Ballpark Mysteries #11: The Tiger Troubles Read online

  #1 The Fenway Foul-Up

  #2 The Pinstripe Ghost

  #3 The L.A. Dodger

  #4 The Astro Outlaw

  #5 The All-Star Joker

  #6 The Wrigley Riddle

  #7 The San Francisco Splash

  #8 The Missing Marlin

  #9 The Philly Fake

  #10 The Rookie Blue Jay

  #11 The Tiger Troubles

  Also by David A. Kelly

  Babe Ruth and the Baseball Curse

  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, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Text copyright © 2015 by David A. Kelly

  Cover art and interior illustrations copyright © 2015 by Mark Meyers

  All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House LLC, a Penguin Random House Company, New York.

  Random House and the colophon are registered trademarks and A Stepping Stone Book and the colophon are trademarks of Random House LLC. Ballpark Mysteries® is a registered trademark of Upside Research, Inc.

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  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Kelly, David A.

  The Tiger troubles / by David A. Kelly; illustrated by Mark Meyers.

  p. cm. — (Ballpark mysteries; 11)

  “A Stepping Stone Book.”

  Summary: “When Mike and Kate visit Detroit, someone is blackmailing the Tigers’ famous slugger, Tony Maloney.” — Provided by publisher.

  ISBN 978-0-385-37878-9 (pbk.) — ISBN 978-0-385-37879-6 (lib. bdg.) —

  ISBN 978-0-385-37880-2 (ebook)

  [1. Baseball—Fiction. 2. Detroit Tigers (Baseball team)—Fiction. 3. Extortion—Fiction. 4. Cousins—Fiction. 5. Detroit (Mich.)—Fiction. 6. Mystery and detective stories.]

  I. Meyers, Mark, illustrator. II. Title.

  PZ7.K2936Tig 2015 [Fic]—dc23 2014011734

  eBook ISBN 9780385378802

  This book has been officially leveled by using the F&P Text Level Gradient™ Leveling System.

  Random House Children’s Books supports the First Amendment and celebrates the right to read.

  v4.1

  a

  This book is dedicated to Mo’ne Davis, a Little League pitcher from Philadelphia, who was the first girl to win a Little League World Series game as well as the first girl to pitch a shutout in the Little League World Series! Mo’ne is Kate’s new hero, because she reminds the world that baseball isn’t just for boys. —D.A.K.

  To Phil—thanks for the help on so many projects! —M.M.

  “Baseball is a ballet without music.” —Ernie Harwell, longtime Detroit Tigers broadcaster

  Contents

  Cover

  Ballpark Mysteries

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Chapter 1 The Missing Tiger

  Chapter 2 A Shower of Baseballs

  Chapter 3 Tony’s Problem

  Chapter 4 Chasing a Tiger

  Chapter 5 Too Many Pandas

  Chapter 6 A Furry Backpack

  Chapter 7 A Strikeout

  Chapter 8 A Golden Surprise

  Chapter 9 One Last Swipe

  Dugout Notes

  The Detroit Tigers’ Ballpark

  The Missing Tiger

  Kate Hopkins slipped into the driver’s seat of a shiny red convertible. She pressed the center of the steering wheel twice.

  Beep! Beep!

  A group of Detroit Tigers baseball players stood on the grass in front of the car. The players jumped at the sound of the horn. One of them dropped his glove. When they turned around and saw Kate at the wheel, they laughed and waved.

  “Hey, it’s my turn to drive!” said Kate’s cousin Mike Walsh. He was sitting in the passenger seat.

  Mike and Kate were visiting Detroit with Kate’s dad. Mr. Hopkins was a baseball scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Sometimes he took Kate and Mike with him on his trips. This time they were going to see a Tigers baseball game. But before the game, he had arranged for them to ride in a classic car parade.

  “I don’t think either of you should be driving,” Mr. Hopkins said. He opened the driver’s-side door and motioned for them to climb out. “We should be looking for my friend Tony.”

