“Catch it, Watch!” shouted Benny. He kicked the ball toward Watch. Watch ran after it and pushed it with his nose.
Watch, Benny, and Soo Lee were practicing soccer in front of the Aldens’ house. They were playing keep-away, trying to keep Watch from getting the ball. But Watch was too fast for them. Every time Soo Lee or Benny kicked the ball, Watch ran like a flash toward it and knocked it out of the way with his nose. Then Soo Lee and Benny had to chase him to get it back.
Soo Lee kicked a ball up in the air. Watch circled under it and when it landed, he pounced.
Then, suddenly, there was a popping sound, followed by a hiss.
“Oh, no!” cried Soo Lee. “Watch bit the ball!”
“He was just trying to catch it,” said Benny. The two of them ran toward Watch, and Watch ran away, carrying the ball in his teeth. They chased him all the way around the house before they caught him.
“Good boy, Watch,” Benny panted. He sat down on the front steps with the ball. He squeezed the ball between his hands. More air hissed out.
“Let me see,” said Soo Lee. She took the ball and examined it. “There,” she said. “See. There are two teeth marks in the ball. Those are Watch’s teeth marks.”
“I’m sorry,” said Benny. “But it was an accident.”
“I know. It’s okay,” Soo Lee said. She reached down and petted Watch. “He was just practicing. He’ll know next time not to bite the ball, won’t you, Watch?”
“Woof,” said Watch.
“We came out to play soccer with you,” said Jessie. She, Violet, and Henry came out of the house and down the front steps.
Soo Lee held up the ball. “We can’t. My soccer ball has a hole bitten in it.”
She and Benny told the others what had happened.
Henry inspected Soo Lee’s soccer ball. Then he said, “We should go to the Greenfield Sports Store and get you a new soccer ball, Soo Lee.”
“Yes,” said Jessie. “If we put all our money together, we can buy you a ball to replace the one Watch popped.”
“You don’t have to do that,” said Soo Lee.
“Yes, we do,” said Violet. “Besides, how can we practice soccer without a ball?”
“Okay,” said Soo Lee.
Benny took Watch inside to stay with Mrs. McGregor. Then they all got on their bicycles and pedaled into Greenfield.
The Sports Store was on a corner near the park. They parked their bikes outside and went in.
“Watch would like this store a lot,” said Benny. “It has all kinds of balls: soccer balls, baseballs, basketballs, even tennis balls and golf balls.”
“Do you think he would bite holes in all of them?” asked Soo Lee. She and Benny burst out laughing.
Jessie smiled. “It’s a good thing we didn’t bring Watch!” she said.
“There’s a ball like yours, Soo Lee,” said Henry. He and Soo Lee picked up the ball and examined it.
“It is just the same as the other ball,” Soo Lee agreed.
“Then that’s the one we should get,” said Jessie. The five children headed for the cash register. They had just paid for the ball and were about to leave the store when Soo Lee said, “Isn’t that our coach? Isn’t that Gillian over there?”
“It’s Gillian and Stan,” said Violet.
Gillian was standing next to a display of soccer cleats. Facing her, Stan had a matching sweatshirt and pants with the price tags dangling off of them.
As they watched, Stan shook his head and raised one eyebrow.
Gillian put her hand on her hip and scowled.
“I don’t think they are shopping together,” said Violet softly. “It looks as if they are having a fight.”
Stan shook his head again. Gillian raised her voice and suddenly they could hear her. “That’s not why I’m complaining and you know it, Stan. I like the Panthers. They are a good team. But you kept almost all the best players for yourself. You’ve made it nearly impossible for anyone else in the league to have a chance of winning.”
“You’re the one who wanted to let players of every skill level play together,” said Stan, raising his own voice.
“I have a good chance at that job as assistant coach with Coach Della at the university, as good a chance as you,” said Gillian angrily. “Or I had a good chance, until you did this.”
Stan smiled. It wasn’t a nice smile. He said, “If you’re such a good coach, Gillian, you’ll be able to make the Panthers into winners, won’t you?”
“You won’t get away with this, Stan,” Gillian said angrily. “I promise you, I’m going to find a way to stop you.” She turned and stormed down the aisle.
Stan stood and watched her leave, both eyebrows raised, the unpleasant smile still on his face. “May the best coach win,” he said finally, and laughed nastily before turning and leaving the store.
“I thought Gillian liked being our coach!” cried Benny.
“She does, Benny. But she’s right. Stan did keep most of the best players for himself. There’s not a single beginner on his team,” said Henry.
“She really wants that coaching job at the university,” observed Soo Lee. “It sounds as if she would do almost anything to get it.”
“Anything?” asked Jessie quickly.
“Possibly,” said Henry. “Maybe even sabotage her own team to cover up that she is sabotaging other teams.”
“The only other team that has had bad luck is Craig’s,” said Violet. “And I don’t think Gillian is behind any of the things that have happened.”
“I don’t, either. And anyway Stan’s team is the one she’s mad about. Why hasn’t anything happened to Stan’s team?” said Benny.
“That’s a good question, Benny. I don’t know,” answered Jessie. The Aldens went outside and got on their bikes and pedaled slowly home. After getting a cool drink of lemonade from Mrs. McGregor, they went into the front yard to practice soccer. They practiced all the rest of the afternoon. Whenever they rested, they talked about the mystery.
By the end of the afternoon, they were all better soccer players. But they were no closer to solving the soccer mystery.
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