The Cereal Box Mystery Read online

  “I don’t think he will, Benny,” Grandfather said, patting Benny’s shoulder. “And besides, Watch will be on guard.”

  “That’s true,” said Benny in a sleepy voice.

  Violet shuddered. “That’s two robberies in one day — at Antique Treasures and now at our house.”

  “But we don’t have any jewelry for the thief to steal,” said Benny. “He must not be a very smart burglar.”

  After Officer Weatherspoon from the Greenfield Police came and questioned Grandfather about the robbery, Grandfather taped a piece of cardboard over the broken pane of glass and the Aldens went back to bed.

  Everyone got up early the next morning to clean up the mess in the kitchen.

  They had the kitchen almost finished when Benny stopped. His mouth dropped open.

  “Benny? What’s wrong?” asked Grandfather.

  Benny pointed to the top of the refrigerator, where Mrs. McGregor had put his two unopened boxes of Silver Frosted Stars. “My Silver Frosted Stars,” he said. “They’re gone!”

  “Maybe they fell behind the refrigerator,” Jessie suggested. “The burglar could have bumped into it and knocked them off.”

  Jessie was right, but only half right. She only found one box of Silver Frosted Stars behind the refrigerator. The other box of cereal wasn’t anywhere in the kitchen, or in the whole house.

  “That is very strange,” Henry said. “Why would anyone take a box of cereal?”

  “Do you think they were collecting silver stars, too?” asked Benny.

  Henry shook his head. “It doesn’t seem likely.”

  “It doesn’t make sense,” Violet said.

  “What we have,” Jessie said, “is another mystery.”

  Benny frowned. “That was bad, to steal my Silver Frosted Stars.”

  Violet put her arm around Benny’s shoulders. “Don’t worry, Benny,” she said. “You still have one box, as well as the one you had already opened.”

  Jessie looked around. “Where is that other box?” she wondered.

  “In the pantry,” Benny said. “Mrs. McGregor put it on a low shelf in there so I could reach it. And it’s a good thing, too, or the thief might have taken it, also.”

  “It’s okay, Benny,” said Violet. “We’ll get you another box of Stars.”

  “Okay,” said Benny. He sighed. “Talking about cereal has made me hungry!”

  “How many bowls of Silver Frosted Stars are you going to eat, Benny?” asked Grandfather Alden after they’d begun eating their breakfast.

  Benny poured milk over his second bowl of cereal. “Lots,” he said. “I just need one more silver star before I can send away for my detective’s badge. I’m almost done with this box of cereal. Then I can open a new one.”

  “I see,” said Grandfather Alden. “In that case, pass the cereal, please.”

  A moment later, Jessie looked around the table and burst out laughing.

  “What’s so funny, Jessie?” asked Henry.

  “We’re all eating Benny’s cereal!” she said.

  Just then Grandfather said, “Well, well, well. What’s this in my cereal?” He held up a small ring with a big green stone in it.

  “Look what I found!” Violet exclaimed at the same moment. “A pink ring.”

  Benny looked surprised. “You found two more prizes in the cereal box? Wow, I told you this was a good box of cereal when I picked it out at the store.”

  Grandfather said, “I don’t think this ring will fit me.”

  “I think Jessie should have it,” said Benny generously. “And Violet, you can have the pink ring.”

  Both Violet and Jessie looked pleased. They thanked Benny. Jessie’s ring fit on her little finger. But Violet’s was much too big for her. She had to take tape and wind it around the band so that the ring would fit. “It’s a pretty pink stone,” she said. “But it’s heavy.”

  Grandfather opened the newspaper. The story of the theft was on the front page. “Look at this,” he told his grandchildren. “It’s about the Antique Treasures robbery.”

  “What does it say?” Jessie asked.

  Henry leaned over his grandfather’s shoulder and read, “ ‘Mr. Marvin Map, a known jewel thief, was captured by the police near the scene. Although Map was wearing a tan raincoat similar to the one described by witnesses, the police could find no evidence linking him to the crime. The jewels are still missing.’ ”

  Next to the article was a photograph of Marvin Map. It showed a man with a thin face and a pointed chin and cool gray eyes.

