Free Great Turkey Heist by Gertrude Chandler Warner Page B

said. “We are on our way there now.”
    Henry locked the door and everyone headed down Chestnut Street. When they were still a block away, they saw something strange. Ms. Sweeney, the reporter, was outside taking pictures. Tom the turkey was sitting on the roof of Green Fields restaurant!
    “What is he doing up there?” Benny asked excitedly.
    The children and Mr. Higgins rushed inside the restaurant. Mr. Grayson and Ms. Matthews were sitting at a table, but for once they were not fighting. Grandfather was there, as well.
    Violet noticed that the chairs had green leaves painted on the sides. She remembered that the chair she had seen outside the theater had the same design.
    Benny ran up to Mr. Grayson. “Tom the turkey is on your roof!” he cried.
    “Mr. Grayson already knows that,” Jessie said. “Because he was the one who put Tom the turkey on the roof.”
    Mr. Grayson’s face turned red. “You are right, Jessie.”
    “But why would you steal the turkey?” Benny asked. “He was supposed to show everyone where the food pantry was. We have been trying to find him for days!”
    “I know. I’m sorry, Benny. I did not mean to upset you. I did not steal the turkey sign first. Someone else did. But I found it in the alley behind Mr. Higgins’s grocery store. I wrapped it up in plastic and snuck it to my house. Ms. Matthews saw me carrying the package.”
    “I was very suspicious,” Ms. Matthews said. “But I did not know that it was the turkey sign. You hid it very well in that plastic wrapping.”
    “You should have given it back,” Benny said.
    “I should have, Benny. But I will tell you why I did not. I kept it to help the food pantry. I wanted everyone to know that Greenfield had a food pantry. I called the newspaper to tell them about the missing turkey sign. The next day, the news about the food pantry was on the front page! I wanted more stories about the food pantry. If the turkey stayed missing, there would be more news stories.”
    “You snuck into the theater, too.” Jessie said. “You are the one who ran with the turkey across the movie screen and across the football field.”
    “I did,” Mr. Grayson said. “The first day, I needed to check to make sure that there was a door in the theater that I could use to escape without being seen. I had to run fast because Benny saw me from the small window in the projection room.”
    Violet pointed to the chair that Mr. Grayson was sitting in. “You used one of the chairs from your restaurant to hold the door shut. That is why we could not catch you the night of the movie.”
    “I almost did not get the door shut in time,” Mr. Grayson said. “It’s a good thing I had help.”
    Noreen had brought in a tray of sandwiches and drinks. “Sorry, kids,” she said. “But it was all for a good cause.”
    “It was for a good cause,” Mr. Grayson said. “Because now everyone in Greenfield knows that Violet’s beautiful turkey sign is for the food pantry. When we put it back outside the alley, no one will ever have trouble finding the food pantry again.”
    “You sure can run fast with Tom the turkey,” Benny said. “I could not catch you. But at least I got to run on the football field.”
    Mr. Grayson turned to Grandfather. “Your grandchildren are not only helpful, they are very good at solving mysteries, as well.”
    “What happened to the money that was stolen from Mr. Tipton’s office at the movie theater?” asked Henry.
    “It wasn’t really stolen,” Mr. Grayson said. “I still have it. I am going to use it tomorrow to buy fresh fruit and vegetables for the food pantry from Mr. Higgins’s grocery store. I am sorry about making a mess in Mr. Tipton’s office. I thought it would make the newspaper story more interesting. ”
    “I would like to help,” Mr. Higgins said. “I know many things about how to run a store. I would be proud to be a part of the food pantry. And I feel very bad about some of the things I have done.” Mr.