Mystery of the Missing Cat (6 page)

Then Henry folded up the letter and carefully put their address on it. Grandfather Alden gave them a stamp and they walked down to the mailbox on the corner to mail it.

“We got here just in time,” said Jessie, reading the sign on the mailbox. “The last time they pick up here is in fifteen minutes.”

“Hurry, let's mail the letter!” Benny cried.

“Here, Jessie,” said Henry. “You can mail it.” He gave the letter to Jessie. Henry held the mailbox open and Jessie carefully pushed the letter in.

“Will Mr. Jones get the letter tomorrow?” asked Benny.

“I hope so,” said Henry.

Benny looked at Henry seriously. “Spotzie has been away from home a long time. I'll bet she's homesick.”

But no one called about Spotzie the next morning, although the Aldens all stayed home.

At lunch, Grandfather Alden looked around. “Why is everyone so quiet?” he asked.

“We still haven't found Spotzie,” said Jessie.

“And we don't have any more clues,” added Violet.

“You mustn't give up,” said Grandfather.

“We won't,” said Jessie. “But it's hard not to sometimes.”

“Stick to it,” said Grandfather. “That's the important thing.”

Everyone nodded. They knew their grandfather was right. But it was hard not to worry.

Then, after everyone was finished with lunch, the phone rang.

“I'll get it!” cried Violet. She picked up the phone. “Hello?” She smiled. “Oh, hello Mr. Jones. You got our letter? Do you . . .” Violet's voice trailed off. The smile left her face. “Oh. Oh, I see. Are you sure? What kind of cat is yours? Mr. Jones? Hello? Mr. Jones?”

Slowly Violet hung up the phone.

“What is it?” demanded Jessie. “What did he say?”

Violet looked puzzled. “He said he'd found his cat. That we should keep the cat we have. She's probably a very nice cat. But when I tried to ask him about his cat, he hung up on me!”

“This is very strange,” said Henry.

“What are we going to do
now
?”
sighed Violet.

The Aldens went outside and sat down beneath the shade of an old oak tree by the old boxcar that had once been their home.

“What are we going to do now?” Violet repeated.

“Maybe we should talk to Professor Madison again,” said Henry.

Jessie said, “It's true, she's acted pretty strangely. But if that man really was trying to break into her house and steal the cat, that would explain it.”

“
If
she's telling the truth,” said Henry.

“But why would Professor Madison steal a cat when she already has so many?” asked Violet.

“That's true,” said Henry.

Suddenly Jessie said, “Whitney!”

Henry, Violet, and Benny looked at her in surprise. “What about Whitney?” asked Henry. “She couldn't have had anything to do with Spotzie's disappearance. Spotzie disappeared before Whitney ever arrived.”

“But what if Whitney is the one making the mysterious phone calls? What if there is no Mr. Jones at all?” asked Jessie.

“Why would Whitney do that?” Benny wanted to know.

Jessie furrowed her brow. “Because … because she thinks we're just children and we can't solve this case. Maybe it's a practical joke?”

Benny shook his head. “It would be a mean joke!” he declared.

“I wonder if Whitney would do something like that?” said Violet. “I don't think she would.”

After a moment, Jessie nodded her head in agreement with Violet. “You're right, Violet. I guess I don't think she would, either.”

“Well, what about Mr. Allen?” suggested Henry. “Did you notice he seemed surprised when he saw Spotzie's photograph — almost as if he recognized her.”

“That's true,” Jessie said.

“Yes, he did act surprised,” said Violet. “But why would he lie about ever having seen Spotzie?”

“Maybe
he
has Spotzie!” cried Benny.

“But why, Benny,” said Jessie. “Why would he want Spotzie when he has so many other beautiful cats?”

“Mr. Jones, whoever he is, is the most likely ‘cat burglar.' We have to find him to solve the mystery and find Spotzie.”

“But how?” said Jessie. “How are we going to find Mr. Jones?”

Henry said, “Wait a minute. I've thought of a way we could find Mr. Jones.”

“How?” cried Jessie excitedly.

“We wrote to him at a post office box,” said Henry. “Box number ninety-three. All we have to do is watch the post office and see who comes to get the mail out of that box.”

“Oh, Henry, that's a wonderful idea!” exclaimed Violet.

“We'll be like spies,” said Benny. “Will we need disguises?”

Everyone smiled at that. “No, Benny,” said Henry. “But we will be like spies, sort of, watching for Mr. Jones to see who he really is.”

Benny nodded. “We can take Watch to
watch
for Mr. Jones.”

“We'll do that,” said Henry. “We can take turns, Benny. You and Watch and Jessie can watch tomorrow morning. Then Violet and I will come up to watch for a while.”

“Can Soo Lee come, too?” asked Violet.

“Yes, of course,” said Henry. “The more people we have helping us, the better!”

CHAPTER 10

The Chase Is On

J
essie, Benny, and Watch were waiting at the Greenfield Post Office when it opened the next morning. It was a bright, sunny day. The post office was surrounded by shady trees and had windows across the front.

Jessie, Benny, and Watch were about to go in and find box 93 when Jessie noticed a sign on the post office door: N
O
D
OGS
A
LLOWED
.

“You and Watch will have to wait out here,” she said, pointing to the sign. Benny sounded out the words slowly and then looked at his sister.

