The Copycat Mystery

  When Henry came into the room, everyone cried out in surprise. Benny wasn’t the only one wearing pants that were too short!

  “What . . .?” Benny couldn’t believe his eyes.

  For a long moment, the two brothers stood staring at each other. Then they suddenly burst into laughter.

  “We sure look funny!” Benny exclaimed.

  “You can say that again!” admitted Henry, looking down at his own too-short pants.

  “Hmmm.” Jessie was kneeling on the floor, inspecting the bottom of Benny’s pants. “Looks like somebody took the hem up another five inches.”

  “Are you sure?” Violet hurried over to take a look for herself.

  “See?” Jessie lifted the hem. “This isn’t the careful stitching that Miss Pennink did yesterday.” And Violet agreed.

  Benny looked from Jessie to Henry. “You mean somebody played a joke on us?”

  “A practical joke,” Henry said with a quick nod.

  The children heard a gasp and whirled around. It was Miss Pennink standing in the doorway.

  “I see Horace has been busy again,” she said in a whispery voice.

  Jake North suddenly appeared behind Miss Pennink. “What’s going on?” he asked. When he caught sight of the pants Henry and Benny were wearing, his dark eyebrows shot up.

  Miss Pennink put a hand over her heart. “I simply must sit down,” she said.

  With some help from Jake, she made her way over to a chair.

  “Are you all right, Miss Pennink?” Violet’s brown eyes were wide with alarm.

  “I just need a moment to recover from the shock, my dear.” Miss Pennink smiled a little, but still seemed upset.

  Just then, Jessie caught sight of Jake’s camera. “Oh, are you here to take more photographs? I could get Gwen if—”

  Jake broke in before she could finish. “I just stopped by to see if I left my sunglasses here yesterday,” he explained. “But maybe I will get a picture of Henry and Benny.” And with that, Jake snapped a photo.

  It seemed very odd to Jessie. Why would Jake want a picture of them wearing pants that didn’t fit?

  “So what happened?” Jake asked, his lips curling up into a smile. “Did your pants shrink in the laundry demonstration yesterday?”

  “Somebody did this on purpose!” Benny blurted out.

  “Yes, indeed,” agreed Miss Pennink. “This is Horace’s handiwork. He won’t put up with it, you know. He just won’t stand for this outrage. To be ignored in one’s own home is . . . is . . . well, it simply isn’t right!”

  A little later, when Gwen was pouring Miss Pennink a cup of tea, she said, “You don’t really think that, do you, Miss Pennink? You can’t believe a ghost is responsible for these practical jokes.”

  Sharon, who was sitting beside Miss Pennink, spoke up first. “We both believe it!”

  Gwen frowned. “Sharon, please!” She put a basket of blueberry muffins on the table, then turned and gave her younger sister a warning look. “You’re not helping matters.”

  Jake pulled up a chair. “It is hard to believe a ghost could be doing these things,” he said. “And yet . . .”

  The Aldens looked at one another. They all wondered why Jake was so eager to believe the house was haunted.

  “There’s no such thing as ghosts,” said Benny, reaching for a muffin.

  “Well, if that’s true,” replied Sharon, “then there’s only one other possibility.” And she looked at the Aldens.

  “What do you mean?” Henry wanted to know.

  Sharon narrowed her green eyes. “Well, it seems to me these practical jokes didn’t start until the four of you arrived,” she said in an icy voice. “Quite a coincidence, wouldn’t you agree?”

  “What a terrible thing to say, Sharon!” exclaimed Gwen.

  “I’m not accusing anyone,” Sharon replied. And she gave her long blond hair a toss. “I’m simply stating the facts.”

  Violet couldn’t believe it. “You think we’re the copycats?”

  “Aren’t you forgetting a few things?” Jessie asked, looking Sharon straight in the eye.

  “Such as . . . ?”

  “Well, for starters, we don’t have a key to the farmhouse.”

  Henry added, “Or a motive.”

  “Making trouble is all the motive some people need,” Sharon shot back.

  Miss Pennink reached out and put a hand on Sharon’s arm. “Please, we mustn’t accuse one another. This is Horace’s doing. I know because this practical joke is exactly like one Horace played when he was a young boy.”

