Boxcar Children 56 - Firehouse Mystery (8 page)

Slowly but surely, the Aldens could see that the flames were beginning to die down. At last the fire was out.

“Wow, that was amazing,” Benny said as Steve drove them home. “Especially those two who went inside the building. That takes courage. I want to be a firefighter when I grow up.”

“It’s hard work,” said Steve, “and it’s dangerous. But it’s one of the greatest jobs in the world.”

The following morning, the Aldens were just finishing breakfast when the telephone rang and Jessie answered it.

“That was Mike,” Jessie said when she hung up. “He asked if we could come down to the firehouse right away.”

“Did he say why?” asked Henry.

“No,” said Jessie. “He just said it was important.”

When the Aldens arrived at the firehouse, they found Mike, Steve, Ms. Lerner, and Rebecca waiting for them. Rebecca was holding a large rolled-up piece of paper in her hands and had a mysterious look on her face.

“We thought you should be among the first to see our plans for the new firehouse,” Ms. Lerner told the children.

“You mean you’re still planning on tearing the old one down?” Jessie asked. She couldn’t believe it. “Even after the rally?”

“Why don’t you take a look,” said Rebecca, unrolling her drawing of the proposed new firehouse.

“That looks just like the old firehouse,” Henry said, “but bigger.”

“Exactly,” said Ms. Lerner. And for the first time, she smiled at the children. “Rebecca has come up with a way to repair the old building and add a wing on to the side. That way there will be more room.”

“And I’ve designed the new wing to match the old building,” said Rebecca, pointing to one side of the drawing.

“That’s wonderful!” said Violet.

“I can’t believe we thought you two might be trying to hurt the old firehouse,” said Benny.

“Benny!” Jessie said, embarrassed.

“What do you mean?” asked Ms. Lerner.

It was too late. There was nothing the Aldens could do but explain.

“You always seemed so angry,” Violet said to Ms. Lerner.

Ms. Lerner smiled again. “I was upset. I love old things, and it made me miserable to think that we’d have to tear this place down. But I knew the fire department had outgrown this building. The town couldn’t afford two buildings. I couldn’t think of any way around it. Until Rebecca’s brilliant plan.”

“We were afraid that maybe you’d even taken the antiques to convince the town council to tear down the firehouse,” said Jessie.

“I would never do that! But it did upset me that those beautiful works couldn’t be properly displayed. But now Rebecca has designed a special display area for them — with a lock,” Ms. Lerner explained. “I can’t believe you suspected me!”

“And you suspected me, too?” Rebecca asked in surprise.

“We thought you took our petition to try to stop us,” Benny explained.

“
Took
it? You left it in my studio the day you stopped by!” she said.

“So that’s what happened!” said Jessie. “Now I remember. We were showing it to you just before you took out your stack of drawings — ”

“And I put them right on top of the petition,” said Rebecca. “I found it later when I’d put the drawings away. You didn’t think
I’d
taken the antiques, too, did you?”

The children nodded, slightly ashamed.

“But why?” Rebecca asked.

“You had been studying them so closely,” said Violet. “We thought maybe it was because you were plotting to take them. You also said something about old things being valuable.”

“I’ve always liked modern art, modern buildings. . . .” Rebecca began. She paused and looked down at her hands, then back up at the children. “Seeing those nozzles and speaking trumpets was the first time I really thought about the value of
old
things. And that’s what led me to design a new wing on the firehouse, but keep the old part.”

“Why were you studying the trophies so closely the day of the burglary?” asked Henry.

“Because I thought some were missing,” Rebecca said. “But I wasn’t quite sure, so I didn’t say anything. I can’t believe you thought I was a thief.”

“We didn’t really,” said Jessie. “But we did overhear you say something on the phone about making a lot of money, and it made us wonder.”

“Oh, that,” Rebecca said, blushing. “I was talking to my husband, about this project. As I told you, I’ve only recently started out as an architect. This project is a big break for me. Mostly I’m excited about the work, but I have to admit, I’ll also be happy to make a little money and pay some of my bills!”

