The Boardwalk Mystery

  CHAPTER 8

  A Castle on the Beach

  After their ice cream, the children headed back down to the beach. They arrived just in time.

  “Hurry!” Jessie called.

  The tide had come in. Their blanket and towels were just about to get drenched by the ocean! The children grabbed their things and moved them back out of the way of the water.

  “That was close,” Jessie said.

  “Hunter told me about the tides,” Benny said. “He said that when the tide goes out, I might be able to find some cool seashells to take home as souvenirs.”

  “It will be fun to look for them,” Violet said. “But would you like to help me build a sand castle right now?”

  “Sure!” Benny said.

  When the castle was finished, the children sat in the sand and waited for the tide to come in.

  Violet watched the waves breaking. “Do you think that Mrs. Reddy made up the story about the zombie hitting the man in the head? Or do you think she heard it from someone else?”

  “I don’t know,” Jessie said, tracing her finger through the sand. “It is always hard to tell where rumors start.”

  “One thing we do know,” Henry said, “is that Mrs. Reddy certainly enjoys spreading rumors.”

  “I think she is just lonely and bored,” Violet said. “I think she is sorry that she sold the amusement pier.”

  “I wonder what was she talking to Mr. Cooke about,” Jessie said. “Do you think that Mr. Cooke and Mrs. Reddy could be working together to ruin Hanson’s Amusement Pier?”

  “Last time Benny and I saw Mr. Cooke and Mrs. Reddy together, they were fighting,” Jessie said. “But today they were not. Mr. Cooke was smiling.”

  “I’m not sure if they are working together or not,” Henry said. “But if Mr. Hanson cannot stop these rumors soon, his amusement pier will fail. No one will go there.”

  “We have to think of something to stop all these rumors,” Violet said.

  “Watch out!” Jessie cried.

  A big wave came. It hit the castle and the walls fell away. Big chunks of sand slid into the ocean. Only the very top of the tower with the sea grass flag still stood.

  “That was so cool,” Benny said. “I love playing in the sand. Can we build another castle?”

  “We can, but not right now,” Jessie said. “I think we should go back to the house and get cleaned up. It is getting late.”

  The children splashed into the ocean and rinsed the sand from their arms and legs. They collected their things and walked back to the Hanson’s beach house. Wendy waved to them from the porch.

  “I was just going to come to look for you,” she said. “How was the beach?”

  “It was great!” Benny said. He told Wendy all about their sand castle and how the tide had come in and knocked it down.

  “That does sound like fun,” Wendy said. “Do you kids have any plans for tonight?”

  “No,” Jessie said. “We have not planned anything.”

  “I hate to ask this,” Wendy said. “You have already done so much to help. But my father has lost two more employees today. There are so many rumors. People think that the amusement pier is unsafe. They think it is going to close soon. My father could really use your help tonight.”

  “Of course we’ll help,” Jessie said. “We’ll be glad to,” Violet added.

  The children showered and dressed. They rinsed their bathing suits and hung them to dry out on the line in the sun. Benny had a small collection of seashells that he had found. He set them in a pile by the steps.

  Benny sat beside the shells. “Jessie, do you think I could buy a big bucket to put my shells in?” he asked.

  “I think that is a good idea,” Jessie said. “We should get some shovels, too, Benny,”

  Henry said. “We can build an even bigger castle with shovels.”

  “I would like to stop in the souvenir shop as well,” Violet said. “I want to buy something to remember our trip.”

  “We should leave right away,” Jessie said. “That way we will have time to go into the stores before we are needed at the amusement pier.”

  “I’ll be right out,” Violet said. Violet went back into the house. She wanted to get her money from her bedroom. She had just opened her drawer and was looking through her things when she heard Wendy and Will talking in the hallway.

  “Did the kids leave yet?” Will asked in a quiet voice.

  “Yes,” Wendy said. “Did you get the zombie back in place in the haunted house?”

  “Dad was working on it,” Will said. “But there is a bolt missing. I don’t know if the zombie will be working by tonight if we can’t find that bolt.”

