儿童英语读物 The Great Turkey Heist CHAPTER 9 Jessie Finds a Clue

After dinner, Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny sat around the fire in the living room.

Mrs. McGregor carried in a pitcher of warm apple cider and a plate of pumpkin bread fresh from the oven. “You children have had a long day,” she said. “I thought you could use a snack before bed.”

“Thank you, Mrs. McGregor,” Henry said. “We would love a snack.”

“Especially me!” Benny said, jumping to his feet.

“That is why I am cutting you an especially big piece of pumpkin bread!” Mrs. McGregor said. “I heard your stomach growling all the way from the kitchen.”

Benny put his hand on his stomach. “It does that when I’m hungry,” he said. “I can’t help it.”

“I know,” Mrs. McGregor said. “And I am glad that I know how to make it quiet!” She handed Benny his plate and a fork.

The other children were hungry, as well, and took big slices of pumpkin bread. Benny lay on his stomach on the floor while he ate.

“Mr. Grayson sure seemed happy tonight,” Benny said.

“He was happy,” Violet said. “He was not even upset that the money in the donation jar was stolen.”

“That’s true,” Henry said. “He wasn’t surprised, either. When Mr. Tipton told him about the theft, he acted as if he already knew about it.”

“And wasn’t Mr. Grayson supposed to be watching Mr. Tipton’s office?” Violet said.

“Yes,” Henry said. “Mr. Tipton was nervous that something would happen. He said that Mr. Grayson was watching the office for him.”

“Maybe he liked the movie too much and he forgot,” Benny said.

“I don’t remember seeing Mr. Grayson when the movie was over,” Violet said. “He was missing for a while. He came back when the theater was cleaned up.”

“It’s a big movie theater,” Henry said. “Mr. Grayson could have been somewhere else.”

Jessie was writing a lot in her notebook. She told her sister and brothers about the conversation she had with Ms. Matthews at the snack stand.

“So Ms. Matthews was not angry about the food pantry idea?” asked Violet.

“No,” Jessie replied. “She likes the food pantry idea. She just does not like Mr. Grayson. She insists that Mr. Grayson is sneaky. She said that she saw Mr. Grayson sneaking around behind Higgins’s Grocery Store. She saw him carrying a very large package wrapped in plastic.”

“So Ms. Matthews still believes that Mr. Grayson is not really going to open the food pantry?” asked Henry.

“That’s right, Henry,” Jessie said.

“Do you think Ms. Matthews could be right?” asked Violet. “Do you think we did all that work for nothing?”

Jessie stared into the fire. “Mr. Grayson seems very sincere about the food pantry. But I have to admit that something is not right. Where did Mr. Grayson go during the movie? Why didn’t he watch the donations in the office? Why was he not upset that the money was stolen?”

“We should not forget that Ms. Matthews was at the theater, as well,” Henry said. “She could have gone into the office and stolen the donations.”

“I forgot to tell you!” Violet said. “Mr. Higgins was at the movie, too.”

“That’s right!” Henry said. “I saw him, also. He put a very large donation into the bin.”

“That’s odd,” Jessie said. “Mr. Higgins hates the idea of a food pantry. Why would he make a large donation?”

“By making the donation, he got into the theater,” Violet said. “If he was there, we must include him as a suspect. He could have gone into the office and stolen the money, too.”

Benny jumped up from the floor. “And where is Tom the turkey? Why did he come to the movie and then run away? You should write those questions in your notebook, Jessie.”

“I will, Benny,” Jessie said. “Those are very good questions. Why would someone go to the trouble of stealing Violet’s turkey sign and then show up at the movie with it?”

“It could be just a prank,” Violet said.

“I think someone planned the whole thing,” Henry said. “The turkey thief knew where the door was so that he or she could make a quick escape. Also, there was the chair that was jammed against the door.”

“Do you think something will happen at the football game tomorrow?” Benny asked, yawning.

“I don’t know,” Jessie said. “But we will be on the lookout.”

