The Disappearing Friend Mystery

  “Good idea,” said Jessie. “Beth and I will look here in front.”

  Jessie and Beth searched all around the front door, from the top of the door sill to the flowerbeds on either side, but they found no key.

  “It’s not here,” said Jessie.

  “Maybe Henry and Violet and Benny found it,” said Beth. “Let’s go around to the back door and see.”

  But the key was nowhere around the back door, either.

  “Watch looked, too,” Benny announced. “He sniffed and sniffed, but he didn’t find a key. So maybe she did forget.”

  “That’s hard to believe,” said Violet.

  “How are we going to feed the cats?” asked Benny.

  Henry said, “If Ms. Singh left a window unlocked, we could open it and go inside that way.”

  “I don’t like having to do something like that,” said Jessie. “But I guess it is an emergency.”

  “Yes, we can’t let the cats starve,” said Violet.

  The children checked the windows on the ground floor, but Ms. Singh had locked them all tightly before leaving. Benny, peering through the kitchen window, said, “I can see one of the cats now! It’s big and white, with one black spot right over her eye.”

  The cat saw Benny, too. She leaped up on the windowsill and meowed. Watch, sitting on the grass, barked. The cat flattened her ears and jumped away from the window.

  “You scared her, Watch,” scolded Benny.

  Just then Jessie called, “Look! There’s the basement door! Maybe we can get in that way.”

  The Aldens and Beth hurried to the back corner of the house and down the narrow stairs to the basement door. It was a little, low door and the basement inside was very dark.

  “Ooh,” said Benny. “This is scary.”

  Watch growled softly.

  “Oh, no. You can’t come with us, Watch. You would chase the cats!” said Jessie scoldingly.

  Benny had an idea. “I’ll take Watch outside and then meet you at the back door. You can let me in there.”

  “Good idea, Benny,” said Violet.

  Relieved, Benny hurried out of the dark basement.

  The others made their way carefully across the basement. Then Henry and Jessie went up the creaking basement stairs.

  Cautiously, Henry tested the door at the top of the stairs. It was open!

  “Thank goodness,” said Violet, following them up the stairs with Beth beside her. “Now we can feed the cats!”

  The basement door opened into a short hall that led into the kitchen. Beth went to the back door and let Benny in.

  “Look, here’s a note from Ms. Singh,” said Violet. She picked it up from the kitchen table and read aloud, “Dear Boxcar Helpers, welcome, and thank you for feeding my cats, Spot and Rover.”

  “So she didn’t forget we were coming,” said Henry.

  Violet nodded and kept reading: “The wet food is on the counter. They each get a small can of wet food, a fresh bowl of water, and please fill the big green bowl with dry food. The dry food is in the bucket with the lid by the refrigerator. Just leave the key under the back doormat where you found it when you are finished. Thank you.”

  Jessie said, “She doesn’t sound like she forgot to leave the key.”

  “It’s a mystery,” agreed Henry. “But we will solve it!”

  Just then, the children heard a clock chime in the living room.

  “Uh-oh,” exclaimed Beth.

  “What is it?” asked Jessie.

  “I should be going. My parents wanted me to be home early for lunch today.”

  “It is almost lunchtime,” said Henry. “It took us so long to get inside, the morning is almost gone.”

  “Well, I’ll see you later,” said Beth.

  “I’ll walk you to your bicycle,” Jessie said.

  When Jessie came back in the kitchen she was holding something and looking very puzzled.

  “What is it, Jessie?” asked Henry.

  “Look.” Jessie held out her hand. In the palm was a silver key.

  “The house key?” asked Violet.

  Jessie nodded. “It fits the door.”

  “Where did you find it?” asked Benny.

  “By the flowerpot at the foot of the back door steps.”

  “We looked there!” said Benny. “We looked everywhere!”

  “I suppose we could have overlooked it,” said Henry slowly. “But it doesn’t seem likely.”

  Jessie shook her head. “I don’t think we did, either.”

  “Then how did the key get there?” asked Violet.

  Henry handed the key back to Jessie. “I’m surprised Beth didn’t see it on her way out,” he said.