  “You’ve had a shock, Miss Pennink,” said Gwen. “Are you sure you want to talk about this?”

  Nodding, Miss Pennink took a sip of tea. “I must talk about my great-great-grandfather, since no one else will.” She took a breath. “It happened back when Horace wasn’t much bigger than Benny. His brother Oscar was about a year younger. As the story goes, Oscar was quite small for his age, and for some reason he’d gotten it into his head that he’d never grow any bigger. Well, Horace couldn’t bear to see his brother unhappy, so one night he—”

  “Shortened his brother’s pants?” guessed Benny, who was so interested in the conversation, he still hadn’t taken a bite of his muffin.

  “That’s exactly what he did, Benny!” said Miss Pennink. “In fact, Horace kept this up every night for a week. He shortened those pants a little more every time. They say when Horace was finished, his younger brother was certain he’d sprouted right up! And let me tell you something,” she added, “Oscar never worried about his size again.”

  Henry asked, “Did Oscar ever find out that it was a practical joke?”

  “It wasn’t until years later that he found out, Henry,” said Miss Pennink. “They say Horace and Oscar had a good laugh over it. Of course, by then Oscar had grown to be every bit the size of his brothers!”

  Sharon rubbed her arms. “It gives me a chill to think of Horace going around playing practical jokes all over again.”

  Nobody said anything for a moment. It was Jake who finally broke the silence. “So that’s where they went!” he said.

  Everyone looked at him. Then they followed his gaze to the sunglasses on the windowsill.

  “I must have put my sunglasses down when I was having a cup of coffee yesterday,” Jake told them. “I figured they’d be here or at my uncle Draper’s.” As the Aldens passed the sunglasses to him, Jake thanked Gwen for the tea, then went on his way.

  No sooner had he gone than the bell over the front door jangled as the first visitors arrived. Gwen quickly put the teacups into the sink and rushed away with Sharon. Then Miss Pennink disappeared into the changing room.

  “I guess we shouldn’t be all that surprised,” said Henry, who was standing still while Violet lowered the hem on his pants. “About Draper Mills being Jake’s uncle, I mean.”

  “That’s true,” agreed Jessie, snipping away at the stitching on Benny’s pants. “Jake did mention that his uncle was a poet.”

  Benny nodded. “And Draper Mills writes poetry.” He took a bite of his blueberry muffin.

  “Well, that means we can rule Jake out as a suspect,” Henry realized.

  But Violet wasn’t so sure. She thought about it for a moment and then said, “Hmm.”

  Benny looked over at Violet. “He was only here last night to visit his uncle,” he pointed out.

  “That’s right,” said Henry. “There’s no reason for us to suspect him of being the copycat.”

  “I suppose,” said Violet, but she didn’t sound convinced.

  CHAPTER 8

  Putting Two and Two Together

  After cooling off in the pond, Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny changed into clean shorts and T-shirts, then hurried downstairs. They found Aunt Jane reading the newspaper in the living room in front of a whirling fan. She looked up as they trooped into the room.

  “I bet that swim felt good!” she said.

  “The swim did feel good. And now I feel good and
hungry!” said Benny.

  Aunt Jane laughed. “We’ll get supper going in a minute. But first, come and see this.” She nodded toward the newspaper on her lap.

  “What is it, Aunt Jane?” Violet looked over her aunt’s shoulder as they gathered around. “Oh!”

  In bold letters that seemed to jump off the page, the headline read, IS THE GHOST OF HORACE WAGNER HAVING THE LAST LAUGH? And just beneath that headline was a picture of Sharon Corkum smiling into the camera.

  “Look!” cried Benny. “Sharon’s holding up the antique birdcage. And you can see Nester, too.”

  Jessie nodded. “Jake must have taken that picture just before we got back from lunch yesterday.”

  Aunt Jane sighed. “Carl Mason isn’t going to be pleased with this kind of publicity.”

  The Aldens understood why when Aunt Jane read the article aloud. It was all about the farmhouse sign being moved to the barn and the canary appearing inside the antique birdcage. It finished with an account of Horace Wagner and his practical jokes.

