The Clue in the Corn Maze

  “I wonder how David’s cap got from the shed to the maze,” Violet said as she shined her flashlight on the path ahead of them.

  The cornstalks rippled in the night breeze as the children turned a corner.

  “Obviously someone took it out of the shed,” Henry said. “But who? Who could have gotten in there?”

  “It could have been anybody,” Violet said. “Ken doesn’t keep the shed locked.”

  “I’ll bet Mr. Sweeney goes in there a lot,” Jessie said.

  Henry could see the light from Mr. Sweeney’s trailer through the cornstalks. “He lives here, so it would be pretty easy for him to sneak into the maze at night when no one’s watching,” Henry said.

  “What about Peggy Rodman?” Benny asked. “She lives pretty close. It wouldn’t be very hard for her to sneak in during the night, either.”

  “Plus, she wanted to buy this land,” Jessie said. “Ken said it used to belong to her family.”

  “He also said this maze is the one thing that’s preventing him from selling his farm right now,” Henry said. “So maybe she thinks Ken will sell if he doesn’t have his maze anymore.”

  “Peggy Rodman isn’t the only person who wants to buy this farm,” Benny said. “Kurt wants to buy it, too.”

  “But Kurt is Ken’s brother,” Violet pointed out. “I don’t think he’d vandalize his brother’s property.”

  Jessie sighed. “I think we’ve got too many suspects and not enough clues.”

  “More clues,” said Benny, “that’s what we need. More clues and …” He grinned. “More corn!”

  CHAPTER 6

  Noises in the Night

  Swish! Swish!

  Benny opened one eye. What was that noise?

  He peered at the clock that sat on the bedside table between him and Henry. It read 3:04 A.M.

  Swish! Swish! Crack!

  It was a warm night, and all the windows were open. Whatever it was, the noise was coming from outside.

  “Benny? Are you awake?” Henry whispered.

  “Yes,” Benny said nervously. He turned to Henry. “I hear something outside.”

  “I hear it, too,” Henry said. “Let’s go see what it is.”

  The boys got up and went over to the window. Something was moving at the far corner of the maze, but the boys couldn’t tell what it was.

  There was a soft knock at the bedroom door.

  “It’s Jessie and Violet,” Jessie whispered through the closed door. “We think there’s someone in the maze!”

  “We know,” Henry said as Benny opened the door. “The noise woke us up, too.”

  Violet flipped on the hall light. “I think we should wake Grandfather and Ken and see what’s going on.”

  “Good thinking,” Henry said. He went to knock on Ken’s door while Jessie knocked on Grandfather’s door.

  “Wake up! There’s someone in the maze!” Henry and Jessie said at the same time.

  Grandfather and Ken both came out of their rooms. Grandfather wore a blue bathrobe over his pajamas. Ken wore a white bathrobe and leaned on his cane.

  “What’s going on?” Grandfather asked.

  “We don’t know,” Jessie said. “We heard noises outside. When we looked out the window, we saw something moving in the maze.”

  “Let’s go check it out,” Ken said.

  Everyone padded down the stairs. Ken grabbed a flashlight from the kitchen drawer, then turned on the back porch light. The night air felt warm as the Aldens stepped out onto the porch.

  The swishing noise was much louder outside. The Aldens peered into the darkness, waiting for their eyes to adjust. It sounded like … someone was chopping down the cornstalks!

  Henry and Grandfather hurried toward the maze.

  The noise stopped.

  “Hello?” Grandfather called. “Is anyone there?”

  “Oh, no!” Henry groaned as they drew closer to the maze.

  Someone had indeed chopped down part of it.

  Just then, a dark figure emerged from the gaping hole in the rows of corn. The person was wearing a ski mask and a hood and carried something in his hand. He took one look at Henry and Grandfather, then bolted in the opposite direction.

  “Hey, stop!” Henry called. He ran after the intruder. Jessie, Violet, and Benny were close behind.

  They chased the person around the side of the house toward the road. It was so dark they couldn’t see the person, but they could still hear running footsteps.

  In the distance they heard a car or truck start up and drive away.

