The Mystery of the Soccer Snitch (11 page)

“Well, we don't think the gargoyle is a real creature,” said Henry. “Gargoyles are just statuesmadeofstone. Butwedidseesomething up there in the library. It's a mystery! And the four of us plan on solving this mystery.”

“Let me know if you see it,” said Raven. “And be sure to check out my online videos!”

Jessie pointed at the clock on the coffee shop wall. “We'd better meet Grandfather at the football stadium,” she said.

“Thank you for the cookies!” Benny said.

“And thank you for the information,” said Henry. “We'll let you know if we find anything.”

“You can find me online,” said Raven, “or in my dorm, Harper Hall. I live in room 4B.”

After saying goodbye to Raven, the Aldens walked the rest of the way across campus, discussing everything that they had seen and heard so far.

“Raven sure seems interested in the grinning gargoyle,” said Henry.

“And she sure seems proud of her videos,” said Jessie, “and how many people have watched them. Do you think she might be behind the gargoyles that people are seeing.”

“Or the gargoyle that we saw?” said Benny.

“Remember, Benny,” said Jessie, “that gargoyle wasn't real. Someone was behind it, and Raven seems like she could have been that someone. I think we should keep her in mind as we try to solve this mystery.”

The children soon reached the football field. The stadium was a building that looked as ancient as the library. It was made of old, dark stone and had soaring arches all around its curved walls. Above the tall arch over the entrance were the words Goldwin Coliseum.

“Coliseum,” said Henry. “That's the name of a giant outdoor stadium in Italy where the ancient Romans used to hold games and events. I read about it in school, and saw pictures of it in my history book. The Goldwin Coliseum looks almost as old as the Roman one!”

Henry led the way as the Aldens entered Goldwin Coliseum and made their way through tunnels and walkways until they heard the sounds of football practice. The children scurried down the concrete stairs past row after row of red, metal bleachers once they saw Grandfather Alden waving at them from the fifty-yard line of the football field.

“Grandfather,” said Benny as he reached the green grass that was lined with white lines and marks, “you won't believe what we saw!”

“I can't wait to hear about it,” Grandfather said, “but first let me introduce you to Goldwin University's famous football coach. This is Coach Woods. Back when I was a student here, he was our star player and a very close friend of mine. But now he coaches the Bears to victory every football season.”

A stocky older man stood next to Grandfather. He wore a red cap and jacket and had a shiny, silver whistle around his neck. Coach Woods shook each of the Alden children's hands with a big, strong grip, saying, “James has told me all about you children. He's very proud of you.”

Then the coach pointed to the players on the field, tossed a football to the children, and said, “Why don't you kids run out there and show me what you've got?”

CHAPTER
3

Nice Catch

The Aldens were big football fans. The children loved to sit with Grandfather and cheer for the Goldwin Bears each week when the team played on television. They also loved to throw and catch the football in their big backyard in Greenfield. So the chance to run around a real football field was too good to pass up. It even made the four children forget about their latest mystery for a minute or two.

“This is great being on the same field as the guys we see on TV!” said Violet, staring at the big, strong players in their red uniforms and white helmets.

“But the field doesn't look quite like it does on TV,” Jessie said.

Jessie was right. The field of Goldwin Coliseum didn't seem as big as it did on television. It didn't seem as fancy as other sports arenas the Alden children had seen or visited, either. The cement steps they had run down had been chipped and crumbling. The seats were hard metal bleachers, and not the cushioned chairs that some stadiums had. And the grass on the field was brown in some places, with patches of dirt and holes in other spots. But a football field was a football field, and they had the chance to play some football.

“Benny, run out and try to catch it!” said Henry.

Henry threw the football as far as he could and Benny sprinted down the field. The ball looked like it was going to fly far over his head, but at the last second Benny dove. He tumbled head-over-heels, and when he came to a stop, Benny held the football tightly in his hands.

“Nice catch!” Jessie said to her younger brother.

Benny stood up, dusting the white chalk from the football field off of his arms and legs. Then he proudly carried the football back to his siblings.

“Look up there, Benny,” said Violet. “You're on the big video screen!”

Benny looked up at the screen that showed replays for the fans at football games, and watched himself dive for the football and catch it. The video of Benny's nice catch played again and again, causing his siblings, his grandfather, and all of the Goldwin football team players to erupt in cheers.

“You're quite a receiver!” Coach Woods called from the sideline. “When you get older, maybe you'll be a Goldwin Bear, too.”

Once the giant screen went blank, the four children watched the actual Goldwin Bears practice running and throwing and kicking and catching. The players were all very fast and very strong. Benny hoped one day he'd be as good at football as they were.

But one of the players was even faster and stronger than the rest of his teammates. The player with number 44 on the back of his red jersey could run like the wind. None of the other players could catch him, and if they did catch him, they couldn't tackle him. When the quarterback threw him a pass, Number 44 always seemed to catch it. Catch after catch, Number 44 never let the football touch the ground.

Then, as Number 44 leaped into the air to grab the football, he landed with a crunch.

“Ouch!” he said, falling to the ground. “I think I hurt my leg.”

The Alden children made it to the hurt player first.

