The next day was bright and sunny, and while eating a breakfast of fresh orange juice and waffles they saw Jason in the dining room, huddled over a cup of coffee.
“Did anything else happen last night?” Benny asked.
Jason assured them that the rest of the night had been quiet.
“It’s a beautiful day out,” Violet noted, looking out one of the large dining room windows.
“Perfect for Anna’s first trip downtown with Ginger,” Jason said. “Let’s meet in the lobby in fifteen minutes. After we walk around downtown, we’ll visit Greenfield College, where Anna will be going to school in the fall. Ginger needs to get used to being on the campus with all the students.”
“We’ve driven past the college with Grandfather,” said Violet. “It’s very pretty.”
“I have an idea,” said Henry. “Maybe we could picnic on that big green lawn.”
“That sounds great!” Jason said.
“We can pick up some food while we’re downtown,” Benny suggested.
“I’ll go to the kitchen and see if we can borrow the other things we’ll need,” Jessie said. She was back in a moment with a red and white checkered tablecloth, some napkins, and a knife for cutting bread and cheese and fruit.
A short while later, the group was heading downtown. The children walked a slight distance behind so they wouldn’t disturb Anna and Ginger’s lesson.
Jason had prepared Anna for the trip by showing her a special map of town. The streets were marked with raised lines so that she could feel where they were. He had also asked her which stores she usually visited, so that she and Ginger could practice going in those.
“We’re on Main Street now,” Jason told her. “Let’s walk to the pet shop on the corner of Spruce and Elm. That’s a place you and Ginger will be going to often.”
“That’s where we buy things for Watch!” said Benny.
They all began walking. When they reached the first corner, Ginger stopped right at the curb.
“Good girl,” Anna said.
“Listen for the traffic,” Jason told Anna.
A couple of cars went by.
“It sounds quiet now,” Anna said.
“Then tell Ginger to move ahead,” Jason said.
“Forward,” Anna said, and they all crossed the street.
At each corner Ginger would stop and wait for Anna to listen for the traffic and decide which way she wanted to go.
When they reached the pet shop, Jason showed Anna how to enter the store with Ginger.
As the Aldens paused outside, Benny moved closer to his sisters and brother and whispered, “I think someone’s following us.”
“You do?” Jessie asked. She looked behind them. The only person she saw nearby was a tall figure in a long raincoat and hat. The person was standing at a pay phone making a call. Jessie couldn’t tell if it was a man or a woman. “Do you mean that person on the phone?”
“That’s the one,” Benny said. “I noticed him as soon as we got into town, and he’s been with us this whole way.”
“Are you sure?” Henry asked.
“Yes,” said Benny.
“Now that you mention it, there is something odd about him,” Violet said. “Why is he wearing a raincoat and hat on this beautiful, sunny day?”
“Look at the way he’s standing,” Jessie pointed out. “Head down, hat pulled low, back toward us — as if he doesn’t want to be seen.”
“Or recognized,” Henry added.
“Who do you think it might be?” asked Violet.
“I don’t know,” said Benny. “Maybe Mr. Dominick. He’s tall and thin.”
“So is Mrs. Davis,” said Jessie. “It could be a woman, you know. You really can’t tell.”
“We’ll keep an eye on him — or her,” said Henry.
A few minutes later, Anna, Jason, and Ginger came out of the shop. Anna was carrying a small paper bag. “Look what I got,” she told the Aldens.
They crowded around as she pulled something out of the paper bag. It was a new collar for Ginger, made of soft brown leather.
“She’s been wearing the same collar since she was a puppy,” Jason said.
“The leather is all lumpy and cracked,” Anna added.
“I think she’ll really like the new one,” Violet said.
‘I’ll put it on her tonight when we get home,” Anna said, as she and the others began walking.
When they’d gone a few blocks, Jessie took a quick peek over her shoulder. The mysterious person was close behind them. Each time one of the Aldens looked back, the person would duck into a doorway or pause on a corner. But he — or she — never gave up.
The next stop was the grocery store. The Aldens followed Jason, Anna, and Ginger inside.
“Let’s get some things for our picnic,” Jessie said, picking up a basket.
First Ginger led Anna up the produce aisle. Just like outside, Ginger was a good guide. She carefully led Anna around a display of watermelons in the center of the aisle.
Henry picked out some ripe peaches and plums and put them in Jessie’s basket. Violet selected a juicy tomato. Benny got a plastic bag and filled it with dried pineapple, raisins, and nuts, which he scooped from a large bin.
Next they came to the dairy case, where Violet picked out a piece of sharp cheddar and some Swiss cheese.
When they reached the dog food aisle, Ginger began to sniff at some of the bags of dried food on the shelves. “Ginger!” Jason scolded. Ginger quickly returned to the center of the aisle. “Good girl,” Jason said.
Along the back wall was a bakery, where Jessie chose a long loaf of crusty bread. Benny picked out a carton of fruit punch.
“Now all we need are paper plates and cups,” said Violet as she took some off of a shelf and put them in Jessie’s basket. At last their picnic was complete.
As they were standing in line at the checkout counter, Henry noticed someone moving up the aisle behind Anna and Ginger. It was the same mysterious person who’d been following them. For the first time, Henry also noticed that the person walked with a limp. “Jessie!” Henry whispered. “There he — or she — is again! I’m going after him.”
Henry set off to try to get a closer look. The person was following Anna and Ginger up the soap aisle when Henry called out, “Hey, you! In the raincoat!” The person quickly darted down the canned vegetable aisle, with Henry in pursuit, but he was able to outrun Henry. As Henry raced to the end of the aisle, the person ran out the front door.
Breathless, Henry returned to his sisters and brother, who had paid for their groceries.
“Well?” Jessie asked. “Could you see who it was?”
“No,” Henry said, catching his breath. “He — or she — was too fast for me.”
In a few minutes, Jason, Anna, and Ginger joined them at the front of the store. “What was going on back there, Henry?” Jason asked. “Why did you run past us?”
Henry was about to answer when Anna interrupted. “Were you after that person who was following us?” she asked.
“Yes — you knew someone was following you?” Henry asked.
“I had heard footsteps behind me for several minutes. At first I thought it was just a coincidence, but it was always the same person,” Anna said.
“How do you know?” Violet asked.
“I recognized the way he walked — with a slight limp,” Anna explained. “He stopped and started whenever I did.”
“Did you see who it was?” Jason asked Henry.
“No, he ran away too fast.” Henry looked disappointed.
“So you don’t know if it was the same person who was in the kennel last night?” Jason asked.
“No,” said Henry. “Could you tell if it was him, Benny?”
“No,” said Benny. “I couldn’t see him.”
“Wait a minute. What are you talking about?” Anna wanted to know. No one had told her what had happened the night before. They didn’t want to upset her.
“Well?” Anna demanded.
“We’ll tell you about it over lunch,” Jessie said. |