  “We lost him,” Violet said mournfully. The Aldens stopped running. Jessie put her hands on her knees to try to catch her breath.

  “Maybe not,” Henry said, his chest heaving. “Listen! I still hear footsteps!”

  The others heard the footsteps, too.

  “Come on!” Jessie said. They all started running again. They ran in the direction of the footsteps … straight into Mr. Sweeney.

  The Aldens came to an abrupt halt.

  “What are you kids doing up at this hour?” Mr. Sweeney asked gruffly. He wore a dark hooded sweatshirt over dark pajamas.

  “There was someone in the maze,” Jessie explained.

  “Someone was cutting down the cornstalks,” Benny put in.

  “We saw him running this way, so we followed him,” Henry said.

  Mr. Sweeney nodded. “I followed him, too. Is Ken up?”

  “Yes,” Henry replied. “I think he and Grandfather are in the maze.”

  They all trooped back around the corner. Grandfather and Ken were inspecting the damage with flashlights. Ken held a piece of paper in his hand.

  “What’s that?” Benny asked.

  “It’s another note,” Ken said. He handed it to Henry.

  “It’s just like the last one,” Jessie said.

  Letters from magazine headlines had been cut out and pasted to the paper. The message read: CANCEL THE KING CORN DAYS FESTIVAL OR ELSE!

  “Or else what?” Violet whispered.

  “I don’t think I want to find out,” Ken said. He rubbed the back of his neck. “Perhaps I should cancel the festival.”

  “What?” Jessie cried.

  “You can’t do that!” Violet and Benny exclaimed.

  Mr. Sweeney took a few steps into the maze, put his hands on his hips, and looked around.

  “I don’t think you’ve got much choice but to cancel,” Mr. Sweeney told Ken. “One whole section of the field is gone. It’s been cut down. I don’t know how we can repair the damage this time.”

  Ken shook his head sadly. “I just don’t understand this. Why would somebody want to destroy my maze? Why would somebody want me to cancel the festival?”

  “You have absolutely no idea who might be behind this, Ken?” Jessie pressed.

  “None at all.”

  “Mr. Sweeney, did you get a good look at the intruder?” Henry asked.

  “It was too dark,” Mr. Sweeney said.

  “We know one thing about him,” Benny said.

  “What’s that?” Violet asked.

  “He sure can run fast,” Benny said. “I’m exhausted!”

  “You’re exhausted because it’s still the middle of the night,” Grandfather said.

  Ken sighed. “There isn’t much we can do right now,” he said. “Maybe we should all try to get some more sleep. In the morning we’ll see how bad the damage is.”

  The Aldens agreed, and they all trooped back into the house.

  Violet got Benny a glass of water, and Henry and Jessie tucked him in.

  “How come we didn’t see Mr. Sweeney out back by the maze?” Benny asked. “We saw the bad person, but we didn’t see Mr. Sweeney.”

  “That’s a good question, Benny,” Jessie said. “Mr. Sweeney was chasing the person, too. But he got around the house before we did. It seems like either Mr. Sweeney should have been far enough ahead of us to catch the intruder or we should have seen Mr. Sweeney chasing the intruder, too.”
br />   “It was dark,” Violet said. “It’s so hard to know what really happened.” The other children nodded.

  “Maybe we should talk to Mr. Sweeney in the morning,” Henry said.

  Benny looked a little nervous. “Do you think the bad person will be back tonight?” he asked.

  “I don’t think so, Benny,” Jessie said.

  “He’s done enough damage for one night,” Henry added. “Besides, he knows we’re on the case!”

  Benny grinned. “And we’ll solve it!”

  CHAPTER 7

  Too Many Loose Ends

  The Alden children slept until almost nine o’clock the next morning. When they got up, the house was quiet.

  “I wonder where Grandfather and Ken are,” Benny said.

  “Maybe they’re downstairs,” Henry said.

  So the children headed downstairs.

  They heard a voice in the living room. Assuming it was Ken, they followed the voice.

  But it wasn’t Ken’s voice they heard; it was David’s.

  He was talking on the telephone.

  “Yeah, I think he’s pretty shaken up,” David said in a low voice as he straightened his tie. “One or two more scares like this and he’ll be ready to sell. I can almost guarantee it.”

