Bicycle Mystery Read online

  “How much do you charge?” the man asked.

  “Nothing,” replied Henry. “We are just passing through on a bicycle trip. My brother Benny was looking for an adventure. We’ll call this an adventure.”

  “I’d call it hard work,” the man said. That made the Aldens smile. It was exactly what Mr. Martin at Second Landing had said when they offered to help Mrs. Randall.

  The man went on, “My name is Smith. I guess you can remember that. You mean to tell me that anybody does something for nothing nowadays?”

  Benny said, “We like to, Mr. Smith. Especially during vacation. My name’s Benny Alden. These are my sisters and my brother Henry.”

  The boy was about Benny’s age. He said, “My name is Roy. I wish I could go along with you.”

  Violet looked at Roy and had an idea. “I know what you can do to help,” she said. “I don’t think our dog Shadow should follow us into the garden. Why don’t you keep him here with you?”

  Roy patted the dog and Shadow wagged his tail. He was a friendly little dog.

  “I never saw a dog like this before,” the boy said. “What kind is it?”

  “We don’t know,” Benny answered. Then he told how Shadow had come to them during the rainstorm. “He just sticks right with us,” Benny finished. “That’s why we call him Shadow.”

  “But we wish we could find his owner,” Jessie said.

  “Well, Shadow and I will keep the stand,” Roy said.

  “Stay!” Henry told the dog, and Shadow sat down. Mr. Smith led the way to the garden.

  Soon there were five workers instead of one. Mr. Smith began to look happier. With the Aldens’ help, the work went quickly.

  Some customers drove up just as the Aldens came from the garden with a load of fresh vegetables for Roy’s stand. The customers could see how fresh the beans and the cabbages and the tomatoes were. They bought several bags full.

  The sun was warm and pleasant after the rain. Everything smelled sweet with the hay in the next field.

  Once when they were working in the garden Mr. Smith stopped to listen. He asked Benny, “Does that dog whine all the time?”

  “Yes, he does,” answered Benny. “Even when he should be happy, he whines. That’s why we think he has a good home. But maybe someone went away and left him.”

  “I don’t think so,” Mr. Smith said. “I can remember seeing a picture of a dog like that in a magazine. I can’t remember what kind he was, but I know a dog like that is worth a lot of money. If the owner didn’t want him, he could sell him.”

  “Too bad he can’t talk,” Benny said. “He could tell us what happened and we could take him home.”

  “Anyway,” Mr. Smith said, “we can feed him. It is time for lunch. Come on, we’ll have lunch. You’re hungry, aren’t you?”

  “I’m always hungry,” Benny said.

  But Jessie said, “I’m not sure we ought to stay. You can’t feed four extra people like this.”

  Roy heard what Jessie said and answered, “Oh, yes, we can. My dad is a good cook. He’s got a stew on the stove this minute. We can eat any time.”

  Jessie gave in. She saw that Mr. Smith really wanted to pay them in some way for their help. And she was just as hungry as Benny.

  Mr. Smith and the Aldens washed their hands in cold water at the pump. Then they went into the farm kitchen. Roy and Shadow stayed outdoors at the stand.

  Mr. Smith set five plates of stew on the table. He said, “The stew is too hot for the dog. I’ll set his out to cool. After we eat, you can take it to him. Then Roy can come in and eat.”

  The Aldens and Mr. Smith sat down to lunch. Henry told him how Shadow had found them in the old house.

  “That house is on the back road,” said Mr. Smith. “It doesn’t help much in finding the dog’s home.”

  After lunch they all went back to the stand with Shadow’s plate.

  Roy said, “Let me tell you a funny thing that happened while you were gone.”

  “What was it?” Benny asked quickly.

  “Well, a pickup truck came along and stopped. The man got out and bought some vegetables. But in the back of the truck, sitting on the floor, were twin girls about six years old. They looked just alike, and they were dressed alike, only one was dressed in pink and one was dressed in blue. All at once they saw Shadow sitting there. The girl in pink said, ‘Oh, look! There’s the very dog we saw in the parking lot!’”

