Spy in the Bleachers (3 page)

Violet grinned. “I’m going to put the baseball on my bookshelf at home.”

Henry looked at Jessie. “Cody Howard acted like he knew what pitch was coming.”

Jessie nodded. She remembered what she’d told Benny about the way catchers made signals to pitchers. The batter of the other team wasn’t supposed to know what those signals were—but did Cody Howard know?

“I hope this isn’t what it looks like,” Jessie said to Henry.

The Cogs players tried to score, but didn’t. In the top of the eighth inning, Cody Howard came to bat again.

Emma Larke turned around. “Cody is going to win the batting championship,” she told the Aldens. “And Reese Dawkins
isn’t!”
She clapped her hands.

Cody stepped up to the plate, the Cogs pitcher threw the ball, and Cody Howard hit it out of Cogwheel Stadium.

“It is what it looks like,” Henry said to Jessie quietly.

Jessie nodded. “Somebody is stealing the signs Reese Dawkins is giving the pitcher.”

“And that somebody is signaling the signs to Cody Howard,” said Henry.

At the end of nine innings, the Cogs lost, 0-3. Cody Howard scored all three of the Hatters’ runs.

“This is bad,” said Henry. “Unless the sign-stealing stops, the Cogs might lose all five games. That means they would lose the pennant.”

The next morning Grandfather drove the children to Cogwheel Stadium. He parked in the same spot as before. “I’ll bet you want to play more ball today,” he said.

“Actually, we want to help Mr. Tanaka as much as we can,” said Jessie. Last night after dinner she and Henry had told Benny and Violet about the sign stealing. Now all four children wanted to find out who was stealing Reese Dawkins’s signs and signaling them to Cody Howard.

Grandfather led them to the owner’s office on the upper level of Cogwheel Stadium.

“Good morning,” said Jim Tanaka. “Did you enjoy yesterday’s game, even though we lost?” he asked.

“Yes,” said Benny. “I love the bleachers.”

“We had a very good time,” said Jessie. “Thank you so much for the tickets. And we would like to help you today, if you still need help.”

“I would love more help,” replied Mr. Tanaka. “Henry and Benny, Wheelie could use your help. And Jessie and Violet, I’ve got a job for you too.”

Wheelie the mascot had his own small dressing room. The man who played the mascot was dressed in cargo shorts, a T-shirt, and socks. “I’m Winn Winchell,” he told Henry and Benny. “Call me Winn when I’m not in costume. When I’m in costume, call me Wheelie.”

“You talk!” said Benny.

“Yep,” said Winn. “I talk when I’m Winn. I don’t talk when I’m Wheelie.”

“Why?” asked Benny.

“Because cogwheels don’t talk, that’s why,” answered Winn. He took the bottom half of the orange Wheelie costume off its hook.

Henry watched Winn step into the bottom half of the costume. Henry saw suspenders hanging from it. He grabbed the suspenders and held them up for Winn.

“You’re a quick learner,” said Winn. He pulled the suspenders over his shoulders. “See that box in the corner?”

Henry and Benny looked where Winn was pointing.

“Those are rolled-up T-shirts,” Winn told them. He handed Henry a large canvas bag. “Stuff as many of them in here as you can,” he said. “When I go out on the field, you carry the bag and follow me. You hand me one T-shirt at a time, and I throw it to a fan. Got that?”

“Yes,” said Henry.
This is cool,
he thought.
I get to walk on the baseball field!

Winn handed Benny a canvas bag, too.” Plastic water bottles,” he said. “You carry this bag and follow behind Henry. Sometimes I give away shirts, and sometimes I give away bottles.”

“Now listen carefully,” he told them. “Whenever we’re out of T-shirts or water bottles, you let me know. That’s when we come back here and take a break. And as soon as we get back here, you help me take off the top half of my costume. And then you hand me a tall glass of ice water. Immediately.” Winn pointed to a small refrigerator in the corner.” He looked at Henry and Benny. “Any questions?”

Henry and Benny shook their heads.

“Good,” said Winn, “because Wheelie doesn’t talk.” He took the top half of his Wheelie costume from its hook and began to slip it over his head.

