’s hospital, just like your grandmother did.”
“I get it!” Benny said. “I know who the ghost is.”
“Who?” Violet sneezed. “I’m not sure who you are talking about.” She sneezed again.
“Violet’s cold is a clue too,” Benny said. “The ghost also has a cold.”
“I got the cold the first night—” Violet’s eyes grew wide as she realized what Benny had figured out. “Whew. I’m glad there’s no real ghost.” Violet whispered the answer to Vita.
“Who is it?” Marcus Michelson asked, following the children outside. “I’m sorry,” he apologized. “I’ve treated you all badly. I was wrong.”
“You need to apologize to Watch,” Benny said. “You dog-napped him.”
Marcus got down on one knee to pet Watch on the head. “Sorry, boy,” he said. “I won’t dog-nap any dog ever again.”
Benny gave Marcus a long, hard look. “Promise?”
“Promise,” Marcus agreed. He stood up and faced the children. “You all are very good detectives and I made a mistake thinking I could solve this mystery on my own.” He went on, saying, “I really do need your help.”
“Miss Wolfson is pretending she’s the LaFonte ghost,” Henry told him.
“I thought it might be her,” Marcus said, thinking about it. “She has a black coat. And she knows a lot about the ghost and has been encouraging people to bring gifts to the mausoleum.”
“She was also in the café when the flower appeared,” Violet said.
“And her coat was wet,” Jessie reminded everyone.
“When Violet sneezed, I remembered that Miss Wolfson also has a cold,” Benny said. “I think that they both got sick being in the cemetery late at night in the rain.”
“It seems possible, but Miss Wolfson couldn’t have been the ghost for the last seventy-four years,” Marcus said. “No way. She’s not old enough.”
“That is a problem,” Violet admitted.
“Miss Wolfson is the ghost now…” Henry said.
“But,” Jessie finished Henry’s thought, “maybe she wasn’t the original LaFonte ghost.”
Chapter 10
Trick or Treat
Mrs. Arlene Wolfson was sitting in a rocking chair near the front window of the nursing home’s recreation center. She was alone, knitting a purple scarf. Her gray hair shone in the sunlight and she had a smile on her face.
“Visitors!” Mrs. Wolfson exclaimed. Her smile broadened as the Aldens, Marcus, and Vita entered the room. “I love visitors.”
“Hi,” Benny said. He walked directly to her and asked, “Were you the first LaFonte ghost?”
Mrs. Wolfson nodded. “So, you found me out.” She winked and dropped her voice to a whisper. “I’m ninety-five years old, you know. For a very long time I’ve hoped someone would figure it out. But no one ever came to see me.” She rocked back and forth in her chair.
“I remembered that your daughter, Miss Wolfson, volunteers at the children’s hospital,” Jessie said. “And gives money to families with sick children.”
“So did my grandmother,” Marcus said, introducing himself.
“It looks like you’ve carried on with Jacqueline LaFonte’s work,” Violet said to Mrs. Wolfson.
“Yes. Yes. The hospital was important to Jacqueline. We’ve given a lot of money in her honor over the last seventy-four years,” Mrs. Wolfson said, still knitting. “Every year, I collected the gifts and then sold them. Every cent went to charity. I also donated any food gifts and flowers to people who really needed them.” She raised her head and looked at the children. “When I got too old, my daughter took over the job.”
“I think what you’ve done is nice,” Violet said. “But taking gifts from others is stealing.” She frowned. “You’re kind of a generous thief.”
“I know,” Mrs. Wolfson replied, clicking her tongue and shaking her head. “That’s the part that I feel terrible about. I never wanted to steal from anyone. Really. It’s strange how it all worked out. I never meant for this to happen.”
“How did it begin?” Marcus wanted to know. “I’ve spent my whole life wondering why people here are afraid of my family.”
“I’m very sorry about that. Everything got out of control too quickly. The rumors spread like fire. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop the flames.” Mrs. Wolfson told the children to bring chairs over from a nearby table. “Let me tell you a story.”
After asking for permission, Vita turned on her camera.
“It started as a joke,” Mrs. Wolfson said. “After Jacqueline LaFonte died, we thought it would be funny to play a Halloween prank on the town. A little trick. Everyone used to do Halloween tricks back then. Much more fun than getting treats.” She told Marcus, “Your grandmother had such a great sense of humor. She’d passed away the year before, but still, we thought she’d love to be part of the prank.”
Marcus gave a small smile. “Yes. My mother told me how Grandma LaFonte used to play practical jokes on everyone. Once she put a live turtle in my mom’s bathtub. Another time she replaced all the flowers in the house with fake ones. Silly little things like that.”
Mrs. Wolfson laughed. “Once, at the dress shop, she sewed a man’s trouser legs together. He fell over when he tried to put them on. We laughed about it for days!”
“What did you do for the Halloween prank?” Violet asked.
