Mystery of the Missing Cat Read Free Page B

now.”
    At that moment, Dr. Scott walked out to the waiting room with a girl holding a small dog with a bandage on its paw.
    â€œAnd make sure she stays off that paw,” Dr. Scott said.
    â€œThank you, Dr. Scott,” said the girl. She and the dog went out.
    Dr. Scott saw the Aldens and greeted them. “So you have a cat now, too?” she asked, seeing the sign Violet was holding.
    â€œOh, no,” said Violet. “The cat belongs to someone else. We’re just helping find her.”
    â€œYou can put the sign up on the wall over there.” Dr. Scott pointed. “I’ll keep an eye out for her, too. Good luck.”
    â€œThank you,” said Henry. “By the way, Dr. Scott — has anyone else been in looking for a missing cat? A spotted one like Spotzie?”
    Dr. Scott shook her head. “No one.” A man came into the waiting room with a large, shaggy dog bouncing at the end of a leash. “Well, I need to get back to work. Good luck again.”
    The Aldens put the sign up on the wall and went back outside.
    â€œLunchtime?” said Benny hopefully.
    â€œNot quite, Benny,” said Jessie. She looked back over her shoulder, but the mysterious stranger had not reappeared. “We need to go see if Mr. Woods has a picture of Spotzie. That would help our search.”
    The Aldens rode their bicycles over to Mr. Woods’s house. This time, when they got there, Mrs. Valentine opened the door when Henry knocked.
    She smiled. “Hello,” she said. “Come in.” She led the way to the kitchen. A short young woman with lots of curly red hair was sitting at the kitchen table.
    â€œThis is my niece, Whitney,” said Mrs. Valentine. “Whitney, these are the Aldens: Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny.”
    â€œHow nice,” said Whitney.
    â€œIt’s nice to meet you, too,” said Henry politely.
    â€œI just made some cookies,” said Mrs. Valentine.
    â€œCookies? I like cookies,” said Benny.
    Mrs. Valentine laughed. “I know you do, Benny. Mrs. McGregor has told me. Maybe you’d like some cookies now?”
    â€œYes, thank you,” said Benny, promptly sitting down at the kitchen table.
    Everyone laughed. While Henry helped pour milk into glasses, Jessie and Violet joined Benny and Whitney.
    â€œWe’ve been looking for Spotzie,” Jessie told Whitney.
    â€œOh yes. Mr. Woods’s cat. I’ve been hearing about her from my aunt. Any luck?” asked Whitney.
    â€œNot yet,” said Henry as he gave each of the Aldens a glass of cold milk. “We’ve made some signs and put them up at the animal shelter and at Dr. Scott’s veterinary office and around town.”
    Mrs. Valentine put a plate of cookies warm from the oven in the middle of the table, and she and Henry sat down, too. “It’s very strange that the little cat disappeared like that off the front porch,” Mrs. Valentine said.
    â€œMaybe a dog came by and chased her off the porch while Mr. Woods was inside,” suggested Whitney.
    â€œA dog! We never thought of that,” said Henry. “We thought she might have seen something and chased it and gotten herself lost somehow.”
    â€œAn interesting theory,” said Whitney, with a little smile. “You children are real detectives, aren’t you?”
    Benny didn’t seem to notice Whitney’s amused smile. “Yes,” he said, reaching for another cookie. “We’ve solved a lot of mysteries. Do you want to help?”
    â€œI’m kind of busy,” said Whitney, raising her eyebrows. “I’m afraid you children will have to solve the mystery without my help.”
    Jessie’s face turned red at Whitney’s tone, but she didn’t say anything. Instead, she turned to Mrs. Valentine. “We were wondering if Mr. Woods had a photograph of Spotzie. We want it to show to people.”
    â€œI’m sure he