“Nothing … I mean …”
The judge held up her hand. Several officials and other judges hurried into the ring. They took Caryn and Sunny, and Lawrence Burger and Plum off to one side while the crowd buzzed with astonished talk.
The Aldens quickly went to join Caryn and Sunny. Dr. Scott left her seat across the arena and came down into the ring, too.
“I would like an explanation of what is going on at once,” said the judge sternly.
Lawrence Burger opened and closed his mouth like a fish gasping for air.
“We can explain,” said Jessie, stepping forward.
“You? What do you know about this?” asked an official.
“A great deal,” said Caryn. “They’re the ones who found Sunny — and solved the mystery of why everything seemed to be going wrong at this dog show.”
“Very well,” said the judge. “Go ahead.”
The Aldens took turns explaining all of the things that had gone wrong at the dog show. Then Dr. Scott identified Lawrence Burger as the man who had brought Sunny into her office to board her that morning, signing his name as Mr. Smith. When they had finished, the judge turned to face Lawrence Burger. “Did you do all those things?” she asked.
The proud, unpleasant look had left Lawrence Burger’s face. Now he just looked miserable. “Yes,” he confessed. “It was me. I shaved Curly so he wouldn’t be able to compete for Best of Show. I knew that the dog favored to win the terrier group hated cats, so I — borrowed — that cat and turned it loose in the show. I even let out the air in the tires on Mrs. DeCicco’s assistant’s car. I hoped it would upset her and her dogs so much that they wouldn’t do well. And I — borrowed — Sunny and took her to this veterinarian’s office. I was going to go get her tomorrow morning and bring her back, honestly.”
The judge shook her head. “This is bad, very bad.” She and the other judges and officials stepped to one side and talked among themselves for a few minutes. Then the judge came back. “You are officially disqualified from this show. And you may be barred from showing dogs for a long time to come. You have disgraced the world of dog shows. And you have disgraced a fine dog. Your dog might well have won, fair and square. Now he may never get the chance to win again. You are dismissed.”
His head hanging, Lawrence Burger walked miserably out of the ring. As they left, Plum licked his hand as if to try and comfort him. Mr. Burger looked down at Plum, stroked his head, then covered his eyes and hurried out of sight.
A few minutes later, the Reserve Champion was led into the arena to take Plum’s place. The contest for Best in Show began.
It seemed to take the judge forever to look at each dog.
“I wish the judge would hurry up and decide,” whispered Violet.
Mrs. Teague pressed her hand to her chest. “So do I!”
Henry leaned forward. “She must see that Caryn and Sunny are the best.”
“Oh, I hope so!” said Jessie.
“Go, go, go, Sunny,” said Benny.
At last the judge signaled for the seven dogs to circle the arena once more. And once again, the crowd cheered and cheered for the seven champions. Then the cheers rose to a thunder pitch as the judge pointed, 1, 2, 3, 4 for the dogs that won first, second, third, and fourth.
“She won! She won!” cried Henry, jumping up.
“HOORAY FOR SUNNY!” shouted Benny.
All of the Aldens began to hug each other and Mrs. Teague, who was dabbing at her eyes with her sleeve. “Oh, I am so proud of Caryn and of Sunny,” she kept saying. “So proud of them both!”
“They’re real champions,” Jessie said. “Even after everything that happened, they went out and won.”
“Yes,” agreed Mrs. Teague. “Oh, yes.”
“Oh, good!” said Violet. “I was so excited that I almost didn’t realize it, but Mrs. DeCicco’s beagle Gloria came in second!”
“I’m so glad,” said Jessie wholeheartedly.
“Let’s go see everyone,” said Benny, bouncing out of his seat.
“Okay, Benny,” said Grandfather Alden. Together the Aldens and Mrs. Teague made their way through the excited crowd toward Sunny and Caryn.
“Congratulations!” called Violet as they passed Mrs. DeCicco, who was posing with Gloria for the photographers.
“Thank you!” answered Mrs. DeCicco, beaming. She kissed the top of Gloria’s head and Gloria licked Mrs. DeCicco’s face.
“Great shot,” said one of the photographers, and everyone laughed. A moment later, they joined the Teagues and Sunny.
Just then, a familiar couple went by. “Come on, Zonker,” said the polka-dot woman to the dalmatian at her side. “Time to go home.”
The man beside her said, “You know, after this show, I think you’re right. Maybe we all need a vacation.”
The woman smiled.
“Oh, good,” said Violet softly.
“Henry, Jessica, Violet, Benny — come have your photograph taken with us. After all, if it hadn’t been for you, Sunny wouldn’t have been in the show at all!” Caryn said.
“Wait a minute!” cried Benny. “We forgot! We forgot the surprise!” He ran back to their seats.
“What surprise?” Caryn asked.
“You’ll see,” promised Henry as Benny came running back with the banner under his arm. Quickly, the Aldens unfurled the banner and held it up.
Caryn laughed with delight. “It’s wonderful. Come on, let’s all have our picture taken with it!”
As the Aldens joined the Teagues and Sunny, a young man came up to them. “It’s a real scoop,” he said. “What a story! How about an exclusive interview?”
“Well,” said Jessie. Then she stopped. Her eyes widened. “I don’t believe it!” she said. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m a reporter,” said the man.
The Aldens all stared. It was the same man they had seen at the basset hound’s cage, and lurking in the background when Curly had been shaved, and near the entrance where the cat had first been seen at the show.
“A reporter,” repeated Violet. “But what were you doing at the basset hound’s cage? And when Curly got shaved — you were right there!”
“Yes,” said Jessie. “And you were right there when the cat got in, too!”
The reporter shrugged. “That’s what reporters do. We go where the action is! Besides, I wanted to be anonymous so I could get a real scoop. And I have!”
The Aldens burst out laughing at their mistake. “Great, great,” said the reporter. He turned to the photographer. “Did you get that shot, Mac?”
“You were great, Caryn,” said Henry.
Caryn gave Henry an excited little hug and he blushed as shyly as Violet. “Sunny was great,” she said, “thanks to you and your brother and sisters.”
“And Watch!” said Benny. He let go of his end of the banner, and flung his arms around Caryn and then around Sunny. “Watch is the one who really solved the mystery. He proved it was Sunny at Dr. Scott’s. Watch is a champion, too.”
“He certainly is,” said Caryn. She smiled down at Benny. “Hooray for Watch!”
“Hooray for Sunny and for Watch!” cried Benny.
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 each 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 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 © 1993 by Albert Whitman & Company
ISBN: 978-1-4532-1277-6
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