  The children looked at one another in dismay. Although they had searched everywhere, they hadn’t come up with any clues to help solve the mystery. And now it was too late. They still didn’t know who the copycat was, and Gwen could lose her job. Mr. Mason would be sure to see that newspaper article when he got back the next day. And the chances were good he’d blame Gwen for not putting a stop to the practical jokes.

  They talked about the mystery as they helped Aunt Jane make a pizza for supper. Violet chopped green peppers and onions. Jessie sliced mushrooms and tomatoes. Henry grated mozzarella cheese and put it in a bowl. Benny stood on a chair at the stove and stirred the tomato sauce. And Aunt Jane shaped the dough.

  “It’s just unbelievable,” said Aunt Jane, who had listened wide-eyed as the children told her all about the latest prank with the too-short pants. “Those practical jokes won’t seem very funny if Gwen loses her job.”

  Violet looked over at Aunt Jane. “Do you really think that could happen?” she asked. Her voice sounded tense.

  “There’s just no telling what Carl Mason might do,” said Aunt Jane as she turned down the heat under the sauce. “But even if Gwen doesn’t lose her job, I’m afraid she will lose volunteers. Not many people will want to work at the farmhouse if they believe it’s haunted.”

  “Oh!” cried Jessie. “I never thought of that.”

  “Well, you can bet Gwen’s thought about it,” said Aunt Jane.

  While the pizza was in the oven, Jessie and Violet helped Aunt Jane wash the strawberries for dessert. Benny put plates and napkins on the table. And Henry filled four tall glasses and one cracked pink cup with cold apple cider and put them around the table, too.

  “It’s a good thing we made an extra-large pizza!” Benny said when he had finished his third slice.

  Aunt Jane smiled over at the youngest Alden. “I knew you’d be hungry after putting in a full day’s work, Benny.”

  “And we worked very hard today too,” Benny told her as he wiped tomato sauce from his chin. “Henry and I made ice cream the old-fashioned way. The visitors helped, too. They turned the crank on the ice-cream freezer around and around.” He looked over at his aunt. “And you know what else?”

  “What?” Aunt Jane smiled as she dished up the strawberries. She was eager to hear all about their day.

  “Everybody had a chance to sample the ice cream!” said Benny.

  Henry couldn’t keep from laughing. “I think you had more than one sample, Benny!”

  “Jessie and I helped out with Miss Pennink’s workshop,” Violet put in. “We were showing how old clothing was recycled during the Victorian era.”

  Jessie knew Violet would be too shy to say anything, so she spoke up for her. “Some of the older kids didn’t want to make a braided rag rug or a rag doll. So Violet showed them how to make a rag octopus—like the one Mrs. McGregor made for her sister. It was such a big hit, Gwen’s going to include it in the workshops from now on.”

  “I tore some of the old clothing into long strips,” Benny reminded them.

  “Yes, and that was very helpful,” Violet told him.

  Aunt Jane nodded. “I’m sure Gwen appreciates all the help you children have given her.”

  “I just wish we could solve the mystery of the copycat,” said Henry as he ate his strawberries. “That would really help Gwen.”

  Aunt Jane reached for an envelope that was on top of the refrigerator. “You left your photographs on the table this morning,” she said, handing the envelope to Violet. “Weren’t you planning on showing them to Gwen?”

  Violet nodded. “I forgot all about them. I’ll try to remember tomorrow.”

  “I love the photo taken in the farmhouse office,” said Aunt Jane as she sat down.

  Violet flipped through the photos. “Which one do you mean, Aunt Jane?”

  “I bet it’s the one Gwen took of us in our Victorian clothes,” guessed Jessie.

  Aunt Jane smiled when Violet held it up. “Yes, that’s it!”

  “We should put that one in the Alden family album,” suggested Benny. “Don’t you think so, Violet?”

  But Violet didn’t answer. She was staring hard at the picture. Something about it bothered her. But she didn’t know what it was. Finally she gave a little shrug and tucked the snapshot back into the envelope.

  “Don’t you think so, Violet?” Benny said again, a little louder this time. “Don’t you think that one should go in the Alden family album?”

