The Mystery of the Stolen Music

by Gertrude Chandler Warner

  “That was a great party,” Jessie said.

  “The food was super,” Benny said. “Too bad there’s none left. The jelly sandwiches were the best.”

  “I liked meeting the musicians,” Violet put in. “Especially Melody.”

  “She’s nice,” Soo Lee said. “I can’t wait to hear her play her violin.”

  “You won’t have a long wait, Soo Lee,” Henry said. “Tomorrow morning, we’ll go to the orchestra’s rehearsal.”

  “You know what I don’t get,” Benny said. “Melody said she had to go practice.”

  “All musicians practice, Benny,” Jessie said. “You know that.”

  “But what’s rehearsal?” Benny asked.

  “Practice,” Henry answered.

  “So musicians practice for the practice,” Benny said.

  Henry laughed. “It looks that way,” he said.

  Violet disagreed. “Musicians practice for themselves,” she said. “To get better.”

  “It works, too,” Jessie said. “Violet’s a perfect example.”

  “I wish I could play as well as Violet,” Soo Lee said.

  “You will,” Jessie assured her. “It takes time.”

  “And practice,” Benny added. He poured himself more hot chocolate. “I have another question,” he said. “How does Victor Perrelli practice?”

  They were all silent, thinking.

  Finally, Violet said, “A conductor listens to music and thinks about it. That’s a way of practicing.”

  “What about Mozart?” Soo Lee asked. “How did he practice?”

  “His father was a music teacher,” Violet told her. “He learned to play early.”

  “But writing music isn’t the same as playing it,” Benny said.

  “It’s like a language,” Henry explained. “You hear it first. Then you learn to speak it. Finally, you learn to write it. And the more you write it, the better you get.”

  Soo Lee understood that. Her first language was Korean. She had learned to speak English at the orphanage. Only now was she learning to write it well. She sighed. “Everything takes practice,” she said.

  Watch sidled over and put his paw in Jessie’s lap. He looked up at her and softly whined.

  “It must be suppertime,” Jessie said, and looked at the clock. Sure enough, it was nearly six. “I’ll go boil some water for spaghetti.”

  Mrs. McGregor, the Aldens’ housekeeper, was on vacation, so the children were doing their own cooking.

  Henry groaned. “Who can eat after all that party food?” he said.

  Benny popped to his feet. “I can!” he answered.

  “Now I know why Benny’s such a good eater,” Violet said. “He gets so much practice.”

  Next morning, Benny and Soo Lee were the first ones out the door. They were anxious to get to the Civic Center to hear the orchestra rehearse. Now that they knew some of the musicians, it would be a special treat to see and hear them play.

  At the corner, Benny saw the bus coming. He waved to the others, urging them to hurry.

  They picked up their pace, arriving just as the bus pulled in and stopped. The five Aldens piled on.

  “The workshops begin after the rehearsal,” Jessie reminded them, when they had taken their seats.

  “I’m taking Make Your Own Instruments,” Benny said.

  “I’d like to take Music Appreciation,” Soo Lee said.

  “I’m going to all the rehearsals,” Jessie said.

  “We can go to all the workshops and still hear the rehearsals,” Henry told them. “Each one is at a different time.”

  Violet was silent, thinking about the week ahead. On Saturday afternoon, there would be a special children’s performance. She hoped to be chosen as a violinist, but she was afraid to mention it. It seemed like an impossible dream. Still, it might come true. She had wished that one of the musicians would ask to hear her play. That had come true. She wondered when she’d have a chance to play for Melody.

  “Civic Center,” the bus driver announced.

  Saying, “Thank you,” the Aldens hopped off the bus. They raced each other to the Center’s big front doors.

  The lobby was full of people. Everyone seemed to be in a panic. Orchestra members stood around in small groups talking excitedly. Victor Perrelli paced the floor murmuring to himself. Melody followed a few steps behind. They couldn’t hear what she was saying to Victor, but they could tell she was upset.

  Janet Muller stood near them. “I was afraid of something like this,” she said.