“On the anniversary of her death, we put the lilies on her mausoleum, then set one in a shop in town. Patty made a big show of screaming in horror. She told everyone that before she died, Jacqueline said that anyone who didn’t bring a present to her grave would have bad luck.
“The bad luck part was my idea,” Mrs. Wolfson snickered. “It was very funny at first. Everyone was in a panic. Even people who didn’t believe in ghosts or bad luck were bringing gifts—just in case.” Her eyes clouded as she went on. “Patty and I thought it was the best joke ever played in Greenfield history. Better than when those boys put a cow in the mayor’s office! Or the kids who dumped bubbles in the Main Street fountain.” In a soft voice, she added, “We planned to give all the gifts back at the end of the three days.”
“But Patty left town before it was over.” Jessie knew that part of the story.
“Her sister got sick and needed help with her children. It was an emergency. Patty took the train the same day she heard the news.” Mrs. Wolfson sighed. “Someone started a rumor that Patty had forgotten to leave a gift and disappeared.” Her old shoulders sank. “Patty wrote me a letter that she wasn’t coming back. Her sister needed her to stay. So, on my own, I went out to give back the gifts, but no one wanted them. They told me the ghost would harm them if they took back their presents.”
Mrs. Wolfson stared out the window. “I tried and tried to explain. I talked until my voice hurt. No one wanted their things back. Finally, I gave up and donated the gifts to the hospital. I figured that Jacqueline would have liked hat.”
“What happened next?” Marcus wanted to hear more.
“The following year, I didn’t say anything about the ghost. No jokes. No pranks. No flowers. Nothing.” Mrs. Wolfson raised her hands. “I couldn’t believe it! The gifts piled up anyway.” She shrugged. “I didn’t know what to do. Again, I tried to give things back, but no one would take them. So once more, I donated them all.”
“People started thinking my family brought bad luck.” Marcus bit his bottom lip.
“It was bizarre. If a kid got the measles, they said
it was the ghost. A dog got fleas. A man tripped on a curb…” Mrs. Wolfson said. “All anyone could talk about was the ghost’s bad luck.”
Violet let out a breath. She’d been holding it during the whole story. “This is terrible,” she said. “Rumors can be very bad.”
“After a few years, the LaFonte family moved away, and still the gifts kept coming on Jacqueline’s anniversary. So I kept collecting them. I put them in the old empty house until I could send them to the hospital or sell them for money to give to families who needed it.”
Vita moved in for a tight shot of Mrs. Wolfson’s face.
“When I moved here to the nursing home, my daughter took over.” She glanced out the window. Henry could see the cemetery in the distance.
“You made something good come from something bad,” Violet said. “You’re not really a thief, are you?”
Mrs. Wolfson hesitated as she considered how to answer. “I don’t know. Yes. No. Sort of—”
The door to the room opened. “Hello,” Miss Wolfson greeted her mother’s visitors as she stepped inside. “Did Mom tell you the truth?” she asked the Aldens.
“Yes,” Jessie said. “It’s a crazy story.”
“I know!” Miss Wolfson took off her jacket and threw it over the back of an empty chair. “I’m so glad you children believe there’s no ghost,” she said. “I wish we could convince the rest of the town.”
“There must be something we can do,” Jessie said.
“Let’s just tell people the history,” Marcus said. “After we share the truth, my family will move back to Greenfield. It’ll be over.”
“It’s not that easy,” Violet told him. “Remember when Jessie brought proof that Patty Wilson didn’t disappear because of the ghost’s bad luck? She told everyone standing by the grave that Patty lived a long time. No one believed her.”
“Just like no believed me all those years ago,” Mrs. Wolfson said. “I’d have ended it seventy-four years ago if I could have.”
“Well,” Henry said, “we are going to have to make them believe us. No more bad luck. No more gifts.”
Jessie thought about the words Mrs. Wolfson had used and said, “It’s time to finally put out this fire.”
“I definitely want the ghost story to end, but please don’t forget about the hospital.” Mrs. Wolfson was concerned. “The money, the flowers, and the food go to people who need it.”
“Hmm,” Marcus said. “That does make things complicated.”
Vita lowered her camera. “Maybe…” she began. She turned the camera so that Henry could watch her whole movie from the beginning. “We can have a charity event for the hospital and get rid of the ghost at the same time.”
“Leave it to us,” Henry assured Miss Wolfson, Mrs. Wolfson, and Marcus. “We’ll take care of everything!”
Chapter 11
Ghosts Gone?
The first annual Greenfield Halloween Charity Carnival took place in the cemetery parking lot.
“I knew there wasn’t a real ghost,” Benny said surely. “I knew it all along.” He was standing in line for the Ferris wheel with Violet.
“So why are your pockets stuffed with granola bars?” Violet asked.
“In case I get hungry, of course,” Benny said. He grinned and whispered, “Or in case we run into Mrs. Radcliffe. She still scares me.” He shivered.
When Henry and Jessie went to the cemetery office to explain about the LaFonte ghost, they’d asked Mrs. Radcliffe if they could have the charity benefit in the cemetery.