  Violet looked up in surprise. “Oh, yes! That’s exactly where it should go. It will always remind us of our trip back in time.”

  “And the mystery of the copycat,” added Henry.

  While they cleared the table after dinner, the Aldens still talked about the mystery.

  “It’s funny,” said Benny. “The practical joke with Nester was just like the thaumatrope.” He carried the empty glasses over to the sink. “First there wasn’t a bird in the cage, and then there was.”

  Jessie nodded. “There’s one difference, though. The canary in the antique birdcage wasn’t an optical illusion. Neither were those shortened pants.”

  “But they were tricks,” said Henry, stacking the plates on the counter.

  “You know, I’ve been thinking about Sharon,” said Jessie. “It’s funny she didn’t find the birdcage until Jake arrived with his camera.”

  Violet turned off the tap. She told the others how she had caught a glimpse of burrs on Sharon’s socks the day the sign disappeared. “Benny said there were weeds behind the barn where he found the sign. Right?” She turned to her younger brother.

  “I guess that is suspicious,” Benny said uncertainly. “But maybe Sharon was just out gathering wildflowers and that’s where those burrs came from.”

  “That’s a possibility, Benny,” said Jessie as she slipped the dessert spoons into the soapy water. “I don’t think we can rule Sharon out as a suspect, though. I know she was nice to you yesterday, but I still don’t trust her. She could have taken Gwen’s keys to get into the farmhouse and then set up the practical jokes.”

  Henry agreed. “And I’m sure she’s heard plenty about Horace and his practical jokes from Miss Pennink.”

  “Sharon’s so hard to figure out,” Benny said, carefully drying his cracked pink cup. “She was nice at first. But then she got angry.”

  Jessie nodded. “Her whole attitude changed as soon as Gwen mentioned we’d be working at the farmhouse.”

  “Gwen mentioned something else, too,” Henry reminded them. “She said we were good at solving mysteries.”

  “Oh!” cried Violet, rinsing the soapy dishes. “You think that’s why Sharon was acting so weird?”

  Henry shrugged. “If she is the copycat, she sure wouldn’t want us snooping around.”

  “What I can’t figure out,” Violet went on, “is why Sharon would want everyone to think the house is haunted.”

  “Maybe she’s trying to get even with Gwen,” Jessie
guessed.

  Violet thought about this. “You mean because of the fashion shows?”

  “It’s a possibility,” said Jessie.

  “But her sister’s job is on the line!” Violet looked startled. “I can’t believe Sharon would do anything to hurt Gwen like that.” It was too awful to think about.

  “It’s hard to believe, Violet,” said Jessie. “But you heard how angry she was at the ice-cream parlor last night. And she did tell Gwen she’d be sorry.”

  “You know,” said Henry, “Sharon isn’t the only suspect. There’s somebody else we might want to include on that list.”

  “You’re thinking of Draper Mills, right?” guessed Jessie.

  Henry nodded. “It seems odd that he was at the farmhouse so early yesterday morning.”

  Violet turned to face Henry. “Well, he does do repairs around the house.”

  “I know,” said Henry, nodding. “But Gwen seemed surprised when he said he was fixing a window shade.”

  Benny looked thoughtful. “She didn’t know any of the shades needed fixing.”

  “And Draper was acting very nervous,” added Jessie. “Did you notice?”

  Henry and Benny nodded. They’d picked up on this, too.

  “Draper isn’t comfortable around people,” Violet was quick to remind them. “Gwen and Aunt Jane both told us that. Just because he was acting nervous, that doesn’t make him suspicious.” Violet was shy, and being around a lot of people made her nervous, too.

  “That’s true, Violet,” Jessie said quietly as she put the clean spoons away in a drawer. “But we can’t be sure he wasn’t getting things set up yesterday morning for the practical joke. We have to consider every possibility. Draper was in the right place at the right time.”

  Benny had something to add. “Maybe Draper moved the sign, too. He doesn’t like anybody stopping at the farm.”

  Violet looked at Benny, then over at Jessie and Henry. She could see they believed it was possible. “Draper is afraid his flowers will get trampled. That’s a reason for moving the sign, but why would he play those practical jokes with the canary and the shortened pants?”