The Mystery of the Midnight Dog

  “But you’re practically a historian, aren’t you?” Jessie asked.

  “I’ll be a historian when I finish college. Right now I’m just a history student,” Lainey said, with one last glance back at Brad.

  “Look,” said Jessie. “There’s Violet outside the visitors’ center.”

  “And Benny, too,” Henry said.

  Violet had a map in her hand and was pointing to it while she talked to an attractive woman with sleek black hair. The woman had on tiny square-framed sunglasses and bright red lipstick.

  Violet then gave the map to the pretty tourist, who stuffed it into a pocket and walked away.

  Benny and Violet hurried over to join Henry, Jessie, and Lainey.

  “We’ve given out about a million maps,” Benny said.

  No one got a chance to answer because just then an angry voice shouted, “Hey! Stay on the paths, like you’re supposed to!”

  A tall, strongly built man in work pants, work boots, and a long-sleeved shirt that said ELBOW BEND STAFF stomped up to them. He had a rake in one hand, which he waved. “Can’t you read?” he demanded. “What does that sign say?” He gestured toward a small green-and-white sign at the base of a tree.

  “ ‘Please stay on the ... trails’ ” Benny read aloud.

  “And where are you standing?” the man growled.

  Benny looked down at his feet. He looked over at Violet. “I guess we kind of took a shortcut between the trails,” he said.

  “Huh,” said the man. “First you walk right through the leaves I’ve raked up. Then you go and knock over all my garbage cans. Tourists!”

  “We work here,” Violet said, finding her voice.

  “And we didn’t knock over anything,” added Benny.

  The man stepped back, pushed up his cap, and studied them.

  Just then Kate Frances came up the trail. She said, “It’s true. These are friends of mine and they’re doing some volunteer work.”

  “Well,” the man said grudgingly, “I guess you’re not tourists. I guess you’re not so bad. I’m Joshua Wilson, head of the grounds crew. You can call me Joshua. That’s good enough for me.”

  He paused. “But you still have to obey the rules.” He stalked off, waving his rake and muttering to himself.

  “Wow. He’s grumpy,” said Jessie.

  “He’s proud of this park. It upsets him when people don’t treat it right. And you can’t blame him for being grumpy after someone knocked over all the garbage containers,” Kate Frances told them. “Joshua thinks we should limit the number of tourists allowed in here. He says it would be better for the park.”

  “Did you find any clues?” Benny asked, turning to Henry and Jessie, just remembering the garbage can mystery.

  Henry shook his head.

  “Not a single one,” Jessie said.

  Then Benny remembered another mystery. “Hey, Kate Frances,” he said as they walked toward the car to drive home for the evening. “Are there any ghosts in Elbow Bend State Park?”

  “Nope,” said Kate Frances. “Not even a ghost dog.”

  But as it turned out, Kate Frances was wrong.

  CHAPTER 5

  Tourists Keep Out?

  The next morning, as the Aldens walked toward the Elbow Bend State Park visitors’ center, they saw Dr. Sage and Brad. Henry and Jessie had told Violet and Benny about the scientist, and Lainey and Kate Frances had promised to introduce them.

  But the two girls didn’t get a chance.

  Dr. Sage turned toward them as they came up, put her hands on her hips, and said, “You children didn’t do any volunteer digging last night, did you?”

  “No!” said Henry.

  “Why? What’s wrong?” Lainey asked.

  “Someone’s been at the site. Whoever it was made several holes. We just reported it,” Brad said.

  “May we see?” asked Jessie.

  “I guess so,” Dr. Sage agreed. “Come on.”

  When everyone reached the site, Dr. Sage led the way on a worn footpath lined by vivid yellow nylon cord strung between metal stakes. Signs taped to the cord said, OFFICIAL STATE HISTORIC SITE and KEEP OFF.

  Brad said, “Over here.” He stepped over the cord and raised it up so that the others could duck under. Walking carefully around the edge of a shallow rectangle in the earth, Brad pointed.

  Next to the rectangle was a deep hole, with dirt flung up messily all around it.

  Benny squatted down next to the hole. “Wow,” he said. “It looks just like the holes Watch digs. Only bigger.”