  “Well,” said Violet. “She was in a hurry.”

  Jessie put the key in her pocket. “Anyway, we’ll just keep this key so we can get in tomorrow, and then after we feed Spot and Rover tomorrow, we’ll put it under the mat.”

  “Good thinking,” said Henry.

  “Like Beth said, this has been an adventure,” said Jessie.

  “I guess so!” said Violet. “Let’s hope we don’t have any more!”

  CHAPTER 10

  An Unexpected Customer

  Soon a morning came, when the Aldens didn’t have any jobs scheduled.

  “I know,” said Benny. “Let’s have a bake sale!”

  “Oh, Benny. First we’d have to bake something. It would take too much time,” said Henry.

  “But we could have a car wash,” Jessie suggested. “All you need is soap and water and sponges. We have all those things.”

  The Aldens all agreed that Jessie’s idea was a good one.

  “We’ll need some soft cloths to dry the cars with after we wash and rinse them,” said Henry.

  “Mrs. McGregor probably has some she could give up,” said Violet. “I’ll get them from her and call Beth.”

  So while Violet went to call Beth and get soft cloths from Mrs. McGregor, the others began to gather together all the other things they would need for the car wash. They decided to have it out in front of the house.

  “Beth is going to bring an extra piece of poster board,” announced Violet as she helped fill the buckets with soap and water. “Then we can make a big sign to put out front.”

  Beth arrived just as they finished bringing the buckets of soapy water to the edge of the front yard.

  “I’ll get the hose,” said Benny.

  Violet and Beth went into the house and got a marker. Beth wrote CAR WASH $1.00 in big letters and they tied the poster to a tree near the intersection of the road.

  “Wait a minute,” said Beth. She took the marker and drew an arrow, pointing in the direction of the Aldens’ house.

  “Good idea,” said Violet.

  They went back to wait for customers. At first things were slow. Then a lady in a big, blue car drove up. The children went quickly to work with the soapy water and sponges.

  “I’ll turn on the hose,” said Benny when it was time to rinse off the soap. He hurried back to the house. A minute later, before anyone had a chance to pick up the hose, a big jet of water squirted out. The hose squirmed around on the ground like a giant snake, spraying everyone, even Watch, who barked excitedly and ran away from the water.

  Jessie and Henry managed to grab the hose.

  “Oh, no!” said Benny, running back. “I didn’t mean to do that.”

  “It’s okay, Benny.” Beth laughed. “We’ll dry off quickly.”

  They finished washing the blue car, and the woman gave them their money. “You did a good job,” she said.

  They had just had time to dry off in the warm sun when another car drove up, and right behind it, another. They had two cars to wash at once! Beth and the Aldens set to work.

  It was a very busy morning. They washed a little red car that belonged to a young woman who kept telling them she was in a hurry. They washed a very old car that belonged to a veterinarian who had two dogs in the car with him. The dogs in the car and Watch barked a
t one another and wagged their tails happily. They even washed one boy’s bicycle for twenty-five cents. Then business slowed down again.

  “Whew,” said Violet. “Washing cars is hard work.”

  “I know,” said Benny, “let’s wash Grandfather’s car as a surprise.”

  “That’s a great idea, Benny,” said Jessie.

  “Well, I need to go home for lunch,” said Beth.

  “Will you come back this afternoon?” asked Violet.

  “I don’t think I can,” said Beth. “But I’ll try. This has been a lot of fun!” She got on her bicycle and rode away, waving cheerfully over her shoulder.

  The Aldens washed their grandfather’s car and went into lunch. “We have a surprise for you,” said Benny as soon as they sat down.

  “Oh, Benny, it’s not a surprise if you tell him,” said Henry.

  “Yes, it is,” Benny said. “He doesn’t know what it is.”

  “When will I know?” asked Grandfather, his eyes twinkling.

  “Right after lunch,” promised Benny.

  After lunch, the Aldens all went outside. “Can you guess the surprise, Grandfather?” asked Benny.

