The Mystery at the Calgary Stampede

by Gertrude Chandler Warner

  Aunt Judy changed the subject. “What are we all going to do tomorrow?” She looked at Benny. “I have an idea,” she said. “Why don’t we go to the mini tractor pull? I have a feeling you—Benny, especially—will like it.”

  “I think that’s a great idea,” said Grandfather. “I’ll be busy tomorrow, but I’ll join you for the Grandstand Show tomorrow night.”

  Daisy looked miserable at the mention of the show but the children gave a cheer. “Grandfather, wait until you see Daisy tap-dance,” said Jessie. “She’s amazing.”

  Daisy was embarrassed by the praise, but Aunt Judy spoke up. “Daisy has spent hours and hours dancing and singing and learning music. She homeschooled this past year to make time for it all. I’m very proud of her.” She gave her niece a hug.

  “But I had stage fright tonight,” said Daisy.

  “It happens,” said Aunt Judy. “Do you really think I’ve never had stage fright? Trust me, wearing a pin won’t make a difference.”

  Daisy didn’t look so sure.

  As the Aldens helped wash up, Aunt Judy started to sing a funny song about a cow in her soup as they worked. Once they learned the song they all joined in. It felt good to sing. Maybe, Violet thought, the people who cleaned up after the flood sang while they worked.

  The Aldens shared a great big room to sleep, with bunk beds built into the walls. They liked that they could all be together and talk after lights out.

  Violet and Benny were getting sleepy when Jessie spoke up. “You don’t think…” she began but then hesitated.

  “What?” asked Violet.

  “I’m not sure I should even say what I’m thinking,” Jessie went on. “But do you think that maybe Aunt Judy took the pin? Just to prove to Daisy that all her practicing would pay off?”

  “Oh,” said Benny, suddenly wide awake.

  Violet cleared her throat. “Aunt Judy kept changing the subject when Daisy talked about the pin. She also said not to bother calling the police yet. And I heard her say that she was sure the pin will turn up when Daisy told everyone it was missing. It seemed like a strange thing for Aunt Judy to say. How could she know for sure?”

  “Maybe she just wanted to say something that would make everybody calm down,” Benny said.

  Jessie nodded. “You are so wise, Benny. That might be exactly right. What do you think, Henry?” she asked.

  Her older brother thought for a long minute. “I think that you’re right that Aunt Judy really wants Daisy to know she can perform without a good luck charm…but I don’t think she’d put Daisy through all this worrying.”

  “That doesn’t seem like something she’d do,” said Benny.

  “She’s too kind for that,” added Violet.

  Jessie let out a breath of air. “I guess you’re right,” she said.

  The children thought about who else could have taken the pin.

  “What about Marian?” asked Jessie. “Her face was so red when we talked to her.”

  “There’s something she’s not telling us,” said Henry.

  “And there’s something strange about that big old bag her grandfather—her poppa—carries.”

  The others agreed.

  From outside the open window came a gust of cool air. The children snuggled deeper under the fluffy blankets that Aunt Judy had set out for them, and one by one they drifted asleep.

  CHAPTER 5

  Tractor Pull

  The next morning, as the Aldens and Aunt Judy set off in the minivan for Stampede Park, the sky was blue and cloudless. The children could see the dark shapes of the Rocky Mountains to the west, but the sky seemed to go on forever.

  Daisy was very quiet when they picked her up at her house.

  As they drove through the neighborhoods, the Aldens noticed all the front yards were full of people. They saw tables and chairs set up on one street, and they could smell maple syrup and bacon through the open minivan windows.

  “There are lots of pancake breakfasts this week,” Aunt Judy said. “It’s Calgary tradition for churches and community centers to host pancake breakfasts during the Stampede. There are also lots of block parties.”

  Violet saw a yard sale sign. “I like yard sales,” she said. “I like to find books for my library at home. I never know what I’m going to find at a sale.” She wished she could say something that would cheer up Daisy and take her mind off the lost pin.