  “It’s no dog or wild animal,” Dr. Sage said. “That’s not typical behavior for a dog—to go around digging holes all over the place like this.”

  “And in just one night,” said Brad. “Plus, there are no dog or fox footprints. No animal tracks of any kind.”

  “Did anything get stolen?” Violet asked as they walked from one place to another, examining all the holes.

  “No,” said Brad. “In fact, I found several pieces of pottery at one of the sites, scattered around with the dirt that had been scooped out.”

  “Look at this,” Benny said as they reached the last hole, on the edge of the site. “It’s a bone!”

  Everyone peered over Benny’s shoulder into the bucket-sized hole in the red dirt. Brad leaned down and picked up the small white object.

  Brad sniffed the bone. “It’s a chicken bone. From a fried chicken dinner, unless I’m mistaken. But what’s it doing way out here?”

  “I know,” said Benny. He looked around at the others, his eyes wide. “It’s the ghost dog! It was burying a bone—but then morning came and scared it away!”

  “Ghost dog?” Dr. Sage’s features seemed to grow sharper. “Not at my dig!”

  “I know that old ghost dog story,” Brad said. He smiled. “I don’t think it was a ghost dog, Benny. I think someone is playing a stupid joke.”

  “If I catch who did it, I’ll make them sorry they ever thought of doing something like this,” growled Dr. Sage. She looked at Brad. “Let’s get to work. We’ll leave the holes. No use disturbing the site even more.”

  “We need to get to work, too,” Kate Frances agreed.

  They all headed back to the visitors’ center.

  “That’s the second time in two days that something weird has happened in the park,” noted Henry. “First the garbage getting dumped all over the trails. Then all those holes.”

  “It does sound a little like something a dog would do, doesn’t it?” Jessie said.

  “But it’s not,” Violet said. “It’s definitely a person.”

  “The park is locked at night, or at least the entrance gate is,” Kate Frances said. “Whoever did it would have had to sneak in here at night, and there would be ...”

  “Snakes.” Lainey shuddered. “They come out at night. I’m afraid of them. We do have rattlesnakes around here.”

  “Not many,” said Kate Frances. “And besides, they’re more afraid of you than you are of them. They won’t hurt you unless you try to hurt them.”

  “Huh,” said Lainey. “I don’t want to try to hurt a snake. I don’t even want to go near one.”

  They all thought hard for a moment. Then Jessie said, “Maybe someone is mad at the park. Have you fired anyone lately?”

  “No,” said Kate Frances. “Everyone has worked here for years, except for the summer students, like Lainey and me.”

  “Maybe it’s one of the tourists,” said Henry.

  “But why?” asked Lainey.

  “You could ask Joshua that,” suggested Violet. “He thinks tourists are annoying, remember? He would believe they’d turn over trash cans and dig holes in the middle of the night.”

  “Yes ... or maybe Joshua is doing it to make it look like the tourists did it,” Henry said.

  Lainey looked puzzled. “I don’t get it,” she said.

  “To get the park to limit the number of tourists,” Jessie said.

  Kate Frances shook her head. “It’s an int
eresting idea, but I don’t think Joshua would do that. I just can’t see him sneaking around in the middle of the night, for one thing.”

  “Well,” said Jessie, “somebody’s doing it.”

  “Or some ghost,” Benny said under his breath.

  “So it looks like we have a mystery to solve after all,” Jessie concluded.

  No dogs howled that night. Benny and Watch and everyone else in Mrs. Wade’s house slept without being awakened until the sun came up the next morning.

  But when they got to the park, they found Ms. Hedge talking to Dr. Sage.

  “Dr. Sage looks really unhappy,” said Violet softly in Jessie’s ear.

  Although Violet hadn’t meant for Dr. Sage to hear, she did. She turned, folded her arms, and narrowed her eyes at the Aldens. “Dr. Sage is unhappy,” she stated.

  She turned back to Ms. Hedge. “Well. Do we get a night guard? Some kind of security?”

  “I’m afraid we can’t afford that right now,” Ms. Hedge said. “We—”

  Dr. Sage snorted. “Figures,” she said. Without waiting for Ms. Hedge to reply, Dr. Sage turned and walked away.