  “Oh, good,” said Benny. “I’m glad they didn’t catch the thief.”

  “Benny!” exclaimed Violet. “You don’t mean that.”

  “No,” Benny said. “I just meant that now we can help solve the mystery.”

  “Well, if Marvin Map didn’t do it, who did?” asked Jessie.

  “Maybe there were two people wearing raincoats in Greenfield yesterday,” Henry suggested.

  Grandfather said, “It wasn’t raining yesterday. It seems unlikely that there would be two people wearing raincoats.”

  “True,” agreed Henry.

  Jessie said, “Maybe the thief hid the jewels when the police weren’t looking.”

  “That’s an idea,” Henry said thoughtfully. “He could have hidden them when the police weren’t right behind him. Maybe if we found out where they caught Mr. Map, we could search for the jewelry there.”

  “Let’s go look right now!” said Benny.

  “We will, Benny,” Jessie said. “Just as soon as we finish our cereal!”

  CHAPTER 4

  Party Plans and a Mystery

  “We should go to the police station and ask them where they caught Mr. Map,” Henry said as they cleared the dishes from the breakfast table.

  “While we are in Greenfield, we could get supplies to make decorations for Grandfather’s party,” Violet suggested.

  “Good idea, Violet,” Jessie said.

  “What’s this about a party?” asked Mrs. McGregor, coming into the kitchen. The Aldens told her about their plans to give their grandfather a surprise birthday party. Mrs. McGregor thought it was a wonderful idea. She told them that she could make a cake that was even prettier than the one at the bakery. “And it will be your grandfather’s favorite flavor, too,” she assured them. “Chocolate with butter-cream frosting.”

  “And pink and lavender sugar roses?” Violet asked.

  “With green sugar leaves,” Mrs. McGregor added, nodding.

  “We have to call Alice and Joe and Soo Lee to invite them,” said Jessie. Soo Lee was the Aldens’ adopted cousin from Korea. Like the Aldens, she had been an orphan, until the Aldens’ cousins, Alice and Joe, had adopted her.

  The Alden children had not been living in Korea when they were orphans. They had been living in an old boxcar in the woods. After their parents had died, they had run away because they had heard that their grandfather was a mean man.

  But it wasn’t true. He had searched and searched for them and finally found them and brought them all to live with him in his big white house in Greenfield. He had even brought the old boxcar and put it in the backyard so that they could visit it whenever they wanted.

  Jessie called Soo Lee and told her about the plans for Grandfather’s party. “Come over this afternoon and help us make decorations and plan it,” she said.

  Soo Lee agreed to ride her bike over right after lunch.

  “We’d better hurry,” Violet said. “We have a lot to do before Soo Lee gets here.”

  Leaving Watch with Mrs. McGregor, the Aldens rode their bikes into Greenfield. First they went to the police station.

  Sitting at the front desk was Officer Weatherspoon, the same police officer who had come to the Aldens’ house when it had been broken into.

  “Marvin Map?” she repeated, when Henry asked about him. The officer shook her head. “We had to let him go for lack of evidence. He’s a slippery character.”

  “What do you mean?” Violet
asked.

  Officer Weatherspoon said, “We caught him at the intersection of Fox Lane and Windmill Road. He was breathing heavily as if he had been running, although he pretended he was just walking along. He was wearing a raincoat. We’re pretty sure he was the man who grabbed the jewelry. But no one could make a positive identification and we didn’t find any of the jewelry on him.”

  “Thank you, Officer Weatherspoon,” Jessie said.

  “Why did you want to know?” asked the policewoman.

  “We’re going to find the rubies,” Benny blurted out.

  Officer Weatherspoon raised her eyebrows, but she didn’t laugh. Instead she said, “Good luck.”

  The Aldens got on their bicycles and pedaled as fast as they could to the intersection of Fox Lane and Windmill Road. A small gift shop stood on one corner. A vacant lot was on another. Houses were on the other two corners.

  As the Aldens got off their bikes, a huge dog behind a fence began to bark ferociously. Benny jumped back.

