Mystery at the Ballpark (7 page)

Henry snapped his fingers. “That’s it, exactly. And you know what? We can set him up so he
has
to commit another crime. He just won’t be able to resist.”

Michael looked interested. “You mean we offer him something, and once he grabs it—“

“We grab him!” Nicole finished for him.

“A trap!” Henry said. “You’ve got it.” He looked at the other children. “So what do you think?”

“What could we offer him?” Jessie asked. “It would have to be something he’d really like to have.”

“He already has my teddy bear,” Benny said sadly.

Jessie put her arm around him. “I have a feeling we’ll get Stockings back for you, Benny, even though I can’t promise.” She paused. “I think we have to offer him something to do with baseball. After all, look what he’s stolen—a bat, a glove, and a mascot.”

“And there’s more than that going on,” Nicole pointed out. “He took the keys to the van, cut the battery cables, and almost made us miss our game with the Pirates.”

“You keep saying ‘he,’” Michael reminded her. “We don’t know that for sure. It could be a she.”

“That’s true,” Violet agreed. “But there’s one thing we’re sure of. Everything is somehow connected to baseball.”

“And that’s exactly the way we trap him or her,” Henry said. “We offer the thief some kind of baseball trophy, or autograph. Something that he just can’t pass up.”

“I know,” said Jessie. “Something we saw back there.” She jerked her thumb toward the row of booths.

“What’s that?” Benny asked.

Jessie smiled. “Something small, something easy to hide, something easy to steal. And something the thief would really like to have if he likes baseball.”

Benny scrunched his forehead. What was Jessie getting at? “I got it!” he said suddenly. “A baseball card. We’re going to catch him with a baseball card.”

“You’re right, Benny,” Jessie said eagerly. She scrambled to her feet and threw her napkin in the trash. “Who wants to help me pick one out?”

“I do,” Benny said, jumping up. He was happy they had a plan. He could hardly wait to catch the thief. Whoever stole the glove and the bat had taken Stockings. Benny was sure of that. And when Benny caught up with him—or her—there would be a lot of explaining to do!

Half an hour later, they had made their choice. Benny picked out a baseball card with a picture of a famous player, Joe DiMaggio.

“I hope the thief falls for this,” he whispered as Henry paid for the card.

“He will if we lay our trap carefully.” Henry tucked the card into his jacket pocket.

“What are we going to do exactly?” Nicole asked. They moved away from the booth. She and Jessie were sharing a lemon ice, and it was melting quickly in the hot sun.

“We’re going to pretend this is a birthday present for Coach Warren,” Henry explained. “A
surprise
birthday present.”

“And we’ll make sure everyone on the team knows about the card,” Jessie said, her face lighting up. “Then the thief will have a chance to steal it.”

“We’ll hide it someplace really obvious,” Henry continued.

“And when the thief shows up, we’ll be waiting,” Violet finished.

“So he’ll be the one who’s in for a surprise!” Benny said.

“You said everyone on the
team
will know,” Nicole pointed out. “What about Chuck?”

“We’ll make sure he knows, too,” Henry promised.

“I bet someone will come forward,” Nicole offered.

Henry patted his pocket. “I think so, too. This card will lure them.”

The Aldens spent a quiet Sunday with Grandfather, and returned to practice early on Monday morning. They were scheduled to play the Pirates the very next day.

“Remember to catch the ball with
two
hands, Violet,” Chuck shouted as he crossed the field. “And Jessie, let’s see some power when you swing the bat!”

Henry was hitting fly balls to Nicole. Chuck stood watching them for a few minutes. “That’s much better, Nicole,” he said.

“I’ve really been working hard on it,” she answered. She knew she didn’t dare take her eyes of the ball. Henry hit one to her again, and she made a perfect catch. She brushed her hair out of her eyes and grinned when Chuck applauded.

“Nice work, Nicole!”

“Thanks!” She knew she had played well, and she felt good.

As the day passed, the Aldens spread the word to everyone about the present they had bought for Coach Warren.