  Mike pulled a baseball card out of his pocket. It showed a tall African American baseball player wearing a white uniform with a big blue D on the front. Across the bottom of the card in gold letters was the name Tony “The Tiger” Maloney. “I hope he’ll give me his autograph,” Mike said. “I told my friends at school I’d get it.”

  Mr. Hopkins shook his head. “I’m not sure he will,” he said. “He injured his wrist earlier in the season. Tony told me his coach made him promise to protect his wrist and not sign any autographs until after the season.”

  Tony was the new star outfielder for the Detroit Tigers. He and Mr. Hopkins were old friends, and Tony had invited the three of them to meet him at the Detroit Car Cruise on Woodward Avenue and ride in the parade with him. The Car Cruise was the largest car meet anywhere. People from around the world brought their old, special, or customized cars to show them off.

  Mike, Kate, and Mr. Hopkins walked down the line of parked cars, looking for Tony. Each car they passed was crazier than the last. There was a bright green hot rod with a horn that made an aaaaoooggaaa sound and a shiny blue pickup truck that shot flames out of its exhaust pipes! There was even an old-fashioned brown and yellow car with a big, shaggy dog sitting in its rumble seat. Kate and Mike tried barking at the dog but couldn’t get him to bark back.

  “There sure are a lot of cars here,” Mike said.

  “That’s why Detroit’s called the Motor City,” Kate said. “I read it’s where all the big car companies started. Like Henry Ford, with his Model T. It was the first really popular car. They didn’t cost too much, and Ford figured out how to make lots of them fast.” Kate loved to read. Whenever Mike and Kate went to a new place, Kate would read up on it.

  Mike, Kate, and Mr. Hopkins walked up and down the lines of parked cars until they came to a white convertible from the 1950s. The top was down, and the inside was bright red leather.

  When he saw it, Mr. Hopkins let out a low whistle. “Boy, they sure don’t make them like this anymore. It’s a 1959 Cadillac.”

  The car was long and flat, except for two big fins that rose up on either side of the trunk. The fins had red lights in them that made them look like the tail of a rocket.

  Nearby, the other Detroit Tigers players were climbing into different classic cars for the parade. Mr. Hopkins checked his watch. “Tony told me to meet him here,” he said. “We’re going to miss the parade unless we find him!”

  Mr. Hopkins waved his hand. “Come on, follow me,” he said. The three ran over to the last car in line. It hadn’t started yet. Two Tigers players were sitting in the backseat.

  “Excuse me,” Mr. Hopkins said to the player closest to him. “We were supposed to meet Tony the Tiger for the parade, but he’s not here. Do you know where he is?”

  “He’s gone?” the player asked. “He was over there earlier, but someone left a note for him in the car. I don’t know what it said, but it sure spooked him. Once he read it, he took off like a flash!”

  The line
of cars filled with Detroit Tigers players pulled away.

  “Something must be wrong,” Mr. Hopkins said. “I can’t believe Tony would have left without telling us.”

  “Maybe it was an emergency,” Kate said.

  “Could be,” Mr. Hopkins said. “I’ll try to call him to see what’s going on. Why don’t you head back to the car, in case he shows up?”

  Mike and Kate walked back to the white convertible.

  Mike scuffed the dirt with his sneaker. “Rats! Just look how cool this car is.” He leaned over the door and peered inside. That was when he noticed something stuck between the seat and the driver’s-side door. He reached down and fished around. When his hand emerged, he was holding a piece of notebook paper. Mike unfolded it and read it. His eyes grew wide.

  “Kate, you’ve got to see this!” he said. He held it out for her.

  LEAVE MORE OF YOU-KNOW-WHAT IN THE USUAL PLACE BEFORE TODAY’S GAME—OR IT WILL BE THREE STRIKES FOR YOUR SPECIAL TROPHY!

  “Wow! I bet this is what made Tony take off,” Kate said. “Somebody’s blackmailing him!”

  Mike studied the note. “What do you think ‘you-know-what’ means?” he asked.