  Aunt Judy seemed to notice Daisy’s mood too. “You know,” she began, “when I was young I lost something very special to me. I never found it. It bothered me for a long time, longer than it should have. I tried to distract myself by thinking about other things…”

  “Like cheesecake?” asked Daisy.

  Aunt Judy smiled. “Like cheesecake. Or like Violet’s yard sales. Or by remembering to enjoy the day. I wish I could make you forget the missing pin.”

  The Aldens looked at one another. They knew that Aunt Judy couldn’t have taken the pin.

  Soon they were outside the main gate of Stampede Park.

  “I have rehearsal,” said Daisy, as she stepped out of the minivan. “But I’ll meet you all for lunch.”

  “Will we have strange food?” asked Benny.

  “How about a bison smokie?” asked Daisy.

  “That doesn’t sound strange, just different…and good!” said Benny.

  Daisy waved and headed through the gate into the fairgrounds.

  Aunt Judy handed Henry a map to Stampede Park. “Your grandfather thought you would enjoy having some time on your own today. You can explore the park and go on some rides on the midway.”

  “What’s the midway?” asked Benny.

  “At a fair, that’s the area where the food stands and rides are located.” Aunt Judy smiled. “My favorite was always the Skyride, with the gondolas that glide right over the grounds and you can watch people as you swing through the air. I used to call it the ‘Spyride’ when I was young.”

  “I like that name,” said Violet. “The Spyride!”

  Aunt Judy waved good-bye as the Aldens climbed out of the minivan. “You have fun on the rides. Don’t forget to check out the mini tractor pull. Your grandfather and I will meet you for dinner before the Grandstand Show.”

  “Okay,” Henry said as he studied the map. “Let’s find the tractor pull. It looks like it’s in this direction.” He led the way and the others followed after him.

  Violet looked up over their heads. “I want to go on the Spyride before we head home,” she said.

  “Tractor pull first,” said Benny. “Spyride later!”

  The tractor pull was next to a huge painted sign on the side of a trailer. Kid Versus Machine, the sign read.

  A man standing next to the sign waved them over. “It’s the kids’ pedal tractor pull!” he called out. He was wearing the skinniest jeans Benny had ever seen, the biggest, shiniest belt buckle and a cowboy hat of course. “My name’s Allan, and this is my assistant, Skippy, and we’re going to see to it that you have the tractor pull best time ever!”

  Benny looked at the tractors. They were miniature tractors with bike pedals instead of an engine. Benny really wanted to give one a try.

  “Pick me!” he asked the man. “Pick me!” He couldn’t wait.

  The man grinned. “Step right up, young man, step right up. I’ll bet you had something like a sugar sandwich for breakfast, and you’re ready to race!”

  Benny laughed.

  “I want to race too!” came a squeaky voice that the Aldens had heard before. It came from Clay’s little sister.

  Violet couldn’t help but stare at Little Clay’s cowboy boots. They were purple!

  Little Clay smiled shyly at her. “I saw you watching the parade. I liked your purple cowboy hat.”

  Just then Skippy, Allan’s assistant, motioned to Benny. “You’re on tractor number two in lane two.”

  Benny looked over to the track. At the end of both lanes was a bright yellow ribbon that declared Finish. Skippy had lined up the two tractors, and
a bigger boy was waiting in the first lane. Hitched to the tractors were little carts carrying big metal weights.

  “Those are heavy,” said Skippy. “You’re going to pull the weights to the end of your lane all the way to the finish line.”

  “The trick is to not stop pedaling,” Allan told Benny. “Once you stop, starting to pedal again will be almost impossible.” He raised his voice so that all the folks in the audience could hear. “We’re going to cheer really loudly so these boys pedal as hard as they can!”

  The crowd cheered. Almost everyone let out a “Yee-haw!”

  Violet saw Little Clay cross her arms tightly as if to protect herself from the noise.

  Benny climbed onto his tractor, and when Allan shouted “Go!” he pushed at the pedals. Getting the pedals going took a lot of effort, and the bigger boy was already almost halfway down his lane. But Benny was off, pushing the pedals as hard as he could. The other boy seemed to be slowing.

