The Mystery of the Wild West Bandit

  Henry walked his horse over to help. Benny handed him the piece of paper and Henry read the note aloud for everyone.

  “Sell Wildcat Crossing or else…Trigger will disappear for good!”

  “Look at the swirly rs!” said Benny.

  “Look at the purple ink!” said Violet.

  Just then Jack McCoy appeared riding Blackie. “There you are!” he said.

  CHAPTER 3

  Interested Parties

  “Wanda and Dallas thought Trigger was back at Wildcat Crossing,” Henry explained. “But we tracked his whinnies to this old barn.”

  Jack trotted Blackie over to Trigger and took his reins away from Violet. “I’ll take our boy home,” he said. Before the children could say anything more, Jack McCoy headed up the road with Trigger in tow.

  “He really is grumpy,” said Violet. “We didn’t even get a chance to tell him about the note.”

  “Maybe Bart is right. He’s just embarrassed,” said Jessie. “Or maybe he has something to hide. Let’s tie up our horses and see if we can find any clues.”

  “Good idea,” said Henry. “Maybe we can figure out who stole Trigger and wrote this note.” He put the note in his pocket.

  “There are hoof prints here,” said Jessie. “They lead into the barn through the door.”

  The children crept inside the old barn, following the footprints.

  “Look, here are boot tracks. They go this way,” said Henry. The children followed the boot tracks to the big double doors on the front of the barn. Henry shoved open the doors that led to the road. The tracks continued outside and toward the road.

  “It looks as if whoever took Trigger rode him here, walked him in through the back door, and then ran away on foot!” said Violet.

  “And they were wearing boots,” said Benny. “Jack McCoy was wearing boots. But Dallas wasn’t.”

  “Those are good clues, Benny,” said Henry.

  “Calamity Connie was also wearing boots,” said Violet. “They were dusty.”

  “And she was out of breath when we saw her just before the rehearsal,” said Henry.

  “Can we tell how big the boots are from the tracks inside the barn?” asked Henry. “That might help to figure out who they belong to.”

  They studied the boot tracks. They were all mixed up with the hoof prints from Trigger stomping and pawing the ground.

  “We can’t tell much from these prints other than they have heels and are shaped like cowboy boots,” said Jessie. “We can’t really tell how big they are.”

  “Let’s go back to Wildcat Crossing and talk to Calamity Connie,” said Henry.

  * * *

  The Aldens steered their horses to the stable near Wildcat Stage. Jack McCoy was outside with Trigger, brushing him and muttering.

  “Wanda the whiner…she doesn’t know how to play the part of sheriff. Whoever heard of a lady sheriff anyway? Have you, Trigger? I sure haven’t.”

  “Hello!” said Henry, not wanting to eavesdrop.

  The other children got off their horses and greeted Jack.

  “Where have you kids been?” he grumbled. “I need to get ready for tomorrow.”

  “We’re sorry,” said Jessie. “We were trying to figure out who moved Tricky Trigger.”

  “That’s just history,” said Jack. “Right now you need to groom, water, and feed your horses.”

  “We will!” said Violet. “Thank you for letting us ride them.”

  “Yes, thank you!” said Benny. “It was a fun ride and we’re glad we found Tricky Trigger.”

  Jack grunted something and put Trigger in his stall. He showed the children where to put their saddles and bridles. Then he stalked toward the saloon.

  “Oh well,” said Jessie. “Jack is grumpy as usual. Let’s take care of our horses and then go to the saloon.”

  “Did you hear him complaining about Wanda?” asked Violet. “It sounds like he’s pretty mad about her getting his acting job.”

  “That’s right,” said Henry. “But is he grumpy enough to try to hurt the Wild West Show by hiding Tricky Trigger?”

  “The note said to sell Wildcat Crossing or Trigger would disappear forever,” said Benny. “What did that mean?”

  “I don’t know,” said Henry. “We need to learn more about those past troubles Bart mentioned.”

  The children carefully groomed their horses. Then they put them in their stalls where fresh hay and clean water were waiting for them.

  “I guess Jack really does care about the horses,” said Violet. “He made sure they have their lunch.”

