Mystery at the Alamo

by Charles Tang

  “And I’m looking forward to guiding you,” Mr. Fambles replied. “As the curator of the Alamo, I don’t often get to walk around and give the tour myself. The tour guides usually are the ones giving the visitors the history talk.”

  “What does a curator do?” asked Benny.

  “A curator is the person who is in charge of the artifacts of the museum,” said Mr. Fambles.

  “What are artifacts?” Benny asked.

  “Artifacts,” said Mr. Fambles, “are special items the museum has to show from the past.”

  “Do you have something that belonged to Davy Crockett?” asked Benny “He’s one of my heroes.”

  “As a matter of fact, we do. Let me show you around,” Mr. Fambles said.

  The Alden children and their grandfather followed Mr. Fambles into the Alamo. They walked around while Mr. Fambles told them all about the Alamo’s history.

  “In 1835, during the battle for Texas independence from Mexico, San Antonio had been captured by the Texans,” Mr. Fambles explained. “Only one hundred and forty-four soldiers, most of them volunteers, were left to guard the city. They were under the command of Lieutenant Colonel William B. Travis. James Bowie and Davy Crockett were among those volunteers.”

  “Jim Bowie. I didn’t know Jim Bowie was here, too,” said Henry.

  “Who was Jim Bowie?” Benny asked.

  “Let me tell him,” Jessie said.

  “Go right ahead,” Mr. Fambles said. “I’m impressed that you children know so much about Texas history already.”

  “Grandfather told us a lot about it before we came here,” Violet said.

  “Jim Bowie was the person the Bowie knife was named for,” Jessie said. “Isn’t that right, Grandfather?”

  “That’s exactly right,” Grandfather said.

  “Well,” said Mr. Fambles, “I bet you children already know that the siege of the Alamo lasted twelve days. On the morning of March sixth, in 1836, several thousand Mexican soldiers stormed the fort. There were many deaths on both sides.”

  “That’s sad,” Violet said.

  “War is always sad,” Grandfather Alden said.

  “Now, let me show you some of the artifacts we have here. Take a look at this,” Mr. Fambles said, pointing to a glass case.

  “What a beautiful little ring!” Violet said.

  “Who did the ring belong to?” Jessie asked.

  Mr. Fambles cleared his throat and smiled. He enjoyed telling the children this part most of all. “There were sixteen women and children who survived the Alamo. Among the sixteen were Susannah and Angelina Dickinson. The story is that Captain Dickinson gave this ring to his young daughter, Angelina, to wear on a ribbon around her neck for safekeeping.

  “And this is the same ring?” asked Jessie.

  “Yes, this is the same ring,” Mr. Fambles replied. “It’s very valuable. Before you leave, I’ll tell you a little secret about it.”

  “Oh, boy!” Benny said. “We love secrets.”

  “What’s this?” Henry asked Mr. Fambles.

  “It looks like a rusty box,” said Jessie. “Why is it in a glass case?”

  Everyone peered at the rusty old box and the handled brush inside.

  “This particular artifact we’re not so sure about,” Mr. Fambles said. “But we think that the box belonged to Davy Crockett, and that this is his beard brush.”

  “That belonged to Davy Crockett?” Benny asked excitedly.

  “Yes,” Mr. Fambles said. “Davy Crockett might have actually brushed his beard with this very brush.”

  “Isn’t there something else here that belonged to Davy Crockett?” Grandfather asked.

  Mr. Fambles smiled as he walked along. “There sure is. This rifle supposedly was his.”

  All the children admired the rifle in the case. After they had seen the rest of the fort, they stopped for a few minutes in the souvenir shop.

  Inside the gift shop, Benny headed straight to the Davy Crockett display.

  Violet walked over to the posters and coloring crayons.

  Henry, Grandfather, and Mr. Fambles went to look at the history books.

  Jessie looked through the Texas cook-books. She wanted to buy a present for Mrs. McGregor, their housekeeper.

  “What are you going to buy, Grandfather?” Henry asked.

