Great Detective Race

Read Great Detective Race for Free Online

Book: Read Great Detective Race for Free Online
Authors: Gertrude Chandler Warner
the spot right now!” Benny called out, as the Aldens wheeled back into Greenfield.
    “Sounds good to me,” Henry was quick to agree. Jessie and Violet nodded.
    When they stopped outside the Greenfield Ice Cream Parlor, Violet decided to take another picture. Henry, Jessie, and Benny smiled into the camera while she snapped a photo, then they went inside.
    “This was a great idea, Benny,” Jessie said, as they claimed an empty table by the window.
    It only took them a few minutes to decide on what they wanted. Their order included a hot-fudge sundae for Henry, a waffle cone with two scoops of chocolate-mint ice cream for Jessie, a strawberry milkshake for Violet, and a banana split for Benny.
    “And four glasses of water, please,” Jessie added.
    “Four glasses of H 2 0 coming right up!” The waitress gave them a cheery smile, then hurried away.
    Jessie stared after her in amazement. Then she turned to the others, her eyes wide. “Did you hear that?”
    Benny crinkled his brow. “What’s H 2 O?”
    “That’s what scientists call water,” Henry explained, in an excited whisper.
    “Oh,” said Benny, still not sure what all the fuss was about.
    Jessie smiled over at her little brother and sister. “What were the letters in the clue?”
    “H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O,” said Violet. Then she suddenly gasped. “H to O!”
    Henry grinned. “I think we just found the missing piece of the puzzle.”
    “I don’t get it,” said Benny, pulling a leaf from his hair.
    “The puzzle showed the letters H to O,” Jessie explained. “And H 2 0 is another name for water.”
    “And if we put ‘water’ and ‘slide’ together,” put in Henry, “we get—”
    “Waterslide!” the others cried out in unison.
    Jessie nodded. “Maybe the clue’s pointing us to the Greenfield Waterslides.”
    “That’s a fun place to look for a clue!” Benny exclaimed after gulping down his water.
    “So was the bowling alley,” agreed Violet.
    “And the ice cream truck,” said Jessie. “Debra said she wanted the race to appeal to kids.”
    “Well, it does,” said Benny. “Right, Henry?”
    Before Henry had a chance to speak, a familiar voice caught their attention. They looked over to see Debra Belmont sitting at a table nearby. She was sipping an ice-cream soda through a straw and talking on a cell phone.
    “I’m telling you, I have no choice but to fix it,” Debra was saying into the phone. “What else can I do?”
    Violet frowned. “I wonder why she sounds so upset?”
    “I know, I know!” Debra was nodding her head. “If there’s a leak, I’ll have to walk.”
    Jessie’s gaze jumped to Henry’s. Neither of them liked what they were hearing.
    Just then, Debra pocketed her cell phone, pushed back her chair, and walked out of the ice-cream parlor.
    “That was odd,” Henry said, as the door closed behind her. “I wonder if Debra was talking about the race.”
    “It sure sounded like it,” said Jessie. “Do you think she’s planning to fix it?”
    “Fix the race?” Benny scrunched up his face. “Is it broken?”
    “Fixing a race means something else, Benny,” Henry said. “It means making sure a certain person wins.”
    “In this case, somebody between the ages of twenty and fifty,” Jessie added. “The age of Mike Devlin’s radio listeners.”
    “But what did she mean about a leak?” Benny wondered.
    “I’m not sure,” said Jessie. “I guess if word leaks out about the race being fixed, Debra would be forced to walk out on her job.”
    “Oh, Jessie!” cried Violet. “You don’t really think she’d fix the race, do you?”
    “It does sound suspicious, Violet,” said Jessie.
    But Violet wasn’t convinced. “We can’t be sure that Debra was talking about the race.” Violet didn’t like to think Debra would do something so dishonest.
    “I suppose you’re right,” Jessie said, backing down a little. Violet had a point. It was one thing to suspect somebody. It was another thing to

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