Great Bicycle Race Mystery

by Gertrude Chandler Warner

  “You don’t want to make a donation, either?” Soo Lee asked.

  The man called Ronald gave a snort. “Certainly not,” he snapped. “Although it looks as if you could use one for those pathetic machines you call bicycles.”

  “That’s enough. Drive on,” the woman’s voice commanded and she leaned back, disappearing from view.

  “Yes, Ms. Whatney,” Ronald said.

  He rolled up the window and the car purred away.

  “Ms. Whatney!” exclaimed Jessie, staring after the car. “So that’s the developer who is trying to buy Eagle Mountain.”

  “And that man named Ronald must be her chauffeur,” said Henry.

  Violet said, “I guess she’s very, very rich. She can probably pay lots of money for Eagle Mountain. How can we ever raise enough to stop her?”

  She sounded unhappy. Henry patted her shoulder. “Don’t worry, Violet. She’s only one person and there are lots and lots of us who are raising money. And if we can show how many people want the mountain saved, the governor might help, too. We’ll be able to do it.”

  “I hope so,” said Violet.

  Just then, another car pulled up to the car wash, and the Aldens had to get back to work.

  At the end of the day, they sat, tired and content, on the front steps of the house. “We can work on raising more money tomorrow,” said Henry. “Maybe we can ride over to Silver City and see if we can get some donations there.”

  “That’ll be fun. But I have to go home now,” said Soo Lee. “I’ll be back first thing tomorrow morning to help.”

  The Aldens worked hard for the next few weeks raising money and practicing for the ride. In the mornings they would ride their bikes, going farther and farther each day to get used to riding long distances.

  Grandfather rented a bicycle from Greenfield Wheels and practiced with them often. Sometimes Soo Lee, Aunt Alice, and Uncle Joe came along, too. Jessie put a special basket on the back of her bicycle so even Watch could come along. His legs were too short for him to run alongside during the long bike rides.

  In the afternoons, the Aldens collected donations and held car washes and did chores for people in the neighborhood. They walked dogs and pulled weeds. They watered plants for people who went on vacation. They spent two days cleaning out a garage for a family that was moving.

  Finally, two days before the race began, they sat on the front porch to count their money. “We did it!” said Jessie. “We have enough money for all of us, even Grandfather: entrance fees and one dollar per mile each.”

  Soo Lee sighed with relief. “Good. I was beginning to get worried.”

  “I knew we’d make it,” Benny boasted.

  “We even have a little extra,” Jessie went on.

  “The more money we have to help save Eagle Mountain, the better,” said Violet.

  Henry stood up. “Let’s put the money away and go do some riding.”

  “Good idea,” said Jessie.

  “Not too far,” Soo Lee warned. “Remember what Thelma told us. Right before the race we’re just supposed to take short rides.”

  “We’ll go to the park and back,” said Henry.

  “And tomorrow, we pack and get ready for the race,” said Benny. “I can hardly wait. Then it will only be one more day. Isn’t it great, Watch?”

  Watch, who was standing beside Jessie’s bicycle, wagged his tail. He was ready to go for a ride, too.

  The Aldens pedaled away, with Watch hanging out of Jessie’s basket, his ears flying.

  “Eagle Mountain, here we come!” shouted Benny.

  CHAPTER 3

  Gone!

  “Come on, Henry,” Benny said the next morning. “We have to practice for the race one more time!”

  But Henry didn’t come out of the garage next to the house where the Aldens kept their bicycles.

  “Henry?” Jessie called.

  “I can’t find it!” Henry said. His voice was muffled.

  “Find what?” asked Violet. She leaned her bike against a tree and started toward the garage.

  Just then, Henry burst out of the garage door. His eyes were wide. “I can’t find it. I can’t find my bicycle!” he cried.

  “Isn’t it in the garage?” asked Jessie. “I saw you put it there last night. You leaned it against the ladder.”

  Propping her own bike against Violet’s, Jessie hurried toward the garage. Benny, Soo Lee, and Watch quickly followed. As soon as they walked into the old garage, Watch growled softly.

  “What is it, boy?” asked Benny.