  “I’ve already bought something,” Grandfather said. “Film for my camera, and a new camera strap. I’m going to let you children take the camera with you so you can take snapshots of anything you want to remember.”

  “That is a great idea, James,” Mr. Fambles said.

  “I love taking pictures,” Violet said, as she joined Henry, Grandfather, and Mr. Fambles.

  “Then I’ll make you the official photographer,” Grandfather said as he put the camera strap around Violet’s neck. “Now the camera will be easy to keep track of and you can take pictures in a snap.”

  “I’ll keep it with me wherever I go,” Violet said.

  “Good,” Grandfather said. “We’ll have lots of wonderful pictures of our visit to Texas.”

  CHAPTER 4

  The Secret

  After their visit to the Alamo, the Boxcar Children, their grandfather, and Mr. Fambles strolled down the sidewalk and into a restaurant that Mr. Fambles had chosen. While they waited for their food, the children told their grandfather about Antonio’s invitation to make cascarones.

  “Of course we can go,” Grandfather said. “I’m sure it will be fun.”

  “It was kind of the Rivas family to invite you over to their house,” Mr. Fambles said. “You children have already found some good friends. Speaking of special events,” he continued, “your grandfather tells me you’re extras in the movie being shot in Alamo Square.”

  “Yes,” Jessie said. “We’re movie stars.”

  “Well,” Mr. Fambles continued, “remember I told you I had a secret?”

  “I remember,” Benny said.

  “What’s the secret?” asked Jessie.

  “Amy Welsh, the director of the movie, is borrowing the ring I showed you for one of the scenes,” Mr. Fambles said.

  “You mean the ring in the glass case that was given to little Angelina by her father?” Henry asked.

  “That same ring,” Mr. Fambles said. “At first I wasn’t going to loan it to them because the ring is so valuable to the museum. But once your grandfather told me you children were in the movie, I decided to let them borrow it.”

  “You agreed to let them use it because of us?” Violet asked.

  “Yes. I realized how important it is for children to see the artifacts the museum has locked behind those glass cases. Thousands of schoolchildren will have a chance to watch the film you’re making, but many of them will never get a chance to visit the Alamo.”

  “I didn’t even know about this secret,” Grandfather Alden said.

  “You children will keep an eye on the ring for us, won’t you?” Mr. Fambles asked.

  “We sure will,” Henry said.

  “I’ve never actually had dinner with movie stars before,” Mr. Fambles said. “I think this calls for a special treat. How about our famous Alamo Cream Pie?”

  “Sounds great,” Benny said.

  “We’ll all have some,” Grandfather Alden said. “Thank you again for making this a special visit for me and my grandchildren.”

  “I’ve enjoyed it almost as much as they have,” Mr. Fambles said.

  “Let’s take some pictures,” Violet said.

  Mr. Fambles, Grandfather Alden, Benny, Henry, and Jessie posed while Violet snapped their picture.

  “I only have a couple of shots left,” Violet said. “I’m going to save them so I can take pictures on the set.”

  “That’s a wonderful thought, Violet,” Grandfather said. “It will be fun to look back on the time you were Texas movie stars.”

  On the way back to their hotel, Henry said, “You have a nice friend, Grandfather. I really like Mr. Fambles.”

  “Me, too
,” Jessie said. “I’m so happy he’s letting the movie people use the ring.”

  “I wonder who is going to wear it in the movie,” Henry said.

  “I bet it’s going to be Claire LaBelle, since she’s playing the part of Angelina Dickinson. That’s who the ring belonged to,” Violet said.

  “I know she’ll take care of the ring,” Jessie said.

  Everyone agreed.

  The next morning, the Boxcar Children hurried to the set so that they wouldn’t be late. They arrived a few minutes before Antonio.

  “Buenos días,” Antonio said when he saw his friends. “Good morning.”

  “Buenos días,” the children replied.

  “What is the matter?” asked Antonio, pointing to all the commotion on the set.

  “I don’t know,” Jessie said. “We just got here, too.”

  Amy walked over to the children. “Good morning,” she said. Then she quickly explained what each child would be doing that day.