  Henry said, “I don’t think Mr. Map hid the jewelry there!”

  Pointing, Violet said, “Maybe he went into the store and hid it in there.”

  But when they asked the owner of the gift shop, she shook her head. “I saw the guy run by across the street,” she told them. “He didn’t come anywhere near my store.”

  “Did you see him hide anything? Or throw anything away before the police caught him?” Jessie asked.

  Again the store owner shook her head. “Nope. He ran partway up the street, then stopped suddenly, put his hands in his pockets, and began to whistle as if he didn’t have a care in the world. It was almost as if he wanted the police to catch him.”

  “Thank you,” Henry said.

  When they went back outside, Violet sighed. “I don’t think he hid the jewels near here,” she said.

  “No,” Jessie agreed. “But maybe we should look around, just in case.”

  The Aldens checked the empty lot, but all they found were tin cans, old newspapers, and one flat tire. “People sure are litterbugs,” Benny said as he gathered up the garbage and put it into a trash can on the corner.

  Henry bent and peered into the trash can.

  “What are you doing, Henry?” Jessie asked.

  “Checking to make sure he didn’t hide the jewels in here. It would be a good place to hide them. Who would ever think of looking for jewels in a trash can?”

  But no necklace, ring, or bracelet glittered amid the cans and bottles and papers in the garbage can.

  They went to one of the corner houses and knocked on the door. When an old man answered, Violet said politely, “We’re looking for something we lost. Could we check around your front yard?”

  “Help yourself,” the man said. “I just cut the grass two days ago, so whatever you lost should show up easily — if it’s there.”

  “Thank you,” Violet said.

  They carefully searched the yard, even looking under bushes and rocks. But they didn’t find the stolen jewelry. And when they knocked on the front door of the other house, no one answered.

  “Let’s retrace Mr. Map’s steps,” Henry suggested. “We saw the officer turn where the thief did. We can figure out where he went.”

  But although the Aldens retraced Mr. Map’s escape route all the way back to Main Street, they didn’t find any jewels. Nor did they find a single clue.

  “Maybe he’s really not the thief after all,” Jessie said in a discouraged voice.

  “Maybe not,” Henry said.

  Violet said, “Let’s go talk to Mr. Bellows. We could ask him how to find Ms. Smitts and Mr. Darden, too. Maybe they could remember something that would help us.”

  “Good idea,” said Benny.

  Mr. Bellows was sitting at the counter in his store, his chin in his hands. He did not look happy.

  “Hi, Mr. Bellows,” Benny said.

  “What? Oh, hello,” said Mr. Bellows. He didn’t move.

  Bending over to look at the rings sparkling on the blue velvet in the glass case, Jessie asked, “Has Mr. Darden been back to buy a ring?”

  “No,” said Mr. Bellows. He made a face. “My last customer was the thief. And he wasn’t exactly a paying customer.”

  “Have you remembered anything else about the robbery?” Henry asked. “Something else that might help catch the thief?”

  “Not a thing,” said Mr. Bellows. “I just bought those rubies recently. How could the thief have known about them?”

  “Maybe he had been in your shop before. Maybe he saw them then,” Violet said.

  Mr. Bellows shook his head. “No. I put them out the day before yesterday. The only one who could have seen them was Mr. Darden. He was in right before I closed up for the evening that day. But I don’t think he even noticed them. He was looking for a ring.”

  “Did anyone else know you had the rubies?” asked Jessie.

  “Just me. And the woman who sold them to me, of course. Dr. Anne Marie Kroll,” Mr. Bellows told them.

  “Do you think Mr. Darden or Ms. Smitts might remember more about what happened?” Violet asked.

  Straightening up, Mr. Bellows said, “I don’t know. Ask them yourself if you’d like.” He reached into his pocket and brought out his notebook. He flipped it open and tore out the piece of paper where they had written their names and addresses.

  “Thanks!” Jessie said.

  Outside the store, Henry said, “I think we should visit Mr. Darden first.”

  “Me, too,” Jessie agreed. “I think it is suspicious that he hasn’t come back to shop for a ring.”

