Mystery at the Ballpark (2 page)

“He’s still working on it,” Chuck said casually. “We’re going to post the list in half an hour or so, so you can relax for now.”

“Relax!” Nicole blurted out. “You’ve got to be kidding!”

“Let’s go, Benny. I’m going to give you your very first job to do.”

“I’m ready!” Benny swung his legs off the bench and leaped to his feet. This was going to be fun!

They walked to the dugout, a small building that was open on one side to the field. Benches lined the open side, where the players sat during the game. Inside the dugout were several metal lockers and a cabinet to hold the equipment. Mr. Jackson sat on a bench inside, cleaning a glove with an oily rag. He was tall and thin, with wavy gray hair. He wasn’t very friendly. When Chuck introduced Benny, he grumbled hello and then went back to what he was doing.

“Do you know much about baseball equipment?” Chuck asked.

“I know you need a ball and bat,” Benny said.

“There’s something else you need,” Chuck said seriously, “and that’s a batting helmet. Coach Warren wants everyone on the team to have one by tomorrow, and we’re going to keep them in here.” He pointed to a wooden cabinet. “For your first job, why don’t you dust the shelves.” He handed Benny a soft white cloth.

“Why do we need helmets?” Benny said, working quickly. He was glad that Chuck had chosen him to help out and wanted to do well.

“To protect your head when you’re at bat or running the bases,” Chuck explained. “You don’t want to get hit by a ball.” He coughed as a cloud of dust drifted up in his nice.

“Sorry,” Benny said. “These shelves are really dirty.”

“That’s okay. They haven’t been touched since last season.”

“There’s an old hat in here,” Benny said. He lifted it out and examined the knob. “Look, it must be a lucky bat. It has a number seven on it.”

Chuck laughed. “It might be someone’s lucky bat, but that’s not what the number seven means. It means that the bat is twenty-seven inches long. That’s about the right size for most kids.”

Benny looked surprised. “I didn’t know they came in sizes.”

“They sure do. Never buy a bat that’s too long. They weigh more, and they’re hard to swing quickly.”

“I’ll remember that,” Benny said eagerly. He loved working with Chuck. He was going to learn a lot!

“And buy a wooden bat. Aluminum bats cost a lot and you’ll be changing bats as you get bigger.”

“Right!”

“And never, never try to bat without your helmet. Coach Warren will really drum that into you.”

“Got it!”

On the field, a blonde-haired girl walked over to the other Aldens as they were finishing their lunch, “Hi, I’m Susan Miller,” she said with a friendly smile.

Henry scooted over for her to sit down, and everyone introduced themselves. “I saw you pitching before,” he said. “You were very good.”

“Thanks. I played a lot of baseball at camp last summer.” She looked at Violet and Nicole. “What positions do you play?”

Violet looked embarrassed and Nicole giggled. “We’re just beginners,” Nicole explained. “We’re laughing because people have been asking us that all morning.”

“Sorry,” Susan said. “I guess Coach Warren will figure out where to put everyone.”

“Susan! Susan! I’ve been looking all over for you!” A tall woman rushed over to the table. Behind her was a woman who looked just like her except for her dark curly hair.

“Hi, Mom. Hi, Aunt Edna. I was just getting to know some of the kids.” She introduced her mother and aunt to everyone at the table. Jessie noticed that Susan seemed a little downcast when her mother appeared, and suddenly got very quiet. Her mother, however, never stopped talking and asked everyone their names, ages, and how much playing experience they had.

“Are you one of Coach Warren’s assistants?” Nicole asked.

Mrs. Miller’s jaw dropped. “Why no, why would you ask that?” She flushed a little and Violet knew that she didn’t like the question.

Nicole calmly answered, “You seem so interested in everything. I thought maybe you were helping to choose the team.”

“Well, I … of course not!” Mrs. Miller said abruptly. “I’m just a parent.” She put her arm around Susan. “My daughter is an excellent player, and I’m here to watch the tryouts,” She looked impatiently toward a folding table where Coach Warren and Chuck were poring over scribbled pages of notes. “I wish they’d hurry up and make up their minds.”