  “What is it?” Jessie asked. “What’s happened?”

  “The Mozart score,” she answered. “It’s been stolen!”

  CHAPTER 5

  The Search

  “The Mozart score has been stolen?” Jessie repeated to make sure she had heard right.

  “Yes,” Janet Muller said. She wandered away, murmuring, “I knew it. I just knew this would happen.”

  Melody saw the Aldens and rushed over.

  “When did you discover the score was stolen?” Jessie asked.

  “Do you know who stole it?” Benny added.

  “Have you called the police?” Henry wanted to know.

  Melody held up her hand to silence them. “Wait, wait,” she said. “Who told you the score had been stolen?”

  “Janet Muller,” Jessie answered.

  “She’s jumping to conclusions,” Melody said.

  “The score hasn’t been stolen then!” Violet sounded relieved.

  Henry looked at the display case. It was empty. “The score’s not in the case,” he said. “If it wasn’t stolen, where is it?”

  Melody shrugged. “We’re not sure,” she said. Then she went on to explain. “Victor took it back to the hotel after the party. He thought it would be safer than leaving it here at the Center overnight.”

  Bob Weldon came up beside Melody. “Too bad no one was around to remind the great Victor Perrelli not to misplace it,” he said.

  Benny nodded. “He forgot where he put it!”

  “It shouldn’t be too difficult to find,” Henry said.

  Melody sighed. “Victor’s the only one who knows where it is, and he has completely forgotten.”

  “Maybe he’ll remember where he put it when he starts looking for it,” Jessie suggested.

  Bob Weldon chuckled. “By the time he gets back to the hotel, he’ll forget why he’s there,” he said.

  “We could go back to the hotel with Mr. Perrelli,” Henry suggested.

  “Yes,” Violet said. “We could help him look.”

  Benny thought that was a splendid idea. “We’ll find the missing music,” he assured Melody. “We’re very good detectives.”

  Melody smiled. “I’ll get Victor,” she said.

  “What about the rehearsal?” Bob Weldon asked. “We can’t cancel that. People are arriving. We can’t disappoint them.”

  Melody’s smile faded. “You’re right, Bob. If we cancel the first event of the week …” Her voice trailed off.

  “So the score will have to wait,” Bob Weldon said. “I’ll round up the musicians.” He hurried off.

  “I hate to put off looking for the score,” Melody said. “The longer it’s lost, the greater the chance that the wrong person might find it.”

  “Couldn’t someone else conduct the rehearsal?” Violet asked.

  “That’s it,” Melody said. “I’ve been so upset, I don’t seem to be thinking. I’ll lead the rehearsal while you and Victor go back to the hotel.” She hurried over to Victor to tell him the plan.

  He listened attentively, and nodded. Then he strode toward the Aldens. “Let’s see what we can see,” he said and led them outside.

  At the hotel, they went directly to his room. There, the conductor turned the doorknob and pushed open the door.

  Henry was surprised. “The door wasn’t locked,” he said.

  Victor Perrelli stepped back to let the children enter. “Locked doors require keys,” he said. “Too easy to misp
lace.”

  “But anyone could come into your room, Mr. Perrelli,” Jessie said. “Maybe — ”

  “Please call me Victor,” he interrupted. He walked into the room. “What we need here is music!” He snapped on the tape recorder on the nightstand.

  Instantly, the room was filled with the sounds of a full orchestra. Victor stood listening, his eyes closed. After several seconds, he began to wave his arms as though he were conducting the invisible musicians.

  The children waited silently. Finally, Benny whispered, “Now I know how he practices.”

  Victor dropped his arms suddenly and turned to the Aldens. “What was it we were supposed to do here?”

  “Look for the missing score,” Henry reminded him.

  Victor nodded. “Oh, yes, of course. Where shall we look first?”

  “Try to remember what you did when you came back here after the reception,” Jessie suggested.

  Victor nodded. “I listened to a Mozart concerto,” he said. “Very beautiful.”

