Gertrude Warner - Great Shark Mystery

“We helped feed the sharks,” Benny told him.

“We swam with the dolphins,” Henry added.

“We missed you!” Violet was saying.

Grandfather smiled broadly. “It’s good to see you all. Sounds like you’ve been having lots of fun.”

At last the children quieted down. “We have been,” Jessie said.

“What time is it?” Henry asked, noticing the bright sunlight streaming in the window.

“You slept late this morning,” Grandfather said. “I took a taxi here from my friend’s house. I was sure you’d be up by now.”

“It was a late night last night,” Henry said.

“We were solving a mystery!” cried Benny.

“Ah … I knew there had to be a mystery,” Mr. Alden said, smiling. “I want to hear all about it. But first, how about some breakfast—although it’s nearly lunchtime.”

The Aldens put together a delicious breakfast in their little kitchen. There were scrambled eggs, toast with jam, sliced fruit, and juice to drink. The children took turns telling their grandfather what had happened during the few days they’d been apart.

At last the story of the burglary, Emily’s engagement, the roller coaster, and the great white shark had all been told.

“I can’t believe all that took place in such a short time!” said Grandfather.

“I wonder what will happen to the great white shark,” said Henry.

“Let’s find out!” Jessie said.

The children dressed quickly and headed over to the shark enclosure. When they got there, they were surprised and saddened to find the large tank held nothing but water.

Grandfather and the children stood silently, staring at the large empty tank. A few minutes later, Mac emerged from his office. He looked tired. But for the first time, his face looked calm. The Aldens realized now how worried he’d been during the past week.

“What happened to the shark?” Benny asked.

“We took him back to the ocean,” Mac said.

“Already?” Jessie asked.

“I didn’t know how much longer he’d make it in a tank,” said Mac. “We took care of it during the night.”

“Now he’ll be okay?” Violet asked.

“Yes,” Mac said firmly. “He’ll be fine.”

Emily and John walked up, holding hands. “Morning!” they called out.

“This must be John,” Mr. Alden said.

“So you’ve heard about me,” John said, grinning.

“What happened with the jewelry?” Henry asked Mac.

“I spoke with Mr. Wilson,” Mac said. “Ms. Carver and I went there first thing this morning.”

“What did he say?” Henry asked.

“He was glad to have the jewelry back,” Mac said. “I’m going down to the police station now to turn myself in. I just wanted to tie up a few loose ends here.”

“What’s going to happen to you, Mac?” Benny asked, worried.

“I don’t know,” Mac replied. “I have to pay for what I did. But I hope that if I cooperate, the judge won’t be too hard on me.”

Jessie ran up and gave Mac a big hug. The others followed.

Grandfather and Mac shook hands. “Good luck,” Mr. Alden said. Mac waved to the children and walked off.

“I was thinking that maybe today you kids might like to take a break from the park,” Mr. Alden said to his grandchildren. “How does a day at the beach sound?”

“Great!” the children all shouted.

“We’ll join you,” Emily said.

“Don’t you have to work?” Jessie asked.

“I don’t have to focus on my work today,” Emily said, grinning. “It’s my day off.”

Mr. Alden took his youngest grandchild aside and looked him in the eye. “What about you, Benny?” he asked quietly “Still afraid?”

Benny thought for a moment. “I’ve learned a lot about sharks, Grandfather. I’m not afraid anymore.”

GERTRUDE CHANDLER WARNER discovered when she was teaching that many readers who like an exciting story could find no books that were both easy and fun to read. She decided to try to meet this need, and her first book, The Boxcar Children, quickly proved she had succeeded.

Miss Warner drew on her own experiences to write the mystery. As a child she spent hours watching trains go by on the tracks opposite her family home. She often dreamed about what it would be like to set up housekeeping in a caboose or freight car — the situation the Alden children find themselves in.

When Miss Warner received requests for more adventures involving Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny Alden, she began additional stories. In each, she chose a special setting and introduced unusual or eccentric characters who liked the unpredictable.

While the mystery element is central to each of Miss Warner’s books, she never thought of them as strictly juvenile mysteries. She liked to stress the Aldens’ independence and resourcefulness and their solid New England devotion to using up and making do. The Aldens go about most of their adventures with as little adult supervision as possible — something else that delights young readers.

Miss Warner lived in Putnam, Connecticut, until her death in 1979. During her lifetime, she received hundreds of letters from girls and boys telling her how much they liked her books.

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

copyright © 2003 by Albert Whitman & Company

978-1-4532-3438-9

This 2011 edition distributed by Open Road Integrated Media

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