Hockey Mystery (9 page)

“I still want to take lessons with you,” said Jessie. She smiled at Kevin. “Hockey was fun, but I miss figure skating.”

“I’ve missed you, too,” said Tracey.

“So what’s your idea?” asked Jessie.

“Kevin can focus on hockey in his brand-new modern building, and we’ll focus on figure skating in this beautiful old building,” Tracey suggested.

Scott slowly began to smile. “You know, I like that idea.”

“If they
let
me build a brand-new modern building,” Kevin said. “I still haven’t heard from the town council.”

“Hello,” cried a loud cheery voice from the hallway. Mrs. Davidson pushed her way into the crowded office. She was wearing a Scouts jersey.

“Hey, wait a minute,” said Jessie. “Isn’t that ...” She motioned to the jersey.

“Yes,” Mrs. Davidson said. “It’s an autographed Kevin Reynolds jersey. Beth and my husband bought it for me as a surprise. Wasn’t that nice?”

“So that’s why Jessie saw it in Beth’s bag,” said Benny.

“And why Beth didn’t want me to tell anyone,” said Jessie.

“And that’s why you weren’t worried about it,” Henry said to Kevin.

“That’s right,” Coach Reynolds said. “I sold it to them. But I have others we can display.”

“I just came by to tell you,” Mrs. Davidson said, “the town council has agreed to let you build the rink.”

“They have?” Kevin asked excitedly.

“Yes, thanks to me,” she added. “They were worried about the traffic on Overlook Road, so I came up with a plan to add another lane on the highway and put in a stoplight.”

“So that’s what your plan was,” Jessie said.

“Hooray!” cried Henry. “Coach Reynolds can build his rink!”

“And the Polar Bears won!” added Kevin.

“And Jessie scored the winning goal!” Violet put in.

“Let’s go celebrate!” said Benny. “Hot chocolate for everyone!”

The next day was the big party to celebrate the new rink. The Aldens got dressed in their best clothes and drove to the Greenfield Rink. Kevin and his family were already there, greeting the mayor, members of the town council, and other people from Greenfield who were interested in the new rink. Tracey and the other skating instructors and all the Polar Bears were there with their families.

The Polar Bears had worked together with the Aldens to set up a beautiful display of Kevin’s hockey memorabilia in the party room at the rink. As soon as the celebration started, Scott was going to present the Polar Bears with a trophy and the mayor was going to make a speech.

But before the speech was made, Cathy pulled Jessie aside. Cathy’s face looked serious. “There’s something I have to tell you.”

“What is it?” Jessie asked.

“I’m going to be taking figure skating lessons with you,” she said.

“You are? That’s great!” Jessie said. “So why do you look so worried?”

“Well, there’s something else I have to tell you.” Cathy took a deep breath. “I was the one who took your figure skates.”

“It was you?” Jessie said.

“Yes. I’ve always wanted to try figure skating, but with a dad who’s a hockey player—well, you don’t really have much choice,” Cathy explained. “That’s why I wasn’t very nice some of the time—I think I was just jealous of you and tired of hockey.”

“I noticed that sometimes you really didn’t seem to care whether the team won or lost,” said Jessie.

“That’s true,” said Cathy. “Anyway I saw your skates in your bag, and I wasn’t really thinking. I just grabbed them so I could try them out, see what they felt like. I always intended to return them. I tried to return them that night I saw you in the locker room, but I couldn’t do it until the next day, when you left your bag open.”

“Is that what you were doing here so late that night?” Jessie asked.

“Yes,” said Cathy. “It was so much fun to try them—but I didn’t want anyone to know.”

“You should have just told me,” said Jessie. “I would have been happy to lend them to you.”

“Yes, I should have,” Cathy said. She looked down and poked at the floor with the toe of her sneaker. “Anyway, I finally got up the nerve and told my dad how I felt. And he said he’d love for me to take figure skating. So everything’s okay now. I hope you can forgive me.”

“Of course I can,” said Jessie. She smiled at Cathy. “Now let’s go back to the party, friend.”

Together, Jessie and Cathy walked back to the party room, where people were gathering to look at the display the children had set up. Henry, Violet, and Benny joined the two girls.

“I’m so glad you and your dad moved to Greenfield,” Benny said to Cathy, grinning.

“We all are,” added Henry, and Violet nodded.

Cathy looked at each of the Aldens. “You know,” she said, “I’m glad, too.”

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