Henry helped Winn, who became Wheelie. Wheelie turned in a circle, then faced the door. He made a come-with-me motion with his arm. Henry and Benny grabbed their canvas bags. They followed Wheelie onto the baseball field.

As soon as he walked onto the baseball field, Wheelie turned three cartwheels. The fans cheered.

Henry was surprised at how loud the crowd noise was. Really loud!
So this is what baseball players hear,
he thought.

Wheelie waved his arms to the fans and they shouted louder. Henry followed the mascot as he walked around the field, close to the stands. Each time Wheelie threw a free T-shirt into the crowd, Henry handed him another one. And when he threw a plastic water bottle, Benny ran up with his canvas bag of bottles.

When they were out of T-shirts they went back to the dressing room. Henry helped take off the top half of Wheelie’s costume. Benny poured a glass of ice water and handed it to the mascot.

Winn drank the entire glass of water. He handed the empty glass to Benny. “It’s hot inside this costume,” he said. He reached into the bottom half of the costume and pulled out a bandana. An envelope fell out of the bandana onto the floor. Money fell out of the envelope and scattered everywhere.

Benny stooped to pick up the money. He saw one-hundred dollar bills!

“Don’t touch that!” shouted Winn. He bent down and pushed Benny aside.

Benny didn’t like being pushed. He thought Winn was rude.

Henry bent down behind Winn and picked up the envelope. The word Wheelie was handwritten on it, in big letters. The handwriting slanted toward the left.

“Is that the money you charge for an autograph?” Benny asked.

“Mind your own business,” said Winn as he grabbed the envelope out of Henry’s hand. Winn stuffed the money back into the envelope. Then he pushed the envelope down into his pockets.

Henry stood up and pulled a sheet of paper out of his pocket and held it out toward the mascot. “Could I have your autograph?” Henry asked.

Winn looked at the piece of paper. “I’ll give you an autograph if you give me ten dollars.”

“Oh,” said Henry, taking back his paper. “Let me think about it.”

Henry now knew that the mascot wanted ten dollars for an autograph. But the envelope had been full of one-hundred-dollar bills. The money in the envelope wasn’t for autographs.
What is it for, then?
thought Henry.
And why did Winn get so upset about it?

“Fill up your canvas bags,” Winn told Henry and Benny. “We go out the door again in five minutes.”

Jessie and Violet were helping out in the large open area behind the bleachers. A small waterfall had been built there. Fans could walk into it and cool off on really hot days. Jessie and Violet helped the line of people move along. Violet kept the line straight and alongside the wall. Jessie let everybody have one minute under the waterfall, then it was the next person’s turn.

“Time’s up,” said Jessie to a girl who was about Benny’s age.

“Awww,”
said the girl as she stepped out of the waterfall.

“You can get back in line and do it again,” said Jessie with a smile. She watched as the girl ran to the back of the long line and stood there, dripping wet. There were other dripping wet people in line, too.

“It’s so hot,” said Violet. “I feel like walking through the waterfall myself, just to cool off.”

“The waterfall is a wonderful idea,” said Jessie. “Mr. Tanaka makes sure the fans have a lot of fun.”

Violet nodded, then frowned. “I hope the Cogs win today. Maybe the sign stealer won’t be here today.”

Violet noticed a woman wearing a lavender dress. Violet loved all shades of purple and always noticed them. But she wondered why somebody would wear such a beautiful, dressy dress to a ballgame.

The woman had long blonde hair that curled up at the ends. She wore a straw hat with a wide brim.

The woman turned around. It was Emma Larke.

Emma didn’t notice Violet or Jessie or even the waterfall. She seemed to be looking around for something, or somebody.

“Look,” Violet said to her sister. “It’s Emma Larke. She looks so different from yesterday. Let’s say hello.”

But just then Carlos Garcia walked up to Emma. He didn’t notice Jessie or Violet, either.

“Reese Dawkins looked bad yesterday,” the sisters heard Carlos say to Emma.

“Yes, but he’s still playing today,” answered Emma.

“The manager doesn’t want to switch catchers this late in the season,” said Carlos. “But next year—next year will be different.”