  “And he didn’t want the police to have his name and address, either,” Violet reminded them. “That sounds suspicious, too.”

  “It sure does,” Henry said. He looked at his watch. “I think we just have time to get supplies and pay a visit to Mr. Darden before lunch. He might be the key to the whole mystery!”

  CHAPTER 5

  An Empty Box and a Silver Star

  Mr. Darden’s house was on a quiet street not far from Main Street. The house had a small porch, and flowers grew in pots on either side of the front steps.

  When he opened the door, Mr. Darden looked surprised. “What are you doing here?” he asked.

  “We’d like to ask you a few more questions about the robbery at Antique Treasures,” Henry said.

  David Darden glanced over his shoulder, then quickly stepped out onto the porch, closing the door behind him. “What do you want to know?” he said.

  “Do you know anyone named Marvin Map?” Jessie asked.

  “No!” Mr. Darden said. He hesitated and then said, “Except what I read about him in the newspaper, of course.”

  “Why didn’t you want to give your name and address to Mr. Bellows for the police?” Jessie went on.

  Mr. Darden said, “Shhh, keep your voice down.” He looked over his shoulder again.

  “And why haven’t you been back to buy a ring like you said you would?” Benny demanded.

  “Shhh!” Mr. Darden said sharply. Then he said, “Will you please go away!” And without saying another word, he turned and went back inside, closing the door firmly behind him.

  The Aldens were so surprised that they didn’t speak for a moment. Then they turned and went back down the steps to their bicycles. Jessie glanced over her shoulder at the house as they rode away. “He’s hiding something,” she said. “And don’t forget, he knew the rubies were there, or he could have known. The only other people were Mr. Bellows and Dr. Kroll.”

  After lunch, the Alden children gathered supplies to take out to the boxcar. They were going to work on the party decorations there.

  But as they reached the boxcar, their steps slowed. Watch growled softly and the hair on his neck stood up.

  “What is this?” Jessie asked.

  “It looks like Benny’s cereal,” Violet said.

  Benny ran forward. “It is!” he cried. “Someone has sprinkled Stars all over the ground.”

  The Aldens bent
to examine the spilled cereal. Watch trotted around the corner of the boxcar. A moment later, he trotted back with something in his mouth. It was the empty cereal box.

  “The thief must have dropped the box while he was running away last night,” said Henry. “Good dog, Watch.” Watch cocked his head and panted.

  Jessie looked puzzled. “But why did he open it before he dropped it?”

  “Why did he take it if he didn’t want to eat the cereal?” Violet wondered.

  “Hmmm,” said Jessie. “If you ask me, the cereal box mystery is even harder than the jewelry mystery — we know why someone would steal valuable jewelry. But why would anyone steal a box of cereal?”

  When Soo Lee arrived, the Aldens told her what had happened. She was just as puzzled as they were. “But if we scatter the cereal in the grass,” she said, “at least the birds can eat it.”

  “Good idea, Soo Lee,” said Jessie.

  Soo Lee and Violet and Benny scooped up the cereal that was spilled near the boxcar and scattered it across the lawn for the birds. Watch helped by eating pieces of the cereal.

  “Oh, Watch!” Soo Lee laughed. “You’re a silly dog.”

  Watch wagged his tail.

  “It’s good cereal, isn’t it, Watch?” asked Benny.

  Watch wagged his tail again.

  “I’ve never had any,” said Soo Lee.

  “You’ve never had Silver Frosted Stars?” Benny’s eyes widened. “Wait right here.”

  He hurried away and returned with his opened box of cereal. Going into the boxcar, he returned with the old cracked pink cup that had been his when he and his sisters and brother had lived in the boxcar. He poured some of the cereal into the cup.

  “Here,” he said. “You can eat it without milk. We’ll eat Stars while we make decorations for Grandfather’s party.”

  The Aldens worked all afternoon. Benny and Soo Lee made a big poster that said HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDFATHER in bright letters. They painted a rainbow behind the words.

  Violet painted a bouquet of purple flowers with green leaves and drew a frame around it for Grandfather Alden. Jessie and Henry gathered branches of greenery to make into birthday wreaths.