  “Keep going!” shouted Benny. “We can do it!”

  The boy looked at him in surprise and paused. When he tried to get the tractor started again, it was too late. Benny could see that Allan was right: if you stopped, you couldn’t start again! Benny took a deep breath and pushed one foot down, then the other, harder and harder. It felt as if the weights were getting heavier, but he focused on the pedals until he reached the yellow ribbon.

  “You did it, Benny!” Henry came over to high-five him. Jessie and Violet clapped their hands in the air.

  Little Clay and another girl were up next.

  “Let’s have a hand for”—Allan bent down to hear Little Clay whisper her name to him—“Little Clay!” he called out. He shook his head. “Is that your stage name?” he asked jokingly.

  A big smile came over Little Clay’s face. “Yes, sir. That’s my stage name!”

  He announced the other girl, and she and Little Clay got on their tractors. Allan called out “Go!” and off they went.

  As the crowd cheered, a frightened look came over Little Clay’s face. She turned to look at all the people Jessie thought the little girl might cry. Little Clay stopped pedaling, and the other contestant pulled ahead, but she didn’t quite reach the yellow ribbon when she couldn’t pedal any farther.

  Big Clay stepped out of the crowd. He went over to his little sister and picked her up.

  The Aldens could hear her from where they stood. “All the people scared me,” she said with her face tucked into his shoulder.

  “Poor Little Clay,” Jessie said to her brothers and sister. “I think the crowd was too much for her.”

  “It’s funny though,” said Violet. “When she was on the covered wagon in the parade, the crowd there didn’t seem to bother her.”

  “But she had Big Clay beside her,” said Jessie.

  “Give a hand for Miss Purple Boots,” Allan called out to the audience, “Also known as Little Clay! She’s done good…Yee-haw!”

  Everyone echoed “yee-haw” and clapped for Little Clay. She looked up, gave a small smile, and seemed a bit cheerier. But Jessie could understand why a small girl—even one who wanted to be a Young Canadian—could feel a bit lost and frightened.

  Just then Violet nudged her. “Look,” Violet whispered. She pointed to her own collar and nodded her head in Big Clay’s direction.

  Jessie took a closer look at Big Clay just as he and his little sister were walking off. There was something shiny on his collar!

  “Did you see that?” Violet whispered after Big and Little Clay had gone.

  “There’s something on Big Clay’s collar,” said Jessie. “And it sure looks like Aunt Judy’s pin!”

  CHAPTER 6

  By the River

  The Aldens waited to meet Daisy for lunch at the bison-smokie stand.

  “I’ve never had bison,” said Benny. “A smokie’s like a hotdog, right?”

  “A super hotdog,” said Henry. “It’s huge and it has deluxe toppings like onions and sauerkraut and different relishes.”

  Jessie was thinking. “We’ll have to ask Daisy if she saw Clay wearing the pin this morning.”

  “I’m positive it’s the same pin,” said Violet. “But if he took it I don’t know why he’d wear it for everyone to see.”

  “I don’t like to think that one Young Canadian would take something from another,” said Jessie. “Let’s ask Daisy if she knows anything about it.”

  Benny saw Daisy walking toward the stand. “There she is. That means we can eat.”

  The others laughed. They each ordered a bison smokie. Benny and Henry heaped sauerkraut on their smokies, along with some weird-smelling mustard that looked like mud.

  “This is the best,” Benny said. The others nodded, mouths too full to speak.

  Violet finished chewing first. “We saw Little Clay at the tractor pull this morning,” she told Daisy. “Big Clay was there.”

  “He said he saw you there,” replied Daisy. “It’s weird that he happened to find a pin just like mine, isn’t it?”

  “Is that what he told you?” asked Jessie.

  “Yes. He found it at a yard sale a few weeks ago, but he’s been letting Little Clay wear it. Then he heard me say that wearing the pin would bring good luck to the performance, and he wants to try it tonight. Especially after—you know—what happened to me last night. So Little Clay gave it back to him.