  But Watch couldn’t answer. He could only growl.

  Jessie looked at the ladder in the corner where she’d last seen her older brother’s bike. It wasn’t there.

  She glanced around the garage. She didn’t see Henry’s bicycle anywhere. She peered behind an old trunk. She raised the edge of a tarp, but found only spiders, dust, and a broken lawn mower beneath it.

  The dust made her sneeze.

  “It’s not here,” reported Violet, who’d been making a search of her own.

  “Maybe you didn’t leave it in the garage. Maybe we got yesterday mixed up with some other day. Maybe you forgot to put it away and left it out by the boxcar,” Jessie said.

  But as she spoke, Henry shook his head. “I’m sure I put it here last night,” he said. “I never took it out to the boxcar.”

  “Then someone must have sneaked into the garage last night and taken it,” said Violet. “But why?”

  Henry shook his head. “I don’t know. It wasn’t worth much — except to me.”

  “We’ll find your bike,” said Jessie.

  Suddenly she squatted down. “Look.” She pointed to the track of a wheel through a patch of old motor oil on the floor of the garage.

  “Any one of us could have made that track,” Violet objected. “It’s not the only one.”

  “But look how clear it is,” Jessie said.

  Henry bent forward. “You’re right. That’s the track of a new tire. You can see every ridge. All the other tracks are much smoother, with many fewer tread marks.”

  “You’re the only one of us who has a brand-new tire,” said Soo Lee.

  “And look at this!” Violet’s voice rose in excitement as she pointed to the tracks leading from the garage.

  The Aldens followed the tire track out of the garage. It curved suddenly and went off into the grass.

  “The track leads out of the garage onto the grass at one side of the driveway and I know Henry always goes straight up or down the middle of the driveway,” Violet concluded.

  “Why would someone ride your bike in the grass?” Benny wanted to know. “It’s not a mountain bike. Is it?”

  “No, it isn’t,” Henry said.

  “Here’s a streak of grease on the grass,” Violet said from around the corner of the garage.

  “That’s funny,” said Jessie. “It looks as if whoever took the bike wasn’t taking it out to the road to ride away. He or she was going in the opposite direction.”

  “Then that’s where we’ll start looking,” said Henry.

  The five of them and Watch spread out and searched all around the big old white house. Henry checked the basement door just in case someone had moved the bike in there for a joke. But the door was locked from the inside, just as it always was.

  Soo Lee suddenly cried, “Look!” She pointed to a slash of red on a large rock near the edge of the woods behind the Aldens’ house.

  “Is it blood?” gasped Benny.

  “No,” said Soo Lee. “I think it’s paint.”

  Henry raced over, with Jessie and Violet close at his heels. He stooped and examined the red mark. “You’re right, Soo Lee. It is paint.”

  “And it’s exactly the same color as your bicycle,” added Jessie.

  “If the scrape is on this side of the rock, whoever took the bike was probably going in that direction,” said Violet, pointing toward the woods.

  “Maybe the thief made a getaway through the woods?
” asked Soo Lee.

  “Then I guess we’d better look for more clues in the woods,” Henry said.

  “Let’s spread out about five or ten feet apart,” Jessie suggested. “That way we can cover more ground.”

  “Good idea,” said Henry. “If anybody sees anything, shout.”

  “I will. Really loud,” Benny said.

  The Aldens began to search the woods. They crunched through the leaves and pushed aside branches. Benny and Watch found two rusty tin cans and an old pop bottle. Violet found a tattered plastic bag caught in some bushes. She and Benny put the cans and the bottle in the bag to throw away later.

  Just when they were about to give up, Violet called out, “I see something red. Over there by that big tree.”

  Henry squinted in the direction she was pointing. “You’re right, Violet,” he called back. “Let’s go.”

  He and Violet pushed through the bushes. A moment later, Jessie, Soo Lee, Benny, and Watch heard Violet wail, “Oh, no!”

  “Let’s go!” shouted Jessie, and led the rest of the search party to Henry and Violet.

  They all stopped and stared in stunned silence at what lay in the small clearing beneath the big old oak tree. It was Henry’s bike—or what was left of it.

