The Sleepy Hollow Mystery (8 page)

“Let’s go see,” Violet suggested.

They walked down to the end of the row
of stalls. Henry motioned to the front of
Domino’s stall. “Mr. Beekman and Brett,
would you just stand together right here?”

“I don’t know why you want us to do that,
but I guess you’ll tell us soon enough,” Mr.
Beekman said.

The Beekmans moved into place.

Domino stuck his head out and butted it
against Brett’s chest, whinnying softly.

“I don’t believe it,” Mr. Sanders said. “I
think he likes you.”

“Why don’t you give him a treat?” Henry
said, taking some sugar cubes from his
pocket. He tried to hand one to Brett, but
Brett wouldn’t take it.

Domino neighed, sounding angry.

“I think you should give the horse the
treat,” Mr. Sanders said. “When Domino gets
angry, sometimes he kicks the stall door.”

“Go ahead, Brett,” Mr. Beekman said.

Brett fed Domino the sugar cube. The
horse rubbed his nose against Brett’s chest
and whinnied again. “He acts like he knows
you,” Mr. Sanders said.

Brett didn’t say anything but he looked
uncomfortable.

“Mr. Sanders, could we see where you keep
the grooming supplies?” Jessie asked.

“They’re in the tack room.” He opened the
door to a small room across from Domino’s
stall. “The brushes are drying outside, but
most of the other supplies are in that cabinet.”

“May I look in the cabinet?” Violet asked.

Mr. Sanders nodded. Violet opened it and
examined the containers and jars. She reached
in and took out a jar full of black glittery gel.

Mr. Sanders took a step back in surprise. “I
don’t know how that got in there. People use
that on horses in parades and horse shows.
We don’t have any need for that here.”

Violet pulled out two cans. “These say
horse paint. There is one can of black and
one can of red.”

“Isiah, did you put the paint there?” Mr.
Sanders asked.

Isiah shook his head. The Aldens all looked
at Brett.

Brett’s face turned red. “I did,” he admitted.
“I’ve been dressing up as a headless horseman
and borrowing Domino. I used the paint and
the glitter to make him black and frightening.”

“Did you do all the other tricks too?”
Henry asked. “The tube with the eyes in
the woods?”

“Yes,” Brett said. “And I hurt my wrist
yesterday when I was trying to climb the tree.”

“What about the fake worms and dirt in the
cookie jar?” Jessie asked. “Did you do that too?”

He ducked his head. “I did that too. I’m
very, very sorry.”

“Brett, how could you?” Mr. Beekman was
shocked and angry.

“I wanted the Vanderhoffs to sell their
house so we could buy it. I don’t always want
to be a waiter.”

“That’s no excuse for all you’ve done,” Mr.
Beekman said. “Mr. Sanders could call the
police. You’ve been stealing his horse.”

Mr. Sanders sat down on a stool. “I can’t
say I understand exactly what’s going on, but
since the horse is back here in his stall, there’s
no need to call the police. He doesn’t look
like he’s been harmed.”

“Brett will pay you for the time he was
riding him though, the regular rental fee.”
Mr. Beekman said.

“Well, right now I need something more
than money. I could use more help mucking
out these stalls. Especially since Isiah will be
spending more time in New York City.”

“I’ll see that he’s here whenever you need
him.” Mr. Beekman turned to Annika. “And
he’ll make it up to you too.”

Before Annika could answer, her cell phone
rang. She answered, and when she hung up a
few moments later, she was smiling. “I can
hardly believe it. That was Margot. They’ve
been getting calls at the office from people
wanting to go on the haunted ghost tour
they’ve heard about. People who want to be
scared! I guess I’ll have to change my tours.”

“I can help,” Brett said. “I know that won’t
make up for all the tricks I played, but it will
be a start. I’m good at thinking up ways to
scare people.”

“Yes, you are,” Violet and Benny said
together. Everyone laughed.

“I don’t know.” Annika frowned. “You’ll
have to stop being mean to Isiah.”

“I will, I promise. And I’ll think up tricks
that not even the Aldens will be able to
figure out.”

“I wouldn’t count on that,” Mrs. Vanderhoff
said. “I suspect Sleepy Hollow wouldn’t be
very spooky if the Aldens lived here. They’d
solve all our hauntings and mysteries.”

“We’d be happy to try,” Jessie said.

