The Pet Show Mystery Read online

  The girls’ laughter was interrupted by the arrival of more entrants in the show, and the next few hours passed quickly as the table stayed busy. By the time Brian came to get the girls in his car, they’d signed up forty-two entries.

  “Added to the thirty we signed up at school, that’s seventy-two pets. And we still have two more weeks to get entries!” Trixie said enthusiastically.

  She repeated her good news to her brothers that evening as they all sat in the den watching the news on television. “At this rate, we won’t need any help from you boys at all,” Trixie said.

  “I congratulate you on your success at the sign-up booth,” Mart said. “But might I remind you that I spent that same period of time in the computer room at school, working on the program for the pet show?”

  “Is it almost ready?” Trixie asked.

  “Almost,” Mart said. “There are still a few glitches to be straightened out, but the teacher says that’s to be expected in undertaking a task of this complexity.”

  “Good,” Trixie said. “Because we’ll have a lot of pets and a lot of categories. I had no idea people owned so many different—” She paused as the picture on the television screen caught her eye. “It’s him!” she shouted.

  “It’s who?” Brian asked.

  “I don’t know. I mean, I don’t know his name. Turn up the sound and let’s find out.

  Brian turned the knob, and Trixie heard a familiar voice: “People are starving to death all over the world today. Today, when technology has grown to such proportions that no task as basic as feeding humanity should be beyond our grasp.”

  The face of the man disappeared from the screen, and the television news reporter came on. “Those were the words today of Paul Gale, the noted anti-hunger crusader,” she said. “Gale, whose World Anti-Hunger Foundation raises money to buy supplies that are flown directly to Burma, Thailand, and other Third-World countries, will be in Sleepyside for the next several weeks to assist in the opening of a foundation office here. Gale said he chose our community because its relative prosperity should permit large donations to those less fortunate.”

  The reporter’s face was replaced by Paul Gale’s. He looked serious—and very angry. “People who have the most must share the most. Why, here in Sleepyside people have so much that they’re literally throwing their money to the birds. This, while children are dying. Something must be done!”

  The camera stayed on Paul Gale’s face while the reporter said, “Those interested in making contributions may mail them to the World Anti-Hunger Foundation, Seventy-five South Tenth Street.”

  The news program moved on to other events, but Trixie didn’t hear them. “That was our pet show he was talking about when he said people are throwing money to the birds!” Briefly, she told her brothers about her encounter with Paul Gale at the sign-up table. “He’s going to wreck the whole pet show if he keeps talking like that,” she concluded worriedly.

  “I doubt it,” Brian told her. “His worthy cause doesn’t make ours any less worthy. People will understand that.”

  “Maybe you’re right,” Trixie conceded. “It’s just that things have been going so well. I’dhate to see us run into problems now.”

  5 * Honey Uncovers a Rumor

  THE FOLLOWING WEEK, Trixie realized that the pet show was having serious problems.

  At school Monday, the flow of entrants at the sign-up table slowed to a trickle. “That’s okay,” Trixie said as she and Brian packed away the meager stack of dollar bills they’d taken in. “We have enough pets now. Even if no one else signs up this week, the show will be a success.”

  But on Tuesday, things got worse — entrants began withdrawing from the contest. The first withdrawal was by a girl with a pet parakeet. “They’re very prone to respiratory infections,” she said. “They’re tropical birds, originally, you know. So my mom says it wouldn’t be a good idea to take Peewee out in the cold.” The excuse sounded logical, and Trixie obligingly found Peewee’s entry blank, tore it in two, and gave the girl her money back.

  Almost immediately, another student came up to the table. “I’ll be visiting my grandmother that day,” he said. “So I can’t bring my cat. Could I withdraw from the show?”

  Trixie realized that she’d set a dangerous precedent with Peewee; there was no choice but to return the money.

  Three more students withdrew by the end of the day, all with increasingly lame-sounding excuses.

  “I don’t understand it,” Trixie said to Honey. “Do you think that TV interview with Paul Gale is what started this?”

