Ballpark Mysteries #12: The Rangers Rustlers Read online

  It was a fastball!

  As the ball approached home plate, Jiggs shifted his weight and swung.

  THWHUMP!

  The ball sailed right by Jiggs’s bat into the catcher’s mitt.

  Strike three! The top half of the inning was over. The Rangers ran off the field and got ready to bat. The Oakland A’s hustled out to take their positions.

  Mike gave Kate a high five, and they sat back down. The Rangers were able to score a run in the bottom of the second inning and again in the third. That put them ahead 2–0. But even though the Rangers were winning, Mike was still upset about his shirt.

  Kate tried to cheer him up. “Hey, I’ve got an idea. Let’s pretend we’re Texas Rangers and go look for the rustlers,” she said.

  Mike’s freckled face lit up. “Yeah, okay,” he said. He jumped up out of his seat. “Let’s look for anyone suspicious. Like anyone with a backpack or sunglasses. And even if we don’t find anything, maybe we can rustle up some hot dogs!”

  Kate rolled her eyes. Mike was always thinking about food.

  For the next half an hour, Mike and Kate explored the Rangers’ ballpark. They saw lots of Rangers fans with cowboy hats or sunglasses and even a few with black backpacks. But none of them looked like the man with curly hair who had sold Mike his shirt. Finally, Mike and Kate went to one of the upper levels, where fans had fancy suites for watching the ballgame. Once there, Mike spotted some suspicious-looking people moving carts. The carts had black cloths covering them.

  Mike and Kate hid behind a corner, watching the carts. “I’ll bet those are filled with stolen T-shirts!” Mike whispered to Kate. “Maybe the rustlers have a room up here. They bring fans up to buy the stolen shirts and stuff. It makes perfect sense!”

  “I don’t know,” Kate said. “Those carts do look a little strange. But I don’t think they’re filled with T-shirts.”

  “Well, I’m going to check it out,” Mike said. “Maybe if we catch the rustlers, Ranger Jimmy will give us a reward!”

  Kate stayed behind the corner while Mike tiptoed up to one of the carts. He slowly lifted the cover and peeked inside. After one look, he dropped the cover and ran back to Kate as fast as he could.

  “What was it?” Kate asked.

  Mike paused for a moment. He caught his breath. “You—you—you…,” he panted.

  Kate grabbed his shoulder and shook it. “Did you see the T-shirts?”

  Mike straightened up and brushed Kate’s hand away. “You’ll never believe what was in there,” he said.

  “WHAT?” asked Kate.

  “Dirty dishes!” Mike said with a laugh. “A huge bin of dirty dishes! They must have come from the suites up here.”

  Kate scowled. But then her eyes lit up, and a thin smile crossed her face. “But, Mike,” she said, “what if the dishes are stolen! Maybe the rustlers have moved on from T-shirts to dishes!”

  Mike stared at Kate for a moment. Then they both burst out laughing.

  Mike held up his hands like he was surrendering. “Okay, you got me,” he said. “Maybe this was a silly idea.”

  “I don’t think that there are any rustlers around here,” Kate said. “Come on, let’s get a hot dog and go to our seats.”

  By the time Mike and Kate sat back down, it was the sixth inning. The Rangers were still ahead 2–0. The next few innings went by quickly since neither team was able to score. By the eighth inning, it looked like the Rangers were going to win. As the teams changed places, Mike leafed through a program he had found on the ground.

  The Rangers pitcher had just thrown the first pitch when Mike cried out, “Look at this!” He plopped the open program into Kate’s lap. He pointed to the page on the left. There was a story about how baseball bats were made. Below that was an ad for Dusty’s Steak House, a local restaurant. Mike pointed to the ad.

  “I know where to look for the Rangers Rustlers!” he said. “We have to go to this restaurant! The rustlers might be there!”

  Mike pointed to the Dusty’s Steak House logo at the bottom of the page. It was a gold star in a red outline of the state of Texas. “I saw that logo on the front pocket of the rustler’s shirt,” he said. “Maybe he works there!”

  Kate studied the logo. “Or maybe he just owns the T-shirt,” she said with a shrug.

  “Hey, it’s a place to start!” Mike said. “Do you have a better idea?”