  “Let’s go to the saloon and have lunch too!” said Benny.

  The children walked down to the saloon. They heard loud voices as they approached.

  “I told you we are not selling Wildcat Crossing! Quit coming around here and bugging us about it!” Bart was yelling at a man in a suit standing in front of the saloon. There was a bright yellow car parked in the middle of the dirt road. Benny noticed that the man was wearing cowboy boots.

  “And get that car out of here,” said Bart angrily. “We don’t allow cars in Wildcat Crossing. You were supposed to park in the parking lot outside of town!”

  “I’m sorry that I didn’t know about that rule,” said the man. “I meant no harm, it’s just that…”

  “Just nothing, get in your car and get gone!” Bart yelled.

  The man climbed into the car. He leaned out the window as Bart stomped toward the saloon. “I know you’re going to change your mind. I’ll be back!”

  “And I’ll run you off again,” Bart mumbled. The children joined Bart as he stomped inside.

  “Hey, Aldens, thanks so much for finding Tricky Trigger!” Bart said, brightening a little.

  “You’re welcome,” said Henry.

  “Who was that man?” asked Benny. “You seemed very cross with him.”

  “Benny, that’s not our business,” said Jessie.

  “It’s okay, Jessie and Benny,” said Bart. “That was Jasper Beebe, a real estate agent. He’s been coming around here a lot lately.”

  “Hello there, children,” Nellie said, waving them to a table where she was sitting. “I hear you found our prize trick horse!”

  “Yes, thanks to Mutt!” said Violet.

  “Violet, I’m sure you had something to do with it too,” said Nellie. “Here, have some chili. Connie made us a big batch along with her homemade cornbread.”

  The children sat down and enjoyed the chili and cornbread.

  “Why does Jasper Beebe want you to sell Wildcat Crossing?” asked Jessie.

  Nellie and Bart exchanged a look. “Jasper has a client that wants to use Wildcat Crossing as a movie set,” explained Nellie as Bart scowled.

  “Nellie’s parents set up Wildcat Crossing to honor history,” said Bart. “They didn’t like the way Hollywood made up stories about the West. They wanted to be true to the American West, and that’s the way we are today.”

  “We saw the museum and the library,” said Henry. The other children nodded. They could tell that Bart and Nellie felt strongly about their Wild West town.

  “But that Jasper Beebe never seems to give up,” said Bart. “And he seems to show up whenever anything goes wrong.”

  Henry looked at his brother and sisters but stayed quiet.

  “What happened last time Jasper was here?” Jessie asked.

  “Someone poured salt into our water tower,” said Nellie. “The next day while we were trucking in water from El Paso, Jasper showed up trying to convince us to sell the town.”

  “I think you need to see what we found taped to Trigger’s saddle,” said Henry. He pulled the orange note out of his pocket and handed it to Bart and Nellie.

  They read the note and Bart shook his head. “I don’t trust that Jasper Beebe any farther than I could toss him, but he just got here. He even parked his car in the middle of the road,” he said. “Trigger was stolen over two hours ago.”

  “Maybe he was here earlier and nob
ody saw him,” Jessie suggested. The children told Bart and Nellie about the boot prints they found earlier at the barn.

  “Jasper Beebe was wearing cowboy boots,” said Benny. “I saw them.”

  “Well, that is interesting,” said Bart. He handed the note back to Henry.

  Violet was very quiet. She had noticed that Jack McCoy was sitting across the room, watching them intently.

  CHAPTER 4

  A Musical Motive?

  The next morning was the first day of the Wild West Festival. Jessie and Henry got dressed and helped Violet and Benny put on their Western outfits too. They would be participating in the show and wanted to look the parts.

  “We look just like real cowboys!” said Benny.

  “And cowgirls,” said Violet, smiling. She wore a purple shirt, blue jeans, and purple boots. “I can’t wait to show Calamity Connie my purple boots!”

  “We can also talk to Connie about yesterday,” said Henry.

  “Good idea,” said Jessie. “I wrote notes in my notebook last evening after you had gone to sleep.”

  “What do we know so far?” asked Henry.