  The Aldens promptly followed.

  “What’s wrong?” Henry asked the archaeologist.

  “Holes,” she said. She was walking so fast that the Aldens almost had to run to keep up.

  “More holes at the site?” asked Jessie, panting a little.

  “No. Different holes,” Dr. Sage answered.

  “What do you mean?” said Benny.

  She didn’t reply but just kept walking.

  And since she didn’t object, the Aldens stayed with her. When they reached the site, Dr. Sage led them straight back to where the first hole had been. Brad was squatting by the dig, sifting dirt through what appeared to be a large strainer.

  “The detectives are back,” said Dr. Sage.

  Brad looked up. “Oh,” he said. “Uh, did Lainey come with you?”

  “Just us,” said Benny.

  “Well, take a look,” said Dr. Sage.

  The Aldens went into the roped-off area. The holes from the day before had been filled in, more or less—but other holes had been dug nearby.

  “Take a look around,” Dr. Sage said. “But watch where you put your feet. Just because someone is dancing around here at night digging holes doesn’t mean you can trample over our hard work.”

  She stalked away.

  “Did you find any clues?” Henry asked Brad.

  Brad shook his head. “No. Nothing. Not even a chicken bone this time.”

  The Aldens examined each new hole carefully. All of the original holes had been filled in with dirt. Now there were brand-new holes!

  “Why would someone do all this?” Violet wondered.

  “Maybe they’re looking for something,” said Jessie.

  Benny saw something in the dirt. He leaned down and gingerly picked up a small scrap of leather. He held it up. It was twisted and covered with dirt. But even so, he knew what it was.

  “Look!” he cried. “A dog collar!”

  “A dog collar!” exclaimed Violet. “What’s a dog collar doing here?”

  Brad looked surprised at Benny’s find.

  “Wow,” he said. “If it’s real, it’ll be a great little piece of history. This is the sort of thing that you put on display for tourists, you know? Perfect for the kind of exhibits they’d pay to see. ...”

  “Is it a really old collar?” asked Henry.

  “Hard to say,” Brad mused. “Not very much of it left. It’s worn. But it’s in very good condition for something that would have to have been in the ground for over a hundred years. If it still had any metalwork on it, I could tell right away. They made dog collars by hand back then.”

  He stood up. “Thanks,” he said to Benny, and wandered away toward the small trailer pulled up nearby, where Dr. Sage was reading on the steps.

  “I found a clue,” Benny said triumphantly.

  “You did,” agreed Henry. “And maybe two other suspects.”

  “What do you mean?” Violet asked.

  “I know,” said Jessie. “You mean that maybe Dr. Sage and Brad dug those holes.”

  “That’s right. To get some publicity. And maybe to force whoever’s in charge to give them some more money for their research,” Henry said.

  “And I’ve thought of one more,” Jessie said.

  “Who?” asked Benny. “Did I find that clue, too?”

  “Sorry, no, Benny,” Jessie told him. “It’s Lainey. I think we have to add her to our list of suspects.”

  “Lainey!” exclaimed Violet. “Oh, no.”

  But Henry was nodding. “Because she likes to play jokes, like that joke about the ghost dog she played on me with Benny.”

  “That’s right,” agreed Jessie. “Lainey could be doing all of this as a practical joke, a sort of challenge to us as detectives.”

  Violet said reluctantly, “I guess she could. She was awfully interested in the stories about solving mysteries that we told her at dinner our first night here.”

  “It could even be Lainey and Brad,” Henry mused. “After all, they seem to like each other.”

  “They do seem to like each other,” said Jessie. “If Lainey thought it would help Brad’s work at the dig, she might help him dig holes to get extra publicity.”

  “Or even to help Dr. Sage!” added Benny.

  Holding up her hand, Violet said, “So we have how many suspects? One: Joshua, the head of the grounds crew. Two: Dr. Sage. Three: Lainey. Four: Brad.”

  “We have a lot more suspects than clues,” said Jessie.

  “That’s happened before,” Henry said. “Don’t worry. We’ll solve this mystery.”