  Kate shook her head. “No,” she admitted. “When the game’s over, I’ll ask my mom to take us there for dinner.”

  “Y’all fixin’ to be run over?” called out a female voice behind Mike. “Ya might want to find a different place to graze.”

  Mike, Kate, and Mrs. Hopkins had just walked into Dusty’s Steak House when the tall, redheaded waitress zipped around them balancing a huge tray of sizzling steaks on her shoulder. The waitress wore a bright white cowboy hat, a shiny red shirt with fringe, blue jeans, and black cowboy boots.

  Kate’s mom gave Kate and Mike a nudge. “Come on, kids,” she said. “Let’s see about getting a table before we cause an accident.” She led them up to the hostess station. A few minutes later, they were seated at a long wooden table covered with a red and white checked plastic tablecloth. The smoky smell of barbecue drifted through the steak house.

  “Hey, check out that guy at the bar,” Kate whispered to Mike. She pointed to a man in a black T-shirt sitting on a tall stool at the bar across the room. “Is that the rustler?”

  Mike squinted and studied the man for a moment. “Nah,” he said as he shook his head. “The rustler with the backpack had curly hair and a different T-shirt.”

  Mike and Kate scanned the rest of the room for men with backpacks. But no one caught their eye. Instead, they watched as waiters and waitresses buzzed around the room. Lights made from big wagon wheels hung from the ceiling. Horseshoes, wagon parts, bleached-white cattle skulls with long, pointed horns, and red, white, and blue Texas flags covered the restaurant’s red walls. There was even a long metal slide near the back of the restaurant that two boys were taking turns sliding down.

  “Wow, this is so cool!” Kate said to her mother. “It sure feels like we’re really in Texas now.”

  Before Kate’s mom could answer, a waiter in a black cowboy hat appeared. “Howdy, y’all! Welcome to Dusty’s Steak House,” he said as he plunked down a big roll of paper towels. “I thought I’d bring these along since our good food is sometimes messy. Y’all look like you’re from out of town. But just so you know, as long as you’re at Dusty’s, you’re Texans to us.” The waiter handed out menus. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  Mike, Kate, and Mrs. Hopkins looked over the menus. Mike picked out the “rancher” steak, while Kate picked out the “buckaroo” ribs.

  “Can we go explore?” Kate asked. “It seems like there’s a lot of neat stuff here.”

  Mrs. Hopkins smiled. “Sure,” she said. “I’ll tell the waiter what you want. Come back when your food arrives.”

  “Thanks, Mom!” Kate said. She and Mike started with the shiny metal slide. It sat next to a flight of stairs. The sign near it read: PLEASE REMOVE SHOES WHEN USING THE SLIDE!

  Mike ran up the stairs two at a time, slipped off his sneakers, and flopped down at the top of the slide. “Wheeeeee!” he called as he picked up speed and slid back down to the first floor of the restaurant.

  Kate followed right behind, leaving her shoes at the top of the stairs and sliding straight down the slide. By the time she stood up, Mike was already back at the top of the slide.

  “Watch this!” he called to Kate. He sat down, spun around, and slid down backward! After he popped up, he tipped a pretend cowboy hat at Kate.

  “Y’all gotta try that,” he drawled. “I’m fix’n to try it a’gin myself. Come on!”

  Mike and Kate raced up the stairs and down the slide a few more times, until they collapsed out of breath near their shoes at the top of the stairs. As they sat on the ground panting, Mike looked through the railing. It was a great view
of the restaurant’s first floor. “Hey, this is the perfect place to spy on people,” he said. “We can look for the rustlers without them seeing us!”

  Mike and Kate could see a row of stools at the bar area and most of the restaurant tables. They watched every time people entered or exited either area. But no one matched the description of Mike’s rustler. To make sure they didn’t miss their dinner, Mike and Kate took turns riding down the slide every few minutes to see if their food had arrived. When it finally did, Mike and Kate put their shoes on and bounded down the stairs to their table.

  “I’m famished,” Mike said as he sat down next to Kate’s mom and took off his baseball cap. “This looks amazing!” One of the biggest meals that Mike or Kate had ever seen was spread out in front of them. Huge, Texas-style steaks and ribs, massive baked potatoes, and piles of greens filled their plates.

