The Rock 'N' Roll Mystery Read online

  All eyes were on Jon. He looked at Officer Weiss. Finally he said, “I set up a timer under the stage so that the electricity would go off during the Greenfield Four’s show.”

  The children looked at each other in disbelief.

  “When is it supposed to go off?” Jessie asked.

  “Eight-thirty,” Jon replied. The Aldens checked their watches—that was less than an hour from now!

  “Where did you put the timer?” Henry asked.

  “In the back, by the right side of the stage,” Jon told them.

  “We’d better get over there,” Violet said.

  “And fast!” Benny added.

  By the time Raymond and the Aldens got to the festival, the Greenfield Four had just gone onstage. The children could see a man in the front row wearing a white suit and a wide hat. He didn’t look happy, but he didn’t look unhappy, either. He was paying close attention to the show.

  “That must be the man from the record company,” Violet said.

  “We need to hurry,” said Jessie. “That timer might go off any minute now!”

  They rushed to the back of the stage. The crawl space underneath the stage was covered by a dark curtain. Henry flipped it up and peered underneath. Raymond had brought two flashlights and handed him one.

  “Be very careful, Henry,” Violet said. “Those wires and cables can be dangerous!”

  “I wouldn’t touch one if you gave me a million dollars,” Henry told her, looking at the cables as if they were live snakes. “I just want to find the timer and stop it.” He checked his watch. It read eight-twenty-five.

  Henry and Raymond turned on their flashlights and crawled in. The noise coming from the stage above them was tremendous. Henry could feel the drums beating. They crawled around cardboard boxes, instrument cases, and packing crates. Henry and Raymond pointed their flashlights everywhere.

  “Henry?” Raymond asked. “Did you find it?”

  “No, not yet,” Henry answered.

  Then Henry pushed aside a large box and he saw glowing red numbers underneath.

  The timer. And there were less than three minutes left!

  “Here it is!” he called out. Raymond, on his hands and knees, crawled over as fast as he could.

  The timer was a simple metal box. There were four small buttons, but they weren’t marked. Henry watched as the red numbers counted down. 2:00 … 1:59 … 1:58 …

  Henry reached out slowly and pushed the first button. Nothing happened. He pushed the second button, and nothing happened again. The timer kept going down—1:33 … 1:32 … 1:31 …

  He tried the third button.

  Still nothing. 1:10 … 1:09 … 1:08 …

  Henry’s heart was pounding like mad now. Only one button left. He pressed it.

  And then something happened.

  “Uh-oh,” Henry said.

  The red numbers vanished for a moment. Then they reappeared. Now they said “0:10.” Ten seconds!

  Raymond saw this. “Jon set the timer up so it would go into a fast countdown if someone tried to shut it off!” he cried.

  Henry didn’t say anything. He just watched with a helpless feeling as the numbers counted down.

  0:03 … 0:02 … 0:01 …

  Suddenly, there was a loud CLICK!

  Everything went dark.

  There was a loud gasp from the crowd. Suddenly, it was pitch black on the stage, and the entire festival was lit only by the glow of the full moon.

  The members of the Greenfield Four turned around and looked at the three Alden children who were standing by the stage. For a moment they all stared at each other, frozen.

  Then Violet had an idea.

  “Play that new song of yours,” she called to Karen, “with the acoustic guitars.”

  Benny wanted to asked what “acoustic” meant, but then he remembered—an acoustic instrument was one that didn’t need any power in order to make sound.

  “Good idea,” Alan said with a nod.

  Alan turned back to the crowd. “Well, it looks like someone forgot to pay the electric bill this month,” he said. Everyone laughed. “So, until we can get the problem fixed, the band would like to play a nice little song that we wrote a few months ago with some instruments that don’t need any electricity.”

  Dave came out from behind his drum set and tapped his sticks together. Amy and Karen picked up their acoustic guitars. Then Alan led the band down the steps at the side of the stage and onto the ground. They walked into the middle of the crowd, and the four of them began to play. Within minutes the audience was singing and clapping along to the beautiful song.

  When they finished, the crowd gave them thunderous applause. Then, suddenly, all the lights came on, and the audience clapped again for Raymond and the rest of the crew who had fixed the electricity. A night that could have been a disaster had turned into something magical instead.

  After the show, behind the stage, Alan Keller patted Henry on the back.

  “You did it, my friend.”

  “Not fast enough,” Henry said, frowning. Karen waved her hand to show that this was a silly idea. “We covered it up pretty well with that acoustic song.”

  “And that was Violet’s brilliant idea,” Amy pointed out. Violet blushed.

  “That’s my sister,” Jessie said, putting her arm around her.

  Then the man in the white walked towards them. It was the man who owned the record company.

  “I have to tell you, I was very impressed by the way you handled that power failure,” he said. “It takes a band with a lot of smarts and experience to do that. You made sure to keep the crowd’s attention. You knew exactly how to make sure the show went on.”

  “Thank you,” Amy Keller replied.

  “A band with that kind of talent is exactly the type of band I’d like to have making music for me,” he told them, putting his hand out so Alan could shake it. “Congratulations, I’d like the Greenfield Four to record an album for me.”

  The members of the band were speechless. Then, finally, Alan Keller said, “Well, we’d like to take all the credit for tonight’s show, but we had a little help. In fact, we had a lot,” he said, looking at the Aldens.

  “Oh?”

  “That’s right,” Karen continued. “These kids solve mysteries as well as we make music—maybe even better.”

  “I don’t know that’s true,” said Violet.

  “Now, don’t be modest,” Alan replied. “If it weren’t for the four of you, we would’ve sounded awful tonight.” Alan quickly explained the whole story. “In fact, we’ve talked it over and decided to write a song about it. We’ll call it ‘The Ballad of the Aldens.’”

  The children didn’t know what to say, but the man from the record company did. “Sounds like your first big hit,” he said.

  “The first of many,” Violet added.

  Then Benny, dazzled by the thought of being mentioned in a song, said, “Wow, I’ll be famous!”

  Everyone laughed. “Too famous to go on solving mysteries?” Henry asked him.

  Benny smiled. “No,” he replied. “I’ll never stop doing that. Ever!”

  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 proved 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

  THE AMAZING MYSTERY SHOW

  THE PUMPKIN HEAD MYSTERY

  THE CUPCAKE CAPER

  All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this ebook onscreen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.

  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 © 2009 by Albert Whitman & Company

  978-1-4532-2898-2

  This 2011 edition distributed by Open Road Integrated Media

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  New York, NY 10014

  www.openroadmedia.com

  EBOOKS BY GERTRUDE CHANDLER WARNER

  FROM OPEN ROAD MEDIA

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