At last all of the mysteries had been cleared up. “Thanks for all your help,” Mike told the Aldens as they headed home.

“Anytime,” said Benny. “Just give us a call next time you need a mystery solved!”

G
ERTRUDE
C
HANDLER
W
ARNER
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

T
HE
B
OXCAR
C
HILDREN

S
URPRISE
I
SLAND

T
HE
Y
ELLOW
H
OUSE
M
YSTERY

M
YSTERY
R
ANCH

M
IKE’S
M
YSTERY

B
LUE
B
AY
M
YSTERY

T
HE
W
OODSHED
M
YSTERY

T
HE
L
IGHTHOUSE
M
YSTERY

M
OUNTAIN
T
OP
M
YSTERY

S
CHOOLHOUSE
M
YSTERY

C
ABOOSE
M
YSTERY

H
OUSEBOAT
M
YSTERY

S
NOWBOUND
M
YSTERY

T
REE
H
OUSE
M
YSTERY

B
ICYCLE
M
YSTERY

M
YSTERY IN THE
S
AND

M
YSTERY
B
EHIND
THE
W
ALL

B
US
S
TATION
M
YSTERY

B
ENNY
U
NCOVERS
A
M
YSTERY

T
HE
H
AUNTED
C
ABIN
M
YSTERY

T
HE
D
ESERTED
L
IBRARY
M
YSTERY

T
HE
A
NIMAL
S
HELTER
M
YSTERY

T
HE
O
LD
M
OTEL
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
H
IDDEN
P
AINTING

T
HE
A
MUSEMENT
P
ARK
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
M
IXED
-U
P
Z
OO

T
HE
C
AMP
-O
UT
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY
G
IRL

T
HE
M
YSTERY
C
RUISE

T
HE
D
ISAPPEARING
F
RIEND
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
S
INGING
G
HOST

M
YSTERY IN THE
S
NOW

T
HE
P
IZZA
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY
H
ORSE

T
HE
M
YSTERY AT THE
D
OG
S
HOW

T
HE
C
ASTLE
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
L
OST
V
ILLAGE

T
HE
M
YSTERY ON THE
I
CE

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
P
URPLE
P
OOL

T
HE
G
HOST
S
HIP
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY IN
W
ASHINGTON
, DC

T
HE
C
ANOE
T
RIP
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
H
IDDEN
B
EACH

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
M
ISSING
C
AT

T
HE
M
YSTERY AT
S
NOWFLAKE
I
NN

T
HE
M
YSTERY ON
S
TAGE

T
HE
D
INOSAUR
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
S
TOLEN
M
USIC

T
HE
M
YSTERY AT THE
B
ALL
P
ARK

T
HE
C
HOCOLATE
S
UNDAE
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
H
OT
A
IR
B
ALLOON

T
HE
M
YSTERY
B
OOKSTORE

T
HE
P
ILGRIM
V
ILLAGE
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
S
TOLEN
B
OXCAR

T
HE
M
YSTERY IN THE
C
AVE

T
HE
M
YSTERY ON THE
T
RAIN

T
HE
M
YSTERY AT THE
F
AIR

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
L
OST
M
INE

T
HE
G
UIDE
D
OG
M
YSTERY

T
HE
H
URRICANE
M
YSTERY

T
HE
P
ET
S
HOP
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
S
ECRET
M
ESSAGE

T
HE
F
IREHOUSE
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY IN
S
AN
F
RANCISCO

T
HE
N
IAGARA
F
ALLS
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY AT THE
A
LAMO

T
HE
O
UTER
S
PACE
M
YSTERY

T
HE
S
OCCER
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY IN THE
O
LD
A
TTIC

T
HE
G
ROWLING
B
EAR
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
L
AKE
M
ONSTER

T
HE
M
YSTERY AT
P
EACOCK
H
ALL

T
HE
W
INDY
C
ITY
M
YSTERY

T
HE
B
LACK
P
EARL
M
YSTERY