“People are used to bringing gifts here,” Henry had told her. “We simply want to take away the scary ghost part. They can donate whatever they want to the hospital.”
Then Grandfather called Mrs. Wolfson at the nursing home and the younger Miss Wolfson at the historical society. He called the hospital to tell them about the charity carnival, and he called all his friends to come help.
Mrs. Wolfson and Miss Wolfson had set up the Greenfield Historical Society booth by the path to the cemetery. They entertained visitors with stories about Halloween pranks from Greenfield’s town history.
From the top of the Ferris wheel, Benny could see that the place was packed. There were booths for games, a few fun rides, and in the center of it all stood the Children’s Hospital LaFonte Donation Table.
“Bring your gifts here!” Jessie called out through a megaphone. There was a crowd of adults and children surrounding her. One by one, Jessie handed the gifts to Henry, who stood behind her.
“Drop off your donations to the children’s hospital,” Henry announced. He was piling the presents on a table.
Grandfather and Marcus Michelson were also standing at the table, wrapping the gifts in colored paper.
“Did you meet Marcus’s mother?” Violet asked Benny as their swinging chair looped over the top of the wheel and began to sink back to earth.
“She’s very nice,” Benny said. “She makes dresses just like her mom did.”
“I know!” Violet said. “She promised to make me something special. I can’t wait. I picked out the fabric already. It’s going to be purple to match the scarf Mrs. Wolfson made for me.” She tightened the knitted scarf around her neck.
“I’m so glad we solved this mystery,” Violet said as the owner of the café opened the gate and let her and Benny off the ride. “It worked out for everyone. The rumors have stopped. The hospital gets presents. The LaFonte family can move back to town.”
“Vita is showing her movie,” Benny said. He checked the time. “We better hurry.”
At the back of the parking lot a big white tent had been set up. The tent had long flaps to keep it dark inside.
Benny and Violet rushed to the front entrance.
“We’re here,” Violet told Vita.
“Just in time.” Vita pointed to the line of people who’d come to see the movie. She told Violet where to stand. “Your job is to sell tickets. They cost a dollar. All the money will go to families with sick children.”
Violet picked up a roll of tickets to sell. She was surprised when people gave her five or ten dollar bills and told her to keep the change.
“It’s for charity,” a woman said.
“It’s good luck to give money to a good cause,” a man said with a wink.
“Thanks!” Violet said, putting the money away and welcoming them into the tent.
Vita walked with Benny to another spot. “This is where you’ll hand out popcorn,” she told him. Smiling she added, “The popcorn was donated. It’s free.”
“Free food! My favorite kind.” Benny stuffed a handful into his mouth.
“Save some for us, Benny,” Henry said. He and Jessie entered the tent with Marcus and Grandfather. Behind them, the Wolfsons had also come to see the film.
“I hear I am going to be a celebrity,” Mrs. Wolfson said.
“You sure are.” A tall woman wearing a beautiful green suit stepped up to the group. “I’m Leanne Phuong. I came all the way from Hollywood to see Vita’s movie. I’m a producer of ghost shows.”
“You know there wasn’t really ever a ghost,” Miss Wolfson said, taking a bag of popcorn from Benny. “It was my mom. Then me.”
“We know,” Ms. Phuong assured her. “And we think it’s a fabulous twist! A ghost story without a ghost. We are going to show this movie in film festivals all over the country.”
Vita beamed. “Will you give all the ticket sales to local hospitals?” Vita asked. “That’s an important part of the story.”
“Of course!” Ms. Phuong agreed.
“My first movie.” Vita was very happy.
“You better get started on a second film project,” Henry told her.
“I’ve been thinking I’ll make that one about the historical society next,” Vita said. “The one I started before all this happened. There’s a lot
of history in Greenfield.” She waved her hand outside the tent toward Main Street.
“Ohhh!” Benny was so excited he nearly dropped a bag of popcorn. “Please, Vita,” he said. “I want to be the star of your movie!”
Everyone laughed.
The Aldens sat together in the front row of the tent theater. Suddenly, the lights flickered and went off.
“Oh no,” Benny said, jumping up from his chair. “Could there be another ghost in the cemetery? Yikes.” He took a granola bar out of his pocket and began to unwrap it. “Maybe this time it’s a zombie! Double yikes.”
Jessie put a hand on Benny’s shoulder. “No ghost. No zombie. Not even a vampire. That was just Vita turning off the lights. The movie is starting.”
A single lily sitting on a windowsill appeared on the screen.
“I don’t believe in ghosts,” Benny said firmly. Then he sat back to watch the movie.
All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this book or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright 2013 by Albert Whitman & Company
Cover art copyright © 2013 by Tim Jessell
Interior illustrations by Anthony Van Arsdale
Published by Albert Whitman & Company
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Distributed by Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.
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THE BOXCAR CHILDREN MYSTERIES
FROM ALBERT WHITMAN & COMPANYAND OPEN ROAD MEDIA