  “Meanwhile,” Jessie said, “let’s get to work. And everybody, be sure and keep your eyes and ears open for more clues. You never know when one will turn up!”

  Although the Aldens did just what Jessie had suggested, they found no more clues. It was hot outdoors and lots of tourists were visiting the park. As the day was ending, even more began to show up.

  “They’re here for the storytelling hour,” Henry said. “It’s a good thing we have special reserved seats.”

  “Grandfather and Mrs. Wade will be here soon, too,” said Benny. “I hope they don’t forget our picnic dinner.”

  “They won’t, Benny. Don’t worry,” Violet reassured him.

  Just then they passed Joshua Wilson, who was pushing a wheelbarrow toward the tool and gardening shed.

  “Good evening, Joshua,” said Jessie.

  He looked up. Then he looked over at the people following the signs that said, STORIES UNDER THE STARS. He shook his head. “This place will be a mess tomorrow,” he said. “Trampled. Full of garbage. Storytelling. Bah!” He pushed the wheelbarrow away to the shed and put it away, still grumbling.

  Benny said, “Look. There’s Grandfather.”

  The Aldens hurried to join Grandfather Alden and Mrs. Wade as they made their way toward the outdoor theater. The trail wound through the woods and stopped at a small clearing. In it stood a small wooden stage beneath a curved roof that looked like a large half clamshell. Facing the stage were rows of wooden benches.

  Kate Frances waved at them and they made their way to a section of seats near the front. “Here we go,” she said. “Just in time for dinner and storytelling.”

  “Where’s Lainey?” asked Henry.

  “She’s up at the parking lot, directing people,” Mrs. Wade answered. “She’ll join us if she can.”

  Henry nodded.

  They ate dinner and watched as more and more people arrived. Some had brought picnic dinners, too. As it grew later and darker, soft lights began to shine around the edges of the theater.

  Then all the lights went dark for a moment. When they came back on, a hush had fallen over the audience. Spotlighted on the stage was a small woman dressed in a bonnet and old-fashioned clothes.

  People applauded and cheered. And then everyone grew still so that the
only sounds were the wind in the trees and the voice of the storyteller.

  It had grown late and the storyteller was just finishing when a mournful howl filled the night.

  The storyteller stopped. Everyone froze.

  Benny grabbed Violet’s arm. “The ghost dog!” he cried.

  No sooner had he spoken than someone screamed. A man jumped to his feet and pointed. “A ghost. It’s a ghost!” he shouted.

  CHAPTER 6

  No Footprints

  Some people jumped up to look.

  But most of the audience just stared as a small white doglike figure seemed to float through the dark shadows beneath the huge old trees at the far side of the clearing.

  And then it was gone.

  “Everyone stay calm,” said the storyteller. She raised her hands. “I’m glad you enjoyed the conclusion of our performance.”

  “Oh, it was part of the act,” a man near the Aldens said in a relieved voice.

  “I knew it wasn’t a real dog,” said a freckle-faced girl with wiry red hair.

  An older woman began to applaud and the rest of the crowd did, too.

  Benny, who had jumped up on the bench to see better, turned to Kate Frances. “It was part of the show?” he asked in a disappointed voice.

  Kate Frances made a face. “If it was,” she said, “no one told me about it.”

  “So it was real?” Violet gasped.

  “I don’t know what it was,” she said. “But as soon as we have seen to it that all the guests have gone, I’m going to find out.”

  Henry turned to Grandfather Alden. “We need to look into this,” he said. “We can get a ride back to Mrs. Wade’s house with Kate Frances.”

  “That’ll be fine,” said Grandfather, his eyes twinkling.

  “Good luck looking for clues,” Mrs. Wade added.

  “Let’s go look for footprints,” Jessie said. “A ghost doesn’t leave footprints.”

  They turned to walk to the dark trees at the edge of the clearing. Henry said, “Violet? Are you coming?”

  Violet was looking up at the stage, where Kate Frances was talking to the storyteller. Lainey had joined them, as had several other people. They were all talking and several were holding out pens and paper for an autograph. Violet stared at one of the people in the group who seemed familiar somehow. ...