  “Hmm. I see soap and water and the hose. Did you give Watch a bath?” asked Grandfather, trying to hide a smile.

  “No!” said Benny. “We gave your car a bath.”

  “He’s teasing, Benny. You knew, didn’t you, Grandfather?” asked Violet.

  “Yes,” Grandfather answered. “It looks wonderful. Is this part of your helper service?”

  “Yes, but yours is a surprise free gift,” said Benny.

  “Thank you very much, Benny. Thank you all. I like surprises, especially surprises like this,” said Grandfather.

  Just then, another surprise happened. A familiar white truck pulled up in front of the house.

  “Another customer, it looks like,” said Grandfather. “Keep up the good work!” He went back in the house, and Jessie, Henry, Violet, and Benny went toward the truck.

  “It’s him,” said Jessie. “Charlie.”

  Henry walked up to Charlie’s window. “Hello,” he said to Charlie. “Would you like for us to wash your truck?”

  “I sure would,” said Charlie. He held out a dollar. “My truck could use a good cleaning.”

  Watching Charlie closely, Henry said, “All the money we make is going to support building a new wing on the Greenfield Hospital. We’ve got a helper service.”

  Jessie nodded. “Did you see our signs in town?”

  “I know that,” answered Charlie. “I saw you at the Millers. In fact, I used to work for Mr. Miller. But I’ve been too busy lately with other jobs. When I saw your signs I recommended that he call you.”

  “You did?” asked Benny.

  “Sure did,” Charlie told Benny. Charlie grinned. “Why not? Plenty of work for everyone. And that’s how I got started in my business, doing the same things you are doing. You’re smart kids.”

  “Oh,” said Jessie. “Well.”

  The Aldens all looked at each other. Dr. Jackson wasn’t the one trying to destroy their work, and Charlie didn’t seem to be either.

  Not knowing what else to say, they got to work washing Charlie’s truck.

  Several more cars came, and the children worked all afternoon. Just as they were finishing, a familiar figure rode up on her bicycle.

  “Beth, you came back,” said Violet.

  “You changed clothes!” said Benny.

  “Oh.” Beth looked down at her red T-shirt and white shorts. “Yes, I did.”

  “We’ve finished washing cars, but you can help us clean up,” said Jessie.

  “Clean up? That doesn’t sound like fun,” said Beth crossly. “Why does everyone else have all the fun?” She jumped on her bike, leaving the Aldens to stare after her with open mouths.

  “That does it!” said Jessie.

  “Wait,” begged Violet. “At least give Beth a chance to explain.”

  “I think she should explain what’s going on,” Jessie answered. “We’ll call her tonight and ask her to come over tomorrow. I have a few questions I think she should answer.”

  “Yes,” said Henry. “I think we all do.”

  CHAPTER 11

  One Last Chance

  The next morning the Aldens were out in the yard by their boxcar. Benny was throwing a stick for Watch to chase. Violet was sitting on the stump step, and Jessie and Henry were sitting just behind her, on the edge of the boxcar. No one was talking much. They were waiting for Beth.

  At last they saw her walking across the backyard. She was wearing green shorts and a white shirt with matching green trim.

  “Hi,” she called. “What’s going on?”

  “Hello, Beth,” said Jessie seriously.

  Violet looked at Jessie, then back at Beth. She gave Beth a friendly smile. “Hi, Beth,” she said. “Do you want to sit down?”

  Beth looked uneasy. “Is something wrong?” she asked.

  The Aldens exchanged glances. Then Jessie said, “Beth, you remember when someone took our art supplies and ruined the posters we’d left in the boxcar.”

  Beth nodded.

  “Someone also tore down one of our posters,” said Henry. “The day you said you were at the dentist.” He paused, but Beth didn’t say anything.

  “And someone ruined the Millers’ garden so we had to do it over,” Violet pointed out.

  And don’t forget when we couldn’t find the key to get into Ms. Singh’s house to feed the cats,” said Jessie.

  Beth still didn’t say anything.

  Jessie took a deep breath. “At first we thought someone didn’t want us to help the hospital. We thought maybe it was Dr. Jackson, because she was against the new wing being built and thought that a new hospital should be constructed in Silver City.”