  Jessie flipped through the pages in her notebook. “We know that whoever stole Trigger was wearing cowboy-style boots. Connie, Jack, and Mr. Beebe were all wearing cowboy boots yesterday,” she said. “Dallas was wearing sneakers, so we can rule him out.”

  “He said he likes to keep his expensive boots clean,” said Benny.

  “That’s right, Benny,” said Henry.

  Jessie continued. “Calamity Connie was out of breath when we visited her just before the rehearsal,” she said. “Did she hide Trigger at the old barn and then run back just as we got there?”

  “Why would she want Wildcat Crossing to be sold?” asked Henry.

  “Maybe we can find out by talking to her,” said Violet. “I can talk to her about our colorful boots!”

  “That’s a good idea, Violet,” said Jessie. “She might tell you about more than her boots.”

  “Okay, I can’t wait!” Violet was excited. She liked to help when she and her siblings were trying to solve a mystery.

  “And then there’s Jack,” said Henry, smiling at Violet. “Jack was supposed to tie up Trigger, but who would have seen him do that?”

  “Everyone else was waiting for their cues,” said Benny. “I figured out that a cue means a signal to do something,” he said proudly.

  “That’s right, Benny,” said Henry. “And we know that Jack is jealous of Wanda. Maybe he just wants to make trouble for Bart and Nellie.”

  “He is awfully grumpy,” said Benny.

  “He was glaring at us yesterday during lunch,” said Violet. “He looked mad.”

  “And Jack had time to ride Trigger to the old barn and run back to the bank,” said Henry. “Just like Connie.”

  “What about Jasper Beebe?” asked Violet.

  “He is another suspect,” said Henry. “We learned that he wants the town to be sold.”

  “And Nellie said he seems to show up right when something bad happens,” said Jessie.

  “It seems that we have a lot to find out!” said Violet.

  “That we do!” said Henry. “And now, we’re going to a Wild West Festival!”

  They headed to the saloon where Connie, Bart, and Nellie were making breakfast.

  “You’re just in time!” said Nellie, waving at the children as she turned bacon and stirred sausage on a huge iron grill. “We expect about a hundred people for breakfast!”

  The gate to Wildcat Crossing would open to the public at ten o’clock. The children had promised to be at the saloon early to help with the cooking and preparation.

  “Benny and I can make the biscuits,” said Jessie.

  “Thank you,” said Nellie. “The biscuit dough is right there in that bowl.” She pointed to a huge ceramic bowl that was filled with a large pile of biscuit dough. “Just put flour on your hands, pinch off a little bit of dough, shape it into a biscuit, and put it on a baking sheet.”

  “And set the timer!” said Benny.

  “That’s right, Benny,” said Nellie. “We don’t want burned pinch biscuits!”

  “I can help make the pancakes,” said Henry.

  “Thank you, Henry,” said Bart. “But around here we call them flapjacks!” Bart laughed as he and Henry began pouring batter onto a griddle in small puddles. Soon the flapjacks bubbled.

  “I’ll help Connie set up the tables,” said Violet. Jessie smiled as Violet headed outside to where tables and chairs had been set up.

  “Hi, Connie,” Violet said, seeing Connie putting tablecloths on one of the tables. “May I help you?”

  “Yes indeed!” Connie. “You’re Violet, right?”

  “That’s me,” said Violet. “Thank you for remembering my name!”

  “It helped that I noticed your purple cowboy boots,” laughed Connie. “They are very pretty.”

  “Thank you,” said Violet. She took a tablecloth from a pile nearby and spread it over a table.

  Connie came over and helped Violet smooth out the cloth.

  “How long have you worked here?” Violet asked.

  “All my life, it seems,” said Connie. “And I can’t afford to leave unless Bart and Nellie sell it. I would get some of the money since our parents owned it.”

  Violet was quiet for a moment. She didn’t want to pry too much. “Where would you go if you had the money?” she finally asked.

  “If I had the money, I would go to Nashville,” said Connie. “I want to pursue my music career. Playing here for the shows isn’t enough anymore.” Connie grabbed a pile of silverware from a table and dropped it all on the ground.

  “Oh shoot, there I go again.” Connie sighed.

