Read Online Boardwalk Mystery by Gertrude Chandler Warner - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Gertrude Chandler Warner
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bicycles. Bikes in every size lined the sidewalk.
“Look!” Violet cried. “They even rent surreys!”
“What is a surrey?” Benny asked.
Violet walked up to the surrey and showed Benny. The surrey had four wheels and four sets of pedals. It had two seats in front and two in the back. There was a steering wheel, just like a car, and there was a yellow and blue striped cloth roof over the top.
A woman in a blue apron walked up to the children. “Would you like to rent the surrey?” she asked. “They are lots of fun.”
The children agreed. They paid the woman and climbed in. Henry and Jessie sat up front. Violet and Benny were in the back. With all four children pedaling, the surrey could go quite fast. They took turns driving. Even Benny had a turn! As they rode back down the boardwalk, they made many stops and posted the flyers in stores and on announcement boards.
Henry looked at his watch. “It is almost ten o’clock,” he said. “We should return the surrey now to the rental store.”
The children pedaled back the way they had come. “Look,” Benny said. “Isn’t that Mr. Cooke?”
“It is,” Jessie said. “What is he carrying?”
“I don’t know,” Henry said. “It looks like big poster boards. Maybe he is making signs for his pier, too.”
After the children returned the surrey, they got right to work. Henry and Benny took half of the remaining flyers and Jessie and Violet took the other half.
“Benny and I will give these out on the beach,” Henry said.
“And we will hand them out on the boardwalk,” Jessie said.
But before the children could start, they saw Mr. Hanson hurrying toward them. He had a worried look on his face.
“What’s wrong?” the children asked.
Mr. Hanson wrung his hands together. “I don’t know exactly. I just got a call from Ms. Mancini, the photographer, that she saw something wrong at the pier. We don’t open for a few more hours. I hope it is something I can fix.”
Everyone hurried toward the pier. They saw the problem right away.
“Oh no!” Violet said. “Who could have done such a thing?”
The top six cars on the giant Ferris wheel each had a very large letter pasted to its side. All together, the cars spelled out the word “UNSAFE.” It was so big, everyone on the boardwalk could see what it said. Ms. Mancini was standing nearby taking photographs.
They all hurried to the Ferris wheel. Mr. Hanson pulled his keys from his pocket. He turned the Ferris wheel on so that the cars at the top moved to the bottom. Ms. Mancini and the children helped him remove the letters. It was not hard. The letters had been printed on white poster board and taped to the sides of the car.
“Who else has keys to the Ferris wheel?” Henry asked.
Mr. Hanson was ripping the cardboard letters into pieces. “Only Wendy, Will, and I have keys,” he said. “And I suppose Mrs. Reddy might. She was supposed to turn over all the keys to me when I bought the pier. But I suppose that it is possible that she kept some.”
“What about Mr. Cooke?” asked Jessie.
Mr. Hanson shook his head. “Mr. Cooke would not have any keys to my pier.”
“Is there any other way to get the letters up on those cars?” Henry asked.
Mr. Hanson looked up at the Ferris wheel. “I suppose you could climb up,” he said. “It’s not too hard. But most people would be afraid to do such a thing.”
“I took a lot of pictures of your pier over the last week,” Ms. Mancini said. “I will develop them and leave them in your workshop. I don’t know if they will help. But maybe they will show something that will help you to figure out who is doing these things. I will drop them off around four o’clock.”
The Alden children looked at one another and smiled. This would help their plan.
Mr. Hanson thanked Ms. Mancini. He asked the Aldens if they could help him to look through the pictures. Everyone agreed to meet in the workshop at about five o’clock. Henry and Benny then
“Look!” Violet cried. “They even rent surreys!”
“What is a surrey?” Benny asked.
Violet walked up to the surrey and showed Benny. The surrey had four wheels and four sets of pedals. It had two seats in front and two in the back. There was a steering wheel, just like a car, and there was a yellow and blue striped cloth roof over the top.
A woman in a blue apron walked up to the children. “Would you like to rent the surrey?” she asked. “They are lots of fun.”
The children agreed. They paid the woman and climbed in. Henry and Jessie sat up front. Violet and Benny were in the back. With all four children pedaling, the surrey could go quite fast. They took turns driving. Even Benny had a turn! As they rode back down the boardwalk, they made many stops and posted the flyers in stores and on announcement boards.
Henry looked at his watch. “It is almost ten o’clock,” he said. “We should return the surrey now to the rental store.”
The children pedaled back the way they had come. “Look,” Benny said. “Isn’t that Mr. Cooke?”
“It is,” Jessie said. “What is he carrying?”
“I don’t know,” Henry said. “It looks like big poster boards. Maybe he is making signs for his pier, too.”
After the children returned the surrey, they got right to work. Henry and Benny took half of the remaining flyers and Jessie and Violet took the other half.
“Benny and I will give these out on the beach,” Henry said.
“And we will hand them out on the boardwalk,” Jessie said.
But before the children could start, they saw Mr. Hanson hurrying toward them. He had a worried look on his face.
“What’s wrong?” the children asked.
Mr. Hanson wrung his hands together. “I don’t know exactly. I just got a call from Ms. Mancini, the photographer, that she saw something wrong at the pier. We don’t open for a few more hours. I hope it is something I can fix.”
Everyone hurried toward the pier. They saw the problem right away.
“Oh no!” Violet said. “Who could have done such a thing?”
The top six cars on the giant Ferris wheel each had a very large letter pasted to its side. All together, the cars spelled out the word “UNSAFE.” It was so big, everyone on the boardwalk could see what it said. Ms. Mancini was standing nearby taking photographs.
They all hurried to the Ferris wheel. Mr. Hanson pulled his keys from his pocket. He turned the Ferris wheel on so that the cars at the top moved to the bottom. Ms. Mancini and the children helped him remove the letters. It was not hard. The letters had been printed on white poster board and taped to the sides of the car.
“Who else has keys to the Ferris wheel?” Henry asked.
Mr. Hanson was ripping the cardboard letters into pieces. “Only Wendy, Will, and I have keys,” he said. “And I suppose Mrs. Reddy might. She was supposed to turn over all the keys to me when I bought the pier. But I suppose that it is possible that she kept some.”
“What about Mr. Cooke?” asked Jessie.
Mr. Hanson shook his head. “Mr. Cooke would not have any keys to my pier.”
“Is there any other way to get the letters up on those cars?” Henry asked.
Mr. Hanson looked up at the Ferris wheel. “I suppose you could climb up,” he said. “It’s not too hard. But most people would be afraid to do such a thing.”
“I took a lot of pictures of your pier over the last week,” Ms. Mancini said. “I will develop them and leave them in your workshop. I don’t know if they will help. But maybe they will show something that will help you to figure out who is doing these things. I will drop them off around four o’clock.”
The Alden children looked at one another and smiled. This would help their plan.
Mr. Hanson thanked Ms. Mancini. He asked the Aldens if they could help him to look through the pictures. Everyone agreed to meet in the workshop at about five o’clock. Henry and Benny then
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