It was Monday morning, the last fall day of the Aldens’ visit. Tomorrow morning they would return to Greenfield. Since the Diamond Drive-in was closed on Mondays, they had the day all to themselves.
“I’m going over to Dan Brinker’s auto store this morning,” said Grandfather at breakfast. “Would you kids like to come along?”
“Are we going to get a new car?” Benny asked.
“No, not this year,” Grandfather said. “But sometimes it’s fun to look at the latest models.”
“Good idea,” said Jessie. The other children nodded.
So they all went across the road to the car dealership. It was in a big glass building surrounded by rows and rows of shiny cars. It seemed more like a circus than a store. There were balloons everywhere, and bright painted signs that said Great Deals! All the salespeople wore red jackets. There was a huge showroom with cars on display. The Aldens liked getting into each one and smelling the new car smell.
Dan Brinker seemed very glad to see them. “So! Are you looking for a family car? I love families!”
“Oh, we can’t buy anything right now,” Grandfather said. “We’re happy with the car we have now. But I just like to see the new models! Please don’t mind us—we’re just looking.”
“Ah, yes, it’s good to plan ahead,” said Dan. He was very friendly. But he also followed Grandfather all around the showroom.
“This is the hottest style around,” he told Grandfather, pointing to a bright yellow car. “We’ve got two left. I’ll give you a special low price so you can drive it home today! “
Grandfather shook his head. “As I said before, I’m not interested in buying today. Or even this year.”
“I know you don’t need a car now,” Dan replied. “But you might need one next year. And if you get it now, you’ll be planning ahead!”
“No, thank you,” Grandfather said firmly.
Dan turned to the children. “I bet you kids want a new car, don’t you?”
“No, that’s okay,” said Jessie. “But speaking of buying, is it true you’re going to buy the Diamond Drive-In Theater?”
“Yes, indeed!” said the car salesman. “I love the Diamond!”
“So you’re going to keep the place open as a drive-in theater?” Henry asked.
Dan smiled. “I promised Flick Fletcher that the screen would always stay standing,” he said.
The children wanted to ask Dan Brinker more questions. But one of his employees walked up and handed him a cordless phone.
“It’s the bank,” the man said.
“Sorry, kids,” Dan told the Aldens. “I’ve been waiting for this important call.” He leaned against one of the cars and started to talk on the phone.
Grandfather wanted to look at some of the new cars in the lot outside, so the Aldens walked towards the door. As they were leaving, Dan started to shout into the phone.
“What do you mean he wants a little more time? I want to buy it now! No … I’ve planned ahead for this deal! I want it to be speedy!” He sounded upset. The children didn’t hear the rest, though. It would have been rude to listen in. But they couldn’t help but wonder if he was talking about the Diamond Drive-in Theater.
“Why is he in such a hurry?” Jessie wondered.
“Maybe he just likes to do everything fast,” Violet said. “He sure talks fast.”
As the Aldens got back into the minivan, a saleswoman in a red jacket waved good-bye.
“Come back to Brinker’s Auto Store soon! “she said. “We’re the biggest place in town to buy a car. And we’re getting even bigger!”
They had just finished lunch at Uncle Flick’s house when there was an urgent knock on the door. It was Mr. Duke.
“Flick! I heard a rumor that you’re selling the theater to Dan Brinker!” he said as he marched into the kitchen where the Aldens were clearing the table.
“Yes, we’re discussing it,” said Uncle Flick.
Mr. Duke shook his head. “Are you crazy? Are you sure he’s not planning to shut it down and turn it into another sales lot? He’s just across the street! How do you know he’s going to keep it open?”
“Well, because he said so,” Uncle Flick replied. “He knows I wouldn’t sell it to him unless he swore that the movie screen would stay standing. And that’s just what he promised.”
Mr. Duke scratched his head. “I don’t know,” he said. “I just don’t quite trust him. Maybe you should think about this.”
“I’m not going to rush into this, if that’s what you’re worried about.” He patted Mr. Duke on the back.
“That’s good to know,” said Mr. Duke. “Because if you change your mind about selling the theater to Dan Brinker, you can always sell it to me.”
Uncle Flick’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean, Duke?” His voice sounded cold.
Mr. Duke tried to explain. “Nothing! I … I mean … I wish you weren’t selling the theater in the first place. But if you need someone trustworthy to buy it, someone who will keep it going … I could buy it. That’s all I’m saying.” He stepped back. The children could see he hadn’t meant to make Uncle Flick angry.
“Oh, is that what you want?” said Uncle Flick. “To take this place over? Is that why you’ve been playing all those pranks? You’ve been trying to drive me to sell the place, haven’t you?!”
Now it was Mr. Duke’s turn to get angry. “Now, Flick, you know that wasn’t me. I would never do that! We’ve been working next door to each other for thirty years! We haven’t always gotten along, but how dare you think I’d play tricks!” Mr. Duke turned around and walked out of the kitchen. A moment later everyone heard the door slam.
Uncle Flick’s face was red. He took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. I guess we lost our tempers.”
Grandfather put his hand on his old friend’s shoulder. “Flick, do you want to go for a walk?”
“We can finish cleaning up here,” Jessie offered.
Finally Uncle Flick managed a smile. “Thanks, folks. Yes, perhaps I need to take a walk. And think.” He left the room with Grandfather. After a moment the children saw them walking down the road towards the drive-in.
“We may have solved the mystery of the ghost at the drive-in,” Henry said, “but we still haven’t figured out who’s behind the pranks.”
The oldest Alden was right. They still hadn’t found out who had switched the movie sound the other night, or broken the Duke’s Dogs sign, or vandalized the snack bar.
“Someone’s trying to ruin everything,” Benny said.
“We’ll just have to stop that someone,” Jessie replied. |