“Look, Violet! That’s the North Star,” Henry pointed up at the sky.
The Aldens had just finished dinner and Grandfather Alden had gotten out his book of constellations. The four children were trying to find the constellations and stars he had shown them in the book.
“I see the Big Dipper,” said Henry.
“Very good, Henry,” said Grandfather.
Just then they heard the sound of the phone ringing through the open back door.
“I’ll get it,” said Henry.
He raced up the stairs and a moment later, the others heard the phone stop in mid-ring.
A few minutes later, Henry came back outside.
“Who was it, Henry?” asked Grandfather Alden.
“I don’t know,” said Henry. “I think someone was trying to disguise his — or her — voice.”
“What do you mean?” Jessie asked quickly.
Henry said, “It was someone calling about Spotzie. The voice was very muffled and hard to hear. He — or she — said that Spotzie is lost and going to stay lost. And if we know what’s good for us, we’ll stop looking for her!”
Everyone was so surprised that no one said anything at all for a minute. Then Violet said, “Do you think it was the same man who called me? Mr. Jones?”
“There’s no way of knowing,” said Henry. “I couldn’t tell if it was a man or a woman calling. But if it was a man, it might be the man you talked to.”
Suddenly Jessie snapped her fingers excitedly. “But now we have a clue!”
“A clue?” Grandfather looked at Jessie. “What’s the clue?”
“Now we know Spotzie was stolen! Why else would anyone want us to stop looking for her, unless they’d taken her and didn’t want to get caught?” explained Jessie.
“You’re right!” exclaimed Henry.
“Was it a cat burglar?” asked Benny, looking up at his grandfather. “Was it a cat burglar who took Spotzie?”
Grandfather Alden patted his youngest grandchild on the head. “It was a cat burglar of sorts, Benny.”
“I think we should visit Professor Madison again,” Jessie said. “I think she knows more than she is telling us.”
The Aldens all agreed it was a good idea, and decided to go visit Professor Madison the following day.
The next day when the Aldens arrived at Professor Madison’s, she was even more unfriendly than she had been before.
“Hello,” said Henry politely when the professor opened the door.
This time, Professor Madison didn’t try to close the door in their faces. Instead, she stepped outside onto her porch and shut the front door behind her. She folded her arms in front of her and frowned. “What is it now?” she asked.
“We’d like to talk to you about Spotzie.” Jessie held up the photograph of Spotzie to remind the professor.
The professor sighed a big, annoyed sigh. “Are you still looking for that cat? Well, she’s not here. Not now. Not ever!”
“Wait a minute,” said Henry. “Remember the last time we were here and we tried to show you a photograph of Spotzie. You said you didn’t have a cat that looked like ours. But you didn’t really look at the photograph!”
Professor Madison bit her lip. “I saw as much as I needed to see.”
“But — ” Henry began.
“I’ve told you everything I’m going to tell you,” Professor Madison told them.
“Then there is more,” said Jessie quickly. “You know more and you aren’t telling us!”
Putting her hand on the door handle behind her, the professor said, “No. Well . . .”
“Wait,” said Violet. “Please wait. We need your help. We think Spotzie isn’t lost after all. We think she was stolen. If you know anything that can help us find her, please tell us!”
The professor hesitated. She half turned, as if she were about to go back inside without answering. Then she turned back around.
“Okay,” she said. “You’re not the only one looking for a lost cat that matches the picture you showed me. The day before you came over, someone else was here looking for a lost cat. He’d gotten my name from the animal shelter as someone who had a lot of cats and might have taken his in.”
“What happened?” asked Jessie eagerly.
“I showed him the cat I gave to you. He said she was his cat and made a grab for her. She hissed and tried to get away from him. That made me suspicious.”
“Why would his own cat do that?” Benny’s eyes were wide.
“I don’t think it was his cat.” Professor Madison went on, “I became really suspicious when he offered me a large reward for the cat — a great deal too much money — if I’d just hand her over. When I wouldn’t, he became very angry and almost threatening. I made him leave.
“That same night, someone tried to break into my house. Fortunately, I have an alarm system and it scared off whoever it was. But I’m sure it was the same man.”
“It could be the same man who called us, too,” said Henry.
“What are you talking about?” the professor asked.
“Last night, someone called us and told us to stop looking for Spotzie if we knew what was good for us. That’s what made us think she was stolen,” Henry explained. “What did the man who came here look like?”
Professor Madison answered, “It was hard to tell. He was wearing a hat and dark glasses and a coat with the collar turned up — almost like a disguise. That made me suspicious, too.”
The Aldens exchanged glances. It sounded like the man who had followed them outside the animal shelter!
“I think you’re right,” Professor Madison continued. “I think it might be the same man that called you.” She reached out and took the photograph of Spotzie that Jessie was holding. “They do look alike, don’t they. But I don’t understand it. Why would someone steal a cat like this?”
No one could answer that.
The professor gave the photograph back to Jessie. “Anyway, I’m glad she’s in a safe place now. That’s why I insisted you take her. I know that man wasn’t her owner and I didn’t trust him.”
Jessie put the picture carefully in her pocket. “Thank you, Professor Madison,” she said.
“Good luck,” said Professor Madison. “If anything else happens, or I can think of anything to help, I’ll let you know.”
She went back into her house and the Boxcar children went down the stairs and got back on their bicycles.
“Who could have taken Spotzie?” wondered Violet.
“And why?” added Jessie.
“That’s the biggest mystery of all,” said Henry. “Spotzie looks like an ordinary cat.”
“Maybe she’s not,” said Benny. “Maybe she’s a rare and valuable cat.”
“Oh, Benny,” said Jessie. “Spotzie isn’t like those cats we saw at Mr. Allen’s. Those cats are like the dogs we saw at the dog show. They are very valuable.”
“But Watch isn’t a show dog, and he’s valuable,” said Benny.
“That’s true, Benny,” Violet said. “And Spotzie isn’t a show cat, but she is valuable to Mr. Woods, too, because he loves her, the same way we love Watch.”
“That makes Watch and Spotzie the most valuable dog and cat of all,” declared Benny.
“You’re right,” Violet said to her little brother, giving him a warm smile. “You’re exactly right, Benny.”
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