  “Did you hide the score before or after that?” Violet asked.

  Victor sighed deeply. “A head full of music has no room for details,” he answered.

  Seeing that they could not depend on Victor to remember anything helpful, Henry took charge. “Let’s divide things up,” he suggested. “Jessie and Soo Lee, you check the bathroom. Violet, you help Victor search this room. Benny and I will look in the closet.”

  They all set to work.

  Jessie and Soo Lee found nothing in the bathroom.

  Violet and Victor looked everywhere — even under the mattress. No success.

  Henry and Benny searched the closet shelves and Mr. Perrelli’s pockets. Nothing. Finally, Benny dragged the suitcase into the room.

  “How about in here?” he asked.

  Victor opened the suitcase. It was empty.

  “Your garment bag’s hanging in the closet,” Henry said. “We didn’t look in it.”

  Victor shook his head. “There’s nothing in there but my tuxedo. And it’s dirty at that. I must remember to have it cleaned before the concert.” Suddenly, his face lit up. “Yes, yes. Now I remember.”

  He had remembered where he’d put the score! The Aldens waited anxiously for him to tell them where it was.

  Instead, he said, “Such a strange thing: memory.”

  “What is it you remembered?” Henry asked.

  “Last night, after I listened to the concerto, I took a long walk,” Victor responded. “It was a lovely night. It brought back so many memories of my childhood.”

  “Did you lock your door when you left?” Jessie asked.

  She knew the answer. They all knew the answer. Victor Perrelli did not lock his door. Had someone come into his room while he was out and found the Mozart score? Perhaps Janet Muller had been right after all: The music had been stolen!

  CHAPTER 6

  Two Suspects

  Victor Perrelli sank to the edge of the bed. “Oh, my,” he said, and ran his hands through his hair. “Do you suppose someone came in here and took the score?”

  “We’ve looked everywhere,” Jessie said. “It doesn’t seem to be here.”

  “This is terrible, terrible,” Victor said. “But who would do such a thing?”

  “The score is very valuable,” Henry said. “Many people might like to have it.”

  Victor popped to his feet. “Great music belongs to the world,” he said. “This cannot be! I will not let this happen!” He strode out of the room.

  The Aldens followed at his heels, out of the hotel.

  As they marched back to the Civic Center, Benny said, “Don’t worry. We’ll help you find the music.”

  But now the great Victor Perrelli was humming, and he didn’t seem to hear.

  Back at the Civic Center, Melody was talking on the lobby phone. When she saw them, she looked nervous, and abruptly stopped talking. As they came closer she hung up quickly and hurried over. It seemed as though she had been caught doing something she shouldn’t.

  “Oh, there you are,” she said. “I was just — ”

  “Why is there no music?” Victor demanded. “We must rehearse!”

  Melody’s face was nearly as red as her hair. “We took a break,” she explained. “Now that you’re here, Victor, you can take over.” Her voice was sharp.

  Without another word, Victor headed into the auditorium.

  Melody started after him.

  “Don’t you want to hear what happened?” Benny asked her.

  Melody halted. “Yes, of course,” she said. “Did you find the score?”

  “We looked everywhere,” Jessie answered. “But we couldn’t find it.”

  “Victor doesn’t lock his door,” Henry told her. “Anyone could have walked off with it.”

  “I can’t worry about that now,” Melody said. “I have to rehearse!” She stomped off.

  “She’s acting a bit strange,” Henry said.

  “She’s probably worried about the missing music,” Violet defended.

  “She can’t be too worried,” Benny said. “She didn’t even ask us about it.”

  “You can’t think she took it,” Violet said. “Why would she do that?”

  No one had an answer.

  “What about the phone call?” Jessie asked. “It looked as though we’d caught her in the middle of something she wanted to keep secret.”

  “Melody was probably just calling the hotel looking for us,” Violet suggested.

  Soo Lee nodded. “That would mean she is worried about the score.”

  “Of course she is,” Violet said. “That’s why she phoned: She wanted to know if we’d found it.”

