儿童英语读物 The Soccer Mystery CHAPTER 8 A Fake Phone Call

Hello?” said Violet, answering the phone. She listened for a moment and a worried expression crossed her face. “The game has been moved?” she asked. “Oh. Okay. Thank you.” She hung up the phone.



The Aldens were at the breakfast table. Benny wasn’t eating as big a breakfast as usual because the coach had told the team not to eat too much before a game. The Panthers were playing the Hawks 2 that morning. But he wasn’t nervous, the way he had been before his very first soccer game.



Everybody else was calmer, too. Henry drank his juice and began to eat a second piece of toast. Jessie finished her cereal and said to Violet, “The game has been moved?”



“Yes. We were supposed to play at the Greenfield Community Center, but it has been moved to Silver City,” she told the others.



Just then Soo Lee came into the kitchen. “Hi, everybody,” she said.



“Would you like some breakfast?” asked Mr. Alden.



Soo Lee wasn’t as nervous as she had been before the first game, either. “Yes, please,” she said. “I’d like some juice. There’s plenty of time for me to have some today.”



“Not if we have to go to Silver City to play,” said Jessie.



“Silver City?” said Soo Lee, surprised. “But we’re playing at the Greenfield Community Center.”



“Someone just called and told Violet that the game has been moved,” Benny said.



Looking even more surprised, Soo Lee said, “No one called and told me that.”



“Maybe they called after you left,” said Violet.



“And maybe Aunt Alice said you were coming here and would find out from us,” added Benny.



“I guess so,” said Soo Lee.



But Jessie was becoming suspicious. “Did the person who called tell you his name?” she asked Violet.



“Nooo,” said Violet slowly. “It was a man’s voice. But it was very deep, almost as if he were trying to disguise it. I didn’t recognize it, and he didn’t say who he was.”



Jessie got up from the table and went to the telephone. She looked up Stan Post’s name in the phone book and dialed his number.



“May I please speak to Stan Post?” she asked when someone answered.



“This is Stan Post,” he said at the other end of the line.



“This is Jessie Alden. Has the game between the Panthers and the Hawks been moved?” she asked. She listened for a moment and nodded. “I didn’t think so,” she said.



She hung up the phone and turned to face the others. “The game hasn’t been moved,” she told them. “That phone call was a fake. Someone didn’t want us to go to the game this morning!”



“Who would do a terrible thing like that?” gasped 3 Violet.



“The same person who let the air out of the soccer balls and locked Elena in the dressing 4 room,” said Henry.



“If it was a man who called, it couldn’t have been Gillian,” said Benny.



“That’s true, Benny,” said Violet. “I didn’t think she would do any of those mean things, anyway.”



“Then maybe it was Craig,” said Soo Lee.



“Or Stan,” said Henry. “Did he sound surprised when you asked, Jessie?”



“No. He didn’t even sound interested,” said Jessie. She made a face.



“Don’t forget the mysterious stranger,” Violet said. “He could have found out who we are from anyone and called us.”



Henry put down his fork. “Whoever it was, maybe we should get to the game a little early today.”



Later that day the Aldens were at the community center. The Panthers were ahead of the Hawks 1–0, but Henry didn’t want the Hawks to score even one goal. Henry was the goalie.



He paced up and down in front of the goal. He watched the teams running up and down the field.



Suddenly one of the Hawks kicked the ball toward the goal. Jessie ran after the ball. So did the Hawk 1. Who would get there first?



The Hawk player beat Jessie. He kicked the ball again.



From the side of the field, Henry heard Benny shout, “Go, Henry! Go, Henry!”



Henry ran toward the ball. The Hawk player ran toward the ball.



This time Henry got there first. He fell on the ball and curled himself around it so that the Hawk player could not kick it again.



He heard cheers from his team and from the sidelines as he got up. Looking down, he realized he was covered with dirt and grass stains from falling. But he didn’t care. He had caught the ball!



The referee 5 blew her whistle. The game was over!



