Cupcake Caper (3 page)

“Thank you,” Mama Tova replied with a sigh as they all set to work replanting the flowers. Alicia came back with the water and then, using her shovel, prepared the planter. She put in new soil while Jessie and Violet dug little holes for the plants.

“There are a few plants missing,” Grandfather said, counting the holes and the healthy plants. “Unfortunately some flowers lost all their petals. But don’t worry, Mama Tova,” he said, putting his arm around her. “I’ve got plenty of flowers in my own garden. I can bring some here.” Grandfather left for a few minutes while the children worked on cleaning off the sidewalk. He returned with some beautiful daisies and snapdragons.

After Alicia and the Alden children were finished planting and watering, Mama Tova apologized to them. “I am so sorry. With the flower mess, I don’t have time to make a special cupcake party for you children today. I need to get ready to open the store for customers now.”

“No party?” Benny said in a sad voice. “But we are already here. Maybe we could wait until the cupcakes are ready.”

“Tell you what,” Henry said to Benny, “We can come back for cupcakes another day. Today, let’s go have an ice cream cone instead.”

At that, Benny’s face lit up. “Really?” he asked his brother.

Henry looked to Grandfather for approval. Grandfather said, “A terrific idea.”

Alicia and Mama Tova went inside to get Sweets ready for business. The Aldens walked across the street to the ice cream parlor and went inside.

Pauly Tova was sitting at a table near the door. He was eating a chocolate sundae.

While Grandfather ordered ice cream cones, the Aldens talked to Mama Tova’s nephew.

Pauly pointed at his watch. “Sweets doesn’t open for a while. I couldn’t wait that long to get a treat.”

“Did you hear about the mess over at Sweets?” Benny asked.

“Sure,” Pauly said. “I went there yesterday as soon as I heard, but you had already been there. The whole place was cleaned up.”

“I didn’t mean that mess,” Benny replied. “I meant today’s mess.”

“What are you talking about?” Pauly said.

“Didn’t you see what happened to the flower planter boxes?” Jessie asked. Pauly was sitting at the window right across from Sweets.

“Huh?” Pauly looked out the window. “What happened?”

Violet explained what had happened.

“I can’t believe it!” Pauly exclaimed. “I’ve been here for a while and never saw anything. I must have been concentrating on my ice cream.”

Pauly took a long look at his aunt’s shop and then told the Aldens, “You know, some day I’m going to take over Sweets. The secret recipe has to go to someone in the family. And I am family.” He paused then added, “When I get that recipe, I won’t hang onto it like Aunt Tova. I’ll sell it for sure to the person who offers the most money. I’m going to drive a fancy car and have so many baseball cards that they will fill a whole room in my mansion.” Pauly pulled a small stack of baseball cards out from his pocket. “I already have a few, but I am going to have way, way more!”

“Really? You want more baseball cards?” Benny asked, looking at the pile. “But that’s not what Mama Tova wants. I don’t think she likes baseball.”

While Pauly was showing the cards to Henry, Jessie saw that his fingernails were very dirty. But as soon as Pauly noticed her looking at his fingers, he dropped the cards and slid his hands under the table.

“All my aunt wants to do is to make cupcakes! Her little store is too small to ever make her rich!” Pauly told Benny. “But someday there will be Pauly Tova cupcakes in every store all over Greenfield. You’ll see.”

Just then Grandfather came over with the ice cream cones.

“I better go over and make sure Aunt Tova is okay,” Pauly said. “Maybe I can help get the shop ready to open.” Pauly took his trash to the can and waved goodbye.

“Did you see his fingernails?” Jessie asked the others. “I really think we need to put Pauly on the suspect list. Not only does he want to sell the recipe, but he had a lot of brown stuff under his finger nails. Maybe it’s dirt from the planter box!”

“Or it might just be chocolate from his sundae,” Violet noted.

Henry said, “It’s impossible to tell.”

“Well, then,” Jessie said, pulling out her notebook and clicking open her pen, “until we are sure what it is, Pauly Tova has just become Suspect Number Three.”

