No one said anything as they rode their bicycles home. There was nothing to say. Mr. Allen hadn’t been able to help after all. They had seen lots of interesting cats, but they were no nearer to finding Spotzie than they’d been when they first started looking.
CHAPTER 8
A Strange Phone Call
“Look, Violet! That’s the North Star,” Henry pointed up at the sky.
The Aldens had just finished dinner and Grandfather Alden had gotten out his book of constellations. The four children were trying to find the constellations and stars he had shown them in the book.
“I see the Big Dipper,” said Henry.
“Very good, Henry,” said Grandfather.
Just then they heard the sound of the phone ringing through the open back door.
“I’ll get it,” said Henry.
He raced up the stairs and a moment later, the others heard the phone stop in mid-ring.
A few minutes later, Henry came back outside.
“Who was it, Henry?” asked Grandfather Alden.
“I don’t know,” said Henry. “I think someone was trying to disguise his — or her — voice.”
“What do you mean?” Jessie asked quickly.
Henry said, “It was someone calling about Spotzie. The voice was very muffled and hard to hear. He — or she — said that Spotzie is lost and going to stay lost. And if we know what’s good for us, we’ll stop looking for her!”
Everyone was so surprised that no one said anything at all for a minute. Then Violet said, “Do you think it was the same man who called me? Mr. Jones?”
“There’s no way of knowing,” said Henry. “I couldn’t tell if it was a man or a woman calling. But if it was a man, it might be the man you talked to.”
Suddenly Jessie snapped her fingers excitedly. “But now we have a clue!”
“A clue?” Grandfather looked at Jessie. “What’s the clue?”
“Now we know Spotzie was stolen! Why else would anyone want us to stop looking for her, unless they’d taken her and didn’t want to get caught?” explained Jessie.
“You’re right!” exclaimed Henry.
“Was it a cat burglar?” asked Benny, looking up at his grandfather. “Was it a cat burglar who took Spotzie?”
Grandfather Alden patted his youngest grandchild on the head. “It was a cat burglar of sorts, Benny.”
“I think we should visit Professor Madison again,” Jessie said. “I think she knows more than she is telling us.”
The Aldens all agreed it was a good idea, and decided to go visit Professor Madison the following day.
The next day when the Aldens arrived at Professor Madison’s, she was even more unfriendly than she had been before.
“Hello,” said Henry politely when the professor opened the door.
This time, Professor Madison didn’t try to close the door in their faces. Instead, she stepped outside onto her porch and shut the front door behind her. She folded her arms in front of her and frowned. “What is it now?” she asked.
“We’d like to talk to you about Spotzie.” Jessie held up the photograph of Spotzie to remind the professor.
The professor sighed a big, annoyed sigh. “Are you still looking for that cat? Well, she’s not here. Not now. Not ever!”
“Wait a minute,” said Henry. “Remember the last time we were here and we tried to show you a photograph of Spotzie. You said you didn’t have a cat that looked like ours. But you didn’t really look at the photograph!”
Professor Madison bit her lip. “I saw as much as I needed to see.”
“But — ” Henry began.
“I’ve told you everything I’m going to tell you,” Professor Madison told them.
“Then there is more,” said Jessie quickly. “You know more and you aren’t telling us!”
Putting her hand on the door handle behind her, the professor said, “No. Well . . .”
“Wait,” said Violet. “Please wait. We need your help. We think Spotzie isn’t lost after all. We think she was stolen. If you know anything that can help us find her, please tell us!”
The professor hesitated. She half turned, as if she were about to go back inside without answering. Then she turned back around.
“Okay,” she said. “You’re not the only one looking for a lost cat that matches the picture you showed me. The day before you came over, someone else was here looking for a lost cat. He’d gotten my name from the animal shelter as someone who had a lot of cats and might have taken his in.”
“What happened?” asked Jessie eagerly.
“I showed him the cat I gave to you. He said she was his cat and made a grab for her. She hissed and tried to get away from him. That made me suspicious.”
“Why would his own cat do that?” Benny’s eyes were wide.