The next morning, the children ate a quick breakfast. Henry read them the story from the newspaper. There was a picture of Mr. Tipton’s office with all the boxes and cans spilled on the floor. The story told about the stolen donation jar. And it continued the story of the mystery of the missing turkey sign. At the end of the story, the reporter asked, “Where will the giant turkey show up next?”

When they arrived at the high school, the children had a plan. There was only one gate for fans to come into the stadium. The children would stand at the gate and watch all the donation bins. When they got full, Henry and Violet would take the bins back to a storage spot right behind the football players’ bench. Coach Stanton had lent them some pushcarts to use. The players and the fans could see the donated goods. Nobody could steal them without being seen.

Henry was right. It was a very crowded game. It seemed as if all of Greenfield had come to watch the football team win the division championship. Even Grandfather and Mrs. McGregor had come to the game. Mr. Carroll from the hardware store, Colette from the office supply store, and Mr. Tipton were at the game. Ms. Sweeney, the reporter from the Greenfield Times, came and brought a photographer with her, as well. She asked the children if there was any sign of Tom the turkey. She said her readers were following the story closely. She said a lot of people were buying the newspaper to find out what had happened to the turkey.

Henry and Violet were very busy pushing the carts back and forth between the gate and the players’ bench. Jessie and Benny collected the donations and gave out the tickets.

Jessie was surprised to see Ms. Matthews. She carried a bag full of canned goods. She placed it in the bin.

“Thank you for the donation,” Jessie said.

Ms. Matthews smiled at her. “I’m still hoping that I am wrong,” she said. Ten minutes later, Mr. Higgins came to the gate. He also had a very large bag full of donated goods.

“Thank you, Mr. Higgins!” Jessie said. “You are very generous.”

“I am happy to help.” Mr. Higgins looked down at the donation bins. Jessie noticed that most of the bags in the bins were from Higgins’s Grocery Store. Mr. Higgins noticed it too. He smiled.

After all the tickets were sold, Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny were invited to sit with the players on the sidelines. They could watch the game and also keep an eye on the large pile of donations behind them. Mr. Grayson paced back and forth behind the bench. He was very happy about the large amount of donations. But Jessie thought that he seemed nervous as well.

Benny was very excited. “Look at me!” he cried. “I’m a football player!” One of the players had put a helmet on Benny’s head.

Henry tossed a ball to Benny. “Good catch, Benny!” Henry said.

“Do you think I can try running on the field at halftime?” Benny asked. “I want to be a football player!”

“I’m not sure,” Henry said. “You might not be allowed. Usually the band plays at halftime.”

“The band?” asked Benny.

Henry pointed to the section in the stands where the band members were sitting in their bright red uniforms, holding their instruments.

“Wow! That will be cool,” Benny said. “When is halftime?”

Jessie looked at the scoreboard. “Halftime is in just a few minutes,” she said.

Soon, the referee blew his whistle. The Greenfield team was winning by three points. The players all ran to the locker room. Then the band marched out onto the field. Everyone lined up and held their instruments. But before they started to play, Mr. Grayson walked out onto the field. He had a microphone. He thanked everyone for their donations. He told them that the food pantry was almost ready to open. The crowd clapped loudly. Mr. Grayson also announced that Green Fields restaurant would give a free turkey dinner on Thanksgiving to anyone who needed it.

Then the music started. There were flags and horns and banging drums. There were girls who wore capes and twirled batons. Benny clapped his hands. The music was loud. He felt like the drums were banging in his stomach! He wished he could march in the band, too.

Suddenly, the crowd started to mumble. Something was happening. The children could not see. Some people began to laugh and point.

“Look!” Violet cried. “There is something that is trying to march with the band! What is it?”

“I see it! It’s Tom the turkey!” Benny cried. “Stop!” Benny raced onto the field and soon disappeared into the marching band.

“Benny! Wait!” Jessie cried.

Henry, Jessie, and Violet ran after their little brother. They tried to be careful. They did not want to bump into anyone from the band. The band members looked very surprised. They tried to keep playing and marching. The crowd was laughing harder. Everyone could see the tall head of the turkey. It was moving quickly across the field. Henry, Jessie, and Violet tried to follow the turkey as quickly as they could. Finally, they got through the band. They looked all around. But they did not see the turkey. They only saw Benny. He was running into the end zone. He was still wearing the big helmet. He looked like a very small football player.