  “I don’t know,” Kate said. “But that trophy sounds important.” She tucked the note into her pocket. She and Mike searched the car for more clues. When Mr. Hopkins returned a few minutes later, they hadn’t found anything new.

  “Tony didn’t answer my call, but he might be back at the stadium getting ready for today’s game,” Mr. Hopkins said. “I guess you didn’t find him over here.”

  “Nope,” said Kate. “But we did find this.” She took the note out of her pocket and handed it to her father. “Someone’s threatening Tony!”

  Mr. Hopkins shook his head as he read the note. “This isn’t good,” he said. “We’ve got to head to the stadium right away!”

  A Shower of Baseballs

  Thirty minutes later, Mr. Hopkins pulled their car into a parking lot across from the stadium. Mr. Hopkins paid the attendant and led Mike and Kate toward the main entrance.

  “Wow! This is amazing,” Mike said as they got closer.

  Tiger heads were mounted on the stadium’s outside walls, and sculptures of tigers prowled along the rooftops. There were tigers everywhere!

  On the brick plaza in front of the stadium, a huge tan tiger sat on its haunches. Its tail curled around it. The tiger looked as tall as a house! One of its giant paws towered high in the air, ready to take a swipe at rival teams. The tiger’s mouth hung open, baring its large fangs.

  “¡Qué tigre tan grande!” Kate said. “What a big tiger!”

  “¡Tienes razón!” her dad said. “You’re right!” Mr. Hopkins spoke Spanish since he worked with a lot of baseball players from other countries. Kate liked to practice with him.

  “I know that tigers are the largest species of cat, but that’s a really big cat!” Kate said.

  Mike ran over to the statue and stood underneath the tiger’s outstretched paw.

  Kate scampered after him. “Can you take our picture?” she asked her dad. She took off her blue L.A. Dodgers baseball cap so the funny face she was making would show more.

  “Sure,” Mr. Hopkins said. He pulled out his phone. Mike put his arm around Kate, like he was scared. They both looked up with wide eyes and raised their arms above their heads, pretending to shield themselves from the tiger’s attacking paw.

  Click. Click. Click. Mr. Hopkins snapped away. When he was done, he laughed. “This is great. It looks like you’re being attacked by a giant tiger!”

  “This place feels more like a jungle than a ballpark!” Kate said.

  “Well, maybe it’s time to chase a tiger,” Mr. Hopkins said. “Let’s go around to the other gate and see if we can find Tony.”

  Mike and Kate trailed along behind Mr. Hopkins as they headed down the sidewalk to the employee gate at the other corner. Two more huge tigers prowled over the top of this entrance.

  Mike, Kate, and Mr. Hopkins walked up to the employee checking identification. Mr. Hopkins showed his special L.A. Dodgers pass, and the security guard let him pass.

  Kate was just about to push through the gate when an orange and white blur streaked by the side of her head.

  “Watch out, Kate!” Mike called from behind her. “There’s a tiger loose!”

  Before Kate could move, a paw swiped at her head. The paw hit the brim of her baseball hat and knocked it flying. It landed with a plunk on the ground.

  Kate ducked and covered her head.

  But Mike started laughing. He picked up Kate’s hat and handed it back to her. Then he pointed to a small ledge above the entrance. Kate looked up and started laughing, too.

  Perched on the edge was a large orange and white tabby cat. It stared back at Kate and Mike, then lost interest and started licking its right paw.

  Kate stomped her foot and swiped at Mike with her hat. “I thought that was a tiger’s paw!” she said.

  “Well, a tiger is a cat,” Mike said. “A big cat.” He reached up on his tiptoes and scratched the cat’s side. It started purring.

  “I see you met Tabby,” said a voice behind them. A teenage girl walked around Kate and Mike, toward the gate. She wore a blue and white Tigers T-shirt. A security tag hung from her neck. Dark curly hair poked out from under her Tigers baseball cap.

  “Hi, Jane,” the security guard said. “It’s going to be a great game today.”