Emma opened her straw handbag and pulled out her binoculars. She showed them to Carlos.

As Emma was showing the binoculars to Carlos, Violet saw Carlos pull an envelope from his pocket. Violet noticed handwriting on the envelope, but she couldn’t see what it said. She saw Carlos drop the envelope into Emma’s purse.

Carlos turned and saw her. “Hello, Violet,” he said. “What are you doing?”

“Hello,” said Violet. “We’re helping out with the waterfall shower.”

Emma turned, too, and said hello to Violet and Jessie. “I would have gone into the waterfall yesterday,” she said, “but I don’t want to get my clothes wet today.”

“That’s a beautiful dress,” said Violet.

Emma twirled around, to show off her dress. “Thank you,” she said. Emma reached into her straw purse and pulled out a pair of white lace gloves. She put them on and wiggled her fingers. Then Emma and Carlos walked away from the waterfall.

Violet saw them talking as they left. She wondered about Emma’s binoculars. She wondered even more about Emma’s white lace gloves.

All four children met up in the aisle and walked down to their seats.

“Mr. Tanaka has given us tickets in the very first row,” Jessie said.

“Right next to the Cogs dugout,” Henry pointed out.

Benny stopped just before they entered their row. “Look,” he said.

Jessie, Violet, and Henry looked. There was one other person in their row. He was sitting right next to the Cogs dugout. He wore dark sunglasses and a Cogs baseball cap pulled low. He wore shorts and a flowered shirt, and he was writing something in a small notebook. It was the man who had entered the turnstile yesterday. He had whispered
“Shhh”
to Mr. Tanaka.

Henry led the way into the row and sat beside the man with the notebook. “Hello,” said Henry. “I’m Henry Alden, and these are my sisters, Jessie and Violet, and my brother Benny.”

“Pleased to meet you,” said the man as he put away his notebook. “You look like a happy group. How did you get these great seats?”

“Mr. Tanaka gave them to us,” answered Jessie.

The man nodded. “That’s just like Jim Tanaka. Very generous. Are you friends of his?”

“Our grandfather is helping Mr. Tanaka expand the seating and parking for Cogwheel Stadium,” said Henry.

“And we’re helping Mr. Tanaka, too,” said Benny. “Today Henry and I helped Wheelie.”

“Aha!” said the man. “I thought the two of you looked familiar. You were on the field handing Wheelie T-shirts and water bottles.” He pulled his notebook out of his shirt pocket. He wrote something in it quickly, then put it back into his pocket.

Jessie had been waiting for the man to introduce himself, but so far he hadn’t. “What should we call you?” she asked him.

The man turned to look at them. That was when Henry noticed the small headphone the man was wearing. His baseball cap hid most of the headphone, but a small part could be seen.

“Do any of you like mysteries?” the man asked.

The children nodded. “We all like mysteries,” Violet told him.

“Excellent,” he replied. “Then you can call me ‘Mr. X.’ And now,” he said, “the game is about to begin.”

All four of the Aldens looked at Mr. X as he wrote something in his small notebook. Then he spoke softly into his headphone. Not even Henry, who was sitting right next to him, heard what he said.

The Cogs scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning. That made the Aldens very happy. That seemed to make Mr. X happy, too. He cheered the Cogs loudly.

Benny was starting to feel hungry. He wished Carlos Garcia were here to sell them hot dogs. Benny looked across the baseball field, into the bleachers. It didn’t take him long to spot the tall pennant that Carlos wore on his head. “I can see Carlos!” he told Violet.

Violet looked in the direction Benny was pointing. She saw Carlos give something to Wheelie. Probably a hot dog or a soft drink. She saw Emma Larke sitting in the front row of the bleachers. Emma’s straw hat and lavender dress and white gloves made her very easy to see.

The second inning started. Cody Howard was the first man up for the Hatters. Henry tried to watch everything at once. He saw Wheelie hold his nose. He saw Emma Larke stand up and take off her straw hat. She waved it back and forth. Henry couldn’t hear her from across the ballpark but he thought she must be shouting, “Go, Cody!”