“Mom, this takes time,” Susan said quietly. “They want to make sure they pick the right people for the right positions.”

“How long can it take?” Mrs. Miller snapped. “I can think of several positions that you could play.”

Susan managed to change the topic and Jessie was relieved. It was obvious that Mrs. Miller liked having things her way!

“Do you want to walk around the field with me?” Ann stood up. “I’d like to walk some laps while we wait for the news. It makes me edgy just sitting doing nothing.”

“Sure, I’ll come with you,” Nicole said, gathering up her napkin and paper cup.

“Me, too,” Violet said, jumping to her feet. Being around Mrs. Miller was making her very nervous.

“How do you like Greenfield so far?” Violet asked Nicole a few minutes later. The three girls were walking briskly around the outer edge of the field. Each one knew that if she were chosen for the team, she’d soon be running two or three miles along the same path every day.

“I like it a lot since we met all of you,” Nicole said. “I thought it would take a long time to make new friends, but Michael said joining this team was a good way to get started.”

“I’m glad he thought of it,” Violet said. “But we’ll still be friends, whether we make the team or not.”

“Oh, I hope we do,” Ann said suddenly. She stopped and peeled off her jacket. “I’m going to put this with my bat, and I’ll catch up with you later, okay?” When she left, Nicole told Violet about her family, and Violet told her all about Grandfather and how he had found the Aldens living in a boxcar.

Nicole looked surprised. “You mean you were orphans, living on your own?”

Violet nodded. “We thought we wouldn’t like our grandfather, but then he found us and took us into his house, and everything changed. He’s the best grandfather in the whole world,” she said. “We have a wonderful home, and a dog named Watch, and a really nice housekeeper, Mrs. McGregor, to take care of us.”

“They’re announcing the team!” a boy said, whizzing by them.

“Oh, let’s hurry.” The three girls jogged to the center of the field where Chuck was standing with his clipboard. Coach Warren was at his side, and he leaned over and whispered something in Chuck’s car. Chuck nodded, and then motioned for everyone to gather around him.

“First, I want to thank everyone for coming. I know you all tried your hardest.”

Jessie glanced over at her sister, and noticed that she had her fingers crossed and had squeezed her eyes tightly shut. Jessie hoped that they would all be playing baseball together the following day.

“We have the final team list,” Chuck said. “Anybody who isn’t chosen for the team can still be a substitute player. They’ll fill in if anyone gets sick or drops out.” He shaded his eyes from the sun. “Okay, here goes: Alden
…
”

“Which one?” Violet blurted out, opening her eyes.

Chuck glanced at his list. “Both,” he said. “Jessie and Violet.”

“Yippee!” Jessie threw her arms around her sister. “We made it!” Both girls were still hugging each other when they heard Nicole’s name called out. “Great! We’ll all be together!” Jessie said, pulling Nicole into the circle.

“Michael Parker … Susan Miller … Ann Richmond …”

Violet was glad that the shy girl had made the team.

“Where
is
Ann?” Jessie asked.

“Look, there she is.” Nicole pointed to Ann, who was running across the field toward them. Nicole started waving, and then stopped and frowned. “Something’s wrong. She’s crying!”

“Ann, what is it?” Jessie asked when Ann reached them.

Ann’s eyes were red, and her face was streaked with tears.

“My dad’s bat …” she sobbed. “It’s gone! I think someone
stole
it!”

“Oh Ann, I’m so sorry,” Nicole said. “We’ll help you get it back.”

Jessie and Violet exchanged a look. The Aldens had another mystery to solve!

“Tell me exactly where you left it, Ann,” Jessie said calmly. “We’ll all work together and look until we find it.” Jessie knew how important the bat was to Ann.

“I left it in the dugout,” Ann said tearfully. “Chuck said it was okay to put our things in that big wooden cabinet.”

“We’ll spread out,” Jessie said, scanning the field. The field was crowded with parents and kids making their way back to their cars. “Violet, why don’t you get Benny and Henry to help you search the picnic area?” She turned to Nicole and Michael. “Could you two check the dugout again? Ann and I will cover the field.”

