by Dan Poblocki
“I paid the bill,” said Mr. Knox, sounding annoyed himself. “You may remember me handing you the money?”
In response, the Martian simply held up the small black folder that contained their check. The cash, however, was not there.
“I swear I put the money inside that folder and handed it back to you,” said Mr. Knox, turning red.
“Then where’s the money now?” asked the Martian.
“I think I know,” said Woodrow. “Dad, you handed the check to a Martian. But apparently it wasn’t our waiter.”
“What do you mean?” asked his dad.
“There was another Martian waiter up there. You must have given it to him instead. I thought there was something different about the waiter who took the check.” He turned toward his friends. “Did you guys notice the difference?”
“Yeah,” said Sylvester. “Come to think of it, the Martian who took the check was much shorter than this one.” He nodded at the perplexed-looking alien standing before them.
The Martian reached up and grabbed at its head. With a swift yank, it pulled off its mask, revealing a young man with bangs plastered to his forehead. He turned and shouted at a man standing off near the staircase. “Jeff! Sal did it again!”
Jeff, a short, squat man dressed all in black, approached them. He wore a tag on his shirt that read: Captain. Mr. Knox, Woodrow, and the waiter explained what had happened. Jeff simply blinked, then snapped his fingers at the two space officers near the front door. He waved his thumb up the stairs, as if to say, “Put Sal in the ship’s holding cell.” Finally, he smiled at the group. “Sorry about the mix-up, folks. We’ve got some rogue aliens on board. This isn’t the first time our friend Sal has been accused of something like this. But I’ll make sure this never happens here again.”
“No harm done,” said Mr. Knox. “I just hope the right Martian gets to keep the tip.”
12
TALL TED TALES
Exhausted but enthused from their trip to New York City, the Question Marks settled easily back into the routine of the school week. Now that Woodrow was done with detention, he and Sylvester met in their yards every afternoon to catch up on their Frisbee-throwing skills. Every now and again, a cold spring wind would lift the disk and send it flying out of reach, but having felt cooped up inside for much of the winter, the boys didn’t mind chasing it across the borders of the girls’ yards.
Viola and Rosie spent many days after class working with Mrs. Glick and the rest of the Villain cast, working to make their scenes just right. Rosie thought it was weird that onstage Viola had become her worst enemy, because offstage, she was pretty sure they had become best friends.
Later that week, the four finally had a chance to catch up. Since the evenings still left the Four Corners too chilly, the group followed Sylvester downstairs into his basement bedroom. Sylvester’s grandmother, Hal-muh-ni, called to them from the kitchen, asking if anyone wanted hot tea.
“Thanks,” said Sylvester, “but we’re fine.”
“I’ve been hearing weird rumors going around school,” said Viola, sitting on the new rug next to Sylvester’s bed.
“What kind of rumors?” asked Woodrow.
“Remember that story Clea Keene told on the bus home from Purgatory?” said Viola. “The one about Tall Ted?” The other three nodded. “Well, kids have been saying they’ve seen him here. In Moon Hollow.”
“That’s crazy,” said Woodrow. Sitting on Sylvester’s bed, he sat up straight and pulled his feet onto the mattress, as if something underneath might reach out and grab his ankles. “Right? Tall Ted is just a tall tale.”
“I heard something about it too,” said Sylvester. “Dale Fichner found strange tracks out on the sports field earlier this week. He said it looked like some kind of animal had limped across the grass, clawing up the ground every few steps.”
“That’s odd,” said Viola. “Clea did say that Tall Ted supposedly walks with a limp.”
“It could have been a hurt animal,” said Rosie. “We’ve got foxes in these woods. And I’ve heard that sometimes bears come down from the hills.”
“True,” said Viola. “Just thought I’d mention it since some of our classmates are scared. They regret taking stones from Purgatory Chasm. Everyone thinks the stones are cursed, and no one wants to think about Tall Ted showing up in their bedroom at night” — Viola made her voice deep and added — “reaching out for them with his long, razor-sharp claws….”