  “Who would do such a thing?” Soo Lee asked.

  “I don’t know,” said Henry in a choked voice.

  The tire on the rear wheel was flat, and several of its spokes were broken. The paint was scratched and scraped. Dirt clogged the gear wheels and bike chain. The chain itself was snapped. The bottom of the front fork, which held the front wheel on the bike, was bent.

  “Oh, Henry,” said Violet. “I’m so sorry about your bike.”

  “Me too,” said Henry.

  “Maybe whoever took it ran away in such a hurry that it got all beaten up in the woods,” said Soo Lee.

  Jessie said, “Well, whoever took this bike didn’t seem to care what happened to it.”

  “Maybe we can get it fixed,” said Benny. “Let’s take it to Greenfield Wheels.”

  “I guess we can try,” said Henry.

  With Jessie’s help, Henry carried the bike out of the woods. They told Grandfather what had happened and he called the police to report the theft. Then they all walked slowly into town. As they walked, they tried to figure out what had happened.

  “Maybe it was Ms. Whatney and her driver. Ronald, that was his name,” said Violet. “Maybe they wanted to keep us from riding in the race.”

  “It could be,” said Henry. “After all, it’s Ms. Whatney who wants to buy Eagle Mountain.”

  “And she knows where we live,” Benny added.

  “And Ronald the chauffeur even asked about our bikes,” said Soo Lee.

  “Maybe it was one of the people who were so mean to us when we were raising money,” said Violet.

  “Like that guy who made fun of Henry’s bike in front of our lemonade stand,” said Soo Lee.

  “Or the man at the card shop who told us he hoped we’d all have flat tires,” Benny said.

  Henry sighed. He said, “It could be any of those people, I guess. But it doesn’t really make sense and we don’t have any proof.”

  “When people do mean things it usually doesn’t make sense,” Violet added softly.

  Henry looked sadly at his battered bicycle and added, “And now I don’t have a bicycle for the race.”

  CHAPTER 4

  Ready, Set, GO!

  “We’ll get it fixed,” declared Jessie. “Louis at the bike shop said that Thelma can fix anything.”

  “She might be able to fix it,” said Henry, looking a little more hopeful.

  The Aldens walked with Henry and his broken bicycle into Greenfield to the bike shop. But this time, when Louis popped out from the repair room in the back, his eyes widened in surprise. “Your bike!” he said to Henry. “It looks as if a car backed over it.”

  “Maybe one did,” Henry answered glumly. “We’re not sure what happened. Can you fix it?”

  “Hey we’re the best bike shop around. We can fix anything,” Louis said. He turned and called, “Thelma!”

  “Coming, coming, coming,” said Thelma. She walked out and stopped short. She looked at the wrecked bike, then at Henry. “I hope you were wearing your helmet when you were in the bike accident,” she said in a stern voice.

  “We always wear our helmets,” Henry said. “But I’m afraid my bike had the accident without me.” He told the bike shop owners the story. “So can you fix it for me before the race?” Henry concluded.

  Thelma said, “Fix it, yes. Before the race, no.

  “No?” repeated Henry. His shoulders slumped.

  Thelma and Louis exchanged glances. Then Louis spoke up. “I tell you what,” he said. “We’ll lend you a bike for the race.”

  Henry’s face brightened. “You will?”

  “We will,” said Louis. “We rent bikes, you know, and we have several good, solid bikes that should do fine during the race. We’ll find one just right for you.”

  As he spoke, Louis rolled a bike out from behind the counter.

  “That’s got two seats!” objected Benny.

  “It’s a bicycle built for two people,” Louis explained. “It’s called a tandem. And this is a special tandem, because the backseat and pedals of the bicycle can be adjusted to a smaller size.”

  “Smaller like me?” Benny asked.

  “Exactly,” said Louis.

  “So Henry and I could ride together?” asked Benny.

  “That’s the idea,” Louis agreed.

  “It’s a good idea,” said Benny. He leaned toward Louis as if he were telling him a secret. “You know, my legs get a little tired on the long bike rides.”