When Henry, Jessie, and Violet caught up with Benny, they were all out of breath.

“I couldn’t catch him,” Benny said. “He ran through there.” Benny pointed to an opening in the fence.

Someone dressed in black jumped into a big car that was parked on the other side of the fence behind some bushes. The children could just see Tom the turkey’s feet sticking out of the trunk. The car raced away.

“You almost got him, Benny,” Henry said.

“I really want him back!” Benny said. “He should be outside of the food pantry. Violet made him! He would let everyone know where the food pantry is. Why won’t they give him back?”

The second half of the game was very exciting. The Greenfield football team won. Everyone cheered. But Benny sat on the sidelines. His head was in his hands.

Coach Stanton stopped next to Benny. “This is for you,” he said. He handed Benny a football. “You ran very fast into the end zone. You almost caught that big turkey. When you are old enough to go to high school, I want you to be a player on our team.”

“Really?” Benny said.

“Yes,” said Coach Stanton. “You are very fast. And I am sure you will be a good football player.” All the football players clapped for Benny.

Grandfather and Mrs. McGregor were there, as well. “I am proud of all of you children,” Grandfather said. “Look at how many donations you have collected.”

“It’s enough to feed the whole town!” Mrs. McGregor said.

“It is a lot,” Henry said. “We will need some help to get everything to the food pantry.”

“Where is Mr. Grayson?” asked Jessie.

“I haven’t seen him since halftime,” Grandfather said. “I’m sure he must be around here somewhere. We can put some of the donations in my car.”

“I’ll help, too.” Mr. Carroll from the hardware store was there as well. “I have a truck and I can fit many of the bags.”

The children loaded the food onto the carts and pushed them into the parking lot. They helped place all the bags into Grandfather’s trunk and into Mr. Carroll’s truck.

“It won’t all fit!” Benny said.

Just then, Mr. Grayson drove into the parking lot. “Hello!” he called. He pulled up next to the Aldens. “Sorry to be late. I had an emergency at the restaurant. I think we can fit the rest of these bags into my trunk.”

The children carried the last bags to Mr. Grayson’s car. As Jessie placed her bag in the trunk, she saw something. She quietly picked it up and put it in her pocket.

When the cars were loaded, everyone drove to the food pantry. Mr. Grayson unlocked the door and everyone unloaded the packages.

“What a bright and cheerful place!” Mrs. McGregor cried.

“Thanks to the Aldens,” Mr. Grayson said. “They cleaned up and painted the walls.”

“When do you think the food pantry will be able to open?” asked Grandfather.

“I was hoping to open it on Friday,” Mr. Grayson said. “But since tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and I will be cooking for everyone at the restaurant, I won’t have time to set it up. Maybe next week.”

“We can help,” Violet said. “We can put everything on the shelves tomorrow morning.”

“And then we could come to the restaurant and help with serving the meals to the needy,” Jessie said.

“That would be fantastic!” Mr. Grayson said.

Benny left a small bowl of cat food in the alley for Sunny. She was shy with all the people around and had hidden from them.

Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny climbed into Grandfather’s car. “Are you children sure that you do not mind having Thanksgiving at the restaurant? It will be hard work. You will be serving people and cleaning up plates. You will not be able to relax at home on the holiday.”

“We’re sure, Grandfather,” Jessie said. “Mrs. McGregor makes wonderful meals for us every night. We want to make sure that people who don’t have as much as we do can have a good Thanksgiving meal.”

Just then there was a loud growl in the car. Even Grandfather was startled.

Benny’s face turned red. “My stomach can’t help it!” he cried. “Everyone keeps talking about food!”

“I have a nice warm stew in the slow- cooker,” Mrs. McGregor said. “And I baked a fresh loaf of wheat bread this morning. We can eat as soon as we get home.”

Jessie was the only one not thinking about food. She kept her hand in her pocket. She was holding something, and she wanted to show it to her sister and brothers.