  “Parking lot!” repeated Benny. “I wonder what parking lot?”

  “I don’t know,” said Roy. “It took me by surprise. The twin in blue called to him, ‘Come, doggie, doggie,’ and the one in pink snapped her fingers.”

  “I bet Shadow never moved,” exclaimed Benny.

  “Right,” said Roy. “He just sat still. Henry had told him to stay, and he stayed. He did wag his tail, though. I noticed that.”

  Jessie asked, “Do you think he knew the little girls?”

  “Yes, I think he did,” answered Roy. “But not very well. They didn’t know his name. They probably just saw him running around in some parking lot.”

  “Oh, dear,” said Violet. “If we only knew where the parking lot was, we could find Shadow’s owner.”

  Jessie was thoughtful. “It does help a little. It shows that the twins live rather near here.”

  “No, I don’t think so.” Roy shook his head. “We have had this vegetable stand for three years. And I never saw the pickup truck before or the man or the twin girls.”

  Henry said, “Mr. Smith, how would you begin if you had to find Shadow’s owner?”

  Both Mr. Smith and Roy laughed. Mr. Smith replied, “I’d try Miss Lucy at the post office. She knows everything. If anyone around here has lost a dog, she will know all about it.”

  “We’ll ask her,” Benny said. “Where is the post office?”

  “About two houses down this road,” said Roy, still laughing. “Have a good time!”

  Henry said, “We have to be on our way now. My map shows that we have to ride about ten miles to find a motel where we can spend the night.”

  “That’s right,” agreed Mr. Smith. “That will be in the town of Ashby. It’s a good motel, and it has a dining room. Thank you for your help.”

  “And thank you for the delicious lunch,” said Jessie. “I see that Shadow has licked his plate clean.”

  When the Aldens reached Miss Lucy at the post office, they saw why Roy had laughed. Miss Lucy was a thin, sharp-eyed lady.

  “No,” she said. “I know every dog and cat and rabbit and horse and cow in this town, and I know nobody has lost a dog. I never saw such a comical looking animal.”

  “Well, thank you just the same,” said Jessie. “If you ever hear of a lost dog, tell Mr. Smith at the vegetable stand. We left our names with his son Roy.”

  “I will,” said Miss Lucy. “But you can be sure nobody around here would own a dog like that. That dog ought to go to a dog show, or more likely, a circus!”

  “When they were out of sight of the post office, Benny said, “You know I don’t think Shadow is that funny looking. I think he’s beautiful. People just aren’t used to him, that’s all.”

  And so the Aldens pedaled along the quiet country road. But Shadow still whined.

  CHAPTER 6

  Trouble on the Road

  When the Aldens had wheeled away from the post office, Henry said, “Now you can run awhile, Shadow. It will do you good. You are getting lazy.”

  The day was warm, and a little wind was blowing. It was a perfect day for riding. Shadow ran along beside Benny’s bike and seemed to enjoy himself.

  Benny was a little ahead of the others. Suddenly he stopped his bike and got off. He walked over to a sign nailed to a fence post.

  “What do you know?” Benny said. “This might be fun.”

  Violet saw Benny stop and called, “What is it, Benny?”

  “Look at this,” Benny said as the others rode up. “It says there’s going to be a dog show in Ashby on August 10
.”

  Jessie said, “It seems to me that I saw a sign like that back in Second Landing.”

  “You did?” asked Benny. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  Jessie laughed. “Well, I didn’t know you were interested in dog shows, Benny. Anyway, that was before we had a dog.”

  “That’s right,” Benny agreed. “I guess I wouldn’t have noticed this sign if Shadow weren’t around. Anyway, it would be fun to see a dog show. Maybe we’d find out what kind of a dog Shadow is.”

  “We can do that anyway,” Henry said. “I’m sure anybody from a kennel could tell us.”

  “It could be easier than that,” Violet said. “There’s probably a book in the library that has pictures of dogs like Shadow. It would tell us what kind he is.”

  Jessie said, “If they are having a big dog show in Ashby, there must be a lot of people around here who are interested in dogs.”

