“Hide it somewhere,” Nolan said.
“Where should I put it?” Bob asked.
“I’ve got a great idea. . . .” the red-haired man began.
“May I take your order?” the waitress asked the children loudly.
“Oh, no,” Jessie whispered to Violet. “Not again.”
“Four hot dogs and four milkshakes,” Henry said quietly. “To go.”
“Did you hear where Bob said he was going to hide the ring?” Jessie whispered.
“I think he said ‘trailer,’ ” Violet said. “But I’m not sure.”
“Let’s wait until Bob leaves,” Henry said. “Then we’ll follow him.”
The waitress returned with their order just as Bob and Nolan passed by. The two men were talking and didn’t notice the children in the next booth. Henry quickly paid the waitress, then the children followed Bob back to the movie set.
“Let’s sit on this bench for a minute,” Henry said. “We don’t want him to know we’re following him.”
“Good,” Benny said. “Now I can eat my hot dog.”
The children unwrapped their lunches and began to eat. Bob looked around and then he knocked on the door of Claire’s trailer. He waited a few moments and then slipped inside.
“He must be hiding the ring in Claire’s trailer,” Violet said.
“Let’s go see what he’s doing,” Jessie said.
“Benny,” Violet said. “Grandfather must be wondering where we are. He went off to the drugstore with my film a long time ago. Could you sit here and watch for him?”
“Sure,” Benny said. “I want to finish eating my lunch.”
“Please tell Grandfather to meet us in Mr. Fambles’s office,” Henry said.
“Okay,” Benny said. “I’ll tell him.”
“Good,” Jessie said. “Let’s go.”
The older children ran as fast as they could to Claire’s trailer. The windows were much too high for them to look through.
“I have an idea,” Jessie said. “Henry, you and I can boost Violet so she’ll be able to look in the window.”
“Okay,” Henry whispered. In a few minutes, the children looked like a human pyramid they’d seen one time in a circus. Violet was now high enough to look in the window.
“What’s he doing?” Jessie whispered.
“He’s putting the ring in Claire’s jewelry box,” Violet answered. “Quick, I’ve got to get down! He’s coming out!”
Violet jumped down, and the children hid behind the trailer. Bob came out the door, looked around, and headed toward the movie set.
As soon as he was out of sight, the children went inside Claire’s trailer.
Violet quickly found the ring inside the box. She held it tightly in her hand.
“Let’s go tell Amy and Mr. Fambles what happened!” Jessie said.
“We’d better hurry,” Henry said. “We only have a few minutes left before Amy calls her boss.”
The children hurried over to Amy’s trailer and knocked on the door.
“Amy,” Henry said. “Please let us in.”
“What is it?” Amy asked as she opened the door. “What’s the matter?”
“We have the ring,” Jessie said.
“You have the ring!” Amy said, sounding surprised. “That’s the best news I’ve heard all day. Where is it?”
Violet gave Amy the ring.
“I’m going to return this to Mr. Fambles right now,” Amy said. “Where did you find it?”
“It was in Claire’s jewelry box,” Violet said.
“Oh, so she did take it,” Amy said.
“No, she didn’t,” Jessie said. “And we can prove it.”
“You haven’t called your boss yet, have you?” Violet asked.
“No, I haven’t,” Amy said.
“Do you think you can find Bob and Roger and meet us in Mr. Fambles’s office?” Henry asked.
“Bob and Roger?” Amy said. “What do they have to do with the missing ring?”
“We’ll explain everything when you get there,” Jessie said.
CHAPTER 9
The Case Is Solved
The children hurried to Mr. Fambles’s office. They knocked on the door.
“Come in,” Mr. Fambles said.
The police officer was still talking to Claire. He looked surprised to see the children.
“Officer Bob Small,” Mr. Fambles said, “these are the Alden children. They’ve been acting as extras in the movie.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Officer Small said with a nod.
“We found the ring,” Jessie said.
“And we know who took it and why,” Henry added.
“You found the ring!” Mr. Fambles said. “That’s wonderful news! Where is it?”
