Great Bicycle Race Mystery by Gertrude Chandler Warner Read Free Book Online Page B

think you’re right/’ Henry said.
    “I’m doing everything Nan told me,” Henry said. “I don’t have any spare tubes. I just hope I can ...” His voice trailed off as he saw the tube. It had caught between the wheel and the tire, just like the last time. The hole in the tube was a big one.
    “Oh, no,” said Henry under his breath.
    A bike pulled to a stop beside him.
    “Can I help?” came a voice Henry knew. He looked up in surprise.
    It was Al.
    “A flat tire,” he said. “It’s pretty bad.”
    Al looked at the tube. “Yeah, those snake bites can be nasty.”
    “Snake bites?” asked Benny, alarmed.
    “That’s what cyclists call it when the tube gets caught between the tire and the wheel rim. It usually happens when you don’t put enough air in the tube.”
    “Oh,” said Henry.
    “Fortunately I have a spare tube,” Al said. “You can have it.”
    “Thank you,” said Benny. He sounded amazed.
    ATs cheeks reddened slightly. “I guess you wouldn’t know that, with an old bike like you had. I mean, those tires had a different kind of tube in them and—”
    Henry got very still. “How would you know that?” he asked.
    Al’s cheeks grew redder. “Just a guess,” he said.
    Henry looked steadily at Al. Al wouldn’t look at Henry.
    Then Henry said quietly, “You’re the one who wrecked my bike, aren’t you?”
    Staring hard at the tube he was fitting into the tire, Al said, “Yes.”
    Benny jumped up. “That was mean!” he shouted. “And ... and really, really bad.”
    “I know,” Al said. Now his ears were red. “I’m sorry. I know it was a horrible thing to do. I didn’t mean to wreck the bike. I ran into a tree. I was just going to leave it in the woods until the race was over. It was stupid and wrong.”
    “And you let the water out of the jugs, and you changed all the signs and made the tents fall, and—”
    “No!” Al raised his head. “No!” he shouted. “I didn’t do any of those things. I’ve been trying to be better. I don’t want to be a bad sport. After I heard what Nan said at the start of the race, I realized what an awful thing I’d done. I’m sorry.”
    That stopped Benny. He folded his arms. “Well,” he said. “You should be.”
    “Anyway, I’m going to pay for fixing it. Or to replace it, if it can’t be fixed,” Al went on. He gave Henry a hopeful look. “Will you let me?”
    “Yes,” said Henry. “Thanks.”
    “Thank you,” said Al, jumping up. “And your tire is fixed. Just remember to keep a lot of air in that tube, and you shouldn’t have any more snake bites.”
    He fastened his helmet and was about to ride away when a police car pulled up. An officer got out, shaking her head. “Kids,” she said. She looked over at the three boys. “Did you move this detour sign?” she asked.
    “No!” said Henry Al, and Benny in unison.
    “Well, I’m moving it back down the road where it belongs. And if you know who did this, tell them it’s not funny,” she snapped. Lifting the sign, she tossed it in the trunk of her car and drove away.
    “That’s the wrong way, then,” said Al.
    “I guess so,” said Henry.
    “I wonder how many riders ahead of us went in that direction,” Al said.
    “Someone changed the signs, just like yesterday,” said Benny.
    Al said, “I’m going to ride to the next water stop and let them know. They can send some of the crew to catch up with any riders who might have gone the wrong way.”
    “Good idea,” said Henry.
    Without another word, Al jumped on his bike and pedaled off—in the right direction.
    Henry and Benny followed. As they reached the rest stop, they saw Ms. Whatney’s car pulling out. It turned and went back in the direction from which they had just come.
    “I wonder where they’re going,” Benny said.
    Henry wondered, too. But he didn’t talk much for the rest of the afternoon. He was too busy thinking about who could have changed the sign—and who was really behind all the bad luck