“Are you okay?” Jessie asked. “Where does it hurt?”

“What happened?” asked Benny.

Number 44 lay on his back, holding his leg. “When I jumped up to catch the ball, my foot landed in one of those holes in the field. I must have twisted my ankle in the hole.”

A man with a first-aid kit ran over from the sidelines, Coach Woods jogging right behind him.

“It looks like he hurt his foot or leg,” Henry said.

“It will be okay, children,” the man said. “I'm the team's trainer. I take care of any players who get hurt. This looks like it's only a slightly sprained ankle.”

Coach Woods knelt on the ground looking unhappy. “We can't afford to lose you right before the big game,” said the coach.

The trainer pulled a heavy bandage from his kit and wrapped the player's ankle. Then Coach Woods wiped white dust from his hands and helped the player stand up. Number 44 leaned on the two men and limped off the field.

As the player, coach, and trainer passed by, the Alden children heard Coach Woods mumbling under his breath.

“I've been telling them we need a new stadium for years,” said the coach. “Now look—our star player is hurt the day before the big game, and it's because the field is in such poor shape. Why, Goldwin Coliseum is even older than the library. The only nice thing about it is that fancy video screen. Shouldn't they build a new football stadium before they build a new library? Shouldn't they just leave the old library alone? Maybe those gosh-darn gargoyles are onto something!”

The children weren't the only ones to hear what Coach Woods had said. Grandfather Alden had, too.

“Coach,” said Grandfather, “I didn't realize that the old stadium had fallen into such bad shape. If I had, I might have done something to help out.”

“That's the problem,” Coach Woods said. “Everyone's so excited to cheer for the team and so excited that we usually win that they don't pay any attention to how old the stadium we play in is. It's almost like I'm one of those old gargoyles, always there for the university, and everyone takes me for granted.”

“I'm sorry you feel that way,” Grandfather Alden said. “Maybe there's something I could do to help. Maybe I could get the word out.”

“Maybe the gargoyles could get the word out.” said Coach Woods.

“What?” Grandfather Alden asked.

“Oh, nothing,” said Coach Woods. “My team has a game for me to coach, so I'd better just forget about this lousy old stadium.”

“Did you hear that?” Violet asked her siblings once they were away from the football team. “He was talking about the gargoyles.”

“Nice catch, Violet!” said Henry. “It sounds like Coach Woods doesn't want anyone messing with the old library. We'd better remember that as we try to solve this mystery.”

“Mystery? Are you children on the case of another mystery?” It was Grandfather Alden, having left Coach Woods's side to catch up with his grandchildren. He knew that they were very good at solving mysteries, and was very proud of their detective skills.

“Yes, Grandfather,” said Violet. “We're investigating the case of the grinning gargoyles.”

“You heard Miss Hollenberg tell us about the legend of the gargoyles, didn't you?” Jessie asked.

“I certainly did,” said Grandfather Alden.

“When I was running up the stairs at the library, I saw a gargoyle!” Benny said.

“We all saw it,” said Jessie.

“We all saw something,” said Henry, “since gargoyles are just stone statues and can't actually fly down from the roof and scare people. It must be someone making everyone think the gargoyle legend is true, and we're going to figure out who it is!”

“Well, maybe we should get some dinner,” Grandfather Alden said. “Detective work is always more productive on a full stomach.”

“Dinner sounds great,” said Benny. “Playing football and playing detective both make me really hungry!”

“I know just the place,” said Grandfather Alden. “We'll eat at what was my favorite restaurant when I was a student.”

The Aldens said goodbye to the football team and Coach Woods, then climbed the old gray steps of Goldwin Coliseum. The five of them laughed and talked as they crossed the college campus, admiring the beautiful autumn leaves that fell from the trees.

Soon they came to an old wooden building with a sign that said Goldwin Gyros.

“It might not look like much,” said Grandfather Alden, “but Goldwin Gyros serves the tastiest food on campus.”

Grandfather held the door for his grandchildren and, of course, Benny was the first one into the restaurant. But no sooner had Benny dashed inside, he yelled and turned around.

“You guys have to see this!” he said, pointing. Standing there was a big, bald man with a big, bushy, black mustache and a big, bright smile. He looked friendly, so Benny shouldn't have been alarmed.

But the big sign the man held didn't look so friendly. On it was painted a sharptoothed, smiling creature with wings—a gargoyle! The sign read “BITE INTO A GARGOYLE GYRO!”

The Alden children looked past the sign and around the main dining room of Goldwin Gyros. Painted on the walls were other gargoyles, peering down at the customers with toothy grins. There were gargoyles over each table and booth. There were gargoyles over the counter and underneath the cash register. There were even gargoyles painted onto the restroom doors—one wearing a skirt for the girls' room, and one without a skirt for the boys'.

And on the t-shirt that the bald man wore under his white, dusty apron was yet another gargoyle and the words, “DON'T LET THE GARGOYLE GET YOU!”

While Benny peeked out from behind Grandfather Alden's back, Henry, Jessie, and Violet looked at one another. All four children watched as the man stepped toward them and said, “Welcome, Alden family. I'm so glad you dropped by!”