  David jumped when he saw the Aldens. He quickly picked up a magazine that was lying on the couch. “I’ll have to call you back,” he said into the phone. Then he hung up.

  “We didn’t mean to intrude,” Violet said. “We were looking for our grandfather.”

  “And Ken,” Benny added.

  “You didn’t intrude,” David said with a stiff smile as he stuffed the magazine into the front pocket of his briefcase. “I was just talking to my wife. Dad and your grandfather went into town to do a little shopping. They left rolls and juice for you in the kitchen.”

  “Did you hear about what happened last night?” Jessie asked.

  “Yes,” David replied. “It’s a shame, isn’t it?” He checked his watch. “Goodness! Look at the time! I’d better run.”

  He picked up his briefcase and hurried for the front door. “Don’t forget the rolls and juice!” he said. And then he was gone.

  The children looked at each other. “He sure was in a hurry to leave,” Jessie said.

  “Did you see that magazine he shoved into his briefcase?” Henry asked. “I got the impression he didn’t want us to see it.”

  “I wonder why,” Violet said.

  “Maybe it had letters cut out of the headlines,” Benny suggested.

  “Do you think David could be the one vandalizing Ken’s maze?” Jessie asked.

  “I don’t think so,” Violet replied. “David is Ken’s son. He wouldn’t hurt his own father any more than Kurt would hurt his own brother.”

  “But he’s worried about his father,” Jessie pointed out. “He wants Ken to sell his farm and move into town, but Ken won’t do that. He doesn’t want to give up the maze or the festival, even though they’re a lot of work. Maybe this is the only way David can get Ken to move into town.”

  “Maybe David and Kurt are working together to get Ken to sell the farm,” Jessie suggested.

  “That’s an interesting possibility, Jessie,” Henry said, tapping his finger to his chin.

  “The cap with the light belonged to David,” Benny pointed out. “And David’s always carrying a magazine.”

  “But he’s always so well-dressed,” Violet said. “It’s hard to imagine him mucking around a field full of manure.”

  “Maybe Kurt dumped the manure,” Jessie said.

  “I don’t think so,” Henry said. “The person we saw last night could run really fast. I don’t think Kurt could run that fast.”

  “Mr. Sweeney can run fast,” Benny said.

  “Yes, he can,” Jessie agreed. “We were going to talk to him some more today.”

  “Right,” Henry said. “Let’s get some breakfast and then go and do that.”

  The children ate a quick breakfast of toast and cereal, then headed to the barn.

  “I really don’t have a lot of time for chitchat,” Mr. Sweeney said as he carried a bucket of feed to the chicken coop. “I’ve got work to do.”

  The Aldens trailed along behind him.

  “We know you’re busy,” Jessie said. “We just wanted to ask you a couple of questions about last night.”

  “Well, make it quick,” Mr. Sweeney said. He dumped the bucket of feed onto the ground in front of the clucking chickens. The chickens all waddled over and pecked at the food.

  “We were just wondering what you were doing in the front yard last night?” Henry asked.

  Mr. Sweeney scowled. “Same as you,” he said. “Trying to catch the guy who was prowling around the maze. I told you that last night.”

  “But we didn’t see you by the maze. How did you get around to the front of the house so quickly?” Jessie asked.

  “And how come you didn’t catch the guy?” Benny asked.

  Mr. Sweeney glared at the children. “You think I’m the one who’s vandalizing the maze? Is that what you’re saying?”

  “Oh, no, Mr. Sweeney,” Violet said right away. She would never accuse anyone unless she was sure. And they still weren’t sure of anything.

  “We’re just trying to figure out what happened. That’s all,” Jessie said.

  “Maybe you saw something we didn’t,” Benny said.

  Mr. Sweeney scratched his neck. “Well, I thought I heard something out in the field around three o’clock this morning,” he said. “So I got up and went to check it out. But I didn’t see or hear anything unusual. I was about to go back inside when I heard a car out on the road.”

