The Pet Shop Mystery

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The Pet Shop Mystery Page 6

by Gertrude Chandler Warner

The children said good-bye to the woman, when a surprise visitor appeared on the front lawn.

  “Arthur!” Jessie said when she saw her classmate standing by the bicycles. “What are you doing here?”

  Arthur was out of breath from bicycling. “Can you come to the pet shop with me? It’s important. Mr. Fowler chased me away. I heard him tell somebody to meet him in the storage building. He told the person he knew where the monkey was. Then he closed the shop and left. I didn’t know what to do, so I called your house. Your grandfather said you would be here. We have to go. And fast.”

  “Good job, Arthur,” Henry said. “Let’s get over there quick.”

  The children didn’t take long to get to the pet shop. The CLOSED sign still hung on the front door.

  “Let’s see if anyone shows up in the parking lot,” Jessie said. “We’ll hide behind the Dumpster in back. We can keep an eye on the storage building from there.”

  The children rolled their bikes down the alleyway. They huddled behind the Dumpster.

  “There’s a light on in the storage building,” Jessie whispered. “The milk crate is still under the window. I’ll see what Mr. Fowler is up to.”

  Standing on her tiptoes, Jessie peeked through the window. She could see Mr. Fowler walking back and forth and checking his watch. George huddled behind the bars of a small cage. Rainbow was perched in another cage.

  “Poor things,” Jessie whispered when she returned. “George and Rainbow look so miserable. Shhh, there’s a car coming.”

  The children heard a car door slam. A woman’s high heels clicked along the pavement. There was a knock at the door.

  “It’s Mrs. Ransome,” a woman called out. “I came for the animals Mr. Badham told me about.”

  The Aldens saw a streak of light spread across the alleyway when Mr. Fowler opened the door.

  “The animals are in here,” he told the woman.

  “In this drafty old building?” the woman wanted to know. “Mr. Badham said they would be in the pet shop. I’ve always heard this shop had lovely, healthy animals. I wouldn’t buy anything less for my grandchildren.”

  “He is going to sell Rainbow and George!” Violet said in alarm. “They’re not going to a zoo.”

  “These are healthy animals,” Mr. Fowler said. “They’re out here because I just got these new cages. Now we’d better complete the sale. The owner is due back from a trip in a while. I told her everything was all set with George and Rainbow.”

  “Why, this can’t be the macaw Mr. Badham told me about!” the woman interrupted. “What’s the matter with this bird? It has so little color. I’m sure you don’t mean this is the bird Mr. Badham arranged for me to buy for my grandchildren. This won’t do at all.”

  The Aldens heard Mr. Fowler clear his throat a few times. What was he going to say next? “Well, it’s, uh … the shedding season.”

  Benny poked Jessie with his elbow. “That’s not true, is it?”

  “Anyway, Rainbow and George together are two thousand dollars,” Mr. Fowler said, not at all worried about Rainbow’s feathers anymore.

  The woman didn’t say anything.

  Violet whispered to Henry. “Do you think she’ll notice how sad George and Rainbow are?”

  Mr. Fowler was impatient now. “If you don’t want them, I’ve got a waiting list of customers. It’s not every day you get a macaw and a monkey in a small shop like this. As I said, my boss is coming back. I need to wind up this sale to make room for more animals.”

  “Very well,” the children heard the woman answer. “Here’s my check for both.”

  Jessie felt another elbow poke. This time it was Arthur. “Can’t you stop him? He’s not helping tropical animals, he’s selling them.”

  Henry scrambled to his feet. “I’m going to find a pay phone. I’ll call Grandfather and Mrs. Tweedy. Mrs. Tweedy might be home by now. Stall them as long as you can.”

  Jessie led the children to the storage building. They were too late. Mr. Fowler had the woman’s check. The woman had the animals and was on her way out the door.

  Jessie stepped in front of the woman. “You can’t take this monkey or this bird. They don’t belong to this shop.”

  George reached out from his cage and grabbed Violet’s jacket. “Yip, yip,” he said.

  The woman clutched the cages. “Who are you, young lady? And what are you talking about? The manager of this shop just sold these animals to me for two thousand dollars. Now I’ll be on my way.”

  Mr. Fowler hurried over to Jessie and the woman. “What are you doing here?” he asked Jessie. “This is none of your concern.”