  “Dig in!” Kate’s mom said in between mouthfuls. “I’m afraid this looked too good for me to wait for you two.”

  It didn’t take long for Mike and Kate to demolish their dinners. “I was pretty hungry,” Kate said. She leaned into her mother’s side and snuggled. “Now I’m so full I’d like to take a nap!”

  Mrs. Hopkins combed her fingers through Kate’s brown hair and hugged her.

  But Mike pulled his napkin off his lap and dumped it on the table. “I’ve got a better idea,” he said. “I saw some video games near the entrance. Let’s see who can get the highest score!”

  Kate straightened up and tossed her napkin on the table. “You’re on!” she said.

  Kate’s mom laughed. “Well, that was a pretty quick nap.”

  Kate shrugged. “I guess I wasn’t that tired,” she said. “Thanks for dinner, Mom. Can we have some money for the video games?”

  Mrs. Hopkins laughed again and pulled out her wallet. “Sure,” she said. “But all I have is a twenty.” She gave the money to Kate. “Don’t spend it all!”

  “Thanks!” Kate said. Then she handed the money to Mike. “Here, you go get some change. I’ll pick out the first game that I’m going to beat you at!”

  Kate and Mike got up and ran through the maze of tables. When they got to the front of the restaurant, Kate jogged to the left for the video games. Mike went to the bar on the right to get change.

  Mike caught the bartender’s attention and plunked the twenty-dollar bill on the counter. “Can I please have change for this?” he asked. “I need some dollar bills for the video games.”

  The bartender nodded. He took the bill to the cash register. When he got back to Mike, he counted out a ten and ten ones. “That’s twenty,” he said. “Have fun!”

  Mike took the bills and ran over to meet Kate at the video games. Kate was standing in front of a big purple and tan game that read SMASHER across the top.

  Kate held her hand out. “Did you get the change?” she asked.

  Mike nodded. He counted out the ten ones that the bartender had given him. “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten,” he said, placing the bills in Kate’s hand. “And ten makes twenty.”

  As Mike gave Kate the ten, something written in blue on the face of the bill caught his eye.

  HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MIKE!

  Kate jumped up and down. “That’s the ten-dollar bill Grandma gave you!” she said. “The rustler must have used it here today!” She took the bill from Mike and tugged on his shirt. “Come on,” she said. “Maybe the bartender will remember where it came from.”

  When they got to the bar, Mike and Kate hopped up on two stools. The bartender came over and put two napkins in front of them.

  “Y’all look’n for a shot of sarsaparilla soda or root beer?” he asked.

  Kate slapped Mike’s bill on the counter. “No thanks,” she said. “But you could help us with something else. You just gave this bill to Mike as change. We were wondering if you could remember who gave it to you.”

  Mike leaned forward on the rail of the bar. “He might have been wearing a green shirt with a Dusty’s logo on it,” he said. “He had curly hair, a cowboy hat, and a black backpack.”

  The bartender rocked back on his cowboy boots and thought for a moment. “Sorry, but I don’t remember anyone like that being here today,” he said.

  Mike’s shoulders slumped. He was about to slip down off the stool when the bartender picked up the ten-dollar bill and examined it.

  “Ya know, most people pay with credit cards,” he said. “But we do have some regulars who pay with cash.” He handed the bill back to Mike and scratched his small beard. “Now that I think about it, I probably got that bill from Buddy. He was just here a couple of hours ago.”

  Mike and Kate exchanged looks. “Do you know where we could find him?” Mike asked.

  The bartender tipped his cowboy hat back a bit. “Shoot, sure can,” he said. “Buddy’s a cowboy. He works in Fort Worth at the Stockyards. It’s a tourist area. Buddy runs the cattle drive in the afternoon. He’s easy to spot. Just look for an older cowboy with a long white beard and a black vest.”

  Kate picked up the ten-dollar bill. “Thank you,” she said. “That’s just what we were looking for.”

  The bartender tipped his hat and went back to washing dishes.

  “That doesn’t sound like the guy who sold me the shirt,” Mike said.

  “I know,” Kate said. “But maybe Buddy got it from the rustler!” She slipped off her stool and started for their table. “Come on,” she said. “We’ve got a cattle drive to go to tomorrow! I’ll get my mom to take us.”