Jessie and Ann walked quickly toward the center of the field, weaving in and out of the crowd. Twenty minutes later, Ann was ready to give up. “It’s no use. We’ve gone over every inch of ground,” Ann said, sniffling.

Henry and Benny caught up with them. Jessie knew from the look on their faces that they hadn’t had any luck either.

Henry spoke first. “I’m sorry, Ann. We looked everywhere.” He shrugged helplessly. “It seems to have vanished into thin air.”

“We even asked Coach Warren and Chuck,” Benny piped up. “And Mr. Jackson.

“No one even saw it,” Ann cried. “What am I going to tell my father?”

“It still might show up,” Violet said, hugging Ann. “Someone might have taken it by mistake, and he or she will bring it back tomorrow.”

That night at dinner, the Aldens celebrated with Grandfather. “I’m very proud of all of you,” he said, looking around the table. “Two baseball players, a batboy, and an assistant coach.”

“Not quite an assistant coach,” Henry said, smiling, “but thank you, Grandfather.”

“Did you learn much about baseball today, Benny?” Grandfather asked.

“I know I need a lot more practice,” Benny said, reaching for a breadstick. “Chuck pitched some balls to me and I swung at them, but I didn’t hit any.”

“You know, I played a little baseball in my day,” Grandfather said. “Maybe I can give you a few pointers before it gets dark.”

“Yippee! Let’s go!” Benny was ready to scramble off his chair, but Mrs. McGregor stopped him.

“Not so fast, young man. You wouldn’t want to miss my hot apple pie with ice cream, would you?”

Grandfather laughed at the look on Benny’s nice. “Don’t worry, Benny, we have time to do both. Enjoy your pie.”

Later, at bedtime, Benny told Henry about all the tips Grandfather had given him. He had learned so many things! “Do you know what it means if you swing high one time and low the next timer”

“That you should play another position?” Henry teased him.

Benny made a face. “That you’re probably closing your eyes. Grandfather was right. That’s exactly what I was doing!”

“It’s getting late, Benny,” Henry said mildly. He knew his younger brother was very wound up. Benny really loved to talk!

“And do you know what else? It’s okay to be afraid of getting hit by the ball.”

“Is that so?” Henry asked.

Benny nodded. “Even major league players are afraid of getting hit.” He yawned, and scooted down under the covers. “But you have to watch the pitcher, and when the pitcher throws the ball, watch the ball.” He pulled the quilt up under his chin. “You have to watch the ball all the way. … to the bat.” Benny’s voice trailed off.

“I’ll remember that,” Henry said softly. Benny was sound asleep. Tomorrow was going to be a big day for all of them.

The next morning, Coach Warren divided the team into groups. Jessie, Ann, and Nicole found themselves working on fielding drills.

“Okay, everyone!” Chuck blew a sharp blast on his whistle. “You already know how to catch …”

“We do?” Ann muttered under her breath. She was upset because she still hadn’t found her missing bat.

“So what I’m going to teach you is fielding, or getting ready to catch,” Chuck continued.

“I just hope this is easier than pitching,” Jessie whispered to Ann.

“One thing you can be sure of,” Chuck went on, “baseballs are almost never hit right at the fielder.” He casually tossed a ball in the air and caught it. “So that means you have to be ready to move. The best way to get ready is to face the batter. Stand with your feet apart, as far apart as the width of your shoulders.”

Jessie took a step out to the side and hunkered down a little.

“That’s good, Jessie,” Chuck said. “Lean forward a bit. And Nicole, keep your weight on the balls of your feet.”

“I don’t know if I’ll ever get the hang of this,” Nicole said an hour and a half later. They were sprawled under an oak tree taking a break before learning some new drills.

“I never thought water could taste this good,” Ann said, taking a long, cool drink. Susan Miller walked by, swinging her bat, and Ann suddenly sat bolt upright. “That’s my bat!” she said under her breath.

“What?” Jessie looked up in surprise.

“My bat! Susan has my father’s bat.”