“It’s right here,” Amy said as she walked through the door, followed by Bob Branson and Roger Martin. She handed the ring to Mr. Fambles.
“Here they are, Grandfather,” Benny said as he came running into the room.
Grandfather followed Benny into the room. “What in the world is going on here?”
“A valuable ring was stolen,” Officer Small said. “But it looks like it’s been found.”
“Bob took it on purpose so that Claire would lose her job,” Jessie said. “He’s working with Nolan, Claire’s agent. Someone is going to pay them both a lot of money if they can get Claire back to California in time to star in a big movie.”
“Nolan and Bob planned all this?” Claire asked.
“That’s right,” Henry said. “Nolan said you’d never break your contract. That’s why he tried to get you fired.”
“So that’s why I’ve been having so much trouble,” Claire said. “Did they let that mouse loose, too?”
“I let the mouse loose,” Roger said. “I was feeling angry because I thought I deserved your part. I’m sorry. Please forgive me.”
“Of course I forgive you, Roger,” Claire said.
“Thank you,” Roger said. He hung his head as he left the room.
“That’s because you’re responsible for most of the mischief,” Jessie said.
“We think you purposely put ragweed in Claire’s bouquet and broke the supports under the steps,” Violet said.
“I’ll bet you were also the one who unplugged Claire’s hair rollers while she was in the costume tent,” Henry said.
“Bob also disguised his voice and used the pay phone across from the lemonade stand to call Claire late that night,” Henry said. “He knew you’d be in a lot of trouble if you were late to work,” he said to Claire.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Bob said.
“Antonio saw you using that phone,” Henry said. “And we all saw you meeting Nolan.”
“May I use the telephone in your secretary’s office?” Claire asked Mr. Fambles.
“Of course,” Mr. Fambles said.
“I’m going to tell Nolan to get over here right now. He has a lot of explaining to do.”
“Bob switched the real ring with a fake one this morning,” Violet explained. “Then he made it look like Claire stole it.”
“I didn’t do that,” Bob said angrily. “Besides, you can’t prove a word you’ve said.”
“Yes, I can,” Violet said. “Grandfather, do you have my pictures?”
“They’re right here,” Grandfather said. He handed Violet a large white envelope. Violet quickly flipped through the pictures until she found the one she was looking for.
“I took this picture of Claire right before Bob asked to look at her necklace,” Violet said.
Mr. Fambles looked at the picture. He took a magnifying glass out of his desk drawer. “She’s right! Claire is wearing the real ring in this picture!”
“Now I remember Bob asking Claire if he could look at the ring,” Amy said. “But I never thought he would steal it.”
“I didn’t steal it,” Bob began. �
�I was going to give it back.” He stopped talking when he realized what he had said.
“Nolan is on his way,” Claire said. “He thinks I want to talk to him because I’ve been fired for misplacing the ring.”
“Boy,” Jessie said. “He’s in for a big surprise.”
“I think I’d like to have a private talk with Bob while we wait for Nolan to arrive,” Officer Small said. “Thanks, children, for solving this mystery.”
“You’re welcome,” Benny said. “It was fun and I didn’t even have to miss lunch.”
Everyone laughed.
“I guess we’d better get back to work,” Amy said. “We’ll use the fake ring for any scenes we need to shoot in the future.”
“Good,” Mr. Fambles said. “Because I don’t think I’ll ever loan this ring out again.”
“Are you coming, Claire?” Amy asked. “We can’t start without the star of our film.”
“I’m coming,” Claire said with a big smile. “Thanks for everything,” she said to the children. She hugged Violet, then Jessie, Henry, and Benny. “I don’t know what I would have done without your help. You have some wonderful grandchildren, Mr. Alden.”
“I know,” said Grandfather.
Grandfather and the Boxcar Children walked back toward the movie set.
“Well,” Henry said, “that mystery is solved.”
“There’s Antonio!” Jessie said.
“There you all are!” Antonio said. “Amy just told me what happened.”
“Yes,” Henry said. “The mystery is finally solved.”
“I have a surprise for you,” Antonio said, holding up a paper bag.