The next afternoon, Grandfather drove the children to the BakeMart factory. When he pulled up in front, he told them, “I have some errands to run nearby. I’ll be back for you children in half an hour.”

“Perfect,” Jessie said. “That’s just long enough for us to see who is signed up for Saturday’s contest.”

“We’re looking for more suspects,” Benny told Grandfather, before opening his door and popping out of the car.

“You really think that whoever is doing this to Mama Tova’s store has already entered the contest?” Violet asked Jessie.

“Maybe,” Jessie told her. “Today is the last day to sign up. Even if they don’t have the recipe yet, the thief knows that Mama Tova’s recipe would win for sure. I think they won’t give up looking for it until they have that recipe!”

BakeMart was a large concrete and brick building. “Wow!” Benny said, counting the rows of windows. “Six floors! This place is huge.”

“Yes, it is,” Grandfather said, as the children got ready to go inside. To Benny he said, “Be careful. Be polite. And don’t get lost, or in trouble.”

“I’ve been here before,” Henry said. He reminded Grandfather of the school trip he’d taken. “I know my way around.” Henry assured Grandfather that he’d take care of the others.

“All right. Thirty minutes,” Grandfather repeated. “Then meet me right here.” There was a sign that said
BakeMart
—
Breads.

“We’ll be here,” Henry told him, taking Benny’s hand in his, ready to walk in the front door of the factory.

When Grandfather drove off, Violet pointed at the sign. “Look at that. There’s just enough room at the end of the sign to add ‘And Cupcakes,’” she said.

“Mr. Kandinsky can make all the cupcakes he likes,” Benny said, stomping his foot. “But not Mama Tova’s.” There was a small room at the side of the long main building. There was a poster and balloons to show where to sign up for the contest.

Benny pulled free from Henry and led the way, going into the room first. “I’ll get that list!” Benny headed toward the counter but on his way he stopped and looked around the room. On long tables were samples of all the products BakeMart made. Benny’s nose led him to a tray of pecan bread slices. He snatched one up and was about to eat the whole piece all at once.

“Slow down,” Jessie said. “Remember, Grandfather said to be polite.”

Benny looked down at his treat and took a small bite instead. “Mmmm.”

A girl in a BakeMart uniform came over and handed each of the Aldens a card and a mini pencil. “Please fill out these comment cards. Here at BakeMart, we like to hear what our customers think.”

Benny immediately gobbled up the rest of the pecan bread. “How do you spell ‘Yummy’?” he asked Henry.

“We don’t have time to sample everything,” Henry told Benny. “Did you already forget why we are here?”

“I didn’t forget, but I also didn’t know there’d be snacks!” Benny looked at the trays all around him and said, “Maybe we can eat while we look at the contest list?”

“Sorry.” Jessie shook her head. “Let’s do what we need to first. If there is extra time, we can try a few things.”

They walked over the counter to talk to the girl in the BakeMart uniform. She was brunette, with her hair in a pigtail.

Her name tag said
Gretchen.

Violet noticed that she was wearing a gold letter
A
on a chain around her neck.

She pointed out the necklace to Jessie, saying quietly, “Isn’t that odd? Her name starts with a
G
.”

“Maybe it’s for her mom’s name or a nickname,” Jessie whispered.

“I swear I’ve seen one kind of like it before.” Violet shook her head to clear her thoughts. “But I can’t remember where.”

Jessie decided to see if she could help Violet remember. She went over to Gretchen and said, “I think your necklace is terrific. I was wondering where you got it.”

Gretchen put her hand on the glittery letter and smiled. “It was a present for my birthday. It’s called a ‘Best Friends’ necklace. They are really popular.”

“I like it,” Violet said.

“We can find out where to buy one if you want,” Jessie told her sister.

“I don’t think we need to.” Violet shrugged. “There’s just something about it pulling at me, but my mind’s blank. Oh well. Not important, I guess.”

“We should really get a look at that list,” Henry told the others.

Benny asked Gretchen, “Can we see who has signed up for the BakeMart Cupcake Contest?”

Gretchen took a list out of a drawer. She looked down at Benny and asked, “Are you signing up?” She held out a pen.

