Read Mystery at the Ballpark for Free Online

he’s still our mascot, even if he’s not with us.”
    Benny brightened. “That’s right,” he said. “I never thought of that.”
    “Let’s hit the road, everybody!” Chuck blew his whistle and slid open the doors on Coach Warren’s navy blue van. All their equipment was packed in a metal container on the roof.
    Violet, Jessie, and Nicole piled into the back of the van and Benny slid in next to them. Benny loved to ride in a car and hoped everyone would sing or play games once they got under way.
    When all the players were settled and had fastened their seatbelts, Coach Warren turned the ignition key. Nothing happened. He frowned and tried again. “That’s funny,” he said. After a third time, he turned to Chuck. “It’s dead. Completely dead.”
    Chuck glanced at the gas gauge. It was full. “Why don’t you give it another try?”
    After a few more minutes, Coach Warren swiveled around in his seat. “I’m afraid we’ve got a problem, gang. This van isn’t going anywhere.” When everyone groaned, he held up his hand. “Don’t worry, all we need to do is switch vans. Just give me a minute and I’ll get the keys to the red one. It’s a little smaller, but at least it’ll get us there.” When he disappeared into the office. Benny sighed. “You don’t think this happened because Stockings is missing, do you? Maybe we’re in for a string of bad luck.”
    “Of course we’re not,” Violet reassured him. “Everything is going to be fine. We’ll switch vans and we’ll be on the road in a few minutes. You’ll see.”
    Except it wasn’t that simple. When Coach Warren reappeared a few minutes later, his face was red. “I can’t understand it,” he said, when Chuck hopped out of the blue van to meet him. “I can’t find the keys.”
    “They’re on the hook by the door,” Benny said. He had noticed that the coach always kept them there.
    “Not this time,” Coach Warren said. He thought for a moment. “When’s the last time you saw them there, Benny?”
    Benny shrugged. “Maybe yesterday or the day before. But not today.”
    “That’s what I was afraid of.” Coach Warren scratched his head. “I don’t understand what could have happened to them.”
    “Have you checked your pockets?” Henry asked.
    The coach turned his pockets inside out but there was no sign of the missing keys. He turned to Chuck. “Did you happen to notice them this morning?”
    “I haven’t been in the office,” Chuck said.
    Wait a minute—that’s not true, Jessie thought silently. She had noticed Chuck coming out of the office when she crossed the field. Had he forgotten? Or was he lying? She closed her eyes and tried to remember exactly what she had seen. Yes, she decided. The sun had been in her eyes, but she had seen Chuck walking out of the office with someone right behind him. Who was it? Suddenly the figure came into focus in her mind. It was Mr. Jackson. Both of them had been in the office. Could one of them have taken the keys? But why?
    “We’ll have to find those keys,” the coach muttered. “And if they don’t turn up, we’ll have to get this van started.”
    When Chuck and Coach Warren went back into the office to search again for the keys, Henry opened the hood on the van.
    “What are we looking for?” Nicole asked, peering at the engine. “I wonder if the van needs oil …” Henry suddenly gasped. “Look at this!” he pointed to a jagged set of cables. Someone had sliced right through them!
    “What is it?” Michael and Jessie hurried over.
    “Someone’s cut the cables to the battery,” Henry explained. “No wonder the engine wouldn’t start.”
    “But who would do something like that?” Violet was shocked. She couldn’t believe that anyone would really want to hurt the team. The thefts were one thing, but now a whole game was at stake!
    Henry showed Chuck and Coach Warren what he had discovered. “It’s hard to believe,” the coach said as he stood peering at the