  “Where could it be?” Wendy asked. “Are you sure that you don’t have it?”

  “I don’t have it, Wendy,” Will said.

  “Okay. I’m just checking,” Wendy said. “Because we agreed that our plan was . . .”

  Violet felt uncomfortable listening to a private conversation. She grabbed her money and closed the drawer very loudly.

  Wendy and Will stopped talking. Wendy peeked around the corner and into Violet’s room. “Violet!” she said. “I thought you had gone to the boardwalk.”

  “I forgot my money,” Violet said. “I want to buy a souvenir in one of the shops. I am leaving now.”

  Violet joined Henry, Jessie, and Benny outside, and the children headed down the boardwalk. On the way, Violet told her sister and brothers what she had overheard.

  “What kind of plan do you think Wendy meant?” Jessie asked.

  “I don’t know,” Violet said. “And why would Wendy think that Will had the missing bolt?”

  “It could be that Will misplaced the bolt when he was putting the zombie back,” Henry said. “Sometimes, when I am fixing things, I misplace a bolt or a screw. It can happen very easily.”

  “Look!” Benny cried. “Here is the store! Can we go in?”

  At the Beach Stop Shop, Benny picked out a blue bucket and a large red shovel. Violet found a small jewelry box decorated from top to bottom with very tiny seashells.

  Then the children paid for their purchases and left the store. They soon passed a woman in a white apron and a tall chef’s hat. She stood outside Laura’s Fudge Shop with a tray. “Would you like to try some of our fudge for free?” she asked the children.

  “Free fudge! I would like some,” Benny cried. He tried the chocolate peanut butter flavor. “It’s so good!” he said.

  “I’m glad you like it,” the woman said. “We also have delicious saltwater taffy.”

  Benny shivered. He remembered when he accidentally got saltwater in his mouth when he was boogie boarding with Hunter. It did not taste good. “You put saltwater in your taffy?” he asked.

  The woman laughed. “No. There is no saltwater in our saltwater taffy.”

  “Then why is it called that?” Benny asked.

  “A very long time ago, a man had a taffy stand on the boardwalk in Atlantic City,” the woman explained. “One night a big wave came and hit his stand. It ruined all his taffy. He was upset. He had nothing to sell the next day. When a customer asked for taffy, the man said that all he had to sell was saltwater taffy. He had to throw all the taffy away. The man worked hard and made more taffy. But he thought the name saltwater taffy was catchy. And he was right! We still call it saltwater taffy more than one hundred years later!”

  The woman reached into her apron pocket. She pulled out some saltwater taffy. She gave one to each of the Aldens. “Try some,” she said.

  Benny took a bite of the soft candy. “This one tastes like peppermint!” he said. The soft and chewy candy seemed to melt in his mouth.

  “Mine is butterscotch,” Violet said. She laughed after she took a bite.

  “Thank you very much,” Jessie said, swallowing a chocolate-flavored taffy. “It is delicious. We will stop back later to buy some more! We don’t have time right now.”

  “You kids are in a hurry?” the woman asked. br />
  “Yes,” Jessie said. “We are on our way to Hanson’s Amusement Pier.”

  The woman looked concerned. “Be careful, kids,” she said. “I’ve heard that it might not be safe at the pier.”

  “Someone is spreading false rumors,” Jessie said. “Please do not believe them. The pier is very safe.”

  The children thanked the woman and left. “It was nice of that lady to give us free samples,” Benny said.

  “Yes, and smart, too,” Violet said. “It makes us want to go back and buy more candy. And it has given me a very good idea for Hanson’s Amusement Pier.”

  “Free candy?” Benny asked.

  “No,” Violet said. “Something even better. Something that will help stop all of the false rumors.”

  CHAPTER 9

  Violet Has an Idea

  The children found Mr. Hanson sitting in his shed at the back of the pier. There were tools all around him on his workbench, but he was not working.

  “Hi, kids,” Mr. Hanson said. “Thanks for coming. But I’m not sure that I will need your help tonight.”

  “Is something wrong?” asked Jessie.

