The Mystery at the Alamo Read online

  “Hide it somewhere,” Nolan said.

  “Where should I put it?” Bob asked.

  “I’ve got a great idea. . . .” the red-haired man began.

  “May I take your order?” the waitress asked the children loudly.

  “Oh, no,” Jessie whispered to Violet. “Not again.”

  “Four hot dogs and four milkshakes,” Henry said quietly. “To go.”

  “Did you hear where Bob said he was going to hide the ring?” Jessie whispered.

  “I think he said ‘trailer,’ ” Violet said. “But I’m not sure.”

  “Let’s wait until Bob leaves,” Henry said. “Then we’ll follow him.”

  The waitress returned with their order just as Bob and Nolan passed by. The two men were talking and didn’t notice the children in the next booth. Henry quickly paid the waitress, then the children followed Bob back to the movie set.

  “Let’s sit on this bench for a minute,” Henry said. “We don’t want him to know we’re following him.”

  “Good,” Benny said. “Now I can eat my hot dog.”

  The children unwrapped their lunches and began to eat. Bob looked around and then he knocked on the door of Claire’s trailer. He waited a few moments and then slipped inside.

  “He must be hiding the ring in Claire’s trailer,” Violet said.

  “Let’s go see what he’s doing,” Jessie said.

  “Benny,” Violet said. “Grandfather must be wondering where we are. He went off to the drugstore with my film a long time ago. Could you sit here and watch for him?”

  “Sure,” Benny said. “I want to finish eating my lunch.”

  “Please tell Grandfather to meet us in Mr. Fambles’s office,” Henry said.

  “Okay,” Benny said. “I’ll tell him.”

  “Good,” Jessie said. “Let’s go.”

  The older children ran as fast as they could to Claire’s trailer. The windows were much too high for them to look through.

  “I have an idea,” Jessie said. “Henry, you and I can boost Violet so she’ll be able to look in the window.”

  “Okay,” Henry whispered. In a few minutes, the children looked like a human pyramid they’d seen one time in a circus. Violet was now high enough to look in the window.

  “What’s he doing?” Jessie whispered.

  “He’s putting the ring in Claire’s jewelry box,” Violet answered. “Quick, I’ve got to get down! He’s coming out!”

  Violet jumped down, and the children hid behind the trailer. Bob came out the door, looked around, and headed toward the movie set.

  As soon as he was out of sight, the children went inside Claire’s trailer.

  Violet quickly found the ring inside the box. She held it tightly in her hand.

  “Let’s go tell Amy and Mr. Fambles what happened!” Jessie said.

  “We’d better hurry,” Henry said. “We only have a few minutes left before Amy calls her boss.”

  The children hurried over to Amy’s trailer and knocked on the door.

  “Amy,” Henry said. “Please let us in.”

  “What is it?” Amy asked as she opened the door. “What’s the matter?”

  “We have the ring,” Jessie said.

  “You have the ring!” Amy said, sounding surprised. “That’s the best news I’ve heard all day. Where is it?”

  Violet gave Amy the ring.

  “I’m going to return this to Mr. Fambles right now,” Amy said. “Where did you find it?”

  “It was in Claire’s jewelry box,” Violet said.

  “Oh, so she did take it,” Amy said.

  “No, she didn’t,” Jessie said. “And we can prove it.”

  “You haven’t called your boss yet, have you?” Violet asked.

  “No, I haven’t,” Amy said.

  “Do you think you can find Bob and Roger and meet us in Mr. Fambles’s office?” Henry asked.

  “Bob and Roger?” Amy said. “What do they have to do with the missing ring?”

  “We’ll explain everything when you get there,” Jessie said.

  CHAPTER 9

  The Case Is Solved

  The children hurried to Mr. Fambles’s office. They knocked on the door.

  “Come in,” Mr. Fambles said.

  The police officer was still talking to Claire. He looked surprised to see the children.

  “Officer Bob Small,” Mr. Fambles said, “these are the Alden children. They’ve been acting as extras in the movie.”

  “Pleased to meet you,” Officer Small said with a nod.

  “We found the ring,” Jessie said.

  “And we know who took it and why,” Henry added.

  “You found the ring!” Mr. Fambles said. “That’s wonderful news! Where is it?”

  “It’s right here,” Amy said as she walked through the door, followed by Bob Branson and Roger Martin. She handed the ring to Mr. Fambles.

  “Here they are, Grandfather,” Benny said as he came running into the room.

  Grandfather followed Benny into the room. “What in the world is going on here?”

  “A valuable ring was stolen,” Officer Small said. “But it looks like it’s been found.”

  “Bob took it on purpose so that Claire would lose her job,” Jessie said. “He’s working with Nolan, Claire’s agent. Someone is going to pay them both a lot of money if they can get Claire back to California in time to star in a big movie.”

