“Yes,” said Sam. “When Tina got hurt, I was pleased that Pete suggested you children would help me. I figured I could slip anything past a bunch of kids.” She raised her eyebrows. “But I didn’t realize who I was dealing with. You Aldens are smart. And you don’t give up.”
“No,” Henry said. “We don’t. Not until we’ve solved the mystery.”
“So you never told anyone that those pieces were missing, did you?” asked Violet.
“Of course not,” said Sam. “I didn’t think you’d even notice if a piece was gone here and there. That’s why I didn’t take them all at once. I hadn’t counted on you having such good memories. I had to pretend I was surprised each time you noticed another one missing. But I figured that if you kids were the only ones who knew, then I was safe.”
“But then why did you give me that list to make sure nothing was missing?” asked Jessie.
“I made up that list myself. I left off the pieces I’d already taken,” Sam said.
“What about my notebook?” Jessie asked. “Did you take it?”
“I did,” Sam said. “You let me look at it, and I never gave it back. I changed it, too. I tried to make it look like your handwriting, so you wouldn’t realize. Then I left it by Dr. Snood’s office, so you’d think he’d taken it, not me.”
“What about the lock on the door and the open coffin?” asked Henry. “Did you do that?”
Sam nodded. “That’s where I was hiding the pieces,” she said.
“In the coffin?” Benny asked, shocked.
“I knew no one would look in there,” she said. “Last night I came back here very late, after everyone had left. I was planning to take out the last of the pieces. But then the security guard came by, just as I was about to leave. I quickly turned off the lights so she wouldn’t see me. But then she did something I hadn’t expected.” Sam laughed a short laugh. “She thought no one was in here, so she locked the door. I was locked in.”
“And you had to break out,” Henry said.
“Exactly,” said Sam. “Good thing I know how to pick a lock. But in my hurry I left the coffin open and forgot to lock the door behind me. And I accidentally left the most valuable piece here—that gold cat.”
While they were talking, Pete had quietly gone over to the telephone and made a phone call. A police officer appeared in the doorway just as Sam was finishing her story.
As the police officer led her away, Pete said, “It looks as if the mummy’s curse is on Sam.”
James Alden and his grandchildren arrived at the museum that night just before seven o’clock.
“I can’t wait to see how everyone likes the exhibit,” Benny said.
“And I can’t wait to see what you’ve all been working on,” Grandfather said.
“Hello, Aldens,” Pete said, coming over as soon as he saw them. He brought Dr. Snood with him. The Aldens were surprised to see how happy Dr. Snood looked.
“James, good to see you,” Pete said. He introduced Dr. Snood to James Alden.
“The exhibit looks great,” said Grandfather.
“We couldn’t have done it without your grandchildren,” Pete said.
“I must admit I had my doubts at first,” Dr. Snood said. “But I was wrong. They did a great job with the exhibit—and they caught a criminal!”
“That is their specialty,” Grandfather said proudly.
“Can I tell you something, Dr. Snood?” Jessie asked in a quiet voice.
“Yes,” Dr. Snood said.
“We thought you might be the thief,” she said.
“Me?” he said. And then he did something they had never seen him do. He began to laugh. “Why me?”
“Well, we kept seeing you looking at the pieces, and then they’d be missing,” said Jessie. “And there always seemed to be something bothering you.”
Dr. Snood was silent for a moment. Then he spoke. “You children are wise beyond your years. There has been something bothering me, and it took this exhibit for me to realize it.”
“Realize what?” Pete asked.
“I realized, as I watched this exhibit being put together, how much I miss Egyptology. That’s my real love. So I’m stepping down as director. I’m going to lead a dig in Egypt next year.”
“Excuse me,” said a voice behind the children.
They turned around and were surprised to see Lori Paulson.
“Hello, Ms. Paulson,” Pete said.
“What are you doing here?” Benny couldn’t help asking.
Suddenly Henry laughed. “I think I know,” he said. “You’re a reporter for the Greenfield Daily News, aren’t you?”
“How did you know?” Lori asked, surprised.
“When I called the newspaper yesterday, you were the one who answered, weren’t you?” Henry said.
Lori nodded.
“I knew your voice was familiar,” Henry explained. “I just didn’t figure out it was you until now.”
“I’ve just started working there,” Lori explained. “I’m an assistant in the Arts and Entertainment section. I was trying to make a name for myself by bringing in a report on the new exhibit. The museum was keeping it all such a secret. I thought there had to be something important going on. I wanted to get the story before any other reporter.”
“So that’s why you were always at the museum asking questions,” said Benny.
“I was hoping you kids would tell me something,” said Lori. “I listened when you were in the café and made notes in my notebook.”
“So that’s what you were hiding under the table that day,” Henry said.
“I also sneaked up to the exhibit hall a couple of times and tried to peek in,” Lori told them.
“We heard your footsteps,” Violet said.
“And I did something I regret.” Lori looked down at her feet and then back at the children. “One day, I sneaked into the prep room and went through the papers on the desk and looked at the artifacts. I was hoping to learn something to put in the article. But I heard a sound and rushed out before I had a chance to put things back. I’m afraid I left quite a mess.”
“What were you doing at the Carson City Museum?” Henry asked.
“I heard they’d tried to get this exhibit, too,” said Lori. “So I called them to find out. They wrote to me, and then finally gave me an appointment with the director the day I saw you there.”
“And what did she have to say?” Dr. Snood asked.
“She told me at first they were disappointed they hadn’t gotten the exhibit,” Lori said. “But when she talked with Pete Miller, they came up with some ways the two museums could work together in the future.”
“Good work,” Dr. Snood told Pete.
“Why were you being so secretive?” Jessie asked Lori.
“I was afraid that if you knew I was a reporter you wouldn’t tell me anything,” Lori said.
“A spy?” Lori said. And they all burst out laughing.
“As it turns out,” Pete said, “there is quite a story behind this exhibit. And I think the Aldens are just the ones to tell it.”
The children spent the rest of the night telling Lori everything that had gone on at the Greenfield Museum while the exhibit was being prepared.
The next morning, Jessie picked up the newspaper at the front door. She brought it in to the kitchen, where the whole family was sitting, eating Mrs. McGregor’s special blueberry pancakes for breakfast. Jessie turned straight to the Arts and Entertainment section. There, on the front page, was a picture of the four Aldens standing next to the mummy, and an article written by Lori Paulson, staff reporter. The headline read, ALDEN CHILDREN KEEP MUMMY’S CURSE FROM COMING TRUE.
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 pro
ved 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 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 © 2002 by Albert Whitman & Company
978-1-4532-2145-7
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