“I don’t think it was his cat.” Professor Madison went on, “I became really suspicious when he offered me a large reward for the cat — a great deal too much money — if I’d just hand her over. When I wouldn’t, he became very angry and almost threatening. I made him leave.
“That same night, someone tried to break into my house. Fortunately, I have an alarm system and it scared off whoever it was. But I’m sure it was the same man.”
“It could be the same man who called us, too,” said Henry.
“What are you talking about?” the professor asked.
“Last night, someone called us and told us to stop looking for Spotzie if we knew what was good for us. That’s what made us think she was stolen,” Henry explained. “What did the man who came here look like?”
Professor Madison answered, “It was hard to tell. He was wearing a hat and dark glasses and a coat with the collar turned up — almost like a disguise. That made me suspicious, too.”
The Aldens exchanged glances. It sounded like the man who had followed them outside the animal shelter!
“I think you’re right,” Professor Madison continued. “I think it might be the same man that called you.” She reached out and took the photograph of Spotzie that Jessie was holding. “They do look alike, don’t they. But I don’t understand it. Why would someone steal a cat like this?”
No one could answer that.
The professor gave the photograph back to Jessie. “Anyway, I’m glad she’s in a safe place now. That’s why I insisted you take her. I know that man wasn’t her owner and I didn’t trust him.”
Jessie put the picture carefully in her pocket. “Thank you, Professor Madison,” she said.
“Good luck,” said Professor Madison. “If anything else happens, or I can think of anything to help, I’ll let you know.”
She went back into her house and the Boxcar children went down the stairs and got back on their bicycles.
“Who could have taken Spotzie?” wondered Violet.
“And why?” added Jessie.
“That’s the biggest mystery of all,” said Henry. “Spotzie looks like an ordinary cat.”
“Maybe she’s not,” said Benny. “Maybe she’s a rare and valuable cat.”
“Oh, Benny,” said Jessie. “Spotzie isn’t like those cats we saw at Mr. Allen’s. Those cats are like the dogs we saw at the dog show. They are very valuable.”
“But Watch isn’t a show dog, and he’s valuable,” said Benny.
“That’s true, Benny,” Violet said. “And Spotzie isn’t a show cat, but she is valuable to Mr. Woods, too, because he loves her, the same way we love Watch.”
“That makes Watch and Spotzie the most valuable dog and cat of all,” declared Benny.
“You’re right,” Violet said to her little brother, giving him a warm smile. “You’re exactly right, Benny.”
CHAPTER 9
Looking for Mr. Jones
As they turned down the street where they lived, Jessie suddenly exclaimed, “I have an idea! And I know it’s going to help us solve this mystery!”
“What is it?” asked Violet.
“Yes, tell us,” urged Henry.
> “Remember that man who called you, Violet?” Jessie asked her sister.
“Mr. Jones.” Violet nodded. “I remember.”
“He gave you a post office box to write to. Why don’t we write him a letter and tell him we have a lost cat.”
“But won’t that be a lie?” said Violet.
“No!” crowed Benny. “Because we do have a lost cat. The cat Professor Madison gave us.”
Jessie said, “That’s right. And when Mr. Jones gets our letter, he’ll call and we’ll tell him to come over and we can see who he is and ask him a few questions.”
“That’s a terrific idea,” said Henry.
“Thanks, Henry,” said Jessie. “We’ll write the letter this afternoon. If we take it to the post office, he might even get it tomorrow.”
“We could have another clue by tomorrow!” cried Benny. “Hooray, hooray!”
“Don’t say hooray yet,” Jessie warned. “Let’s see if this works.”
That afternoon, right after lunch, the Aldens sat down at the kitchen table to write the letter. Henry did the writing, since he was the oldest, but everyone helped compose the letter. It read:
Dear Mr. Jones,
We have a lost cat like the one you were looking for. Please call us and you can come and see if she is yours.
Sincerely,
Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny Alden
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
Jessie, 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: NO DOGS ALLOWED.
“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.
Jess
ie 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!
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