  “Nolan and Bob planned all this?” Claire asked.

  “That’s right,” Henry said. “Nolan said you’d never break your contract. That’s why he tried to get you fired.”

  “So that’s why I’ve been having so much trouble,” Claire said. “Did they let that mouse loose, too?”

  “I let the mouse loose,” Roger said. “I was feeling angry because I thought I deserved your part. I’m sorry. Please forgive me.”

  “Of course I forgive you, Roger,” Claire said.

  “Thank you,” Roger said. He hung his head as he left the room.

  “You see,” Bob said. “You’re trying to blame me for everything.”

  “That’s because you’re responsible for most of the mischief,” Jessie said.

  “We think you purposely put ragweed in Claire’s bouquet and broke the supports under the steps,” Violet said.

  “I’ll bet you were also the one who unplugged Claire’s hair rollers while she was in the costume tent,” Henry said.

  “Bob also disguised his voice and used the pay phone across from the lemonade stand to call Claire late that night,” Henry said. “He knew you’d be in a lot of trouble if you were late to work,” he said to Claire.

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Bob said.

  “Antonio saw you using that phone,” Henry said. “And we all saw you meeting Nolan.”

  “May I use the telephone in your secretary’s office?” Claire asked Mr. Fambles.

  “Of course,” Mr. Fambles said.

  “I’m going to tell Nolan to get over here right now. He has a lot of explaining to do.”

  “Bob switched the real ring with a fake one this morning,” Violet explained. “Then he made it look like Claire stole it.”

  “I didn’t do that,” Bob said angrily. “Besides, you can’t prove a word you’ve said.”

  “Yes, I can,” Violet said. “Grandfather, do you have my pictures?”

  “They’re right here,” Grandfather said. He handed Violet a large white envelope. Violet quickly flipped through the pictures until she found the one she was looking for.

  “I took this picture of Claire right before Bob asked to look at her necklace,” Violet said.

  Mr. Fambles looked at the picture. He took a magnifying glass out of his desk drawer. “She’s right! Claire is wearing the real ring in this picture!”

  “Now I remember Bob asking Claire if he could look at the ring,” Amy said. “But I never thought he would steal it.”

  “I didn’t steal it,” Bob began. �
�I was going to give it back.” He stopped talking when he realized what he had said.

  “Nolan is on his way,” Claire said. “He thinks I want to talk to him because I’ve been fired for misplacing the ring.”

  “Boy,” Jessie said. “He’s in for a big surprise.”

  “I think I’d like to have a private talk with Bob while we wait for Nolan to arrive,” Officer Small said. “Thanks, children, for solving this mystery.”

  “You’re welcome,” Benny said. “It was fun and I didn’t even have to miss lunch.”

  Everyone laughed.

  “I guess we’d better get back to work,” Amy said. “We’ll use the fake ring for any scenes we need to shoot in the future.”

  “Good,” Mr. Fambles said. “Because I don’t think I’ll ever loan this ring out again.”

  “Are you coming, Claire?” Amy asked. “We can’t start without the star of our film.”

  “I’m coming,” Claire said with a big smile. “Thanks for everything,” she said to the children. She hugged Violet, then Jessie, Henry, and Benny. “I don’t know what I would have done without your help. You have some wonderful grandchildren, Mr. Alden.”

  “I know,” said Grandfather.

  Grandfather and the Boxcar Children walked back toward the movie set.

  “Well,” Henry said, “that mystery is solved.”

  “There’s Antonio!” Jessie said.

  “There you all are!” Antonio said. “Amy just told me what happened.”

  “Yes,” Henry said. “The mystery is finally solved.”

  “I have a surprise for you,” Antonio said, holding up a paper bag.

  “We have one for you, too,” Violet said.

  “You go first,” Antonio said.

  Violet quickly found the picture they had taken at the wax museum.

  “This is for you, Antonio,” Violet said shyly. “It’s something to remember us by.”

  “Oh, thank you,” Antonio said. “Now it’s my turn to surprise you.” He took an eggcarton filled with cascarones out of the bag he was carrying. “This is what we do with a cascarone!” He quickly smashed the decorated eggshell on top of Henry’s head. Confetti spilled everywhere.

  “Hey!” Henry said, laughing. “So that’s why you fill them with confetti.”

  “That’s right,” Antonio said. “I guess you could say it’s a smashing custom we have here in Texas.”

  “It sure is,” Henry said, his head covered with confetti. Everyone laughed as Henry broke into a run, chasing Antonio across Alamo Square.

  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 MY
STERY 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

  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 © 1997 by Albert Whitman & Company

  978-1-4532-1370-4

  This 2011 edition distributed by Open Road Integrated Media