  “It’s okay, I didn’t mean to upset you,” said Violet. She helped gather up the silverware and went to the kitchen for clean replacements.

  “Is everything all right?” Jessie asked her in the kitchen.

  “Connie needs clean forks and knives,” said Violet. “She seemed upset talking about wanting to leave Wildcat Crossing. Then she dropped a pile of silverware!”

  Jessie gathered up more silverware and put the pile in a basket. “This should work for Calamity Connie,” she said, smiling. “Did you find out anything?”

  “Yes, I did,” said Violet. “But I need to take this basket to her. I’ll tell you later!”

  Violet rushed back outside and joined Connie. They finished setting the tables without any more mishaps. Violet enjoyed talking to Connie. She didn’t like to think of her as the bandit who took Trigger.

  “Thank you for all your help, Violet,” said Connie. “And look, here comes the crowd!”

  Bart had opened the gate. Visitors were arriving and sitting down at the outside tables. Henry, Jessie, and Violet raced to help serve flapjacks, bacon, sausage, and biscuits to everyone. Benny stayed busy bringing everyone fresh pots of warm gravy. Bart and Nellie collected money and poured hot cups of coffee.

  There was too much excitement for Violet to get a chance to tell her siblings about what Connie had told her.

  Suddenly the door to the jail burst open and Jack McCoy appeared. He was wearing his black hat and had on a black shirt and jeans. This time he wasn’t wearing a mask. His curly black mustache waved in the breeze.

  “Yeeeee haw! I’m a free man!” he yelled.

  The visitors applauded as Jack jumped onto Blackie who was tied to a hitching post nearby. He spurred Blackie and left a plume of dust as he whooped and galloped up the road.

  Just then Dapper Dallas appeared in the jail doorway. He was dressed in jeans and a plaid shirt. “That bandit Jack McCoy just escaped from jail! Somebody call Sheriff Dooworthy!”

  Wanda, who had been sitting with the visitors, jumped up from her table. “Here I am!” she yelled. She ran over to Tricky Trigger, who was also tied up near the jail. She leaped onto the horse from behind, landing neatly in his saddle. The crowd whooped at the fancy trick.

  Trigger
reared up and waved his front legs, his white mane blowing in the breeze, prompting more applause.

  “I’ll get that no good, trouble-making bandit!” Wanda yelled. She spurred Trigger to gallop after the disappearing Jack, dust billowing behind her.

  Everyone stood, clapping and cheering. It was the beginning of the Wild West Show!

  CHAPTER 5

  A Nervous Performer

  Wanda and Trigger soon reappeared. Trigger nodded his head and swished his tail as he walked to the front of the stage. Wanda held Blackie’s reins. Jack McCoy hung his head from atop Blackie. His hands were tied with rope and he was scowling.

  “He looks grumpy as usual,” said Benny.

  “He does make a great bad guy,” said Jessie. “He can just be himself!”

  “I bet he doesn’t like that Wanda is the one who caught him!” said Violet.

  Dapper Dallas walked up and took Blackie’s reins. “Good job, Sheriff Wanda Dooworthy!” he said. “You caught this no-good bandit.”

  He steered Jack and Blackie toward the stable. The crowd applauded as Jack was led away.

  “Let’s go, Benny,” said Henry. “That was our cue to head backstage to help set up.”

  Henry and Benny hurried to the backstage door. Trigger pranced to the center of the road and whinnied. As the crowd gathered along the road, Wanda stood up in her saddle and waved. Then Trigger cantered past the audience with Wanda balancing on one leg. Several people gasped when Wanda leaned backward and performed a handstand before sitting back in the saddle. She guided Trigger over to where the crowd stood clapping.

  “Gather around, everyone!” she said. “Meet Tricky Trigger, the smartest horse in the Wild West!”

  Trigger lowered his head and bowed. Then he pawed the ground and whinnied again.

  “Wow!” said Violet. “Trigger is a very smart horse!”

  “Come on, Violet,” said Jessie, “That was our cue!”

  “I’m a little scared,” said Violet. “There are a lot of people watching.”

  “It’ll be fine,” said Jessie. She knew that Violet didn’t like big crowds. “I’ll be with you the whole time.”