  “Funny she didn’t say something when we got back here,” Jessie said.

  “Victor didn’t give her much of a chance to say anything,” Henry reminded her.

  Music drifted into the lobby.

  “Let’s talk about this later,” Jessie suggested. “I want to hear the rehearsal.”

  The Aldens went into the auditorium.

  Victor was at the podium. “Let’s try it once more,” he was saying. He took up his baton. “Now, remember, this passage should be sweet, full of heart.” He waited until everyone was ready. Then, with a downward stroke of the baton, he started the music again.

  The Aldens sat quietly. Music surrounded them. They felt as though they were being lifted up and carried away to beautiful new places.

  Victor tapped his baton against the podium. “No, no!” he said. “The strings are coming in late. Ms. Carmody, are you with us?”

  Melody mumbled an apology.

  “It sounded good to me,” Benny said.

  “But Victor has a trained ear,” Violet said. “He hears things we don’t.”

  “I don’t know how he can conduct at all with the missing score on his mind,” Jessie put in.

  “He’s probably forgotten all about it,” Henry said.

  Jessie wasn’t so sure. “He seemed awfully upset about it at the hotel. How could he forget it so soon?”

  “He remembers all that music,” Soo Lee said.

  “And Mozart’s long name,” Benny added. “But nothing else.”

  “Do you suppose … ?” Violet said.

  “No,” Henry answered firmly. “Victor didn’t steal the score. We shouldn’t even think it.”

  “Nobody would think it,” Jessie said. “Maybe he knows that.”

  “Right,” Benny piped up. “Maybe he just pretends to be so forgetful to throw everyone off the trail.”

  “I think he really is forgetful,” Henry argued. “Remember what he said: ‘A head full of music has no room for details.’”

  “Is valuable missing music just a detail?” Soo Lee wanted to know.

  No one, not even Victor Perrelli, could answer yes to that.

  They fell silent as the music began again. But their heads buzzed with unanswered questions.

  CHAPTER 7

  Violet’s Lesson

  At lunchtim
e, the orchestra stopped practicing. Most of the members went back to the hotel. Bob Weldon suggested that he and Victor make one last search for the score. The Aldens looked for Melody to ask her to have lunch with them, but she had disappeared.

  They walked to a nearby coffee shop.

  After they had placed their orders, Violet said, “Melody looked upset when Victor corrected her.”

  “You mean about the violins coming in late?” Henry asked.

  Violet nodded. “Maybe that’s why she disappeared like she did after the rehearsal.”

  “But Victor corrected everyone,” Soo Lee piped up.

  “Right,” Benny agreed. “If they all got upset about it, the whole orchestra would have disappeared.”

  “Benny’s right. Something else is bothering Melody,” Jessie said. “If only we could figure out what it is.”

  Just then, the waiter brought their lunches, big sandwiches with potato chips on the side. Although Benny’s sandwich was larger than the others, he was the first one finished.

  “Let’s go,” he said as he wiped his chin.

  “We have plenty of time,” Henry told him. “The workshop won’t start for half an hour.”

  “But it might be filled up if we don’t get there early,” Benny said.

  He had a point. The auditorium had been nearly full during rehearsal.

  The Aldens finished their lunches and hurried back to the Civic Center.

  Abner Medina, the percussionist they’d seen the day before, was in charge of the Make Your Own Instruments workshop. “I’m very happy to see so many eager faces,” he said.

  He went on to demonstrate some home-made instruments. He showed them a harmonica made from a comb and wax paper; a cigar box guitar; paper plate tambourines; and drinking glass chimes.

  “You can even make music with a rubber band,” he said and looped a rubber band over two fingers. He spread them wide and strummed the rubber band with the fingers of his other hand.

  “How about drums?” Benny asked. “I want to make drums.”

  Abner Medina looked pleased. “Everything you need is on this table,” he said. “Get to work. Use your imaginations. See what you can come up with.”

  Violet was selecting her materials when Melody came into the room. Smiling warmly, she no longer seemed upset.