  “Sure is,” Jane replied. Then she pointed up at the cat and said to Kate and Mike, “Tabby’s a city cat that likes to hang around the stadium and watch the games. Sometimes fans bring her food. She usually leaves people alone, but maybe she didn’t like your L.A. Dodgers hat.”

  “I guess she’s a real Tigers fan,” Kate’s dad said.

  Jane laughed. “I think so,” she said. Then they pushed through the security gate one at a time. “Enjoy the game!” Jane said as she headed off to work.

  Mike, Kate, and Mr. Hopkins headed for the Tigers’ clubhouse to look for Tony. Halfway down the main walkway, Kate gave her dad’s shirt a tug. She pointed through an archway to a food court area. In the middle of it was a merry-go-round.

  “Can Mike and I go check it out?” she asked.

  “Sure,” Mr. Hopkins said. “When you’re done, just follow this walkway and meet me at the Tigers’ locker room.”

  “Yippee!” said Mike. He and Kate ran to the merry-go-round. It looked just like one at a fair or amusement park, except all the animals on it were tigers!

  Mike was just about to see if they could get on the ride when Kate called out and pointed across the food court.

  “Look! There’s Tony the Tiger!” she said.

  Mike followed Kate’s finger. Tony was on the other side of the merry-go-round. Even though he was walking away from them, he looked just like the picture on his baseball card.

  “What’s he carrying?” Kate asked.

  Mike frowned and scratched his head. “I don’t know. But it looks a little like a tiger!”

  Mike was right. Tony was carrying a stuffed toy tiger under his arm. He seemed to be headed for the back of the food court. When Tony reached it, he set the stuffed tiger down between a tall brick pillar and the wall and then quickly walked toward the locker room without looking back.

  “That was weird,” Mike said.

  “I know,” Kate said. “Let’s go take a look.”

  They rushed over to examine the stuffed animal. Kate reached behind the pillar and picked it up.

  “Ah, this doesn’t feel like any stuffed tiger that I’d like to play with.” She handed the tiger to Mike.

  “It’s lumpy!” Mike said. “And heavy!” He lifted it up over his head to get a look underneath it. “What’s in here?”

  But as he peeked beneath the tiger, there was a sudden zzzip.

  Five baseballs fell out of the bottom of the tiger.

  Bonk! Bonk! Bonk! Bonk! Bonk!

  One after another, the baseballs hit Mike in
the head!

  Tony’s Problem

  “Ouch!” Mike said. “Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!”

  The balls dropped to the floor at Mike’s feet. As he rubbed his head, Kate scrambled to pick them up. Instead of being red and white like normal baseballs, they were black and orange tiger-print leather.

  “Are you okay?” Kate asked Mike when she stood up.

  Mike stopped rubbing his head. “Yeah,” he said with a smile. “It takes more than a few baseballs to stop me.”

  “I know,” Kate said. “Usually it takes a few chocolate chip cookies.”

  “Hey, I call those energy disks,” Mike said. “They give me the power I need to play baseball.”

  Kate rolled her eyes. She held up the tiger baseballs. “I don’t think you’ll be playing with these,” she said. “Look, they’re all signed by Tony the Tiger!”

  Tony had signed his name with a bright gold marker across the sweet spot of each ball.

  “These must be the ‘you-know-what’ mentioned in the note!” Mike said. “Someone’s stolen Tony’s trophy, and they’re making him sign baseballs! He’s being blackmailed!”

  The sound of scraping metal from around the corner startled Mike and Kate. Nearby, ballpark workers had just started to open up their food stands for the game.

  “We’ve got to put the tiger back and get out of here before we’re caught,” Kate said. “Then we can figure out what to do.”

  Mike turned the tiger over and noticed a zipper on its bottom. It had unzipped when he had picked up the tiger. Mike and Kate stuffed the signed baseballs back into the tiger and zipped the hole closed. Then they placed the tiger on the ground behind the pillar where they had found it.

  “Maybe it’s some kind of baseball prank,” Kate said as they headed to the Tigers’ locker room. “I’ve read how players like to pull pranks on rookies and new players. Maybe they’re making Tony do funny things because he’s new.”