The Boxcar Children Halloween Special by Gertrude Chandler Warner

Author:Gertrude Chandler Warner [Chandler Warner, Gertrude]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-4532-3294-1
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company
Published: 2011-11-14T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 8

Locked Out!

As soon as the children got on the bike path again, they tried to figure out their conversation with Hilda.

“We didn’t get any answers about the Clover Dodge statue,” Violet said.

Henry disagreed. “Oh, but we did. Now we know Hilda definitely took things from Skeleton Point and that she doesn’t want us to see them. That’s got to be the reason she didn’t let us in her studio.”

“I guess you’re right, Henry,” Violet said. “I sure wish the statue was back where it belongs. Since it wasn’t broken, why did Hilda bring it to her studio?”

The children pedaled along the lake and thought about what to do next.

“Let’s have lunch!” Benny suggested. “That helps me figure out things.”

“Lunch always solves everything for you, Benny,” Jessie said with a laugh. All the same, she slowed down when she came to the sign for the Shady Lake General Store. “You know, if we stop here, we can — ”

“Have an ice cream cone for dessert!” Benny said.

Jessie smiled. “Exactly!”

The children rolled their bikes to a picnic grove close to the dock that belonged to the general store. As soon as the Aldens took out their sandwiches, a flock of ducks decided to join the children for lunch, too. Not a crumb was wasted as the birds waddled under the picnic table. The children hadn’t been seated long when another visitor showed up.

“Max!” Jessie said when Greeny’s dog raced over to chase the ducks away. “You smelled our ham sandwiches, didn’t you? Where’s Greeny?”

Benny slid over to pet Max. “Sorry, the ducks ate the rest of my sandwich. Hey, you’re as wet as a duck, too. Were you playing in the water?”

“Greeny’s boat is docked out there,” Henry said, looking at the marina. “He must be at the store getting supplies. Jessie, are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

Jessie nodded. “There’s nothing wrong with just going for a walk on the dock, is there? And if we happen to pass Greeny’s boat, we might be able to see if he still has that mysterious crate we saw him carry down from Skeleton Point.”

The Aldens didn’t waste any time. They gathered up their trash and threw it into a nearby basket. Max followed along, hoping to catch a few forgotten crumbs the ducks might have missed.

Benny dug into his backpack for a ball he often carried. He aimed it toward the dock. “Go get it, Max! Let’s follow him. Now we have a good excuse to go near the boat.”

“Exactly what I was thinking, Detective Alden,” Henry told Benny.

As soon as Max found the ball, he trotted out to Greeny’s boat.

Jessie had to laugh. “Max is just like Watch. He likes to bring the ball to a special spot then makes us chase him there.”

The children ran after Max.

When he got to the dock, Henry stared into the boat. “Greeny sure keeps a lot of stuff in there. Fishing tackle, life jackets, boxes, a couple of toolboxes, fuel cans, and — ”

“A skull!” Benny said in a loud whisper.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.