“That’s just dumb,” said Sylvester, clutching his knees. “There’s no such thing as curses.” He stared at his friends unsurely. “Is there?”
13
A CASE OF BAD LUCK
(A ?? MYSTERY)
“I didn’t mean to freak you out,” said Viola. Her friends all scoffed. “Okay, so maybe I did, a little. Mostly, I wanted to share the rumors so we’ll keep our eyes open, just in case there’s a mystery creeping up on us. Speaking of which, I’ve got another one from my mom.”
“Thank goodness,” said Rosie, wide-eyed. She looked almost as frightened as Sylvester. “This isn’t a scary one, is it?”
“Not scary, exactly,” said Viola. “Although I’m sure some people might find this story disturbing.”
“Let’s hear it,” said Woodrow, leaning forward with anticipation.
“Okay,” said Viola. “My mom is writing an article about this for the paper. Recently, a man bought a lottery ticket a few towns away from here. He and his wife had been struggling for a little while to make ends meet. With their new baby, they barely had any extra money, but he still drove his busted old car to pick up a ticket at the convenience store, hoping to turn his luck around. Oddly, he was able to do just that. He ended up winning!”
“No way,” said Sylvester, astonished. “That actually happens?”
“They say someone’s gotta win,” said Rosie.
“How much?” asked Woodrow.
“I don’t remember the exact amount,” said Viola. “But it was enough that the man immediately started getting phone calls from family members he had never even heard of, all asking him for money.
“The man started to get paranoid that one of his family members would find a way to steal the ticket. He borrowed a clunky old safe from a neighbor and locked that ticket up inside. Then he and his wife packed up their car, placed the heavy safe on the rusty floor in the backseat, and headed out to the nearest lottery claim center. They left their baby at home with a sitter, because they didn’t think the car was safe enough to drive long distances with their child. On the way to the lotto center, the man mentioned that the first thing they’d buy was a new car. His wife was relieved that she wouldn’t have to worry about getting into an accident in their old clunker anymore. They didn’t make any stops along the way, because there was always a chance that if they turned the engine off, it wouldn’t turn on again.
“When they pulled into the claim center’s parking lot, the couple got the shock of their life. Looking in the backseat, they discovered that the safe was missing!”
“No way!” said Woodrow. “Did one of the man’s family members manage to steal it?”
“How would that be possible?” asked Rosie. “The man put the safe in the back, got in the front seat, and drove without stopping. How would anyone have had the chance to steal the safe from him?”
“That would have been impossible,” said Viola. “No. When the man looked in the backseat, he knew he hadn’t been robbed. Because instead of finding the safe there, he found something else in its place.” The other three looked thoroughly confused. Viola smiled. “Do you have any idea what it was he found?”
Woodrow shook his head. “The only thing I can think of would be a giant hole!”
“A hole?” said Sylvester. “But how?”
“Viola said the car was rusted,” said Woodrow. “If the safe was heavy enough, I can imagine that any serious bump might have broken the floor away. The safe could have fallen out on the highway, and the couple might not ha
ve noticed.”
“Strange but true,” said Viola sadly.
“Oh no,” said Rosie. “That’s terrible!”
“Panicked, the couple backtracked the way they’d come, looking all over for the safe that had fallen through the hole in their car. But it was nowhere to be found.”
“Maybe someone picked it up,” Rosie suggested. “Maybe they’ll come forward with it. Maybe your mom’s article will help the couple locate the safe. And the ticket.”
“Whoever found it would have to be an especially good Samaritan,” said Woodrow.
“That’s what everyone at the newspaper hopes,” said Viola.
Rosie shook her head. “And to think, if they’d just stuck the ticket in an envelope and put it in the glove box, they’d probably be totally rich right now.”
“Just goes to show that sometimes you can be too safe,” said Sylvester.
