They’re very lucky that way. So did you have to go to the hospital, Benny?”
Henry said, “No, we just took him to Dr. Hughes’s office.”
“And he gave Benny a shot?” Lindsey asked.
“No. He wrote a prescription for this really strong cream. We had to go to the drug store to g—”
Henry stopped in midsentence. He and Lindsey looked at each each other.
“Hey!” he said.
“Hey!” she said back.
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” he asked.
“I think so,” Lindsey said.
Grandfather smiled. “I think I am, too.”
“Me, too!” Jessie said.
“And me,” Violet added.
Benny, who suddenly felt left out, cried, “I don’t know what anyone’s talking about!”
“Sorry, Benny!” Henry said. “The drugstore! That might be the answer! If the thief had a rash and didn’t want anyone to know about it, he or she could go to a drugstore to get medicine.” Henry looked around at the others. “That’s what you were all thinking, right?” Everyone nodded.
“Oh,” Benny said. “I get it.”
Lindsey got up, full of energy again. “So where do we start?” she asked. “There must be half a dozen drugstores in this area.”
“I guess we might as well start with the closest one,” said Grandfather. “That would be Donovan’s on the village square.”
The Aldens and Lindsey drove to Donovan’s Drugstore in the center of Greenfield and spoke with Mrs. Donovan, the pharmacist there. They did not want to ask personal questions about her customers, so they asked in a general way about how a serious rash might be treated without a doctor’s prescription.
“Well,” she said, “there are a lot of strong creams on the market nowadays. Used to be you’d need a prescription for them.” She went on to name a few of the most popular brands. “As a matter of fact,” she offered, “I recall a young man came in today and bought three different creams. He had a nasty rash. Said it was poison ivy, but it didn’t look like poison ivy to me.”
Lindsey and the Aldens stood very still for a moment, not believing their good luck.
“You said he was a young man?” Grandfather asked.
“Yes, a polite young man,” Mrs. Donovan continued. “On the thin side. I remember him because he wore a Boston Red Sox cap and they’re my favorite team. That, and he had the bluest eyes I’ve ever seen.”
At this last remark, Lindsey looked sharply at James Alden.
“Are you children working on some kind of research project?” Mrs. Donovan asked.
“Sort of,” Henry answered, “and I promise when we are done with it, we will tell you all about it. But right now we’re kind of in a hurry.”
The Aldens and Lindsey thanked Mrs. Donovan for her help and left the store. As soon as they were out on the sidewalk, the Aldens turned to Lindsey.
“Well, I guess that rules out Beth,” said Henry.
“And our suspect with the bright shirts,” said Benny. “He definitely was not skinny.”
“Does the young man Mrs. Donovan described sound familiar?” Grandfather asked Lindsey.
“Yeah, I think he does,” Lindsey said. “I don’t remember his name, but I remember his blue eyes and the baseball cap. I think we still have his file at the office. We keep records of all our employees, both past and present. I’ll check into it first thing in the morning. I assume you guys will be with me?”
“We wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Henry assured her.
CHAPTER 8
A Surprise Visitor
The Aldens sat in Lindsey’s office the next morning, watching her at her desk as she flipped through a set of files. Bright beams of sunlight slanted through the window, and sparrows chirped in the trees outside.
“Here it is,” she said, pulling out one folder and setting the rest aside. “Brian Grady. I am sure of it now.”
She opened the folder and laid it flat on her desk. The Aldens gathered around.
As soon as Benny saw the picture of Grady attached to the first page, he gasped.
“I wasn’t sure by
Henry said, “No, we just took him to Dr. Hughes’s office.”
“And he gave Benny a shot?” Lindsey asked.
“No. He wrote a prescription for this really strong cream. We had to go to the drug store to g—”
Henry stopped in midsentence. He and Lindsey looked at each each other.
“Hey!” he said.
“Hey!” she said back.
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” he asked.
“I think so,” Lindsey said.
Grandfather smiled. “I think I am, too.”
“Me, too!” Jessie said.
“And me,” Violet added.
Benny, who suddenly felt left out, cried, “I don’t know what anyone’s talking about!”
“Sorry, Benny!” Henry said. “The drugstore! That might be the answer! If the thief had a rash and didn’t want anyone to know about it, he or she could go to a drugstore to get medicine.” Henry looked around at the others. “That’s what you were all thinking, right?” Everyone nodded.
“Oh,” Benny said. “I get it.”
Lindsey got up, full of energy again. “So where do we start?” she asked. “There must be half a dozen drugstores in this area.”
“I guess we might as well start with the closest one,” said Grandfather. “That would be Donovan’s on the village square.”
The Aldens and Lindsey drove to Donovan’s Drugstore in the center of Greenfield and spoke with Mrs. Donovan, the pharmacist there. They did not want to ask personal questions about her customers, so they asked in a general way about how a serious rash might be treated without a doctor’s prescription.
“Well,” she said, “there are a lot of strong creams on the market nowadays. Used to be you’d need a prescription for them.” She went on to name a few of the most popular brands. “As a matter of fact,” she offered, “I recall a young man came in today and bought three different creams. He had a nasty rash. Said it was poison ivy, but it didn’t look like poison ivy to me.”
Lindsey and the Aldens stood very still for a moment, not believing their good luck.
“You said he was a young man?” Grandfather asked.
“Yes, a polite young man,” Mrs. Donovan continued. “On the thin side. I remember him because he wore a Boston Red Sox cap and they’re my favorite team. That, and he had the bluest eyes I’ve ever seen.”
At this last remark, Lindsey looked sharply at James Alden.
“Are you children working on some kind of research project?” Mrs. Donovan asked.
“Sort of,” Henry answered, “and I promise when we are done with it, we will tell you all about it. But right now we’re kind of in a hurry.”
The Aldens and Lindsey thanked Mrs. Donovan for her help and left the store. As soon as they were out on the sidewalk, the Aldens turned to Lindsey.
“Well, I guess that rules out Beth,” said Henry.
“And our suspect with the bright shirts,” said Benny. “He definitely was not skinny.”
“Does the young man Mrs. Donovan described sound familiar?” Grandfather asked Lindsey.
“Yeah, I think he does,” Lindsey said. “I don’t remember his name, but I remember his blue eyes and the baseball cap. I think we still have his file at the office. We keep records of all our employees, both past and present. I’ll check into it first thing in the morning. I assume you guys will be with me?”
“We wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Henry assured her.
CHAPTER 8
A Surprise Visitor
The Aldens sat in Lindsey’s office the next morning, watching her at her desk as she flipped through a set of files. Bright beams of sunlight slanted through the window, and sparrows chirped in the trees outside.
“Here it is,” she said, pulling out one folder and setting the rest aside. “Brian Grady. I am sure of it now.”
She opened the folder and laid it flat on her desk. The Aldens gathered around.
As soon as Benny saw the picture of Grady attached to the first page, he gasped.
“I wasn’t sure by
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