  Honey, looking disappointed, tried to be cheerful. “I doubt it. Someone would have mentioned his name. I think there was such a rush of enthusiasm, people didn’t stop to think before they entered. Now that they’ve had a chance to think it over and tell their parents about it, there are bound to be a few snags.”

  There were indeed four more “snags” the following day, reducing the total number of entrants to less than seventy.

  By now, even Honey was finding it difficult to stay calm about the withdrawals. “This isn’t a normal drop-out rate,” she said. “Something’s going on, and I’m going to find out what it is.”

  “How are you going to do that?” Trixie asked.

  Honey’s jaw set in a stubborn look that was rare for her. “I’ll think of a way,” she replied.

  A few moments later a girl from Honey’s homeroom withdrew her dog. This girl, too, had suddenly found out about a visit to her grandparents on the day of the show.

  Honey managed to smile as she returned the money. Calmly, she watched the girl walk away from the sign-up table. Then she stood up and said, “You wait here, Trixie. I’m going to talk to Heather.”

  Honey followed the girl. Trixie saw Heather turn and pause as Honey quietly called her name. The two girls talked for several minutes.

  Finally, Heather went off down the hall. Honey walked back toward the sign-up table. A tight knot formed in Trixie’s stomach as

  Honey drew nearer. There was a smile on Honey’s face—but there were tears in her eyes!

  “Oh, Trixie,” she said softly, the tears running down her cheeks, “you won’t believe this. She says there’s a rumor going around school about us, and that’s why she withdrew. The rumor is that we don’t plan to use this money for the game birds at all—we’re going to spend it on ourselves!”

  Trixie was absolutely stunned. “We’re going to have to tell the other Bob-Whites right away,” she said. “This is too big—and too awful—for us to handle on our own.” She began to sweep the contents of the sign-up table into piles that she and Honey could carry to their lockers for storage.

  Just as the girls were finishing, Jim appeared in the hallway. “What’s up, sis? I came back early to help you with the sign-up, but the table’s gone. This is no time for you and Trixie to take a vacation,” he added with a teasing grin.

  As Honey turned to face him, Jim’s grin faded. Seeing her distraught, tear-streaked face, he asked, “Honey, what is it? What’s happened?”

  Honey swallowed hard and shook her head.

  “I can’t tell you. I mean, I have to tell you, but I need to tell the other Bob-Whites, too, and I can’t say it more than once. We need an emergency meeting right away.”

  “Right away,” Trixie echoed lamely.

  Without further question, Jim said, “Let’s head home. But first, I’ll call Brian and Mart to tell them we’ll be stopping by for them. I’ll have them call Di and see if she can get a ride to the Manor House. We can just swing by Mr. Maypenny’s on our way; Dan will probably be there. Head for the station wagon—it’s unlocked. I’ll catch up.”

  Trixie’s feet were leaden as she moved toward the door. At least he didn’t make us explain, she thought. And at least he’s still able to think clearly, even though Honey and I can’t.

  The girls were barely seated in the car before Jim opened the door on the driver’s side and took his place behind the wheel. “Brian and
Mart will pick up Di and meet us at home,” he said. “That will give us time to get Dan.”

  The drive out of Sleepyside and along Glen Road seemed endless. Trixie alternated between trying frantically to think of a way to end the rumors about the pet show, and trying just as frantically to put the whole thing out of her mind until the Bob-Whites were all assembled.

  The only distraction was Honey’s nudging her and pointing to the side of the road. There, a hen and a rooster pheasant were picking along a thin strip of ground.

  “Poor things,” Honey said softly. “All we wanted to do was help.”

  From the way she put it, Trixie thought, I can’t tell if she means the pheasants are the “poor things” or we are. Maybe she means it both ways. I think we’re more like sitting ducks than pheasants, though—for whoever started this stupid rumor.

  Soon they pulled up in front of the cabin where Dan lived with Mr. Maypenny, and Jim ran in to get Dan. The two boys were back in minutes, and Dan had been told not to ask any questions.

