The Mystery of the Empty Safe Read online

  Henry was looking at the calendar on the wall by the phone. “Two weeks from today sounds fine,” he said into the telephone. “Nineteen Old Cedar Road. We’ll be there in an hour.” He hung up the phone and turned to his brother and sisters. “That was Mrs. Woodruff. She wants us to do her daughter’s birthday party.”

  “That’s great!” said Jessie, pleased that their business was taking off.

  “Was she the one we met at Party Time?” Violet wanted to know.

  “The one with the angry husband?” Benny added, his mouth full of pancakes.

  “Yes, she’s the one,” Henry said.

  “He must have changed his mind about us,” said Jessie with a happy smile.

  “I guess so,” said Henry. But when he remembered how angry Mr. Woodruff had seemed at the grocery store, he thought that planning this party might turn out different from what they expected.

  An hour later, the Aldens were sitting in the Woodruffs’ living room, talking to Mrs. Woodruff and six-year-old Sara. The house had been easy to find because it was just a block away from the Pierces’ house.

  “So what do you want to be when you grow up?” Jessie was saying to Sara.

  “An astronaut!” Sara said excitedly “We’re learning about outer space in school, and I love it!”

  “Maybe we could do an astronaut party,” suggested Henry.

  “What a wonderful idea,” said Mrs. Woodruff.

  “Yeah!” Sara agreed, her eyes glowing.

  “The kids can all make their own astronaut helmets out of paper bags, and then we’ll blast off to the moon,” said Jessie.

  “We can plan some games about rockets and space,” Henry added.

  “And we’ll decorate the room with pictures of planets and stars,” Violet said.

  “Can I help you make the decorations? I’m really good at art,” Sara said. “If I don’t become an astronaut when I grow up, I’m going to be an artist.”

  “Sure, we’d love your help,” Violet said.

  The happy mood was interrupted when Mr. Woodruff came in, a tired, grim look on his face.

  “Bob,” Mrs. Woodruff said, her voice tense. “You remember the Aldens, don’t you?”

  Mr. Woodruff barely glanced at the children.

  “They’ll be doing Sara’s birthday party,” Mrs. Woodruff explained nervously.

  “You know I’d rather just have that magician,” said Mr. Woodruff.

  “I think the Aldens will do a great job,” said Mrs. Woodruff.

  Sara mumbled something that no one could quite hear. She was looking at the floor and poking at the rug with her foot.

  “What was that, dear?” Mrs. Woodruff asked.

  Sara spoke a tiny bit louder. “I said, I wish Uncle John could be at my party.”

  Mrs. Woodruff said nothing. She just looked at her husband with concern.

  Mr. Woodruff sighed deeply. “Well, he won’t be here. You know that’s not possible.” And with that, he shuffled out.

  For a moment, everyone just watched Mr. Woodruff go. Mrs. Woodruff tried to break the tension in the room. “Well, I guess you kids will want to go get started on the party planning,” she said, trying to make her voice cheerful.

  “Yes, first we’d better go buy supplies,” Henry agreed. The Aldens stood up and began walking toward the door.

  Violet couldn’t help noticing how sad Sara looked. “Sara, would you like to come help us?” she asked.

  Sara looked up eagerly. “Really? Could I?”

  “Sure,” Jessie said, smiling broadly. Then she turned to Mrs. Woodruff. “If that’s okay with you, of course.”

  Sara looked hopefully at her mother.

  “Sure, that sounds wonderful,” said Mrs. Woodruff, glad the Aldens had thought of a way to cheer up her daughter.

  As the Aldens walked toward the stores at the center of Greenfield, Violet and Sara walked a little bit behind the others.

  “Was your uncle John very special to you?” Violet asked gently.

  “Yes,” Sara said quietly.

  “It’s hard when you lose someone you love,” Violet said. The Aldens had lost their parents, and so they knew this better than most people.

  “I don’t think I want to talk about it,” said Sara.

  “I understand,” Violet said. “But if you change your mind, I’m a good listener.”

  Sara smiled. “Thank you,” she said.