  “We’re waiting for Claire,” Amy said. “I have no idea where she is. We’re supposed to start at eight o’clock sharp and she knows it. You didn’t see her on your way over here, did you?”

  “No, we didn’t,” Henry said.

  “Do you think she’s okay?” Violet asked.

  “I hope so,” Amy said. “She’s not in her trailer or anywhere else on the set. We’re three days behind schedule and if we don’t finish soon, our project is going to be canceled. I’ve already been warned. I guess I’ll just have to use Janice in her scenes this morning.”

  Amy walked over to Janice and spoke to her quietly. Janice smiled.

  “Well, it looks like Janice is finally going to get to replace Claire,” Henry said.

  “I think it’s awfully strange that Claire isn’t on the set this morning,” Jessie said.

  “Why don’t we go look for her,” Violet suggested. “I’m sure she hasn’t gone very far.”

  “That’s a good idea,” Antonio said.

  The children were walking down the street when they spotted Claire eating breakfast at an outdoor cafe.

  “Good morning, children,” Claire said. “You’re here awfully early.”

  “Claire,” Jessie said, “everyone is looking for you. You were supposed to be on the set at eight!”

  “What?” Claire said. “Oh, no, there’s been a terrible mistake.”

  Claire quickly paid for her breakfast and ran toward the set. The children followed her.

  “So there you are,” Amy said when Claire finally arrived. “Where have you been? You’re late!”

  “You called last night saying I didn’t need to be on the set until nine-thirty,” Claire said in a puzzled tone of voice. “I went to get breakfast.”

  “I didn’t call you,” Amy said.

  “It sounded like you,” Claire said. “There were announcements and some music in the background and I couldn’t hear you very well, but I did hear the time clearly.” Claire looked close to tears.

  “Honestly, Claire. You can’t be serious,” Amy said angrily. “I’m telling you I didn’t call you. We started at exactly eight this morning like we always do. All these delays are serious. And you seem to be causing a lot of them lately. We’ve decided to replace you with Janice for the next scene. We’ll set up the camera shots from a distance.”

  Amy stormed off before Claire could say a word.

  Claire looked at the children. “Honest. Someone did call me,” Claire said, sounding upset. “I’m so unhappy. All I want to do is go home.” Then Claire ran toward her trailer.

  “Poor Claire,” Jessie said. “I feel so sorry for her.”

  “Do you think someone really called her?” Henry asked.

  “Of course,” Violet said. “Why would she make up a story like that?”

  “But you heard Claire say that she wants to go back to California,” Antonio said.

  “She said all she wants is to go home,” Henry said.

  “Yes, she did say that,” Jessie admitted. “Since Violet and I aren’t in these scenes, we’ll go talk to Claire. We’ll meet you here at break time.” Then she and Violet ran over to Claire’s trailer.

  The sisters knocked on the door of Claire’s trailer. Claire opened the door and let the girls inside.

  “We came to see if we could help you,” Jessie said.

  “That’s really sweet of you,” Claire said. “But I’m afraid there’s nothing anyone can do.”

  “Claire,” Violet said. “Do you remember anything else about that call?”

  “I guess it really didn’t sound like Amy after all,” Claire admitted. “I was really tired last night. I guess I just thought it was her since she’s the only one who tells me what time to be on the set. I just remember music and loud announcements.”

  “That sounds familiar to me,” Jessie said. “Where have we heard loud announcements?”

  “At the lemonade stand,” said Violet.

  “That’s it!” Claire said. “The wax museum plays announcements all the time.”

  “Whoever called must have used a pay phone near the wax museum,” Jessie said.

  “I just wonder why anyone would want to ruin my career,” Claire said.

  “So do we,” Jessie said. “And we’re going to find out.”

  CHAPTER 5

  The Mysterious Stranger

  When Violet and Jessie returned to the movie set, Henry, Antonio, and Benny were waiting anxiously for them.

  “What did you find out?” Henry asked,

  “Well, we think the call was made from a phone near Antonio’s mother’s lemonade stand,” Violet said.

  “Why do you think that?” Antonio asked.

