Honeybee Mystery by Gertrude Chandler Warner Read Free Book Online Page A

to be Hennessey,” Clay said, arms folded, leaning against the sink.
    â€œHow can you be so sure, Clay?” Dottie demanded.
    â€œBecause he’s the only one left with a motive.” He turned to the children. “Back me up on this. It has to be Hennessey, doesn’t it?”
    â€œWell …” Jessie began. She looked at Dottie. “He really does have the best motive.”
    Henry nodded. “Yeah, he’s at the top of the suspect list.”
    â€œI’ll bet that guy we chased through the woods the other day works for Mr. Hennessey,” Benny suggested.
    Clay snapped his fingers. “Hey, that’s right! He did go back toward Hennessey’s farm. I’ll bet he does!”
    â€œWhat we should do,” Jessie said, “is the same thing he did — we should take a peek at their farm.”
    â€œIf that guy was working for Mr. Hennessey, I wonder what he was doing here,” Violet said.
    â€œProbably spraying some more Menadrin,” Clay replied.
    Jessie shook her head. “I don’t think so. I looked around when I was coming back from watching Georgie. I didn’t see anything.”
    â€œI think he was just spying,” Benny offered. “That’s what it looked like he was doing.”
    Henry nodded. “That’s what I thought, too.”
    â€œThen we should do a little spying of our own,” Jessie said firmly.
    Dottie sighed. “Well, I guess it won’t hurt. Better to have some real evidence that it’s them than to let you go over there yelling your head off,” she said to Clay.
    Clay smiled and put a hand lightly onto his chest. “Me? Yell my head off?”
    â€œOh, I forgot,” Dottie replied, rolling her eyes. “You’re such a cool-headed person.”
    The Aldens were enjoying this peculiar form of affection between the Shermans.
    â€œLet’s go check it out,” Henry said, sliding out of his seat. The others got up and followed him out the door.
    â€œGood luck,” Clay said.
    â€œAnd be careful,” Dottie called through the window screen as they crossed into the farmyard. A chicken zoomed through their marching line, right between Jessie and Violet, clucking madly.
    â€œWe will,” Jessie assured her.
    The Aldens found the old back road to Hennessey’s farm with no problem; it was just a little farther on from where they’d stopped chasing the spy the day before. It cut between the trees and was covered with gravel, coming to an end where the trees were too thick to cut through any farther. A little mound of dirt stood at the end of it.
    Shortly the forest began to thin out on the right side, and they eventually came upon the Hennessey farm. It was just like the Shermans’ in many ways — a large main house, a barn, and some fenced-in animal pastures.
    The Aldens crept out of the sparse forest to get a closer look. The first thing they saw was another collection of ancient farm equipment. More rusty plows, water basins, and broken-down trucks.
    â€œI guess all farms have a place like this,” Benny said.
    â€œSeems that way,” Henry agreed.
    They walked over to an old shed. The windows were either broken or missing completely, and there was no door. They peered inside and saw that the wooden floor was rotted through, giving way to sprouts of ugly weeds and moss. The odor was moldy, like the dark corner of a wet basement.
    â€œProbably used for storage,” Henry said. “Tools, bags of seed, stuff like that.”
    They moved closer to the farm, staying close to the trees and tall shrubs. Soon the beekeeping area came into view. The first thing about it the Aldens noticed was that there were fewer hives than on the Shermans’ farm.
    â€œNo wonder Mr. Hennessey never gets Mr. Price’s contract,” Jessie said. “He doesn’t have half as many bees as the Shermans.”
    â€œI’ll bet he’s not too happy about