  Jessie and Benny had been walking ahead of the others. Just then Jessie stopped in her tracks. “Hey, what’s going on?” she said angrily. Jessie was standing and staring at the GREENFIELD NEWS bulletin board.

  “Remember we put a poster up here? It’s gone!” Jessie said.

  “Here’s what’s left of it.” Henry pulled a shred of paper off the board. “Here’s the picture of balloons that was up in the corner.”

  “Now there’s just a big ad for Cassandra the Great,” said Benny.

  “What are you guys talking about?” asked Sara.

  “Last week we put up posters advertising our birthday party service, and it looks like someone tore this one down,” Jessie explained.

  “That’s too bad,” said Sara. “I wonder why someone would tear down your poster.”

  No one could think why someone would do such a mean thing. As they continued on their way, Benny stopped to tie his shoe. The others went on ahead of him, knowing he’d quickly catch up.

  When Benny stood up, he noticed a man in a long dark coat standing at the end of the street. He seemed to be watching Benny. But the sun was in Benny’s eyes, and before Benny could figure out who the man was, he quickly stepped behind a tree.

  There was something strange about how the man had stood so still, just staring. And there was something familiar about him. Benny began walking again.

  After a few moments Benny looked back over his shoulder and was surprised to see that the man was following him.

  Benny noticed that he was limping, as if he’d injured his right leg. When the man saw Benny look in his direction, he stopped walking and began to study the house he had been passing. But Benny didn’t think the man was interested in the house at all.

  Suddenly Benny began to feel a little nervous. Who was that man? And why was he following them?

  Benny looked for his sisters and brother, but they were all far ahead of him by now.

  Suddenly Benny felt very alone. “Wait for me!” he called, and he ran to catch up.

  Meanwhile, the other Aldens were half a block ahead of Benny, looking for the other posters they’d put up around the town.

  “Remember we had one there?” Jessie said, pointing to the hardware store window. “It’s gone.”

  “And the one we put up in the deli is gone, too!” Violet said, pointing.

  “Now both those windows have ads for Cassandra the Great,” said Henry.

  “Do you think she tore down your posters and put up her own?” asked Sara.

  “I’m beginning to wonder,” said Jessie. “Cassandra entertains at birthday parties, too—maybe this is her way of getting rid of the competition.”

  “It isn’t very nice,” said Violet.

  “Or maybe her manager did it,” suggested Jessie. “Remember your mother said he was an unpleasant character.”

  “Well, we don’t know for sure it was Cassandra,” said Henry. “Maybe someone else took our posters down—maybe the store owners. She might just have put hers up afterward.”

  “Maybe,” said Jessie.

  Just then, Benny came running up, breathless and red-faced.

  “Is something wrong?” Violet asked, when she saw how upset Benny looked.

  “We’re being followed!” Benny said.

  CHAPTER 3

  The Man with the Limp

  Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Sara all looked back down the street to see who was following them. But the only people they saw were a young couple sitting on a bench and a mother pushing a stroller.

  “Are you sure, Benny?” Henry asked.
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br />   “I don’t see anyone now,” Jessie pointed out.

  Benny looked back down the street, also. “But—but—” Had he imagined that the man was following them? “There was a man behind us—I guess he’s gone now.”

  “What did he look like?” Violet asked.

  “I didn’t really get a good look at him,” Benny said. “But he was wearing a long dark coat. And he limped when he walked. And there was something about him …” Benny paused.

  “Something what?” Henry asked.

  “I don’t know,” said Benny.

  “Are you sure he was following us?” Jessie asked.

  “Well, I guess I’m not sure …” Benny admitted.

  “We’ll keep an eye out for him,” said Henry. “In the meantime, let’s go get our party supplies.”

  Soon the children were walking into Party Time. They were happy to see that at least no one had taken down their poster there.

  “Hello, Aldens,” Ms. Fox called when she saw them.

  “Thanks for leaving up our poster,” said Jessie. Then she told Ms. Fox what had happened to the other ones.