  Mr. Hanson pointed toward the door. “Did you see how few customers there are out there? Everyone thinks my pier is unsafe. Even the local safety inspector heard the rumors. He stopped by today for a surprise inspection.”

  “Were there any problems?” Jessie asked. “No, not at all,” Mr. Hanson said. He showed Jessie the copy of the inspector’s report. “The inspector congratulated me on my pier. He said it was very safe. I could post the report outside, but no one will see it. I do not know how to fight these false rumors.”

  “We have heard the rumors, too,” Henry said “But Violet has come up with a wonderful idea.”

  Violet stood in front of the workbench. “Mr. Hanson,” she said, “if we could only get people to come visit your pier, they would see how much fun it is and how it is safe. They would want to come back and visit many times.”

  Mr. Hanson held up his hand. “Thank you, Violet. I agree with you. But I cannot get people to come here. Did you see Bob Cooke’s pier? There are long lines for all the rides. My rides are empty.”

  “But what if you had a special night where all the rides on Hanson’s pier were free? I think many people would come for free rides. Then they would see how wonderful your pier is. The rumors would die because people would see the truth, that you have a safe and fun amusement pier.”

  Mr. Hanson sat up straight in his chair. He looked at Violet. “Violet,” he said, “may I shake your hand?”

  Violet’s face was flushed. Mr. Hanson grabbed her hand and shook it up and down. There was a big smile on his face. “You are a genius!” he said. “I think it is a great plan. We should have the free night as soon as possible! I think we should do it tomorrow!”

  The children looked at each other. “We would have to let everyone know first,” Henry said.

  “I’ll put an ad in the paper,” Mr. Hanson said, clapping his hands together.

  “I can make flyers,” Violet said. “We can put them up all around the boardwalk so that everyone will know about the special night.”

  “There is a T-shirt shop on the boardwalk,” Jessie added. “We could have special shirts made that advertise the free night. We could wear them all day tomorrow.”

  Just then Will and Wendy walked into the shed. “Dad,” Will said, “I found the bolt that you were looking for. I want to apologize. The bolt was in my . . .”

  “Listen to this, Will!” Mr. Hanson said. “The Aldens have come up with a plan to save the pier.” Mr. Hanson explained the plan to Will and Wendy.

  “It sounds great!” Will said. “Wendy and I will help, of course.”

  There was no time to spare. Mr. Hanson headed straight to the Oceanside Times newspaper office to place a big ad for the next day’s edition. Will and Henry went to the haunted house to put the bolt back on the zombie. Jessie, Violet, and Benny walked to the T-shirt shop and Wendy stayed to run the pier while everyone was gone.

  The Oceanside Shirt Shop was a small store crowded with many racks of T-shirts.

  “May I help you?” asked a young man behind the counter.

  “Yes,” Violet answered. “We would like to purchase some T-shirts, but can we make our own design to put on them?”

  “Of course,” the man answered.

  Violet worked on the T-shirt design with the man while Jessie and Benny picked out a pile of plain green T-shirts in different sizes.

  The man’s name was Dennis. He was impressed with Violet’s design. “You are a very good artist,” he said. “Is Hanson’s pier really going to let people ride for free tomorrow?”

  “Yes,” Violet said.

  “But is it safe? I have heard some bad rumors about Hanson’s,” Dennis said.

  “They are false rumors that someone has been spreading,” Violet explained. “The safety inspector checked out the whole pier today and he said it was very safe.”

  “That is good to hear,” Dennis said. “I have a little boy. I will bring him over tomorrow to ride the rides. And I will tell my customers all about it, too.”

  Dennis finished pressing Violet’s design onto the T-shirts and handed them to the children.

  “Look at me!” Benny cried. Benny had put his small T-shirt on. “If I run up and down the boardwalk, everyone will know about the free night at Hanson’s! I am a walking flyer!”

  Jessie and Violet changed into their shirts as well. Then the children headed back toward the amusement pier. They noticed that people were staring at their shirts.

  “Free rides!” The children heard a woman shout, and they turned. It was Mrs. Reddy. She was hurrying toward them.

