Brianna said, “To apply for the manager’s job there.”

  “Yes. From that job, I could move up in the corporation— especially if I could put the Ice Cream Barn out of business,” Jean explained. “That’s when I thought up the plan to hide Butterscotch for a little while—right after the interview.”

  “You know, you didn’t have to do all these awful things,” Brianna said. “Your business plan and your ideas were very good. I’m sure the Sugar Shop would have hired you just because of that.”

  “I didn’t think good ideas were enough,” said Jean bitterly. “Sometimes you’ve got to be ruthless to get ahead.”

  “I’m sorry,” said Brianna, “but I don’t think your terrible behavior got you anywhere.”

  Then Jean said, “What are you going to do now? Are you going to call the police?”

  Brianna shook her head slowly. “No. Not this time. But I am going to call Mr. Smithers to tell him what you did.”

  “What you did was wrong,” said Violet.

  “I know,” Jean said softly. She wouldn’t meet their eyes.

  “Don’t come back to the Ice Cream Barn,” said Brianna.

  Jean stood up. “All right,” she said, and walked slowly out of the barn. At the door, she stopped and turned. “I’m sorry,” she said.

  “If you’re really sorry,” said Violet, “you’ll never do anything like this again.”

  Without answering, Jean went out to her car. A minute later they heard it drive away.

  Brianna let out a long breath. “Well,” she said. “That’s that.”

  Shortly after that, the farmer came into the barn. “Well,” he said, “do you and the horse need a ride?”

  Brianna smiled broadly. “Yes, thank you. Butterscotch is going home.”

  The Aldens were sprawled in the grass in the shade outside their big old white house. Playing soccer had made them hot and tired. Watch had rolled over on his back with all four feet in the air and was panting in his sleep.

  Suddenly Benny sat up. “Did you hear that?” he said.

  “What?”

  Watch woke up and rolled to his feet. He gave a quick bark.

  “That!” said Benny, jumping to his feet, too. “The ice-cream wagon.”

  “It is!” said Violet.

  “Oh, good,” said Jessie. “I could use some ice cream right now.”

  “Me, too!” said Henry.

  Butterscotch and the ice-cream wagon came into sight and all four Aldens waved enthusiastically.

  Brianna waved back and guided the wagon into the driveway.

  “Look who is with her! It’s Preston!” said Jessie.

  Preston jumped down from the driver’s seat to tie up Butterscotch. He grabbed the bucket from the side of the wagon.

  “You can fill it up from the hose over at the side of the house,” offered Henry.

  “Thanks,” said Preston with a big grin.

  “Who wants ice cream?” asked Brianna, flinging the window of the wagon open.

  “I do!” said Benny, hopping up and down. He wasn’t hot and tired any longer.

  Preston came back and set the bucket down. “I heard you were the ones who found Butterscotch,” he said admiringly. “That was great! How did you figure it out?”

  “Jessie did, mostly,” said Violet.

  “No, we all did,” said Jessie. “We’d eliminated all our suspects and I’d just about given up. Then I remembered a clue and it all came together.”

  “The thief kept buying ice cream and not eating it,” said Benny disapprovingly.

  “But we set a trap and caught her,” Violet said.

  “Found your horse, did you?” called a familiar voice.

  Everyone looked up to see Mr. Bush standing on the sidewalk.

  “We did,” said Brianna.

  “So you’re detectives,” said Mr. Bush.

  “We are,” said Jessie.

  “Hmmm,” said Mr. Bush.

  “Would you like some ice cream?” asked Brianna.

  “Maybe I would,” said Mr. Bush.

  “You would?” Benny’s eyes got round.

  “I said I don’t like horses, not that I don’t like ice cream,” said Mr. Bush. He almost smiled. He walked around the wagon, staying well away from Butterscotch, and went up to the window. “I’d like a sundae, with raspberry ice cream and hot fudge, whipped cream, no nuts, and extra cherries,” he said.

  “Wow,” said Violet softly.

  “Good ice cream,” said Mr. Bush, after he’d tasted his sundae. Then, still giving Butterscotch plenty of room, he walked on.