  Violet said, “But now we don’t think it is Dr. Jackson. You and I went to baby-sit for her, remember? And she doesn’t seem like the one who would be doing all these things.”

  Beth frowned.

  Jessie went on, “For a while we thought it could be Charlie the Fix-it Man. We thought we might be taking business he might have gotten. But then Charlie came to our car wash. And he told us he recommended us for some jobs. So it doesn’t seem like he could be the one.”

  Violet said softly, “Sometimes, Beth, you don’t seem like the same person. For instance, that day you were supposed to be at the dentist, we saw you on your bicycle in town. We called you and you wouldn’t stop or answer us,” said Violet.

  Everyone waited. But just as Beth seemed about to say something, Benny shouted, “Look, look!”

  Another Beth was coming across the backyard!

  This Beth was wearing blue shorts and a blue striped shirt. She stopped in front of the first Beth and put her hands on her hips.

  Benny looked from one to the other with his mouth open. Watch began to bark excitedly.

  “Beth?” said Violet uncertainly, looking from one to the other.

  But neither Beth seemed to have heard her. They glared at each other. Then the second Beth said, “You’re doing it again!”

  “Well, so are you!” cried the first Beth. “How did you know I was here, anyway?”

  “I guessed that phone call last night was for me,” said the second Beth. “I followed you this morning. And I was right!”

  “You followed me?” said the first Beth.

  “Why not? You’ve been following me all week,” said the second Beth.

  The Aldens stared in amazement. There were two Beths. And they looked exactly alike.

  “What is going on?” demanded Jessie.

  But she still didn’t get an answer. Instead the first Beth burst into tears. “I just w-wanted to have some friends. Like you, Beth,” she cried.

  “Oh, don’t cry. Don’t cry,” said Violet, jumping up. “It’s okay . . . Beth?”

  “I’m not Beth,” sobbed the first Beth. “I’m Heather!”

  “You’re twins,” said Jessie suddenly. r />
  Beth nodded. “Yes. Heather and I are twins.” She didn’t look happy about it.

  “Do you take turns being each other?” asked Benny.

  “No!” said Beth. “She has been following me around ever since we moved to Greenfield. Pretending she’s me. And causing trouble.”

  “I know what I did was wrong. I guess I was just jealous,” said Heather, who had stopped crying. She rubbed the tears off her cheek on the sleeve of her shirt. “You always have friends. Every time we move you meet new people. I never do.”

  “Well that’s not my fault, is it?” asked Beth. She turned to face the Aldens.

  They listened in amazement as Beth told them how, every time they moved, Heather grew jealous of Beth’s new friends and tried to ruin their fun, sometimes even pretending to be Beth. It had been Heather, not Beth, who was responsible for all the nasty tricks over the past week.

  “You mean you took our art supplies and ruined Benny’s bicycle tires?” gasped Violet.

  Heather nodded shamefacedly.

  “And ruined our posters and our garden?” asked Henry.

  “Yes,” said Heather softly.

  “I wasn’t sure at first,” said Beth. “Then I saw Heather in town when we went to get new art supplies. I went after her. But she was too quick for me, and she disappeared. And, of course, by the time we got back outside, she’d let the air out of Benny’s tires.”

  “That’s why you were so jumpy,” said Jessie. “And those times you acted so strange—like in the ice cream parlor that night.”

  “That wasn’t me, that was Heather,” explained Beth. “That’s how she found out about all of you in the first place.”

  “And that day we saw you in town, when you said you had to go to the dentist?” asked Violet.

  Beth looked startled. “I did go to the dentist.”

  “You’re right. That was me,” said Heather. “And that was me, baby-sitting, too. I got the phone call and pretended to be Beth.”

  “But Beth,” said Jessie. “Why didn’t you just tell us you had a twin?’

  “Because she always ruins everything. I can’t trust her!” cried Beth.

  Violet looked at Heather. “Heather? You’ve done some really mean things. Why couldn’t you just be friendly, like Beth?”