  It took only moments to drive from Mr. May-penny’s to the Manor House. Trixie noted with relief that Brian’s car was parked out front.

  Brian, Mart, and Di were already waiting in the den. Trixie and Honey took off their coats and sat down close together on the couch. Honey looked at her more-talkative friend, but Trixie shook her head. “You’re the one who heard it firsthand. You tell them.”

  “A girl named Heather told me about a rumor that’s spreading through school,” Honey said. “The rumor is that we’re going to use the pet show money for ourselves, not for the game birds.”

  Trixie waited for a burst of protest, but there was none. Apparently, her friends were as bewildered by the explanation as she had been earlier.

  “Maybe we can track the rumor to its source and stamp it out,” Dan said finally. “Did your friend say where she heard it?”

  Honey shook her head. “I asked her that, but she can’t remember where she heard it the first time.”

  “The first time?” Brian echoed, recognizing immediately the significance of those words.

  “That’s right,” Honey said, confirming his fears. “Apparently, the rumor is absolutely all over school. Everybody has heard it from three or four different people by now. There’s no way of knowing how it started, so there’s no way of stopping it.”

  “The former is true,” Mart said. “The latter is not. There must be a way of stopping the rumor, and we’ll figure out what it is.”

  “The solution is to prove to people that the pet show is strictly on the up-and-up,” Dan said.

  “Right,” Brian said, nodding approvingly. “But how?”

  “I think I’ve got something,” Trixie said. “Say on,” Mart told her.

  “Well, if people don’t trust us with the pet show money, we shouldn’t have the pet show money,” Trixie said. “Why couldn’t we set up an account at the bank? I’m sure we could arrange things so that we can’t take any money out without the bank’s knowledge and permission. Then people don’t have to trust us—they can just trust the bank.”

  “Oh, Trixie, that’s perfectly perfect!” Honey said enthusiastically.

  “Yes, that should do it,” Brian said. “And to announce the plan, we’ll just need to print up more fliers.”

  “All those in favor of Trixie’s plan, signify by saying aye,” Jim said.

  “Aye!” everyone chorused.

  “Motion carried,” Jim said.

  “I move that we adjourn, so that the Belden Bob-Whites can talk to their father about setting up an account for the pet show proceeds,” Dan said. “Mr. Belden is an officer of the bank, after all.”

  “I’ll second that motion,” Honey said.

  “I’ll call you later,” Trixie said, jumping up from the couch and pulling on her coat as she dashed for the door.

  Her two older brothers, normally less impulsive, were right behind her.

  6 * Dr. Chang Explains

  “IT’S WORKING!” Honey exclaimed the next afternoon, as the tenth student in less than half an hour walked away from the sign-up table.

  “It’s better than working,” Trixie replied. “I think the sign-up is going better now than it was before the rumor started.”

  “You’re right,” Honey agreed. “Every student in school must have seen the fliers we circulated this morning, describing our new arrangement with the bank. That must have reassured the students who were believing the rumor. And the fliers also reminded the students who’d been meaning to sign up and hadn’t gotten around to it.”

  “Just don’t expect me to be grateful for the rumor,” Trixie said. “I keep remembering how awful it was. Who would hate the Bob-Whites that much?”

  “Maybe no one,” said Honey. “Jim and I talked about it last night after you and your brothers left. You know, sometimes somebody makes a joke or wonders aloud about something. Another person overhears and takes it as truth, and that person repeats it. Pretty soon it’s a full-fledged rumor. But it’s not vicious, and it’s not intentional.”

  Trixie shook her head. “I’m sure that happens sometimes. But not this time. Someone started that rumor deliberately to hurt the Bob-Whites.” There was a mystery here— Trixie just knew it!

  “All right,” said Honey. “Maybe it’s the pet show that’s the target, not the Bob-Whites at all.”

  “That’s possible,” Trixie said.

  “But who hates the pet show?” Honey asked.

  Trixie was one step ahead of her friend. “I can think of two suspects. Paul Gale has publicly attacked the pet show twice—at the mall and on TV. And Miss von Trammel was furious about Dr. Chang being the judge.”