  “I thought they might,” Louis said with a smile. “This should solve the problem.”

  “Is it expensive to rent?” asked Jessie.

  Thelma said, “No. I think you’ll find the price is just right. We’ll put our store’s name on the bicycle. And we’ll give you all T-shirts with our store’s name on them, too. You wear the T-shirts on one of the days of the race, and you can use the bike for free!”

  “Really?” said Violet.

  “We get free advertising. You have a bike to ride. What could be better?” Louis said.

  “Thank you,” said Henry.

  “Hooray!” said Benny. “Come on, Henry. Let’s go get ready for the race!”

  Benny and Henry waited while Louis adjusted the back pedals, then they rode the bike home to practice on it. Jessie, Violet, and Soo Lee walked home, carrying the new T-shirts. The front of the shirts had bicycle wheels in all different sizes on them. The backs of the shirts said, THELMA AND LOUIS AT GREENFIELD WHEELS SAY “KEEP ON PEDALING!”

  The children went on a short bike ride and then Soo Lee rode her bike home to pack for the race. They planned to get up very early the next morning to make sure they were at the starting line on time. So they finished packing right after dinner and got ready to go to bed early.

  But first they went outside to check on their bicycles. Henry rattled the lock on the garage door, just to make sure it was fastened.

  “I’m not taking any chances,” he said. “Whoever did it might come back and take someone else’s bike.”

  “Or our new tandy,” said Benny.

  “Tandem,” corrected Jessie.

  “I’m going to call the bike Tandy,” said Benny. “That way I can remember.”

  “Tandy it is,” said Henry.

  Violet sighed. She looked up at the pale stars that were just beginning to come out. “I wonder who took your bike, Henry. And why.”

  Henry sighed. “This is one mystery we may never solve.”

  “Well, we shouldn’t worry about that now,” said Jessie. “Now we just need to get a good night’s sleep, so we can get to the bike race on time.”

  “We got here early,” said Violet the next morning. “And so did everybody else!”

  The Alden children, their cousin Soo Lee
, and their grandfather stared around at the crowd of bicyclists and spectators. The bikes and the riders came in all shapes and sizes. Bike helmets of every color bobbed up and down in the crowd.

  Reaching into her pocket, Jessie patted the envelope. “I think I’d better go turn our money in,” she said.

  “We’ll come, too,” said Violet, glancing at Soo Lee. Soo Lee nodded.

  Grandfather took Benny’s hand. “We’ll go and get us all signed in,” he said.

  “I’ll stay under this oak tree with our bicycles,” Henry said. “We can meet back here.”

  Henry sat down by the bicycles to wait. He yawned. He leaned back. They had gotten up awfully early that morning. His eyelids began to close.

  “Hey! Wake up, sleepyhead!” Jessie said.

  Henry sat up with a jerk. “I wasn’t asleep,” he protested.

  “Yes, you were. Anyone could have just ridden off on one of our bicycles,” teased Soo Lee.

  But Henry didn’t laugh. He jumped up and inspected the bicycles anxiously. They were all there and they were all fine. He sighed with relief.

  “Attention, riders,” came a voice over a loudspeaker. “The ride will begin in fifteen minutes.”

  “Uh-oh!” said Jessie, sounding worried. “Where are Grandfather and Benny?”

  But just then Grandfather and Benny appeared. Benny was skipping with excitement. “We all get numbers,” he said. “We put the big numbers on our bicycles, and we stick the little numbers on our helmets, one for each of you and one for me,” he explained.

  Benny handed the numbers around.

  Grandfather gave out maps and explained the rules. “I’ve handed in our sleeping bags and gear,” he said. “You just show your number and they’ll give them back to you at the end of the ride each day. And remember, every rider has to be in camp by half an hour before sunset. If you don’t make it by then, the sweep wagon will pick you up.”

  “The sweep wagon?” asked Benny.

  “It’s a van to pick up riders who can’t finish the ride each day,” explained Grandfather, “either because they are too tired to go on or because their bikes broke down. If you have to ride in the sweep wagon during the ride, you aren’t eligible for the raffle for the new bike at the end.”