14
THE TRICK OF THE UNLIKELY ACCOMPLICE
(A ?? MYSTERY)
“I should probably get home soon,” said Rosie. “I have some studying to do.”
“You can’t leave before you hear the story Hal-muh-ni told me when I got home from school today,” said Sylvester. Rosie shrugged and settled down again. “This afternoon, Hal-muh-ni took my little sister out to a park across the river in Highcliff. Since it was a sunny day, there were quite a few people out and about, enjoying the big playground they have there. Lots of baby carriages with mommy purses hanging on the handlebars. A few toddlers wandering around. Gwen and my grandmother fit right in.
“Hal-muh-ni came upon a big crowd gathered near some of the topiary animals. A white-faced clown was doing a mime routine. Pretending to be stuck in an invisible box. Walking on an invisible tightrope. Lifting very heavy invisible objects. Gwen was instantly fascinated, so they stopped to watch.
“The clown eventually motioned for a volunteer. He happened to pick my grandmother out of the crowd. Silently, he indicated that he wanted Hal-muh-ni to open her pocketbook and give him some cash. She knew it was part of a magic trick, so she went ahead and took out a dollar. She handed it over, and before she knew it, the clown had made the money disappear seemingly into thin air. Although Hal-muh-ni had seen me do a version of that trick, she was still impressed. After a few seconds, the clown managed to make my grandmother’s money reappear. He did a few more tricks, finishing up by releasing a couple of doves from inside his long black coat. All the kids were surprised and excited. The clown took a bow, then put out his hat to collect tips.
“The audience went for their purses and wallets. But when two women grabbed their purses from their carriages and searched for their cash, they realized that they’d been robbed. Their money was missing.”
“Did your grandmother mention anyone suspicious looking lurking around?” Woodrow asked.
“I don’t think so,” said Sylvester. “And the two women were standing in completely different areas. That’s why, when one of them suggested that the clown had performed a trick to make their money disappear, people in the crowd agreed with her. They’d seen him pull the stunt on my grandmother, and now they thought he’d done the same to them. And they were mad that he wouldn’t admit to it.”
Viola shook her head. “To do a disappearing trick, I’d assume the clown would have had to be up close to the victim. That’s why he pulled your grandma out of the crowd. Unless he was using real magic, I don’t think he could have stolen money from anyone else in the audience — much less two people standing in two different spots.”
“Unless he was using an accomplice,” said Rosie.
“My grandmother didn’t think he was using an accomplice,” said Sylvester. “In fact, she didn’t think the clown was guilty at all. There was something about the victims that clued her in. Something they had in common. Do you know what it was?”
“They were both moms?” said Woodrow.
“They weren’t necessarily moms,” said Viola, “but Sylvester mentioned that they both had baby carriages with them. That’s what they had in common.” Sylvester nodded. “But what would that have to do with the clown’s guilt?”
“The clown wasn’t close to the carriages, where the purses were hanging,” said Sylvester. “But who was?”
Viola, Woodrow, and Rosie glanced at one another as the answer came to them. “The kids!”
Sylvester smiled. “That’s what Hal-muh-ni noticed. She’d seen a couple of the toddlers reaching into some of the bags, looking for treats or toys or something, when their parents weren’t watching. As the crowd started getting more riled up, demanding that the clown empty his pockets, my grandmother went up to one of the victims. She asked her to check her son’s pockets. The woman was taken aback. But when she searched her precious baby, she found a wad of cash stuck in his pants!”
Viola laughed. “Wow, they’re starting early in Highcliff.”
“Of course, the kid didn’t realize that what he’d done was wrong,” said Sylvester. “Today, he got his first lesson in making things disappear. If he wants to grow up to be a magician, he’s going to have to get a lot better at it.”
“Yeah,” said Woodrow, “and I bet that clown will think again before performing for such a difficult audience.”
15
ANOTHER MYSTERY CLUB
A few days later, Viola was coming out of the girls’ bathroom when she felt someone grab her arm. When she turned, Viola was shocked to find Rosie clutching her sleeve.