  “But it is my concern, Mr. Fowler,” a woman’s voice said.

  Everyone turned around. Mrs. Tweedy stood there, her suitcase at her side, and Grandfather Alden and Henry behind her. “I had the airport taxi drop me here so I could visit all my critters. When I arrived, I ran into Henry Alden and his grandfather, who was passing by. They told me what’s been going on.”

  Mr. Fowler put on a false smile. “All I’ve been up to is making plenty of money, all for your shop. I got two thousand dollars for this bird and this monkey. You should be pleased.”

  “I want no part of your side business, Mr. Fowler,” said Mrs. Tweedy angrily.

  Mrs. Ransome put down the cages and stood in front of Mr. Fowler. “I don’t know what this is all about, but it seems awfully fishy. Return my money. Right this minute.”

  Mr. Fowler fumbled in his pocket. He pulled out the wrinkled check. “Take it.”

  “And Mr. Fowler, I believe you’ll need to speak to the authorities about what’s been going on while I’ve been away,” said Mrs. Tweedy. “Please go wait in the shed until they get here.”

  “You could have a big business here instead of this poky pet shop. And these kids were nothing but trouble. Even mixing up orders and getting guard dogs after them couldn’t get rid of them,” he said before slamming the door behind him.

  “We weren’t scared of those big dogs, Mrs. Tweedy, not a bit,” Benny said. “And we like this poky pet shop.”

  Mrs. Tweedy looked tired and upset. “I’m sorry I left you and my animals with Mr. Fowler. I knew he was disorganized, but he turned out to be a criminal, too. As for George and Rainbow, we’ll have to find good homes for them.”

  Grandfather Alden didn’t look as upset as everyone else. In fact, he was almost smiling. “You’ll be happy to know that I’ve contacted an old friend about Rainbow and George. Augustus Smith, who is the director of the Habitat Zoo in California, would welcome these two animals.”

  “Can we visit them someday, Grandfather?” Violet asked.

  “Of course,” Mr. Alden said, patting Violet’s hand.

  Mrs. Tweedy was a changed person now that Rainbow and George had a new home lined up. “Let’s get these two animals inside the pet shop where it’s warm. They can go into bigger cages and stay there until we complete the zoo arrangements. Now I want to hear all about how you found Rainbow and George.”

  Arthur, who hadn’t said anything all this time, spoke up first. “It was me. I was the one who saved, uh … George and R-R-Rainbow and Grayfellow, too.”

  Everyone stared at Arthur. What was he talking about?

  “Grayfellow?” Mrs. Tweedy asked, puzzled. “He wasn’t missing this weekend, too, was he?”

  Arthur nodded his head. “Not this weekend but the other two times. Remember? I saved him once, then tried to save him the second time, but …”

  Arthur had said too much.

  “You said you were looking for your cat,” Benny reminded Arthur. “We found Grayfellow and George. Mrs. Doolittle was the one who found Rainbow and called the fire department.”

  Arthur looked miserable. “I only wanted to help.”

  Mrs. Tweedy came over to Arthur. She lifted his chin so he could look at her. “Did you let Grayfellow out both times? Just tell me if you did.”

  Arthur didn’t want to look at Mrs. Tweedy, but he couldn’t really get away. H
e looked at the Aldens, too, especially Jessie. “All I wanted was to be a helper in the shop, but nobody asked me. If I saved Grayfellow, I thought you would notice me and let me work here. Grayfellow was my friend, so I took him out. The Aldens almost caught me the other day when I was about to take him out again. I put on my jacket so they wouldn’t figure out it was me. I would never hurt Grayfellow. I knew I could always get him back with food.”

  “Food! Food!” Grayfellow squawked when he heard Arthur.

  No one laughed, but they did smile a little.

  “So that’s why you had sunflower seeds the day you were in the bushes,” Benny said. “I have them at my house if you want them back.”

  Arthur looked at Benny. “Keep them. I don’t need bird food anymore.”

  Mrs. Tweedy put her arm around Arthur. “Of course you do. I want you to help the Aldens once in a while until I get a new manager. You can start today.”

  Suddenly there was a crash over by the guinea pig cages.

  “My goodness, who else is in the shop?” Mrs. Tweedy cried.