Mr. Beekman looked at his watch. “Before
the Aldens take on another mystery, I’d like
you all to be my guests at the library dinner
tonight. It’s starting soon. Mr. Sanders and
Isiah too. The Alden detectives deserve a
feast after all their hard work.”

“We did work hard, didn’t we?” Benny said.
“I knew there was a reason I’m so hungry.
Let’s go!”

G
ERTRUDE CHANDLER WARNER
discovered when she was teaching that many readers who like an exciting story could find no books that were both easy and fun to read. She decided to try to meet this need, and her first book,
The Boxcar Children
, quickly proved she had succeeded.

Miss Warner drew on her own experiences to write the mystery. As a child she spent hours watching trains go by on the tracks opposite her family home. She often dreamed about what it would be like to set up housekeeping in a caboose or freight car—the situation the Alden children find themselves in.

While the mystery element is central to each of Miss Warner’s books, she never thought of them as strictly juvenile mysteries. She liked to stress the Aldens’ independence and resourcefulness and their solid New England devotion to using up and making do. The Aldens go about most of their adventures with as little adult supervision as possible—something else that delights young readers.

Miss Warner lived in Putnam, Connecticut, until her death in l979. During her lifetime, she received hundreds of letters from girls and boys telling her how much they liked her books.

The Boxcar Children Mysteries

T
HE
B
OXCAR
C
HILDREN

S
URPRISE
I
SLAND

T
HE
Y
ELLOW
H
OUSE
M
YSTERY

M
YSTERY
R
ANCH

M
IKE’S
M
YSTERY

B
LUE
B
AY
M
YSTERY

T
HE
W
OODSHED
M
YSTERY

T
HE
L
IGHTHOUSE
M
YSTERY

M
OUNTAIN
T
OP
M
YSTERY

S
CHOOLHOUSE
M
YSTERY

C
ABOOSE
M
YSTERY

H
OUSEBOAT
M
YSTERY

S
NOWBOUND
M
YSTERY

T
REE
H
OUSE
M
YSTERY

B
ICYCLE
M
YSTERY

M
YSTERY IN THE
S
AND

M
YSTERY
B
EHIND THE
W
ALL

B
US
S
TATION
M
YSTERY

B
ENNY
U
NCOVERS A
M
YSTERY

T
HE
H
AUNTED
C
ABIN
M
YSTERY

T
HE
D
ESERTED
L
IBRARY
M
YSTERY

T
HE
A
NIMAL
S
HELTER
M
YSTERY

T
HE
O
LD
M
OTEL
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
H
IDDEN
P
AINTING

T
HE
A
MUSEMENT
P
ARK
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
M
IXED
-U
P
Z
OO

T
HE
C
AMP
-O
UT
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY
G
IRL

T
HE
M
YSTERY
C
RUISE

T
HE
D
ISAPPEARING
F
RIEND
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
S
INGING
G
HOST

M
YSTERY IN THE
S
NOW

T
HE
P
IZZA
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY
H
ORSE

T
HE
M
YSTERY AT THE
D
OG
S
HOW

T
HE
C
ASTLE
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
L
OST
V
ILLAGE

T
HE
M
YSTERY ON THE
I
CE

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
P
URPLE
P
OOL

T
HE
G
HOST
S
HIP
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY IN
W
ASHINGTON
, DC

T
HE
C
ANOE
T
RIP
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
H
IDDEN
B
EACH

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
M
ISSING
C
AT

T
HE
M
YSTERY AT
S
NOWFLAKE
I
NN

T
HE
M
YSTERY ON
S
TAGE

T
HE
D
INOSAUR
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
S
TOLEN
M
USIC

T
HE
M
YSTERY AT THE
B
ALL
P
ARK

T
HE
C
HOCOLATE
S
UNDAE
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
H
OT
A
IR
B
ALLOON

T
HE
M
YSTERY
B
OOKSTORE

T
HE
P
ILGRIM
V
ILLAGE
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
S
TOLEN
B
OXCAR

T
HE
M
YSTERY IN THE
C
AVE

T
HE
M
YSTERY ON THE
T
RAIN

T
HE
M
YSTERY AT THE
F
AIR

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
L
OST
M
INE

T
HE
G
UIDE
D
OG
M
YSTERY

T
HE
H
URRICANE
M
YSTERY

T
HE
P
ET
S
HOP
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
S
ECRET
M
ESSAGE

T
HE
F
IREHOUSE
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY IN
S
AN
F
RANCISCO

T
HE
N
IAGARA
F
ALLS
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY AT THE
A
LAMO