  “Hanson is giving out free rides?” she asked. “He must be crazy. He cannot make money if he gives the rides for free. He will be ruined.” Mrs. Reddy looked toward the pier. “I know I could run it again,” she said. “I do know a lot about running that pier. And my pier was always safe. I could be very helpful there.”

  “Hanson’s pier is safe, Mrs. Reddy,” Jessie said. “The safety inspector declared today that the pier is very safe. Someone has been spreading false rumors. The free rides are just for one night so that everyone can see how fun Hanson’s pier is.”

  Violet turned toward the old woman. “I am sure that the pier was wonderful when you ran it, Mrs. Reddy,” she said. “And I am sure that you must miss being in charge there. But it is still a very fun and very safe place.”

  “Would you like a T-shirt?” Benny asked. “It is free!”

  Mrs. Reddy looked startled. “You are giving me a free T-shirt?”

  “Sure,” Benny said. “Why not?”

  Mrs. Reddy took the T-shirt. “Thank you,” she said. “I must admit, this is a very good idea. I never had T-shirts made when I owned the pier. I never thought of it! And maybe I will stop by tomorrow night to see how everything is going. If it gets very busy, maybe Carl will ask me to help.”

  When Jessie, Violet, and Benny got back to the pier, they went straight to the workshop. Mr. Hanson, Henry, Will, Wendy, and Hunter were sitting around the large wooden table. They were very impressed with the T-shirts. They each took one.

  Mr. Hanson told them about the ad he had placed in the paper. “And Donna Mancini, the photographer, has been taking lots of pictures of the boardwalk. I am going use some of her pictures of the pier and put more ads in newspapers and magazines.”

  “What a wonderful idea,” Violet said.

  “My dad is donating pizza from his shop,” Hunter said. “The first one hundred customers tomorrow night will get a coupon for a free slice of pizza.”

  At the mention of the word pizza, there was a strange growling noise in the shed. “What was that?” Hunter asked.

  “I’m sorry!” Benny’s face turned very red. “But my stomach heard you say ‘free pizza.’”

  Everyone laughed.

  “Why don’t you go get something to eat? And then head back t
o the house and rest. Tomorrow will be a very busy day and we will need everyone’s help.”

  The children stopped at Mack’s and ordered take-out. They carried their dinners back to the Hansons’ home and sat outside on the deck overlooking the ocean.

  Jessie poured four glasses of cold milk. “Mr. Hanson has said that he will have to move back to Colorado if the amusement pier fails.”

  “That would be terrible!” Violet said. “Owning the amusement pier and living in this house on the beach was always Mr. Hanson’s dream.”

  Henry took a bite of his cheesesteak. He looked thoughtful. “That is true, Violet. This is Mr. Hanson’s dream. But I don’t think that Wendy and Will had the same dream. I think they liked Colorado.”

  “Do you suspect them of trying to ruin the amusement pier?” Violet asked.

  Henry took a long drink of milk. “I don’t know,” he said. “But remember that they both had red stains on their shoes, just like the red paint from the house of mirrors. And if the amusement pier fails, they would get to go back to Colorado to their old school and all their old friends.”

  “And remember that I accidently overheard them talking in the hallway the other day.” Violet sprinkled cheese on her pasta. “Wendy said that they had a ‘plan.’ I wonder what that meant.”

  Jessie had her notebook on the table and was looking through the clues she had written down. “And didn’t Will say that he had the bolt to the zombie in his pocket? How did he get it?”

  “He could have found it on the floor in the haunted house,” Violet said.

  Jessie tapped a pencil on her notebook. “What about Mrs. Reddy?”

  “She spreads bad rumors,” Benny said.

  “That’s right, Benny,” Henry said. “Mrs. Reddy seems like she would be happy if the amusement pier failed. I think she is sorry that she sold it. She wants to run it again. She does not like being retired.”

  “But she did like the T-shirt we gave her. She said she would wear it.” Benny said.

  “Don’t forget about Mr. Cooke,” Violet said. “He also would like to run the amusement pier.”