  There was no answer.

  Mrs. Tweedy walked over to the next aisle. “Mrs. Doolittle! What are you doing here at this hour?”

  Immediately, Mrs. Doolittle put Doughnut back into his cage. “He was lonely. So are all these other animals on Sundays. You really shouldn’t leave them alone so much,” she said in her crabby way. “Since you gave me a set of keys and there was no one to visit the animals today, I dropped by.”

  Suddenly Mrs. Doolittle didn’t seem crabby, just lonely.

  That gave Benny one of his good ideas. “You should be our helper, too—me and Arthur, Soo Lee and my brother, and my sisters. We have to go to school sometimes, so we can’t always come to the pet shop. You could teach me all about the animals.”

  The Aldens saw Mrs. Doolittle smile at them for the first time. “Well, young fellow, perhaps you don’t know that guinea pigs like to rub noses with each other, and with people, too. And that if you’re going to train a parrot to talk, you can only teach it one word at a time.”

  “Can we teach Grayfellow a new word?”

  Mrs. Doolittle smiled and stood next to Grayfellow. “What word would you like to teach him, Benny?”

  “Benny!” Grayfellow squawked.

  “Benny!” Rainbow repeated.

  “Benny!” everyone shouted.

  About the Author

  GERTRUDE CHANDLER WARNER discovered when she was teaching that many readers who like an exciting story could find no books that were both easy and fun to read. She decided to try to meet this need, and her first book, The Boxcar Children, quickly proved she had succeeded.

  Miss Warner drew on her own experiences to write the mystery. As a child she spent hours watching trains go by on the tracks opposite her family home. She often dreamed about what it would be like to set up housekeeping in a caboose or freight car — the situation the Alden children find themselves in.

  When Miss Warner received requests for more adventures involving Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny Alden, she began additional stories. In each, she chose a special setting and introduced unusual or eccentric characters who liked the unpredictable.

  While the mystery element is central to each of Miss Warner’s books, she never thought of them as strictly juvenile mysteries. She liked to stress the Aldens’ independence and resourcefulness and their solid New England devotion to using up and making do. The Aldens go about most of their adventures with as little adult supervision as possible — something else that delights young readers.

  Miss Warner lived in Putnam, Connecticut, until her death in 1979. During her lifetime, she received hundreds of letters from girls and boys telling her how much they liked her books.

  The Boxcar Children Mysteries

  THE BOXCAR CHILDREN

  SURPRISE ISLAND

  THE YELLOW HOUSE MYSTERY

  MYSTERY RANCH

  MIKE’S MYSTERY

  BLUE BAY MYSTERY

  THE WOODSHED MYSTERY

  THE LIGHTHOUSE MYSTERY

  MOUNTAIN TOP MYSTERY

  SCHOOLHOUSE MYSTERY

  CABOOSE MYSTERY

  HOUSEBOAT MYSTERY

  SNOWBOUND MYSTERY

  TREE HOUSE MYSTERY

  BICYCLE MYSTERY

  MYSTERY IN THE SAND

  MYSTERY BEHIND THE WALL

  BUS STATION MYSTERY

  BENNY UNCOVERS A MYSTERY

  THE HAUNTED CABIN MYSTERY

  THE DESERTED LIBRARY MYSTERY

  THE ANIMAL SHELTER MYSTERY

  THE OLD MOTEL MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE HIDDEN PAINTING

  THE AMUSEMENT PARK MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE MIXED-UP ZOO

  THE CAMP-OUT MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY GIRL

  THE MYSTERY CRUISE

  THE DISAPPEARING FRIEND MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE SINGING GHOST

  MYSTERY IN THE SNOW

  THE PIZZA MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY HORSE

  THE MYSTERY AT THE DOG SHOW

  THE CASTLE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE LOST VILLAGE

  THE MYSTERY ON THE ICE

  THE MYSTERY OF THE PURPLE POOL

  THE GHOST SHIP MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY IN WASHINGTON, DC

  THE CANOE TRIP MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE HIDDEN BEACH

  THE MYSTERY OF THE MISSING CAT

  THE MYSTERY AT SNOWFLAKE INN

  THE MYSTERY ON STAGE

  THE DINOSAUR MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE STOLEN MUSIC