  The group strolled back toward the barn. “It sounded as if the car was stopped right in front of the house,” Mr. Sweeney went on. “So I went around front to see who it was. That was about the time you folks came outside. I saw a dark figure run past, so I tried to catch him, but he got away. Then you kids caught up to me. That’s all I know.”

  “Can you describe the car you saw?” Henry asked. “We never saw it.”

  “I didn’t see it, either. I only heard it. By the time I got to the road, it was gone.”

  “Too bad,” Benny said.

  “So, did our intruder get away on foot or in a car?” Jessie wondered.

  “I don’t know,” Mr. Sweeney said. “Right now we have to think about the maze. I was looking at it this morning, trying to figure out whether the damage could be repaired.”

  The Aldens were surprised Mr. Sweeney had thought about repairing the maze at all. He hadn’t sounded very hopeful about repairing it last night.

  “Can it be repaired?” Violet asked.

  “Come see what you think.” Mr. Sweeney led them over to the field.

  Jessie gasped when she saw the damage.

  “Oh no,” Violet said.

  A whole section had been chopped down. Pieces of cornstalk and ears of corn lay scattered on the ground.

  “Of course, if it was up to me, I’d just cancel the festival,” Mr. Sweeney said. “But Ken won’t want to cancel.”

  “No, he won’t,” Jessie agreed.

  “So, I was thinking I could put up a fence to show where the path is supposed to be. What do you think?” Mr. Sweeney asked.

  “That might work,” Henry said.

  “You could paint the fence green so it blends in with the rest of the field,” Violet suggested.

  “Maybe you could even attach some of these corncobs that are all over the ground to the fence,” Benny said. “Then it would still be sort of a corn maze.”

  Mr. Sweeney scratched his chin. “It’ll be a lot of work,” he said. “If I’m going to do all that before the festival this weekend, I’m going to need some help.” He looked at the children.

  “We’ll help you, Mr. Sweeney,” Benny said right away.

  “That’s right,” Violet added. “Anything for Ken and the King Corn Days Festival.”

  “Well, it looks li
ke Ken and your grandfather are back from town. Why don’t you go see what Ken has to say about our plans,” Mr. Sweeney said. “I’ll go get my tools. And I’ll meet you back here in a bit.”

  When the Aldens walked up to the house, they noticed Kurt’s rusty blue pickup parked next to Grandfather’s rented van. As soon as the children stepped inside the house, they could hear the two brothers bickering.

  “Someone tried to chop down your field? I don’t like this, Ken,” Kurt said. “I don’t like it at all.”

  “Well, what do you want me to do?” Ken responded.

  “You know what I want you to do. I want you to sell the farm and move into town. I’ll give you a good price—”

  “I will not be run off my own land!” Ken shouted. “Besides, what makes you so sure you wouldn’t have the same troubles I’m having?”

  “I know I wouldn’t,” Kurt said. “All of your troubles are related to that maze. I’ll just tear the maze down.”

  Ken grit his teeth. “That’s exactly why I won’t sell to you,” he replied.

  Henry cleared his throat. “Hello, Ken. Hello, Kurt,” he said cautiously.

  The older men glanced at the children, then turned away from each other.

  “Hello, kids,” Ken said without a lot of enthusiasm.

  Kurt yawned and stretched. Then he stood up. “Gosh, I could use another cup of coffee. I sure am tired today.”

  “Why are you so tired?” Violet asked.

  “I don’t know,” Kurt said as he poured himself a cup of coffee. “I didn’t sleep very well last night. What have you kids been up to this morning?”

  “Talking to Mr. Sweeney,” Benny said. “He thinks we can repair the maze.” The children told Ken and Kurt what they and Mr. Sweeney had decided.

  “You don’t mind if some of the paths are marked by a fence instead of by corn, do you, Ken?” Violet asked.

  “Well, ideally a corn maze should be all corn,” Ken said. “But if the choice is a maze with a little fencing here and there or no maze, I’ll choose the fencing.”

  Jessie smiled. “That’s what we thought you’d say.”

  “We told Mr. Sweeney we’d help him build the fences,” Benny said.

  “Thank you, kids. I sure do appreciate all the work you’re doing on the farm. This is supposed to be your vacation and it seems like all you’re doing is working.”