  “I think Marian was a little jealous,” Daisy continued. “She told me at rehearsal that she wished she would have the sort of luck to find a Young Canadian pin! She said her grandfather collects all sorts of Stampede memorabilia. She’s always looking for stuff for him.”

  “Did you look at Clay’s pin?” asked Jessie.

  Daisy was surprised. “You don’t think…?”

  “Are you sure it’s not yours?” Jessie asked.

  “I don’t think Clay would take my pin. If he did, why would he wear it in front of me?” Daisy shook her head. “My aunt’s pin has her name engraved on it so I’ll know it when I find it.”

  “Did you actually see Clay’s pin?” Violet asked.

  Daisy paused. “No,” she said finally. “I didn’t see the pin close up.” She changed the subject “Do you want to watch our rehearsal this afternoon? I’d like to know you’re watching. That might be good luck!”

  “I’d like to watch,” Benny said.

  Meanwhile Jessie was wondering about Marian. She had seemed so embarrassed the evening before when she and Henry had found her in the dressing room. She wondered why had Marian been hiding in the closet. Daisy didn’t want to blame anyone, but Jessie had a feeling that someone had taken the pin.

  They finished their smokies and made their way toward the grandstand. At this time of day, the stage was to the side of the rodeo arena and quiet.

  As they came closer, the backstage door opened, and a woman dressed in cleaning coveralls stepped out and placed a beat-up box at the foot of the steps. Then she went back in and brought out a smaller box. Both were overflowing with old costumes and other stuff.

  “Is that garbage?” Jessie asked.

  “That’s one of the cleaning crew,” Daisy answered. “They were supposed to get rid of that old stuff from last year before our performances started this summer.”

  A few moments later, Marian came out from the same door. She hopped down the steps to see what was in the boxes and started to pull out something. But then she saw Daisy and the Aldens approaching, and she stood up as they passed. She even held open the door for them.

  Jessie had the feeling Marian didn’t want them to see what she was doing.

  “Can I watch the part of the rehearsal with the wagon wheels now?” asked Benny as the door closed behind them.

  Daisy pulled out her schedule. “Clay is one of the boys working with the wheels, Benny,” she said. “They’re practicing next. Why don’t you come with me?” She and Benny went to watch.

  “Let’s go back outside,” whispered Jessie to Henry and Violet.

  Henry opened the door a c
rack, and they peered through and watched as Marian pulled clothing out of the first box and papers out of the second. She left the big box and put the stuff she’d collected into the smaller one and walked away in the direction of the river.

  The Aldens waited a moment.

  “Is it safe to follow her?” asked Violet.

  “I think so,” said Henry. “But don’t let the door slam.”

  They eased out and closed the door carefully. If Marian looked back she would have seen them, but she didn’t. She continued to walk toward the river while the Aldens followed, sometimes taking cover behind trees or bushes.

  When Marian reached the river, the Aldens could see her approach Mr. Sutton, who was sitting on one of the large rocks by the river, his cowboy hat on his head as always. Marian sat next to her grandfather, and together they looked through the box.

  The Aldens could hear the old man exclaim something. Even with his thick beard, they could see that he was smiling, and he clapped his hands together. He held up one of the old costumes, and put it into the bag he kept over his shoulder. Marian dug her hand into her pocket and pulled out something that fit in her hand. She held it out to him, and he took a look at it, put it in his own pocket, and clapped his hands again. He emptied the remaining contents of the box into his bag and put it back over his shoulder. He looked very pleased.

  Marian carried the empty box back to the stage door while the Aldens stayed hidden behind a tree. She didn’t spot them as she passed and went back inside the grandstand.

  Meanwhile, Mr. Sutton got to his feet and headed in the direction of the fairgrounds gates.

  “Should we follow him?” Henry asked.

  “I don’t know how we’ll get a chance to look in that bag,” said Jessie. “It’s always on his shoulder. We should probably talk to Marian instead.”

  When the Aldens let themselves back in through the stage door, Marian was busily organizing props and costume pieces on a table, preparing for the evening performance.