Mystery of the Traveling Tomatoes by Gertrude Chandler Warner Read Free Book Online Page B

garden,” he told the Aldens. “Only a few people have bought this expensive kind of metal detector.” He typed the words Metal Detector Model X332 in the computer. Three names appeared on the screen.
    He pointed to the first name. “This man moved to Chicago last year,” he said. He pointed to another name. “And this man fell off his son’s skateboard and broke his leg, so he’s not using his detector just now. That leaves this last one. His name is Chaney Dunkard. He lives just down the street.” Mr. Hamu wrote down the address.
    “Thank you, Mr. Hamu,” said Jessie. “We’ll talk to him.” She and the other Aldens hoped they could find out who had been making trouble in their garden.
    The children biked up to the small house. They saw Mr. Dunkard working at a picnic table in his front yard. He sorted through a pile of metal objects. Jewelry went in one green cloth bag and coins in another. When he saw the children, his eyes bugged out. “What do you want?”
    “Why did you dump out our black gold?” Benny demanded.
    The man snorted. “You mean that heap of wormy dirt?”
    Benny jutted out his chin. “Worm poop is black gold.”
    “Worm poop!” Mr. Dunkard made a face. “Yuck!”
    “Why did you dump it?” Benny asked again.
    “I heard you talking in the Café about ‘black gold.’ I thought you meant real gold. You said it was in garbage cans,” the man answered.
    “The cans were on The Applewood Café property,” said Jessie. “At least you could have cleaned up the mess you made.”
    “I heard someone coming,” said the man, “so I left. Big deal.”
    “Why did you dig up Benny’s tomato plants?” asked Violet. “And his peppers and his onions?”
    “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Mr. Dunkard said “I didn’t dig up anything. I may have snooped around in some cans, but I don’t dig in other people’s yards.”
    “Hey look!” Benny said. He picked up one of the green cloth bags on the table. “This is the same kind of bag we used to make Spooky’s head!”
    Mr. Dunkard yanked the bags back. “These are mine. I found them in the alley behind The Applewood Café. They were in the alley garbage can, not on Applewood property. Finders keepers.”
    “May I see them?” asked Henry.
    “No. You can get out of my yard, is what you can do.” The man with went back to sorting through the treasures he had found. “Worm poop,” he muttered. “Who calls worms ‘black gold?’ Kids. Bah.”
    As the Aldens got back on their bikes, they were all thinking the same thing. If Mr. Dunkard didn’t dig up the “traveling tomatoes,” then who did?

CHAPTER 9
Hot, Hotter, Hottest
    The children stopped back at the police station on their way home.
    “The detective brought back the metal panels from Duffy’s Garage,” the chief said. “Those will make great evidence once we dust them for fingerprints. No word yet from the other detective about the van. I promise I’ll call as soon as I hear.”
    None of the children liked waiting. It was always more fun to be doing something than doing nothing. But as they walked outside, they couldn’t think of what to do next.
    “Well,” said Violet, “we did solve two mysteries. We know it was Cesar who propped up our sunflowers and cleared the poison ivy out of the alley. And we also know that Mr. Dunkard dumped our compost cans searching for ‘black gold.’”
    Henry laughed. “I wish I could have seen his face when all he found was garbage and a million worms. But someone else dug around our garden, and we don’t know why. We need to think harder.”
    “I want to keep trying to find the bank robber,” said Jessie. She sat on the police department steps. “But I’m out of ideas.”
    “Me, too,” said Violet, joining her.
    “Me, three,” said Benny, plopping down between them.
    But Henry was not ready to give up. “Look, we’ve learned important things. We know the thief hid his van in Duffy’s Garage while he made