  “Double wow,” said Jessie.

  “Who else wants ice cream?” asked Brianna.

  “All of us,” said Henry.

  “Good, because I’ve got just the flavor for you. And it’s on the house. Or the wagon,” said Brianna.

  She made four enormous ice-cream cones.

  Each of them took a taste.

  “Butterscotch,” said Violet.

  “And fudge,” said Henry.

  “And salted nuts,” said Benny.

  “Cashews, right?” guessed Jessie. “And something else, too, but I don’t know what. It’s awfully good, though.”

  “Mmm. What is it?” asked Violet.

  “Our newest flavor,” said Brianna. “Mystery Ice Cream for the Ice Cream Mystery.”

  “It’s great,” said Henry.

  “What do you think, Benny?” asked Brianna.

  Benny grinned. “I think that when I grow up I’m going to be a detective—and drive an ice-cream wagon!”

  About the Author

  GERTRUDE CHANDLER WARNER discovered when she was teaching that many readers who like an exciting story could find no books that were both easy and fun to read. She decided to try to meet this need, and her first book, The Boxcar Children, quickly proved she had succeeded.

  Miss Warner drew on her own experiences to write the mystery. As a child she spent hours watching trains go by on the tracks opposite her family home. She often dreamed about what it would be like to set up housekeeping in a caboose or freight car — the situation the Alden children find themselves in.

  When Miss Warner received requests for more adventures involving Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny Alden, she began additional stories. In each, she chose a special setting and introduced unusual or eccentric characters who liked the unpredictable.

  While the mystery element is central to each of Miss Warner’s books, she never thought of them as strictly juvenile mysteries. She liked to stress the Aldens’ independence and resourcefulness and their solid New England devotion to using up and making do. The Aldens go about most of their adventures with as little adult supervision as possible — something else that delights young readers.

  Miss Warner lived in Putnam, Connecticut, until her death in 1979. During her lifetime, she received hundreds of letters from girls and boys telling her how much they liked her books.

  The Boxcar Children Mysteries

  THE BOXCAR CHILDREN

  SURPRISE ISLAND

  THE YELLOW HOUSE MYSTERY

  MYSTERY RANCH

  MIKE’S MYSTERY

  BLUE BAY MYSTERY

  THE WOODSHED MYSTERY

  THE LIGHTHOUSE MYSTERY

  MOUNTAIN TOP MYSTERY

  SCHOOLHOUSE MYSTERY

  CABOOSE MYSTERY

  HOUSEBOAT MYSTERY

  SNOWBOUND MYSTERY

  TREE HOUSE MYSTERY

  BICYCLE MYSTERY

  MYSTERY IN THE SAND

  MYSTERY BEHIND THE WALL

  BUS STATION MYSTERY

  BENNY UNCOVERS A MYSTERY

  THE HAUNTED CABIN MYSTERY

  THE DESERTED LIBRARY MYSTERY

  THE ANIMAL SHELTER MYSTERY

  THE OLD MOTEL MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE HIDDEN PAINTING

  THE AMUSEMENT PARK MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE MIXED-UP ZOO

  THE CAMP-OUT MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY GIRL
/>
  THE MYSTERY CRUISE

  THE DISAPPEARING FRIEND MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE SINGING GHOST

  MYSTERY IN THE SNOW

  THE PIZZA MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY HORSE

  THE MYSTERY AT THE DOG SHOW

  THE CASTLE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE LOST VILLAGE

  THE MYSTERY ON THE ICE

  THE MYSTERY OF THE PURPLE POOL

  THE GHOST SHIP MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY IN WASHINGTON, DC

  THE CANOE TRIP MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE HIDDEN BEACH

  THE MYSTERY OF THE MISSING CAT

  THE MYSTERY AT SNOWFLAKE INN

  THE MYSTERY ON STAGE

  THE DINOSAUR MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE STOLEN MUSIC

  THE MYSTERY AT THE BALL PARK

  THE CHOCOLATE SUNDAE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE HOT AIR BALLOON