  “I’ll admit that Paul Gale seems to hate the pet show—or rather, the bird-feeding plan. He couldn’t have started the rumor, though, because he doesn’t have access to the school, where the rumor started. As for Miss von Trammel, I can’t believe she’d be so angry that she’d want to ruin the whole show.”

  “I saw her, you didn’t,” Trixie countered. “She was plenty angry.”

  “I’ve seen her nearly every school day since I moved to Sleepyside, though,” said Honey. “I just can’t believe she’d suddenly become such a—such a raving maniac.”

  “A distinct description of my distaff sibling,” Mart said, as he and Brian came to relieve the girls at the sign-up table.

  “Not Trixie,” Honey said, “Miss—”

  “Missed you here at the table,” Trixie said quickly. “Glad you’ve finally come. Really busy here. Good luck.” As she spoke, she picked her books up from the floor, then tucked them under her arm. “Come on, Honey. Let’s let the men do some work for a change.”

  A new flock of students coming up to the table distracted the boys. Honey waited until they were out of earshot to ask, “What’s up?”

  “You said you can’t imagine Miss von Trammel that angry. I’m going to show you how angry she can get,” Trixie said. From the bottom of her pile of books, she produced a thin stack of fliers that she’d secretly picked up from the sign-up table. Waving them in the air like a battle flag, she said, “Follow me.”

  The two girls trooped into the school office. They stood in front of the counter, waiting for Miss von Trammel to look up from her desk. When the secretary saw them, she bustled over to them immediately.

  “I’m sorry to bother you so late in the day,” Trixie said, “but we need to have these fliers initialed, so we can put them up on the bulletin board.”

  Miss von Trammel took one of the fliers and read it.

  Trixie watched her closely. I have to try to make Miss von Trammel really angry again, Trixie thought, so Honey can see—even though it’s a mean thing to do. Trixie cleared her throat before she spoke aloud. “We had these printed up because there was a rumor that the pet show wasn’t on the up-and-up. Can you imagine—when we have the town’s best veterinarian doing the judging?” Trixie hoped she sounded more innocent than she felt.

  Miss von Trammel’s
face hardened into a gray mask. I always thought that was just an expression—but she really does look as though she’d been carved out of stone, Trixie thought. Her stomach tightened with guilt as she realized that she’d brought that change about deliberately.

  “Dr. Chang is a quack. I told you that before,” Miss von Trammel said sharply. “Any negative rumor about him would be very easy to believe. As for these fliers, I’d say everyone in school must have seen them by now. There were certainly enough of them littering the halls. Since you didn’t bother to get my permission before you handed them out, I’m going to withhold my permission for you to post them. Someone has to teach you young people that rules are meant to be obeyed.” She tried to speak calmly, but two bright red spots had appeared high on her cheeks. Without another word, she turned and walked back to her desk.

  Trixie and Honey quickly left the office. “You see?” Trixie hissed. “Didn’t I tell you she was angry about the pet show?”

  “You’re right about her not liking Dr. Chang,” Honey said. “That’s a mystery I’d like cleared up. We’re going over to Dr. Chang’s office after school anyway. Let’s ask him why Miss von Trammel has such strong feelings against him. Maybe then we’ll know whether she’s the one who’s sabotaging the pet show.”

  Only Honey, Trixie, Jim, and Brian went to Dr. Chang’s office that afternoon. Di and Dan, busy with chores, had taken the first bus home. Mart, still trying to fix his computer program, was staying at school and taking the second bus.

  Jim parked the station wagon in the empty parking lot in front of the veterinarian’s office. At the sound of the slamming car door, a dog began to bark. A second, a third, and then countless other dogs chimed in. As the Bob-Whites opened the door of the office, they were struck by what seemed to be a solid wall of noise.

  Dr. Chang greeted the young people in the reception area. “I left the door unlocked for you, even though it’s past office hours. Somehow,” he said with a smile, “I didn’t think you’d be able to take me by surprise. Come on