“It’s a surprise,” Benny said to Susan Miller at lunchtime, putting his finger over his lips.

“Don’t worry, Benny,” she told him. “I can keep a secret.”

“Joe DiMaggio,” Violet mouthed to Ann in the middle of practice as the two girls waited their turn at bat. Ann looked impressed.

“Don’t drag your right foot, Jessie!” Coach Warren yelled. “Remember to plant it.”

Ann waited until Jessie hit the ball with a sharp crack, and whispered back, “He’s going to love it. When are you going to give it to him?”

“Right after tomorrow’s game.”

“I hope it’s someplace safe,” Ann said.

“It is,” Violet assured her. “It’s in the glove compartment of the van …”

Late that afternoon, the Aldens gathered on Grandfather’s front porch with Michael and Nicole. Mrs. McGregor had made lemonade for everyone, and Benny was dangling his legs off the porch swing.

“How do you feel about tomorrow?” Michael asked Violet. “Any butterflies?”

Violet shook her head. “Not yet. I may get a few tomorrow morning though, when we get to the field.”

She rubbed her arm. It was tired from throwing. “Right now, I can’t even think about playing a single inning.”

“I feel the same way,” Jessie said. “I can’t worry about the game right now. I’m still thinking about the baseball card that Henry planted in the glove compartment.”

“You mean you’re wondering who’s going to steal it,” Nicole offered.

Jessie nodded. “It’s so hard to believe that the thief is someone on the team.”

“It’s even harder to believe that it could be Chuck,” Violet said. She liked the friendly young man who had tried so hard to help her with her throwing. “I still can’t figure out why he would want to hurt the Bears.”

“We saw him with one of the Pirates team members in the store that day,” Henry reminded her.

“That’s true,” Violet admitted.

“And he said that Hank Aaron was one of his favorite players,” Michael suggested. “So he’d have a good reason for taking Jessie’s glove.”

“A lot of people would like to have that glove,” Henry said. He looked at Benny. “Has Mr. Jackson ever said anything that sounded suspicious to you?”

Benny shook his head. “Just that he doesn’t think girls should play baseball.”

Nicole, Violet, and Jessie groaned. “There’s something else funny about him,” Benny said. “Remember the saltshaker on his workbench? He might have used that to make the new glove look old.”

Everyone was quiet for a moment, lost in thought.

“He was fooling around with the lockers, too,” Benny added. “He said that he was thinking of painting them, but they don’t need it. Honest!”

“Why would he lie?” Violet asked softly.

“Unless he has something to hide,” Jessie answered.

“Mrs. Sealy doesn’t tell the truth either,” Violet pointed out. “Remember that day we saw her in the store? She said she hadn’t been to the dugout, but I don’t think that’s true. She had red mud all over her shoes.”

“And she was on the field the day someone cut the cables on the van,” Henry pointed out. “She brought brownies for Susan to pass around.”

Benny nodded. “I remember them. They were good!”

Violet laughed and tousled her brother’s hair. “You would remember something like that!”

“It sounded like she was plotting something with Mr. Jackson,” Jessie said. “Remember when she said that the coach was going to get the ‘surprise of his life’?”

“Well, there’s nothing we can do but wait until tomorrow,” Henry said. He leaned back in the white wicker chair. “If everything goes the way I think it will, we’ll have our thief.”

“I think we have a shot at it,” Jessie whispered to Violet the next day. “I think we can actually beat them!” They were playing against the Pirates on their own turf, and the Bears were in the lead.

Violet nodded, a little dazed. She couldn’t believe how well everyone on the team was playing! She had surprised herself and made some good hits. All the long hours of practice had paid off, just as Chuck had said they would.

Benny was beaming as he rushed to bring cold drinks to the players. It was so much fun being part of the team! It was nearly the end of the fifth inning, and the Bears were leading six to five. “We’re going to win,” he said under his breath. “We’re the best!”