“We have one for you, too,” Violet said.
“You go first,” Antonio said.
Violet quickly found the picture they had taken at the wax museum.
“This is for you, Antonio,” Violet said shyly. “It’s something to remember us by.”
“Oh, thank you,” Antonio said. “Now it’s my turn to surprise you.” He took an eggcarton filled with cascarones out of the bag he was carrying. “This is what we do with a cascarone!” He quickly smashed the decorated eggshell on top of Henry’s head. Confetti spilled everywhere.
“Hey!” Henry said, laughing. “So that’s why you fill them with confetti.”
“That’s right,” Antonio said. “I guess you could say it’s a smashing custom we have here in Texas.”
“It sure is,” Henry said, his head covered with confetti. Everyone laughed as Henry broke into a run, chasing Antonio across Alamo Square.
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
THE MYSTERY AT THE ALAMO
THE OUTER SPACE MYSTERY
THE SOCCER MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY IN THE OLD ATTIC
THE GROWLING BEAR MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE LAKE MONSTER
THE MYSTERY AT PEACOCK HALL
THE WINDY CITY MYSTERY
THE BLACK PEARL MYSTERY
THE CEREAL BOX MYSTERY
THE PANTHER MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE QUEEN’S JEWELS
THE STOLEN SWORD MYSTERY
THE BASKETBALL MYSTERY
THE MOVIE STAR MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE PIRATE’S MAP
THE GHOST TOWN MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE BLACK RAVEN
THE MYSTERY IN THE MALL
THE MYSTERY IN NEW YORK
THE GYMNASTICS MYSTERY
THE POISON FROG MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE EMPTY SAFE
THE HOME RUN MYSTERY
THE GREAT BICYCLE RACE MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE WILD PONIES
THE MYSTERY IN THE COMPUTER GAME
THE MYSTERY AT THE CROOKED HOUSE
THE HOCKEY MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE MIDNIGHT DOG
THE MYSTERY OF THE SCREECH OWL
THE SUMMER CAMP MYSTERY
THE COPYCAT MYSTERY
THE HAUNTED CLOCK TOWER MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE TIGER’S EYE
THE DISAPPEARING STAIRCASE MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY ON BLIZZARD MOUNTAIN
THE MY
STERY OF THE SPIDER’S CLUE
THE CANDY FACTORY MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE MUMMY’S CURSE
THE MYSTERY OF THE STAR RUBY
THE STUFFED BEAR MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF ALLIGATOR SWAMP
THE MYSTERY AT SKELETON POINT
THE TATTLETALE MYSTERY
THE COMIC BOOK MYSTERY
THE GREAT SHARK MYSTERY
THE ICE CREAM MYSTERY
THE MIDNIGHT MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY IN THE FORTUNE COOKIE
THE BLACK WIDOW SPIDER MYSTERY
THE RADIO MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE RUNAWAY GHOST
THE FINDERS KEEPERS MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE HAUNTED BOXCAR
THE CLUE IN THE CORN MAZE
THE GHOST OF THE CHATTERING BONES
THE SWORD OF THE SILVER KNIGHT
THE GAME STORE MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE ORPHAN TRAIN
THE VANISHING PASSENGER
THE GIANT YO-YO MYSTERY
THE CREATURE IN OGOPOGO LAKE
THE ROCK ’N’ ROLL MYSTERY
THE SECRET OF THE MASK
THE SEATTLE PUZZLE
THE GHOST IN THE FIRST ROW
THE BOX THAT WATCH FOUND
A HORSE NAMED DRAGON
THE GREAT DETECTIVE RACE
THE GHOST AT THE DRIVE-IN MOVIE
THE MYSTERY OF THE TRAVELING TOMATOES
THE SPY GAME
THE DOG-GONE MYSTERY
THE VAMPIRE MYSTERY
SUPERSTAR WATCH
THE SPY IN THE BLEACHERS
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, 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 © 1997 by Albert Whitman & Company
978-1-4532-1370-4
This 2011 edition distributed by Open Road Integrated Media