  Benny was thinking. He looked from the poster to Shadow. At last he said, “Oh, Shadow, I wish you could talk. Then we’d know whether you ran away from home or somebody stole you.”

  “Come on!” Jessie called. “We aren’t going to get to Ashby and certainly not to Aunt Jane’s if we stop here too long.”

  “All right!” Benny answered. “I’ll race you, Jessie, to that big tree.”

  “Watch out for cars!” called Violet after them.

  “There’s nothing coming,” Benny called back. And he and Shadow and Jessie were off.

  Benny rode fast, but Jessie passed him.

  Jessie won the race. “But I’m older than you, Ben,” she said. She jumped off her bicycle at the tree and stood there, waiting for the others to come up.

  Shadow was tired out when he caught up with Jessie. Nobody had to tell Shadow to sit. He was glad to rest.

  When Henry and Violet rode up, they jumped off their bikes and sat down on the grass by the side of the road.

  Very soon they saw a car coming in the distance. A woman was sitting beside the driver. As it came nearer, Benny said, “I think it is slowing down.”

  Jessie said, “That’s funny. I think they are going to speak to us.”

  Jessie was right. The car stopped and the man got out. He was looking at the dog. The Aldens stood up beside their bikes to see what the man wanted.

  The man said to Henry, “You have a fine dog there.”

  “Yes, we think so,” answered Henry.

  “Did you know he was a very rare dog?”

  “No.”

  “I’d like to buy him,” the man said.

  Benny said, “We can’t sell him. He isn’t ours. He just follows us, and we are trying to find his owner.”

  “Well, if he doesn’t belong to anybody, let me have him,” the man said. “I’ll pay you well for him. He’s a young show dog.”

  Benny shook his head. “No, we couldn’t sell anything we don’t own. Besides, we are going to find out who does own him.”

  “Then this really isn’t your dog?” the man said again. The Aldens didn’t like the sound of his voice at all.

  “No,” Henry answered. “We are just trying to find his owner.”

  The man asked, “How do you plan to do that?”

  Benny said, “Everywhere we go, we ask if anyone has lost a dog.”

  Henry added, “And when we get home, we’ll put a lost-and-found notice in the newspaper.”

  The woman called to her husband, “Come on, the children aren’t going to sell the dog.”

  Shadow gave a short bark at the strange man and then began to whine. Benny stooped down and picked up the little dog. Jessie reached over and petted Shadow while Benny held him.

  The man said to the Aldens, “Well, don’t let anything happen to that dog.” And after a moment the strange couple drove off toward Ashby.

  The Aldens picked up their bicycles and watched the car until it was out of sight.

  “Well, well! What do you make of that?” asked Jessie.

  “Not much,” said Henry.

  “I don’t like it at all,” said Violet. “Those people tried to make us feel as if we had done something wrong.”

  “Well, we know we haven’t,” Benny said cheerfully. “I think they are the ones who want to do something wrong. Let’s forget them!”

  “That’s the best idea I have heard for a long while,” said Jessie. “Let’s go! We’ll have to ride right along if we want to get to that good motel.”

  The Aldens rode along quietly for about a mile. Then Violet said, “I thought that woman took a picture of Shadow.”

  “So did I,” said Jessie.

  Benny said, “I heard a little click when the man got into the car.”

  “Well, never mind,” said Henry. “A snapshot of Shadow won’t hurt us.”

  And not one of the Aldens thought that the woman might have taken a picture of them, too, with their four bicycles.

  CHAPTER 7

  Danger in the Night

  At about five o’clock the Aldens reached the Ashby motel where they planned to stay. They rode up to the office window with their strange dog. They asked for two rooms side by side, with a door between. The manager looked out and saw the dog.

  “You can’t keep a dog in your room, you know,” the manager said. “It’s against the rules.”

  “Oh, dear!” said Jessie. “Then we can’t stay here. We have to keep the dog with us.”

  Henry turned to Shadow and said, “Sit.” The dog sat down.

  “Oho!” said the manager. “An obedient dog. Does he mind you when you tell him to stop whining?”