  THE MYSTERY AT THE BALL PARK

  THE CHOCOLATE SUNDAE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE HOT AIR BALLOON

  THE MYSTERY BOOKSTORE

  THE PILGRIM VILLAGE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE STOLEN BOXCAR

  THE MYSTERY IN THE CAVE

  THE MYSTERY ON THE TRAIN

  THE MYSTERY AT THE FAIR

  THE MYSTERY OF THE LOST MINE

  THE GUIDE DOG MYSTERY

  THE HURRICANE MYSTERY

  THE PET SHOP MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE SECRET MESSAGE

  THE FIREHOUSE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY IN SAN FRANCISCO

  THE NIAGARA FALLS MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY AT THE ALAMO

  THE OUTER SPACE MYSTERY

  THE SOCCER MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY IN THE OLD ATTIC

  THE GROWLING BEAR MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE LAKE MONSTER

  THE MYSTERY AT PEACOCK HALL

  THE WINDY CITY MYSTERY

  THE BLACK PEARL MYSTERY

  THE CEREAL BOX MYSTERY

  THE PANTHER MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE QUEEN’S JEWELS

  THE STOLEN SWORD MYSTERY

  THE BASKETBALL MYSTERY

  THE MOVIE STAR MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE PIRATE’S MAP

  THE GHOST TOWN MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE BLACK RAVEN

  THE MYSTERY IN THE MALL

  THE MYSTERY IN NEW YORK

  THE GYMNASTICS MYSTERY

  THE POISON FROG MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE EMPTY SAFE

  THE HOME RUN MYSTERY

  THE GREAT BICYCLE RACE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE WILD PONIES

  THE MYSTERY IN THE COMPUTER GAME

  THE MYSTERY AT THE CROOKED HOUSE

  THE HOCKEY MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE MIDNIGHT DOG

  THE MYSTERY OF THE SCREECH OWL

  THE SUMMER CAMP MYSTERY

  THE COPYCAT MYSTERY

  THE HAUNTED CLOCK TOWER MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE TIGER’S EYE

  THE DISAPPEARING STAIRCASE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY ON BLIZZARD MOUNTAIN

  THE MYSTERY OF THE SPIDER’S CLUE

  THE CANDY FACTORY MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE MUMMY’S CURSE

  THE MYSTERY OF THE STAR RUBY

  THE STUFFED
BEAR MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF ALLIGATOR SWAMP

  THE MYSTERY AT SKELETON POINT

  THE TATTLETALE MYSTERY

  THE COMIC BOOK MYSTERY

  THE GREAT SHARK MYSTERY

  THE ICE CREAM MYSTERY

  THE MIDNIGHT MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY IN THE FORTUNE COOKIE

  THE BLACK WIDOW SPIDER MYSTERY

  THE RADIO MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE RUNAWAY GHOST

  THE FINDERS KEEPERS MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE HAUNTED BOXCAR

  THE CLUE IN THE CORN MAZE

  THE GHOST OF THE CHATTERING BONES

  THE SWORD OF THE SILVER KNIGHT

  THE GAME STORE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE ORPHAN TRAIN

  THE VANISHING PASSENGER

  THE GIANT YO-YO MYSTERY

  THE CREATURE IN OGOPOGO LAKE

  THE ROCK ’N’ ROLL MYSTERY

  THE SECRET OF THE MASK

  THE SEATTLE PUZZLE

  THE GHOST IN THE FIRST ROW

  THE BOX THAT WATCH FOUND

  A HORSE NAMED DRAGON

  THE GREAT DETECTIVE RACE

  THE GHOST AT THE DRIVE-IN MOVIE

  THE MYSTERY OF THE TRAVELING TOMATOES

  THE SPY GAME

  THE DOG-GONE MYSTERY

  THE VAMPIRE MYSTERY

  SUPERSTAR WATCH

  THE SPY IN THE BLEACHERS

  THE AMAZING MYSTERY SHOW

  THE PUMPKIN HEAD MYSTERY

  THE CUPCAKE CAPER

  All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this ebook onscreen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  copyright © 1996 by Albert Whitman & Company

  978-1-4532-3440-2

  This 2011 edition distributed by Open Road Integrated Media

  180 Varick Street

 

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