The Sleepy Hollow Mystery Read online

  “They’re in the tack room.” He opened the door to a small room across from Domino’s stall. “The brushes are drying outside, but most of the other supplies are in that cabinet.”

  “May I look in the cabinet?” Violet asked.

  Mr. Sanders nodded. Violet opened it and examined the containers and jars. She reached in and took out a jar full of black glittery gel.

  Mr. Sanders took a step back in surprise. “I don’t know how that got in there. People use that on horses in parades and horse shows. We don’t have any need for that here.”

  Violet pulled out two cans. “These say horse paint. There is one can of black and one can of red.”

  “Isiah, did you put the paint there?” Mr. Sanders asked.

  Isiah shook his head. The Aldens all looked at Brett.

  Brett’s face turned red. “I did,” he admitted. “I’ve been dressing up as a headless horseman and borrowing Domino. I used the paint and the glitter to make him black and frightening.”

  “Did you do all the other tricks too?” Henry asked. “The tube with the eyes in the woods?”

  “Yes,” Brett said. “And I hurt my wrist yesterday when I was trying to climb the tree.”

  “What about the fake worms and dirt in the cookie jar?” Jessie asked. “Did you do that too?”

  He ducked his head. “I did that too. I’m very, very sorry.”

  “Brett, how could you?” Mr. Beekman was shocked and angry.

  “I wanted the Vanderhoffs to sell their house so we could buy it. I don’t always want to be a waiter.”

  “That’s no excuse for all you’ve done,” Mr. Beekman said. “Mr. Sanders could call the police. You’ve been stealing his horse.”

  Mr. Sanders sat down on a stool. “I can’t say I understand exactly what’s going on, but since the horse is back here in his stall, there’s no need to call the police. He doesn’t look like he’s been harmed.”

  “Brett will pay you for the time he was riding him though, the regular rental fee.” Mr. Beekman said.

  “Well, right now I need something more than money. I could use more help mucking out these stalls. Especially since Isiah will be spending more time in New York City.”

  “I’ll see that he’s here whenever you need him.” Mr. Beekman turned to Annika. “And he’ll make it up to you too.”

  Before Annika could answer, her cell phone rang. She answered, and when she hung up a few moments later, she was smiling. “I can hardly believe it. That was Margot. They’ve been getting calls at the office from people wanting to go on the haunted ghost tour they’ve heard about. People who want to be scared! I guess I’ll have to change my tours.”

  “I can help,” Brett said. “I know that won’t make up for all the tricks I played, but it will be a start. I’m good at thinking up ways to scare people.”

  “Yes, you are,” Violet and Benny said together. Everyone laughed.

  “I don’t know.” Annika frowned. “You’ll have to stop being mean to Isiah.”

  “I will, I promise. And I’ll think up tricks that not even the Aldens will be able to figure out.”

  “I wouldn’t count on that,” Mrs. Vanderhoff said. “I suspect Sleepy Hollow wouldn’t be very spooky if the Aldens lived here. They’d solve all our hauntings and mysteries.”

  “We’d be happy to try,” Jessie said.

  Mr. Beekman looked at his watch. “Before the Aldens take on another mystery, I’d like you all to be my guests at the library dinner tonight. It’s starting soon. Mr. Sanders and Isiah too. The Alden detectives deserve a feast after all their hard work.”

  “We did work hard, didn’t we?” Benny said. “I knew there was a reason I’m so hungry. Let’s go!”

  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.

  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 l979. 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

  TH
E 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 CLUE IN THE RECYCLING BIN

  MONKEY TROUBLE

  THE ZOMBIE PROJECT

  THE GREAT TURKEY HEIST

  THE GARDEN THIEF

  THE BOARDWALK MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE FALLEN TREASURE

  THE RETURN OF THE GRAVEYARD GHOST

  THE MYSTERY OF THE STOLEN SNOWBOARD

  THE MYSTERY OF THE WILD WEST BANDIT

  THE MYSTERY OF THE GRINNING GARGOYLE

  THE MYSTERY OF THE SOCCER SNITCH

  THE MYSTERY OF THE MISSING POP IDOL

  THE MYSTERY OF THE STOLEN DINOSAUR BONES

  All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof 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, events, 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 © 2015 by Albert Whitman & Company

  Cover art by Logan Kline

  Interior illustrations by Anthony VanArsdale

  978-1-5040-1748-0

  Albert Whitman & Company

  250 South Northwest Highway, Suite 320

  Park Ridge, Illinois 60068

  www.albertwhitman.com

  Distributed by Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.

  345 Hudson Street

  New York, NY 10014

  www.openroadmedia.com

  THE BOXCAR CHILDREN

  MYSTERIES

  FROM ALBERT WHITMAN & COMPANY

  FROM OPEN ROAD MEDIA

  Available wherever ebooks are sold

  Since 1919, independent publisher Albert Whitman & Company has created some of the world’s most loved children’s books. Best known for the classic Boxcar Children® Mysteries series, its highly praised picture books, novels, and nonfiction titles succeed in delighting and reaching out to children and teens of all backgrounds and experiences. Albert Whitman’s special-interest titles address subjects such as disease, bullying, and disabilities. All Albert Whitman books treat their readers in a caring and respectful manner, helping them to grow intellectually and emotionally.

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