With the ball under one arm, Henry trotted 6 toward the middle of the field. All the Panthers shook hands with all the Hawks. “Good game,” they said to each other. Gillian and Craig had taught both teams to do that. It was part of being a good sport.



Then Henry walked off the field with Elena, Violet, and Jessie, smiling broadly



“Good catch, Henry,” said Elena.



“I sure am glad you were there to save that goal,” Jessie said.



“I think it must be scary to be a goalie,” said Violet. “I don’t think I could run and catch the ball like that.”



Benny and Soo Lee ran out to them. They had played in the first part of the game but had not been playing near the end.



“That was great, Henry,” said Benny. “I’m going to be a goalie!”



“I thought you wanted to be a forward like Elena and score lots of goals,” Soo Lee teased her cousin.



“I’m going to do both,” declared Benny.



“I’m sure you will,” said Grandfather Alden as he approached.



“Keep up the good work, Henry,” said Gillian. “The whole team played wonderfully. I am very proud of you.” She applauded the team. Then the team applauded her. After that, everyone began to get ready to leave.



Craig came over. He shook hands with Gillian. “Good game, Coach,” he said.



“Thank you, Coach,” she said. “Why don’t we go get some breakfast? I was too nervous to eat this morning before the game.”



“Did you hear that?” whispered Benny. “Our coach was nervous!”



“Good idea,” said Craig. They smiled at each other. Then Craig said, “I’ll give you a ride. Then we can come back here and watch more soccer.”



The two coaches walked to Craig’s car, got in, and drove away just as Stan and Robert pulled into the parking lot. Craig and Gillian waved. Stan nodded. Robert stared straight ahead, ignoring them.



“He’s being a bad sport, Grandfather,” Benny said.



“He certainly is,” said Grandfather.



“I’m learning a lot about soccer,” Benny went on happily.



Grandfather Alden smiled and patted Benny’s arm. “You all are,” he said.



Just then Jessie, who had been staring across the parking lot, said, “I don’t believe it! The blue van is here.”



“Is the stranger in it?” asked Soo Lee. “Does he have binoculars 7?”



“I don’t see anyone in the van,” said Jessie. She looked around. “I don’t see the stranger anywhere.”



The others looked all around, too. They didn’t see him, either.



Grandfather Alden said, “The Perezes and I are going to go sit in the bleachers to watch the Bears play the Silver City Rockets.



“We’ll come sit with you,” said Henry. “But not right away.”



Their grandfather’s eyes twinkled. He knew that they were working on a mystery. But he only said, “Okay. See you soon.”



As Mr. Alden and the Perezes walked away, Violet said, “If no one is around the blue van, maybe this would be a good time to go look inside. We might find some clues.”



“Good idea, Violet,” said Henry.



“Wait until Robert and Stan leave the parking lot,” Soo Lee warned.



“Maybe we can look in Stan’s car, too,” said Jessie.



After the Post brothers had left the parking lot, the Aldens strolled over to the van. They kept a sharp watch for the stranger, but they didn’t see him anywhere.



At last they reached the van. Henry looked over his shoulder. “No one is in the parking lot,” he said. “No one has even noticed we’re here.”



“Good,” said Jessie. She led the way around to the other side of the van, so that no one could see them.



Looking inside, they could see that the van was neat and clean. A pair of binoculars was on the seat.



“Look,” said Soo Lee. She pointed 8 to a small sticker in the lower right-hand corner of the windshield.



“It’s blue and gold,” said Benny. “U . . . N . . . I . . . What does it say?”



“University,” said Soo Lee. “It’s a parking sticker for the university.”



“Athletic 9 Staff,” read Henry, leaning over to examine the parking sticker, too. “See? Athletic Staff Number one-two-three-four-five-seven.”



“Does the spy work for the university?” asked Benny.



“I don’t think he’s a spy, Benny,” said Violet.



Suddenly Jessie said, “Someone’s coming.”



“Hide,” said Henry. “Everybody duck down!”



They crouched 10 low, so they couldn’t be seen near the van. Nobody moved.



Was it the stranger? Had he seen them at his van and come back? Was he about to catch them?