“Well, if yours isn’t in here, there are lots of others just like them. Janet and that crewman must be looking for something inside these coconuts.”
“Maybe one of them took Benny’s monkey to see if there was something inside it,” Violet said. “Janet was always around when Benny’s coconut was around. And she was gone a lot when his coconut was gone.”
Benny could hardly catch his breath. “Don’t forget Hap. He had my monkey in the cleaning cart.”
Jessie replaced the box lid. “You’re right. And he never seemed to want us getting the shipments, either. Anyway, we’d better get these back—”
Suddenly a spot of light blinded Jessie. Then, one by one, it blinded the other children.
“What are you doing here?” a booming voice called out.
When the flashlight finally went off, the Aldens found themselves staring up at a very angry Hap Merchant.
“You children don’t belong here. And these boxes don’t belong to you, either. Why did you bring them here?”
Without waiting for an answer, Hap went over to a storage closet in the hallway. He came back with a hand truck. “Stack those boxes here. These are going back to Penny’s. I’ll have to tell her what you’ve been up to.”
“But ... but—” Jessie began.
“No buts about it,” Hap said. “Penny was missing these shipments, and you had them.”
With that, Hap pushed the hand truck down the hall. He hit the freight elevator button. When the elevator arrived, he rolled the hand truck inside. The doors closed, and Hap and dozens of coconut monkeys disappeared into the depths of the mall.
CHAPTER 10
Monkey Business
The children had called Mrs. Frye to let her know that they would be home soon. Since Janet and Hap didn’t want the Aldens around, it wasn’t as much fun visiting Hope Harbor Mall anymore.
As the children walked along Waterfront Street, Benny noticed his grandfather’s car parked up ahead. “Grandfather’s back from his trip,” he said.
This cheered up all the children.
“We can have dinner together,” Violet said. “There’s a lot to tell him. This visit didn’t turn out to be the way we thought it would.”
As the children drew closer to Mr. Bolt’s house, their grandfather came out of the house.
Benny skipped ahead to get the first hug. “Grandfather! You’re back.”
Mr. Alden couldn’t put out his arms to hug Benny. He was holding something he had found on the front steps of Mr. Bolt’s house, something round and hairy.
“My monkey!” Benny cried when he noticed what Mr. Alden had in his hands. “Where did you get it?”
Mr. Alden read a note taped to the monkey:
“Dear Benny,
I found out this belonged to you after I found it at the mall. I hope you are glad to get it back.
A Friend”
Grandfather Alden then said, “Goodness, Benny, how did your monkey get all the way from that garbage truck to Mr. Bolt’s house?”
Benny hugged the monkey to his chest. “Oh, this isn’t the one I lost. I mean, well, I lost this one, too, but it’s a new one.”
One by one, the other children came up to their grandfather for hugs.
“I have a feeling there’s a story that goes with that monkey,” Mr. Alden said. “First I found it on these steps with a note. Now Benny says this monkey isn’t the one that was missing. Would somebody tell me what has been going on while Martin and I were gone?”
By this time, Martin Bolt had come outside to help with the luggage. He looked just as confused as Mr. Alden when the children began to tell them about the last few days. “Goodness, I’m sorry you children had such a rough time of it. Nothing exciting ever happens when I’m there.”
Benny smiled up at his grandfather’s old friend. “Oh, we had a good time, but sometimes not. Anyway, we like it when exciting things happen.”
Mr. Bolt smiled at this. “Listen, now that we’ve unpacked the car, I’d like to go back to the mall. Then we can have a late dinner there.”
Benny tilted his
“Maybe one of them took Benny’s monkey to see if there was something inside it,” Violet said. “Janet was always around when Benny’s coconut was around. And she was gone a lot when his coconut was gone.”
Benny could hardly catch his breath. “Don’t forget Hap. He had my monkey in the cleaning cart.”
Jessie replaced the box lid. “You’re right. And he never seemed to want us getting the shipments, either. Anyway, we’d better get these back—”
Suddenly a spot of light blinded Jessie. Then, one by one, it blinded the other children.
“What are you doing here?” a booming voice called out.
When the flashlight finally went off, the Aldens found themselves staring up at a very angry Hap Merchant.
“You children don’t belong here. And these boxes don’t belong to you, either. Why did you bring them here?”
Without waiting for an answer, Hap went over to a storage closet in the hallway. He came back with a hand truck. “Stack those boxes here. These are going back to Penny’s. I’ll have to tell her what you’ve been up to.”
“But ... but—” Jessie began.
“No buts about it,” Hap said. “Penny was missing these shipments, and you had them.”
With that, Hap pushed the hand truck down the hall. He hit the freight elevator button. When the elevator arrived, he rolled the hand truck inside. The doors closed, and Hap and dozens of coconut monkeys disappeared into the depths of the mall.
CHAPTER 10
Monkey Business
The children had called Mrs. Frye to let her know that they would be home soon. Since Janet and Hap didn’t want the Aldens around, it wasn’t as much fun visiting Hope Harbor Mall anymore.
As the children walked along Waterfront Street, Benny noticed his grandfather’s car parked up ahead. “Grandfather’s back from his trip,” he said.
This cheered up all the children.
“We can have dinner together,” Violet said. “There’s a lot to tell him. This visit didn’t turn out to be the way we thought it would.”
As the children drew closer to Mr. Bolt’s house, their grandfather came out of the house.
Benny skipped ahead to get the first hug. “Grandfather! You’re back.”
Mr. Alden couldn’t put out his arms to hug Benny. He was holding something he had found on the front steps of Mr. Bolt’s house, something round and hairy.
“My monkey!” Benny cried when he noticed what Mr. Alden had in his hands. “Where did you get it?”
Mr. Alden read a note taped to the monkey:
“Dear Benny,
I found out this belonged to you after I found it at the mall. I hope you are glad to get it back.
A Friend”
Grandfather Alden then said, “Goodness, Benny, how did your monkey get all the way from that garbage truck to Mr. Bolt’s house?”
Benny hugged the monkey to his chest. “Oh, this isn’t the one I lost. I mean, well, I lost this one, too, but it’s a new one.”
One by one, the other children came up to their grandfather for hugs.
“I have a feeling there’s a story that goes with that monkey,” Mr. Alden said. “First I found it on these steps with a note. Now Benny says this monkey isn’t the one that was missing. Would somebody tell me what has been going on while Martin and I were gone?”
By this time, Martin Bolt had come outside to help with the luggage. He looked just as confused as Mr. Alden when the children began to tell them about the last few days. “Goodness, I’m sorry you children had such a rough time of it. Nothing exciting ever happens when I’m there.”
Benny smiled up at his grandfather’s old friend. “Oh, we had a good time, but sometimes not. Anyway, we like it when exciting things happen.”
Mr. Bolt smiled at this. “Listen, now that we’ve unpacked the car, I’d like to go back to the mall. Then we can have a late dinner there.”
Benny tilted his
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