“Why aren't dogs allowed in the post office?” he asked. “I don't like that rule!”

“I don't either, Benny, but we have to obey it.”

“Okay,” said Benny, taking Watch's leash. “We'll wait out here. Maybe we'll even catch Mr. Jones while you're inside.”

Jessie went inside the post office and quickly found box 93. It was midway up a row of boxes and it could be seen through the front window of the post office.

She hurried back out and showed Benny which box it was. “We can sit here under this tree and keep our eyes on the mailbox,” she said.

“Oh, good,” said Benny, sitting down.

Jessie sat down next to Watch and Benny, and leaned back against the tree. For a little while, the post office was very busy as people stopped by on their way to work. Then fewer people came. Several customers went to check their mail, but no one went to box number 93.

Benny yawned. “I'm tired,” he said. “We've been here a long, long time.”

“Henry and Violet and Soo Lee will come soon,” said Jessie. She watched a stout woman in a baseball cap walk up to the wall of mailboxes. Her heart beat faster in excitement. Was Mr. Jones really
Ms.
Jones?

But the woman reached up high and opened a mailbox in the corner. Jessie leaned back against the tree again.

Watch, who had been taking a nap next to Benny, lifted his head and barked.

“What is it, boy?” asked Benny. “Is it Mr. Jones?”

“I think it's just a squirrel Watch wants to chase,” said Jessie, pointing.

Sure enough, a squirrel who had been hopping over the ground scurried up a nearby tree. Watch laid his head back down on his front paws.

The time seemed to pass very, very slowly. Jessie was glad when she stood up to stretch and saw Henry and Violet and Soo Lee riding their bicycles down the sidewalk toward them.

“Any luck?” asked Henry as they came to a stop near the tree.

Jessie shook her head. She showed them where box 93 was located. “No one has come near it,” she said. “I'm glad you're here. We were getting tired.”

“And hungry,” said Benny.

“Well you can take a break now,” said Henry.

Violet set her backpack down on the ground and reached inside. “Here, Benny, I have an apple for you,” she said.

“Thanks!” said Benny.

Just then Soo Lee grabbed Jessie's arm. “Look!” she said.

They all looked in the direction Soo Lee was pointing. Someone wearing an overcoat, dark glasses, and gloves, with a hat pulled low over his eyes was walking toward the wall of mailboxes.

Violet gasped. “That looks like the person who followed us that day!”

“And like the person Professor Madison described,” said Henry.

As they watched, the person reached out and opened box number 93!

“It's him,” said Henry.

Mr. Jones took out a single letter and ripped it open hastily, throwing the envelope to the floor.

“He's littering,” said Benny indignantly.

“Wait a minute, Benny. Let's see what happens,” Jessie told her younger brother.

Mr. Jones read the letter. Then he folded it up and stuck it in his pocket, and began to walk very fast toward the post office door.

“We can follow him,” Jessie said. “Everybody get your bicycles ready.”

But it was no use. When Mr. Jones got outside the post office, he went to a big, dark car parked in front of the post office. Before the Aldens could do anything, he had jumped inside and sped away.

The children jumped on their bicycles and rode as fast as they could after the car. But by the time they'd gone a block, the car had disappeared from sight.

“Oh, no!” said Henry. “We've lost him!”

“We'll never solve this mystery!” cried Violet.

“Yes, we will,” panted Jessie, pulling her bicycle to a stop. “Remember what Grandfather said about not giving up.”

“What can we do?” asked Soo Lee.

“We'll just have to watch the post office again tomorrow,” answered Jessie. “And the next day. And the next. For as many days as it takes.”

Benny made a face. Then he said, “But what about the envelope?”

“The envelope?” asked Violet.

“The envelope Mr. Jones threw on the floor. Maybe it has a return address on it,” said Benny. “Maybe that's where Mr. Jones was going!”

“Benny, you're a genius!” cried Jessie happily.

Benny blushed and grinned. “Thank you,” he said.

Jumping back on their bicycles, the Aldens raced back to the post office. Sure enough, the envelope that Mr. Jones had wadded up and thrown on the floor was still there.

Benny bent over and picked it up and smoothed it out.

They all crowded around and read the return address on the wrinkled envelope that Benny was holding.

“It's from Mr. Allen!” said Jessie in amazement.

“And Mr. Jones drove off in that direction,” added Henry.

“I bet I know what we do now,” said Benny. “We go to Mr. Allen's!”

“You're right,” said Jessie. “Mr. Allen, here we come!”

Without wasting another moment, the children got on their bicycles and pedalled as fast as they could to Mr. Allen's house. In a short time, they were turning up the long gravel driveway.

“There's Mr. Jones's car,” said Violet. Sure enough, the same big, dark car that they'd watched Mr. Jones leave the post office in was parked by the front door of the house.

The Aldens left their bicycles out of sight by the side of the house, and Benny tied Watch to a nearby tree.

“Wait here,” he said, holding a finger to his lips. “And don't bark. We're about to solve a mystery!”

CHAPTER 11

A Rare Cat Indeed

T
he butler answered the door just as he had before.

“May I help you?” he asked as if he had never met them.

“We're here to see Mr. Allen,” said Jessie politely.

“Is he expecting you?” asked the butler haughtily.

“No, but it's very important,” Jessie told the butler.