  “Because Claire kept talking about announcements and music in the background.”

  “Verdad!” Antonio said. “That’s the truth! The wax museum plays the same announcements night and day. It drives me crazy when I’m working at the booth. The pay phone is right in front of the museum and directly across from my mother’s stand.”

  “Do you think you can keep an eye on that phone while you’re working, Antonio?” Violet asked. “If the person who called Claire used that phone once, he or she might use it again.”

  “Of course,” Antonio said.

  “Okay, people,” Amy said as she clapped her hands. “Break time is over. Let’s make a movie here! This is an easy scene for you all to do,” Amy explained to the children. “You’re going to stroll down the street like you’re tourists.”

  “Which most of us are,” Henry added.

  “That’s right,” Amy said. “When you see Claire, smile and wave at her. Then come back over here. Claire is going to talk about the number of tourists that visit San Antonio and the Alamo each year. Does anyone have any questions?”

  “No,” Henry said. “We understand what we’re supposed to do.”

  “Good,” Amy said. “You’re all doing a great job.”

  As the group walked toward the set, a loud screech came from the stage.

  “What in the world?” Amy said as she ran with the children in the direction of the screaming.

  Mary Jenkins was on the ground crawling around the hem of Claire’s wide skirt. Claire was jumping up and down, screaming.

  “Help me! Help me!” Claire said as she climbed up on a chair.

  “What is it?” Amy shouted.

  “What’s wrong, Claire?” Violet asked.

  “A r-r-rat is loose in here,” Claire said.

  Finally Mary stood up. She was holding the tail of a squirming white mouse.

  “I hate rats,” Claire said. “Get that thing away from me!”

  “Now, Claire, it’s just a little mouse,” Mary said. She gently cupped her hand over it.

  “Let me have it,” said Roger Martin, calmly walking over. “I’ll take it to the park.” He found a box with a lid and placed the mouse inside.

  Claire looked embarrassed. “I’m sorry — it was silly to get so upset. Oh, dear, look at me. . . .”

&n
bsp; Claire had ripped one sleeve of her costume and torn the hem out of her dress. Her wig had come loose and hung untidily around her shoulders. Her face was red and beaded with sweat.

  “Oh, my,” Mary said as she examined Claire’s dress. “This costume will have to be repaired before it can be worn again.”

  “Claire,” Amy said. “I know you’re upset, but we’ll have to go on without you. I can’t afford any more delays. I’ll just have to give your lines to Roger and Janice.”

  “I understand,” Claire said sadly. She left the stage and ran toward her trailer.

  Roger smiled. “After I get rid of this mouse, I’ll be right back.”

  “Did you see that?” Jessie whispered to Henry.

  “Roger Martin seemed awfully happy when he found out he was getting some of Claire’s lines.”

  “And he didn’t look surprised when the mouse was captured, either,” Henry replied.

  “Do you think he put the mouse in here on purpose?” Jessie asked.

  “I don’t know,” Henry said. “But I think we should keep an eye on him.”

  “I wonder where Janice is,” Violet whispered. “She’s usually around when we’re going to film.”

  “That is unusual,” Jessie said.

  “I think Benny, Antonio, and I should follow Roger at lunchtime today,” Henry said.

  “What about our lunch?” Benny asked.

  “Don’t worry, Benny,” Henry said. “We’ll get some sandwiches and take them with us.”

  “That’s a good idea,” said Jessie. “Violet and I will keep an eye on Janice and Claire, even though I don’t see how Claire could have anything to do with this.”

  “I hope not,” Violet said. “I really like Claire.”

  Janice appeared on the set a few minutes before the filming started. Roger followed soon afterward. There were no accidents as they said their lines. The children did their parts perfectly.

  “Okay! Cut!” Amy said. “Wonderful job, everyone! Let’s go to lunch.”

  “It’s about time some professional actors got to work around here,” Roger said to Janice.

  Violet and Jessie, who were standing nearby, exchanged glances.

  As soon as they could leave without being noticed, Henry, Benny, and Antonio followed Roger Martin.