  Henry laughed. “You know, we never tried that.”

  Just then Shadow made a whining sound. Benny went over and got down on one knee. The dog looked up at Benny through all the gray hair covering its face. He stopped whining, and then he began again.

  Benny said, “Shadow, you can’t stay if you whine.”

  Shadow whined.

  “NO!” said Benny sharply. “No!” He shook his head at the dog. Shadow started to whine, but Benny took hold of his nose and held it tight. The little dog did not like this at all. He tried to whine once more.

  Benny shouted at the top of his voice, “NO!”

  Shadow had never heard anyone yell at him like that. He seemed to understand what Benny was trying to teach him. He put his head on one side and looked up at the manager. It seemed as if the dog wanted to show how well he could obey.

  “He does look cute when he does that,” the manager said. “I’ll tell you what I’ll do. You understand dogs are not allowed in the motel. But that dog minds so well I will give you two rooms on the very end, 199 and 200. You keep him in the little hallway. But if he whines, out he goes.”

  “And out we go, too,” said Benny. “You hear that, Shadow? And that would be too bad, because I’m hungry.”

  Violet said, “You have a lovely dining room.” The Aldens could see people eating dinner.

  “Yes, it’s a new dining room,” the manager said. “We are serving dinner now. You can eat right away if you want.”

  “We do want,” said Benny. “Yes, sir! We’ll just go and leave our things in the rooms.”

  “And leave the dog,” added the man. “I have an idea for him.” He laughed to himself. The Aldens knew that whatever the idea was, it was a good one.

  The man gave Henry two keys and showed him the way to go. “Park your bikes at the very end, around the corner,” he said.

  Shadow trotted along after his new family. The manager watched, still smiling.

  When Henry unlocked the door of the room he and Benny would have, he found a little square hallway. He threw his raincoat on the floor and said to Shadow, “Lie down. Stay!”

  Shadow lay down on the raincoat and looked up at Henry without a sound.

  “Good dog,” said Benny. “And don’t you whine, remember! We’ll bring you some supper after we have had ours.”

  “You talk to that dog as if he could understand every word,” Violet said.

  “Maybe
he does,” replied Benny. “You can’t tell.”

  The Aldens did not stop to unpack. They just washed their hands and went out again.

  “Stay!” Henry said to the dog. Then he went out and locked the door.

  The Aldens walked over to the motel dining room and went in. Everything was bright and new. The manager was busy at the end of the dining room, but he smiled when he saw the Aldens. They found a table and sat down.

  “This is the best place we have seen yet,” said Jessie. “I’m going to have a real dinner.”

  They took their time.

  At last Benny said, “That was delicious. I could ride twenty miles now.”

  “Tomorrow,” said Jessie.

  The manager came over and whispered to Henry. He gave him a brown paper bag. “Here’s your dog’s dinner,” he said. “There’s enough for his breakfast, too. Just don’t let anyone see that you are feeding a dog.”

  “You are very kind,” Jessie said. “We won’t forget this.”

  “Well, I would not do this for everybody, but you seem like good kids, and I’d like to help you.”

  When Henry opened the room door he found that Shadow had not moved. He didn’t bark or whine.

  “What a good dog you are, Shadow!” exclaimed Benny. “Here is your supper. I really wish you were my dog. We’ll keep your breakfast for you in the bag.”

  The dog was hungry and ate every crumb. He licked the paper plate several times. Then he lay down again.

  “I don’t think we will have any trouble with him,” Henry said. “He acts tired out and I think he’ll sleep. As for me, I’m tired out, too.”

  It was only eight o’clock. But the Aldens went to bed and went to sleep. Everything was quiet.

  Just at midnight Shadow gave a short, sharp bark.

  Jessie woke right away. “Oh, dear!” she said. “That’s Shadow! Now we’ll all have to go! And in the middle of the night, too.”

  Henry jumped out of bed and ran to the hallway where Shadow was. “Quiet, Shadow!” he said.

  Benny sat up and rubbed his eyes. “What time is it?” he asked.

  Shadow did not bark again, but he made a growling sound.