  THE MYSTERY BOOKSTORE

  THE PILGRIM VILLAGE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE STOLEN BOXCAR

  THE MYSTERY IN THE CAVE

  THE MYSTERY ON THE TRAIN

  THE MYSTERY AT THE FAIR

  THE MYSTERY OF THE LOST MINE

  THE GUIDE DOG MYSTERY

  THE HURRICANE MYSTERY

  THE PET SHOP MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE SECRET MESSAGE

  THE FIREHOUSE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY IN SAN FRANCISCO

  THE NIAGARA FALLS MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY AT THE ALAMO

  THE OUTER SPACE MYSTERY

  THE SOCCER MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY IN THE OLD ATTIC

  THE GROWLING BEAR MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE LAKE MONSTER

  THE MYSTERY AT PEACOCK HALL

  THE WINDY CITY MYSTERY

  THE BLACK PEARL MYSTERY

  THE CEREAL BOX MYSTERY

  THE PANTHER MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE QUEEN’S JEWELS

  THE STOLEN SWORD MYSTERY

  THE BASKETBALL MYSTERY

  THE MOVIE STAR MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE PIRATE’S MAP

  THE GHOST TOWN MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE BLACK RAVEN

  THE MYSTERY IN THE MALL

  THE MYSTERY IN NEW YORK

  THE GYMNASTICS MYSTERY

  THE POISON FROG MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE EMPTY SAFE

  THE HOME RUN MYSTERY

  THE GREAT BICYCLE RACE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE WILD PONIES

  THE MYSTERY IN THE COMPUTER GAME

  THE MYSTERY AT THE CROOKED HOUSE

  THE HOCKEY MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE MIDNIGHT DOG

  THE MYSTERY OF THE SCREECH OWL

  THE SUMMER CAMP MYSTERY

  THE COPYCAT MYSTERY

  THE HAUNTED CLOCK TOWER MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE TIGER’S EYE

  THE DISAPPEARING STAIRCASE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY ON BLIZZARD MOUNTAIN

  THE MYSTERY OF THE SPIDER’S CLUE

  THE CANDY FACTORY MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE MUMMY’S CURSE

  THE MYSTERY OF THE STAR RUBY

  THE STUFFED BEAR MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF ALLIGATOR SWAMP

  THE MYSTERY AT SKELETON POINT

  THE TATTLETALE MYSTERY

  THE COMIC BOOK MYSTERY

  THE GREAT SHARK MYSTERY

  THE ICE CREAM MYSTERY

  THE MIDNIGHT MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY IN THE FORTUNE COOKIE

  THE BLACK WIDOW SPIDER MYSTERY

  THE RADIO MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE RUNAWAY GHOST

  THE FINDERS KEEPERS MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE HAUNTED BOXCAR

  THE CLUE IN THE CORN MAZE

  THE GHOST OF THE CHATTERING BONES

  THE SWORD OF THE SILVER KNIGHT

  THE GAME STORE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE ORPHAN TRAIN

  THE VANISHING PASSENGER

  THE GIANT YO-YO MYSTERY

  THE CREATURE IN OGOPOGO LAKE

  THE ROCK ’N’ ROLL MYSTERY

  THE SECRET OF THE MASK

  THE SEATTLE PUZZLE

  THE GHOST IN THE FIRST ROW

  THE BOX THAT WATCH FOUND

  A HORSE NAMED DRAGON

  THE GREAT DETECTIVE RACE

  THE GHOST AT THE DRIVE-IN MOVIE

  THE MYSTERY OF THE TRAVELING TOMATOES

  THE SPY GAME

  THE DOG-GONE MYSTERY

  THE VAMPIRE MYSTERY

  SUPERSTAR WATCH

  THE SPY IN THE BLEACHERS

  All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this ebook onscreen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  copyright © 2003 by Albert Whitman & Company

  978-1-4532-2151-8

  This 2011 edition distributed by Open Road Integrated Media

  180 Varick Street

  New York, NY 10014

  www.openroadmedia.com

 


 

  Gertrude Chandler Warner, The Ice Cream Mystery

 


 

 
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