“Oh my goodness, Viola,” said Rosie, panicked, “have you heard?”
“No! What?” Viola reeled. Had Principal Dzielski been kidnapped? Did the old Reynolds house finally collapse? Were they giving away free ice cream in the cafeteria?
“Clea Keene is starting her own mystery club!” Rosie proclaimed.
Viola felt as though she’d been knocked against the wall. All of her “let’s give Clea a chance” feelings suddenly vanished. “She doesn’t even like mysteries.”
“Well, she says she does. She’s also mentioned that she thinks the Question Marks Mystery Club hasn’t been dependable lately and that someone else needs to stand up for the students of Moon Hollow Middle School.”
“What’s she talking about?”
Rosie simply raised an eyebrow.
“The thing with Mickey and the graffiti?” Viola asked. Rosie nodded. “Granted, that wasn’t a nice thing for Woodrow to do, but he came clean. And we did get Mickey to change.”
“But she’s telling everyone that Woodrow changed in the process. She’s calling Woodrow a bully. And now, she says, the Question Marks can’t be trusted. If she keeps this up, people might start to believe her.”
“Not if I can help it.”
“We’ve got to tell the boys,” said Rosie. “How long ‘til lunch?”
About an hour later, the girls caught up with Sylvester and Woodrow at their favorite bench near the cafeteria window. As it turned out, Woodrow had already heard the story … and more.
“The others who joined Clea’s group are Paul Gomez, Shanti Lane, and Thomas Kenyon,” Woodrow explained.
“Another mysterious four,” said Viola with a scowl.
“Paul’s in the play with us,” said Rosie.
“According to Clea,” said Woodrow, “each of them has been the victim of a recent crime.”
“Really?” said Sylvester. “What crime? How come we haven’t heard of it?”
“They’ve all had something stolen from their houses,” said Woodrow. “We haven’t heard of it because they hadn’t told anyone until now.”
“That doesn’t make any sense,” said Viola. “If they hadn’t told anyone, then how did they end up learning that they had this in common? It certainly hasn’t made the papers.”
“I don’t know or care how Clea Keene operates,” said Woodrow. “She hasn’t been the nicest person to me lately.”
“To any of us,” said Sylvester. “Ever since Viola and Rosie joined the drama club —”
“That’s exactly it,”
said Viola. “Clea doesn’t care about mysteries. But she does care about how much attention she gets. Since she’s not the lead in the school play this year, she needs something else to concentrate on.”
“But Moon Hollow mysteries already belong to us,” said Sylvester, angrily chewing his sandwich. He nearly spit a piece of it out onto the table.
“Mysteries don’t really belong to anyone,” said Woodrow. He sat back and crossed his arms. “Let Clea and her friends do what they want. Since they’re a so-called mystery club now, they can figure out who robbed them on their own. We’ll concentrate on other things.”
“Yeah … other things,” said Rosie, trying to sound perky, “like the story my mom told at dinner last night.”
16
THE MYSTERY OF THE SHRUNKEN MONEY
(A ???? MYSTERY)
“Mom came home from work looking really frustrated,” said Rosie. “My family thought she’d just had another busy day at the library, but at dinner, when my oldest sister, Grace, asked her what was wrong, Mom reached into her pocket and pulled out a twenty-dollar bill. Grace’s face lit up as my mom held it out to her. The rest of my brothers and sisters were disappointed that they hadn’t thought to comfort my mother first. But they didn’t understand that Mom wasn’t rewarding Grace. She was simply showing her why she was frustrated.”
“Why would a twenty-dollar bill make your mom upset?” asked Sylvester.
“None of us knew why until Mom took out two more twenties. She handed these to Grace as well. My sister looked like she had won the lottery — until my mom asked her to compare them. Confused, Grace held up the three bills. She immediately noticed the difference between them. The first bill was a tiny bit smaller than the other two.”