  It was only midmorning, but the Texas sun was bright when Kate, Mike, and Mrs. Hopkins stepped out of their rental car the next day at the Stockyards. The Stockyards were in Fort Worth, Texas, about half an hour from the Rangers’ ballpark. Cowboys used to buy and sell cattle there. Now it had old-time shops, a museum, a rodeo on weekends, and restaurants.

  Mike nudged Kate as her mom was putting money in the parking meter. “Remember, all we have to do is find the cowboy with a long white beard,” he said. “We can look for him during the cattle drive.”

  Kate shook her head. “I know,” she said. “But maybe it’s a dead end. Maybe the guy who sold you the T-shirt simply gave your ten-dollar birthday bill to Buddy as change. Maybe he was just buying a T-shirt and he’s got nothing to do with the rustlers.”

  Mike shrugged. “Could be,” he said. “But I’ve got a hunch!”

  Suddenly, something down the street caught Mike’s eyes. “Hey, look at that!” he said. Without waiting for Kate to reply, he raced to the front of the rodeo arena. Hitched to the iron fence was a huge, live brown and white Texas longhorn steer. “Come on,” he called. “We can have our picture taken on it!”

  By the time Kate and her mother caught up, Mike had already climbed into the extra-big saddle on top of the steer. “Yahoo!” Mike called out. “I’m a cowboy!”

  “I don’t think so, Mike,” Kate said. “Cowboys ride horses to herd the cattle. They don’t ride the cattle!”

  Mike ignored her. “Watch out, or I’ll have the steer stick you with its horns!”

  The steer was taller than either Mike or Kate. And its long white horns with sharp points did look dangerous.

  Mrs. Hopkins paid the cowboy who was standing nearby, keeping an eye on the steer. Then she took pictures of both Mike and Kate on top of the animal.

  Mike and Kate climbed off and continued to explore with Mrs. Hopkins. Old-fashioned buildings stood on both sides of the street. They passed a museum that Mrs. Hopkins wanted to go into, but Kate dragged them farther down the street. On the other side was a cowgirl twirling a long piece of rope in a circle.

  Kate, Mike, and Mrs. Hopkins watched as the cowgirl spun the circle faster and faster. Wuuuu…wuuuu…wuuuu. The rope made a whirring sound as it swirled over the cowgirl’s head. With a SNAP! the cowgirl flicked the rope forward. The circle of rope flew fifteen feet through the air and dropped neatly over the figure of a full-size cow made out of wood.

  The crowd who had gat
hered around to watch clapped as the cowgirl tipped her straw hat and wound the rope back up. As the crowd drifted away, Kate tugged on her mother’s sleeve. “You can head to the museum if you want,” she said. “But I’m going to figure out how she does that!”

  Kate ran over to the cowgirl and whispered something into her ear. The cowgirl nodded. Then she taught Kate how to loop the rope into a circle using a special knot that would slip tight once it went around something. It didn’t take long for Kate to learn how to tie the special knot. But it did take a while for her to learn how to twirl and throw the rope.

  Mike and Mrs. Hopkins waited in the shade under a nearby tree while Kate practiced. The first few times Kate tried to throw the rope it just fell flat onto the ground. But after a while, she was twirling the rope over her head, tossing it down the street, and landing it neatly over the head of the wooden cow!

  After Kate had lassoed the cow five times, she handed the rope back.

  “You’d make a great cowgirl,” the cowgirl said to Kate. “I’ve never seen anyone pick up lassoing as fast as you did. Nice job!”

  “Thanks!” Kate said. She had her mom take a picture of her with the cowgirl, and then they headed off to get some lunch. But before they made it to one of the many food shops, Kate convinced her mom to stop at one of the clothing stores lining the street.

  “I want to use the allowance I’ve saved to get a rope so I can practice lassoing at home,” Kate said. “And maybe Western outfits for tonight’s Old West Night. The ticket taker said if we dress up in Western clothing, we get that free Nolan Ryan bobblehead!”

  “Yeah,” Mike said. “I can get a hat with the money I’ve saved.”

  The three stepped inside the next clothing shop they saw. Kate quickly found a lasso, boots, and a skirt with fringe, while Mike selected a white cowboy hat, a black and red checked shirt, and a belt with a big metal buckle.