Michael took a big gulp of cool water and splashed some on his face. He felt hot, tired, and dirty, but he was having the time of his life. He was really happy that he and Nicole had met the Aldens. They had found such great friends.

“All we have to do is hold the lead,” Coach Warren said to Henry and Chuck a little later. It was a close game, and Henry hoped the Bears would win.

The last inning passed in a blur, and when Nicole caught a fly ball for the last out, the Bears cheered. The Bears had won, eight to seven. “Hooray!” Jessie and Violet ran over to Nicole and threw their arms around her, jumping up and down. “Great catch!” Violet said.

Nicole beamed. “We really did it, didn’t we?” She felt breathless and a little dizzy.

“We sure did!” Jessie cried.

Soon the rest of the team ran over, jumping up and down and cheering. They were very pleased with themselves. As they walked off the field, Benny said, “You should see Chuck. He’s smiling from ear to ear!”

“So’s Coach Warren,” Michael offered. He lowered his voice. “When are we going to spring the trap?”

Henry moved closer. He knew that Michael was talking about the baseball card in the glove compartment. “We’re going to start the party as soon as everyone cleans up.”

Half an hour later, the Pirates had left the parking lot, and the Bears were milling around the field, sipping cold lemonade. Henry was just about to approach Coach Warren when a female voice rang out.

“Surprise, surprise!” Violet and Jessie turned to see Mrs. Sealy bearing down on them with a large birthday cake. “I hope Coach Warren can blow out all these candles,” she said, teasing. She was balancing the cake carefully, and Jessie noticed that it was decorated to look like a baseball diamond.

Susan and her mother were right behind her, carrying napkins and paper plates.

“Did you know your aunt was planning this?” Violet asked quietly.

Susan looked a little embarrassed. “My aunt knew we were having a party to celebrate after the game, and she decided to bake a cake.” She paused. “I’m surprised she knew it was the Coach’s birthday. …”

Violet didn’t say anything. Somehow, Mrs. Sealy always seemed to be in the middle of things.

A little bit later, after the cake had been cut, Violet wandered over to Henry. He was standing next to the van, his hand on the door handle. “Is the baseball card still there?” she said, glancing at the inside of the van.

Henry shook his head. “It’s gone,” he told her. “Just as I knew it would be.”

“So the thief is right here!” It gave Violet a little chill to think that the thief was someone close by—someone so close she could almost reach out and touch him or her. She glanced around the field. Chuck was sitting next to Mr. Jackson in the dugout, eating cake, and Mrs. Sealy was talking to Coach Warren. Susan had been collecting signatures on a giant birthday card, and she made her way over to Violet and Henry.

“We can give this to the coach just as soon as you two sign it,” she said. After Henry and Violet wrote their names, she headed for Coach Warren. Henry motioned for the rest of the Aldens to follow him.

“We’d like to wish you a happy birthday, Coach,” Susan began. As Coach Warren took the card, Henry stepped forward.

“And we have a little present for you.” To Violet’s amazement, he took a plastic-wrapped baseball card out of his pocket.

“Why, thank you,” Coach Warren said. His face lit up when he recognized Joe DiMaggio.

“How in the world …” Violet muttered.

Jessie edged closer. “That’s the real card,” she said in a low voice. “Henry substituted a fake one in the glove compartment to catch the thief.”

“What do we do now?” Violet whispered.

“We spring the trap,” Jessie said simply. She moved quickly and stood between Susan and Coach Warren. “There’s something you need to know, Coach,” she began. “You know the series of thefts we’ve been having. …”

The coach nodded sadly. “I had hoped all that was behind us.”

“I’m afraid it’s not,” Henry said firmly. “In fact, someone tried to steal your birthday present today. The Joe DiMaggio card.”

The coach fingered the baseball card. “Are you sure?”

“I’m positive. That’s why we set a trap and substituted a fake card in the glove compartment of the van.” Everyone in the crowd was very still. Violet noticed that Chuck jammed his hands in his pockets, and Mr. Jackson looked worried. “And someone is holding the fake card right now. …”