  “Well, sometimes posters get ripped and the store owners take them down so they won’t look messy,” Ms. Fox said. “I wouldn’t worry about it. So, what are you in here for today?”

  Sara eagerly told Ms. Fox all about her coming birthday and the party the Aldens were planning.

  “That’s exciting,” said Ms. Fox. She turned to the Aldens. “Are Sara’s parents the ones you met in here last week?”

  “Yes, they are. Do you remember them?” Violet asked.

  “I do,” said Ms. Fox.

  “It’s a good thing they overheard us talking to you about our party service!” said Henry.

  “Yes, it is, isn’t it?” Ms. Fox said with a smile.

  “We’d better get started,” Jessie said, heading down the aisle that held art supplies.

  The Aldens picked out paper and paints to make posters of the planets, and they found paper plates, napkins, and a tablecloth decorated with stars and moons.

  “These are perfect!” said Sara.

  For party favors, the Aldens chose little puzzles with pictures of rockets on them.

  “I think we’re all set now,” said Jessie.

  “Just don’t forget the birthday candles!” Violet called out, and they all laughed.

  The following afternoon, the Aldens met at Sara’s house to work on the decorations. Violet traced the shapes of planets, comets, and moons on several pieces of paper, and the others painted them. Saturn was the most fun to paint, with its beautiful rings. After they’d been working for a while, Sara and Benny began to get restless.

  “How about if we take a break now and go to the playground down the road?” Jessie suggested. “We can finish these later.”

  “Hooray!” said Benny as they rinsed their brushes and put the tops back on the paints.

  In no time, the children were walking down the road. Sara had brought along a ball so they could play soccer on the field next to the playground. “Violet!” Sara called, kicking the ball down the wide sidewalk to the older girl.

  Violet stopped the ball with her foot and passed it to Henry. Henry then kicked the ball to Benny.

  Benny tried to stop Henry’s pass, but the ball rolled off his foot and back down the sidewalk away from him. “I’ll get it,” Benny called over his shoulder as he ran back for the ball. He bent down to get it, and as he stood back up, he saw the man in the dark coat who’d been following them the day before. He was walking about half a block behind Benny, limping, just as Benny had noticed the day before.

  But now the sun wasn’t in his eyes, and Benny immediately recognized the man. “Mr. Woodruff!” he said under his breath. He started to say hello. But before he could, Mr. Woodruff turned and went behind a truck.

  “That’s strange,” Benny said to himself. If it had been someone else, Benny would have gone after him and said hello. But he was a little frightened of grouchy Mr. Woodruff.

  So instead, Benny ran ahead to tell the others. But as he got closer, he began to feel funny. How could he tell Sara that her father was snooping around after them? He decided to tell Jessie or Henry and let them figure out what to do.

  When Benny reached the playground, Violet and Sara were climbing on the monkey bars, and Jessie and Henry were sitting on the swings. Benny went straight over to the older children and told them whom he’d seen.

  “That’s strange,” Jessie said. The children looked back down the road, but now there was nobody there.

  “Where do you think he is now?” asked Henry.

  “I don’t know. Maybe hiding behind a tree or bush or something,” said Benny. “But he was definitely following us.”

  “And you’re sure it was Mr. Woodruff?” Henry said.

  “Yes,” Benny said.

  “Why would he be following us?” Henry asked.

  “Two days in a row!” added Benny.

  “Maybe he just wants to keep an eye on his daughter,” Jessie suggested.

  “Yes, but sneaking around behind her is kind of a strange way to do it, isn’t it?” said Henry.

  Just then Sara ran over with a big grin on her face and grabbed the ball away from Benny. “I thought we were going to play soccer!” She ran onto the field. “Come on!”

  The others followed Sara. But before Benny began to play, he looked down the road and around the playground. There was no sign of Mr. Woodruff. Still, Benny wondered if he was hidden somewhere nearby, watching them.

  That night, the Aldens had just finished a delicious dinner of crispy fried chicken, creamy mashed potatoes, and buttery biscuits when the phone rang. Mrs. McGregor answered it. She was the family’s housekeeper and the one who had made the wonderful meal. “Yes, they’re right here,” they heard her say. “Hold on just a minute—I’ll put Jessie on.”