“No,” Benny said. “I don’t make cupcakes. I just eat them.”

Gretchen put the list back away. “Mr. Kandinsky told me that I can only show people the list if they are going to sign up. It’s a contest rule.”

Henry had an idea. He spoke up. “But Benny wants to be a chef when he grows up. Right, Benny?”

Benny nodded. “Yes, I do.”

“This is his first contest.” Jessie said. “We are going to write his name down on the list.”

“Are you sure?” Gretchen asked. She had one hand on the drawer with the list, while looking sideways at Benny. “You said you weren’t signing up. Now your brother and sisters say you are. What’s going on?”

“I was confused,” Benny told her. “All the treats around here … I can’t think when I am surrounded by so much bread! It’s like kryptonite. Of course I am going to enter the contest.” He gave Gretchen a very big smile. She could see where he’d lost his front tooth. Gretchen pulled the list back out.

“Put your name here,” she said. She pointed at an empty line.

Henry quickly read over the other names. Benny was nineteenth on the list. There were too many contestants and not enough time to study every name. But he saw Gretchen’s name on the list. “You’re entering the contest?” Henry asked.

“Of course,” Gretchen said. “A thousand dollars would be a big boost to my college fund.”

She handed Benny a ballpoint pen. “You can sign up, but I wouldn’t bother if I were you. I know I’m going to win. I’ve got a great plan. So you shouldn’t waste your time.”

“But maybe I’ll make a terrific cupcake,” Benny said as he carefully wrote his name. Jessie and Violet peered over his shoulder, looking at the other names.

“Maybe,” Gretchen said. “But I am certain that the top prize will be mine!”

When they moved away from the desk, Violet told Jessie, “I think you should put Gretchen on the suspect list, okay?”

“Why?” Jessie asked, opening her notebook to the right page. “Is this about the necklace?”

“No,” Violet said, “I think she’s suspicious because Gretchen said she has a plan to win the contest.”

“Maybe stealing the recipe is her plan?” Jessie asked. “Then again, how could she know where it is hidden? She wasn’t at Sweets when Mama Tova told us it was under the flower.”

“It’s possible that someone who was there told Gretchen about it,” Henry said.

“And then Gretchen made her plan?” Benny asked.

Violet shrugged. “Maybe.”

“Speaking of recipes,” Henry said. “We are going to need one for Benny to use.” He looked over at Benny, who was quickly finishing samples from the last tray in the room. In three minutes, he’d managed to taste every single kind of bread!

“It was a great idea to enter Benny in the contest,” Jessie said. “Now we have a real reason to be there. It’ll make checking things out a lot easier.”

“Yeah,” Violet said. “But where are we going to find a cupcake recipe that Benny can make?”

“I’ll find one,” Jessie said. “There are plenty of good recipes on the internet.”

Just before the children left the BakeMart shop Mr. Kandinsky came in.

“The contest is now officially closed,” he told Gretchen with a twitch of his moustache. “There can be no more entries.” Mr. Kandinsky took the list from her, gave it a quick glance, folded it and slipped the page into his pocket. “I look forward to tasting your cupcake on Saturday, Gretchen.”

She smiled at him. “It’ll be the best one there, I’m positive.”

“I entered the contest, too!” Benny said, rushing up to Mr. Kandinsky. “I’m so excited.”

“What kind of cupcake are you making?” Mr. Kandinsky asked, bending down to talk to Benny.

Benny looked at Jessie, who looked at Henry. They all turned to Violet.

“Chocolate Surprise,” Violet said. She’d made up the flavor on the spot.

“The cake part will be chocolate, but there will also be a surprise inside!” Benny said, clapping his hands at the idea.

“Sounds delicious,” Mr. Kandinsky said. “I’ll look forward to tasting your entry too.” He stood up and prepared to leave the room. “Mama Tova better learn to make something else, because soon, my cupcakes will be the best sellers in town!”

Back in the car, Jessie asked Grandfather if they could head over to Mama Tova’s shop instead of going straight home. “The contest is only two days away,” she told him. “We need to come up with a plan!”