  Jessie took the call and talked for a moment before hanging up. “We’ve got another job!” she told the others excitedly.

  “Really?” said Violet.

  “That was a man named Mr. Grayson. He lives in the same neighborhood as the Pierces and the Woodruffs. In fact, it was Mrs. Woodruff who told him about us. He’s planning his daughter Hallie’s birthday party. It’s this Saturday, and he needs us to help him.”

  “This Saturday! A rush job. I wish he’d called sooner,” Henry said.

  Jessie explained, “Mr. Grayson said they were going to have a skating party, and they rented the party room at the rink to serve the cake in. But now Hallie’s broken her ankle. So they obviously can’t have a skating party anymore. But he still wants to use the party room because he doesn’t want kids running all over his house. He said he has a lot of fancy artwork and stuff there.”

  “We could plan some sitting-down games that they could play in the party room,” Henry pointed out.

  “That’s just what I had in mind,” said Jessie. “I told him we’d come up with some ideas and meet with them tomorrow afternoon.”

  “Sounds great,” said Violet.

  The children spent the evening thinking of ideas for Hallie’s party. Since she’d wanted to have a skating party they tried to keep the theme of winter sports. At last they’d come up with a bunch of fun games and interesting crafts for the kids to make.

  “I think Hallie and her father will like these ideas,” said Henry.

  The following afternoon, the Aldens arrived at the Graysons’ house. Mr. Grayson, a tall, thin man with a mustache, welcomed them into the living room.

  “I can see why you don’t want to have the party here,” Jessie said, admiring all the beautiful sculptures and crystal vases on the tables and shelves.

  “Yes, I’m an art collector and I have a lot of valuable pieces here,” Mr. Grayson said. “I couldn’t take the chance that something would get broken.”

  Mr. Grayson motioned for the Aldens to sit down. “Sorry to call you on such short notice, but Hallie just broke her ankle. I happened to be chatting with Jane
t and Bob Woodruff, who are good friends of mine, and I told them my problem—fifteen guests invited for a party this Saturday, and no plans for entertaining them! Janet told me that you were planning Sara’s party and had some wonderful ideas. In fact, she just couldn’t say enough good things about you. So I figured I’d see if you could help us.”

  “We’re glad you did,” said Jessie.

  Just then a girl about Violet’s age hobbled into the room on crutches. She had a large cast on her ankle and looked very sad.

  “This is my daughter, Hallie,” Mr. Grayson said.

  “Hello!” said Henry.

  “Too bad about your ankle,” Jessie added.

  “Yeah,” said Hallie, looking at the ground. “Now my birthday will be ruined.”

  “Wait until you hear the ideas we have,” Benny piped up. “You’ll still have a great birthday!”

  Mr. Grayson couldn’t help but smile at Benny’s enthusiasm. But Hallie just slumped into a chair. She didn’t even look at the Aldens.

  Henry began talking. “We figured that since you wanted to have a skating party, you must like winter sports. So we’ve planned a puppet show and a lot of sitting-down games and crafts that are about winter.”

  “At least that’s better than what my dad suggested,” Hallie grumbled. “He wanted to have that magician. But we did that last year. I don’t want to have the same party again.”

  Jessie wondered if Hallie was referring to Cassandra the Great, but she didn’t ask. Instead she began to tell the Graysons about their ideas. “Do you and your friends like to make things?” she asked Hallie.

  “Yeah, why?” Hallie said.

  “You can each make your own snow globe,” Jessie said. “You make a little scene out of clay, put it in a small glass jar, and add water and some glitter for the snow.” The night before, the Aldens had made a snow globe to show Hallie. Jessie pulled it out of her backpack.

  For the first time since they’d met her, Hallie smiled. “Wow,” she said, taking the homemade snow globe from Jessie and turning it around in her hands. She watched as the glittery “snow” floated down on the little log cabin scene Violet had created inside. “We can make these ourselves?”